What’s happening to the £120M town centre redevelopment — and why won’t the Council tell us?

Many people across Sevenoaks have been asking the same question lately: whatever happened to the District Council’s plan to redevelop the area around the leisure centre and library?

The honest answer is: it’s still happening — but it’s been further delayed, it’s been dramatically scaled back, and most of what’s going on is being kept secret. And with £120 million of investment at stake, that secrecy is simply not good enough.

What we know

The scheme has recently stalled again due to undisclosed concerns about the procurement of a developer. The scheme has come before Council meetings on multiple occasions, but each time the details have been heard in secret, behind closed doors, on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

While Liberal Democrat councillors have been asking dozens of questions to get to the bottom of what’s planned, much of the information they’ve received has been provided on a strictly confidential basis.

What they can say is this: the original vision — which included not just a new leisure centre and homes, but also a hotel, arts centre and other facilities — has been significantly reduced in ambition. Those additional elements appear to have been dropped entirely.

Most concerning of all, the Council’s own risk register — a public document — reveals that there are plans to close the existing leisure centre before the new one is built. That would leave a real gap in sports and leisure provision for local residents.

What we’re demanding

A £120 million town centre scheme is too important to be decided behind closed doors. Sevenoaks Liberal Democrats are calling on the Council to:

• End the secrecy — residents deserve to know what is being planned in their name
• Hold a second public consultation — you must have your say before final decisions are taken
• Involve the community — Resident Associations, sports clubs and local businesses should have a permanent seat at the table
• Appoint an independent Design Panel — to help ensure the town ends up with something it can be proud of
• Publish the evidence on parking and infrastructure to support the development

As Cllr Alan Leaman has said: “This is probably the most important development that Sevenoaks has seen for generations. At £120 million, it will shape the town for many decades. We must get it right.”

We’ll keep pushing for answers — and we’ll keep you updated as we find out more.