Sevenoaks Chronicle
Butterfly-friendly garden wins medal
A KENT garden designer who used her first ever RHS show to exhibit butterfly-friendly planting has won a silver medal. Emma Atkinson created her pink and purple pollinator patch at RHS Badminton in collaboration with national charity Butterfly...
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‘Exceptional’ wildfire risk in parts of UK
PARTS of the UK are at “exceptional” risk of wildfires during the heatwave, experts have warned. Areas in the South East, east of England and the Midlands are highlighted as being at highest risk, according to Natural England. Its fire severity index...
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New support centre for veterans opens
THOUSANDS of veterans in Kent will be able to benefit from increased support following the opening of a new support centre in Aylesford. Part of Valour, a groundbreaking programme to increase support for veterans, the centre will provide...
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Warning of another heatwave next week
THE Met Office has warned that the UK could be bracing itself for yet another heatwave and weather models now indicate that Britain may even witness its hottest day on record. Met Office forecaster Neil Armstrong has stated that this week should...
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School to bring girls into its sixth form
A LEADING boys’ school in Kent has announced it will be bringing girls into its sixth form. The move at Tonbridge School will end a nearly five centuries’ old tradition of only boys attending the school. The independent boarding and day school has too...
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Artist set to help draw up strategy
BARRATT Redrow Kent has appointed award-winning public art consultancy FrancisKnight and lead artist Katayoun Dowlatshahi to collaborate on a Public Art Strategy for its upcoming Fort Halstead development, in Sevenoaks. The appointment will see the...
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New fishmongers opens on High Street
AN independent fishmonger and pantry, sourcing exclusively from British fishermen and trawlers, opened in Borough Green last week. Joseph Palmer, who holds England’s record for the fastest salmon fillet, has opened Trawler’s Basket on the High...
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Airline operator goes into administration
A UK airline operator has collapsed into administration, leading to a loss of 41 jobs. The entire fleet of UK chartered airline Zenith Aviation Limited has been grounded after suffering financial turbulence. The London Biggin Hill– based company...
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Bid to keep windmills in KCC control fails
A BID to keep eight historic windmills under the control of the county council failed. Opposition members Cllrs Sarah Hudson and Claudine Russell (Conservatives), supported by the Green group leader, Cllr Mark Hood, “called in” a decision to continue...
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KCC sells assets worth £84m in five years
THE county’s largest local authority has raised £84m by selling property in the past five years, it was revealed last week. Kent County Council (KCC) made £27m in 2025-26, Reform UK’s first year in charge, and is on course to achieve another £17m in...
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KCC 26% price hike on school bus pass
COUNCIL bosses are under fire for hiking bus school pass prices by nearly 26% to thousands of the poorest users. Parents of 3,100 youngsters, who already receive big discounts in the Kent Travel Saver Scheme (KTSS), will have to fork out £170 in the...
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Access will provide more joined-up care
AMBULANCE clinicians are being empowered to provide more informed and joined-up care while assessing patients by having greater access to realtime patient care records. Following a successful trial in Paddock Wood, Kent, all frontline clinicians...
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Exotic bird spotted in Kent this month
AN exotic bird has been spotted right across the UK this month, with sightings reported in Gloucestershire, Devon, Cornwall, Kent, Essex and Dorset. Residents and avid birdwatchers have described witnessing an ‘influx’ of these eye-catching birds...
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Man quits job after his dog earns more
A CARPENTER has quit his job after his dog went viral on social media and started to earn more than him. Duncan Tout, 33, set up an Instagram account for French Bulldog TJ back in 2021 to keep a ‘collection of memories.’ But after a video of the...
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Consultation over PSPO renewal
A HAIR-raising catalogue of antisocial behaviour in a Kent borough was shared by residents and parish councils during a consultation, as the renewal of a Public Spaces Protection Order is to be decided. Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s cabinet...
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‘Popular’ police officer dies after car crash
A KENT Police officer has died and his colleague is in critical condition following a car crash while responding to an “immediate call”, police have said. The incident was near Farningham last Thursday and “popular colleague” PC Bradley Corke, 27,...
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Reform criticised for selling KCC art works
A SALE of more than 360 art works owned by a Kent council shows “utter contempt” for local history, claims the Green Party. Green county councillor Stuart Jeffery said the collection of paintings, drawings, lithographs and prints by Reform UK-run Kent...
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Visitor centre gets £2.1m refurb
THE visitor centre at Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve has re-opened following a £2.1 million refurbishment. The Harrison Visitor Centre, which hosts events, school visits and family activities, has been transformed, said Kent Wildlife Trust. The money has...
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Beauty spot ‘blighted by antisocial behaviour’
ONE of Kent’s most idyllic riverside villages with a centuries old humpbacked bridge and a dreamy church spire is being blighted by antisocial behaviour. The village gem of Eynsford looks ripe for a jigsaw puzzle, with ducks bobbing on the river and...
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Kent EV points to be funded in £12m plan
A MAJOR new £12 million Government-funded initiative to install 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points in Kent was unveiled earlier this month. Kent County Council (KCC) has awarded a 20-year contract to charge point operator, Urban Fox, to...
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Joined-up thinking for shopping centre
ESTAMA has been appointed both asset manager and property manager for Bligh’s Meadow Shopping Centre, in Sevenoaks, marking a significant step in the evolution of one of the South East’s strongest-performing retail locations. The 77,183 square foot...
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Solar farm plans rejected
OPPONENTS of a massive solar farm proposal took an important step forward in blocking it at the council planning stage last Thursday evening. But residents in communities near Sevenoaks will have to wait for expert analysis on significant aspects of...
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Councillor uses AI to keep his voice
A COUNCILLOR who struggles to speak after developing motor neurone disease (MND) is using pioneering AI technology to communicate using his own recorded voice. Nick Varley, 58, who represents Kippington on Sevenoaks district and town councils as a...
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Low level of pothole damage payouts in Kent
PAYOUTS for cars damaged by potholes in Kent fall far short of the national average, new analysis has found. Potholes can cause burst tyres, damaged shock absorbers, and wheel distortion that can prove costly at the garage, and many drivers try to...
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House prices predicted to rise in 2026
PROPERTY website Rightmove predicted that stronger housing market activity could lead to a 2% increase in average asking prices in 2026, despite a quieter market at the end of 2025. Rightmove said prices usually fall in December, but last month’s...
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KCC’s £60M budget gap
REFORM UK’s flagship local authority’s debt will increase by tens of millions of pounds, even if it puts up council tax by the maximum possible amount, according to a leaked forecast of next year’s finances. Kent County Council (KCC) was won by Reform...
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‘They’re making a mess of KCC’
CONSERVATIVE Party leader Kemi Badenoch has taken a swipe at the new Reform UK administration at Kent County Council (KCC) claiming it is “making a mess” of it. Mrs Badenoch said Reform at KCC are not united and claiming credit for savings that the...
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Next step in leisure masterplan
THE project to transform an historic Kent estate into a leading destination for sport, wellness and landscape-based leisure has taken its next step. Hollaway Studio has been appointed to lead the design of the major new leisure masterplan at London...
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Height of proposed buildings at station concerns council
SEVENOAKS Town Council has raised serious concerns as to the potential building heights that have been explored in the district council’s proposed mixeduse housing allocation for Sevenoaks Railway Station and car park. The railway station and car park...
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