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NEWS ARCHIVE

PANTILES OWNER SETS OUT FRESH VISION FOR HISTORIC SHOPPING PARADE | 05/08/08

Plans to rejuvenate The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells and establish it as a truly significant retail and leisure destination have this week taken a major step forward.

Property group Targetfollow, which bought The Pantiles and Commons in an £11 million deal earlier this year, set out its vision for the historic colonnade to Royal Tunbridge Wells borough councillors on Wednesday night.

Working closely with council planning officers and conservation experts, Targetfollow has spent months drawing up a draft rejuvenation strategy which looks at ways of improving and enhancing The Pantiles while preserving its historic character and charm.

Councillors are being asked for their initial views on Targetfollow’s vision for The Pantiles and the property group’s proposals for delivering it. Other stakeholders, such as Pantiles traders, Kent County Council and the Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society, will also be consulted before the final version of the rejuvenation strategy is presented to the borough council for adoption in the autumn.

Targetfollow’s aim is for its vision for The Pantiles to become a firm part of the council’s planning strategy through the Town Centre Area Action Plan. The property group is preparing to invest heavily in restoring and reinvigorating what it calls “a remarkable and unique part of Kent’s heritage”.

Jeremy Aldous, portfolio manager at Norwich-based Targetfollow, said: “We have very exciting plans to rejuvenate The Pantiles, to build on its enviable character and heritage, and we therefore need to ensure we have the full support of the borough council to help us deliver such objectives – to help bring the vision to life.

“The draft strategy is an overview of our aims and will indentify areas where specific proposals could be brought forward. That’s why it is so important that councillors and key stakeholders are given an opportunity to have their say on the way forward for such a high-profile and well loved part of Royal Tunbridge Wells.”

Mr Aldous said that The Pantiles had very many strengths, such as its internationally famous architecture, beautiful buildings, strong mix of quality shops, cafés and restaurants, and its reputation as a safe, pedestrianised environment for shoppers and families.

But the elegant parade had become “rather detached” from the town centre in recent years and there were various issues that needed to be addressed if it was to enjoy increased footfall and attract more “destination shops”. These included the need to create better linkage with the rest of the town and the Common, to restore and refurbish some buildings, to provide improved parking and better signage, and to carry out public realm improvements, such as enhanced paving and landscaping.

“As owner of The Corn Exchange for more than six years, Targetfollow has shown a firm commitment to Royal Tunbridge Wells and has developed a close working relationship with the council, the community and traders. The majority of the upper and lower Pantiles are now under one ownership for the first time in over 100 years and Targetfollow is therefore well placed to take a holistic approach to the entire Pantiles area through a comprehensive, but sensitive, rejuvenation strategy,” he said.

“Targetfollow already has a proud track record of rejuvenating other heritage buildings in its portfolio, such as Centre Point in London, Baskerville House in Birmingham and the Buttermarket Shopping Centre in Newark. I’m therefore delighted that our ‘distinctive vision for property’ is already making a difference here in the historic heart of Tunbridge Wells.”

Wednesday’s presentation to borough councillors was given by Mr Aldous, along with Targetfollow development manager Iain Hill; Jo Moffatt, managing director of Tunbridge Wells branding consultancy Woodreed; and Judith Livesey, from planning and urban design consultancy Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners in London.

Ms Moffatt talked about Woodreed’s work on rebranding and relaunching The Pantiles as “The Jewel in The Town” and creating a distinctly “indulgent retail and leisure destination” where shoppers could spoil themselves and enjoy a cultural feast.

The Pantiles is the new main sponsor of the 2008 West Kent Business Awards, organised by the Courier Media Group in association with the West Kent Chamber of Commerce. It is also sponsoring the Best Retailer of the Year category.

The sale of The Pantiles to Targetfollow in January, on the instructions of the Trustees of the Manor of Rusthall, included Rusthall and Tunbridge Wells Commons – about 250 acres of land containing two cricket grounds, walkways, woods and two car parks – as well as the title, Lord of the Manor of Rusthall. Also included were the Chalybeate Spring, the Swan Hotel and the Old Fish Market building.