Ditton Parish Council

08/09/2026

THERE WILL BE A TEMPORARY 15 MINUTE ROAD CLOSURE ON KILNBARN ROAD ON SUNDAY 20/09/2026 TO ALLOW THE LARKFIELD 10K ROAD RACE TO PASS THROUGH.

THE COMMUNITY CENTRE CAR PARK WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE ACCESSED BY CAR DURING THIS 15 MINUTE CLOSURE.

01/09/2026

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES AND WORKS AT A20/NEW ROAD - UPDATE:

We requested an update on the roadworks at Ditton Corner and the night time closure of New Road. This is the response from KCC:

“As the site currently stands all closures are now off the road during the day, multiway lights remain in place as the installation of the new permanent lights has been delayed by issues on site.
The night works that are now taking place are for the resurfacing of the main A20, Station Road and New Road junctions, due to the A20 being a main arterial corridor, blue light route, Kent Lane Rental & traffic sensitive road this is the reason these most impactive parts of the works have to be completed outside of normal working hours."

We also asked about when the works would be complete as the original notice said they would finish on 5th September.

" the night works are scheduled to be completed on the 7th (last night of works will be the 6th) they requested one extra night for the high friction surfacing to be installed on top of the new carriageway surface."

01/09/2026

News from TMBC: September 2 for 1 offer to Tonbridge Castle for Tonbridge and Malling Borough residents

Residents of the borough are invited to bring a friend for free when they visit Tonbridge Castle this September as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the attraction and what is has to offer.

Tonbridge Castle is throwing its doors open to residents for the whole month, providing they bring with them proof of address of living in the borough – this would ideally be a driving licence, alternatively a council tax bill and other form of photo ID.

Cabinet Member for Community Services, Des Keers, who is promoting the initiative explains:
“ I think because Tonbridge Castle has been around for so long local people almost forget that it is there! I know of local families that will travel out of the borough to visit other attractions and yet don’t think to visit one that is right on their doorstep.

“The idea of a residents’ campaign is twofold – it’s to give something back to local people but it’s also to encourage them to visit and help to spread the word about what a good day out Tonbridge Castle is. I really hope that our residents will take advantage of the offer and persuade other friends and family to visit.”

Tonbridge Castle is located just off the high street, visitors are issued with an audio guide and then are instantly transported into a medieval world where kings and lords ruled supreme, to discover history at their own pace. A children's version is available, and younger visitors can also enjoy a castle activity book to help bring the history to life during their visit.

The castle opens every day, Monday to Thursday 9-5, Friday 9-4.30, weekends and bank holidays 10-6 (until end of September – Winter hours are 10-4). The cheaper ticket will be free – for example if an adult visits with a child, the child will go free. In person bookings only – not available online.

01/09/2026

Urgent Road Closure - Bell Lane, Ditton - 1st September 2026 (Tonbridge & Malling)

It will be necessary to close Bell Lane, Ditton from 1st September 2026 for up to 21 days.

The road will be closed outside the substation (2-10).

The alternative route is via Bell Lane, A20 London Road, New Hythe Lane, Laburnham Drive, Maple Close, Oak Drive, Bell Lane, and vice versa.

Weight restriction, suspension of 7.5t weight limit on New Hythe Lane.

This is necessary for transformer and low voltage replacement works, to be carried out by UK Power Networks.

Enclosed is a copy of the Traffic Notice in confirmation of this.

This bulletin contains public information and can be freely forwarded to any other road users who may be affected. Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, but no liability can be accepted for any changes or errors.

For details of roadworks, please see One.Network

KCC Highways & Transportation: keeping you up to date with what’s happening on our roads - for more information visit https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/KentHighways

Official Twitter feed for KCC Highways. Local travel information. Please report Highway faults via our website: https://t.co/eKoV1x8Sbi or call 03000 418181

27/08/2026

26/08/2026

Please note the previously listed walk for 13th September has been amended.

20/08/2026

TMBC NEWS RELEASE

Council disappointed as Government takes control of East Malling development decision

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has voiced its disappointment after the Government stepped in to take over a decision on plans for up to 1,300 homes in East Malling.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner MP, has decided to "call in" the application for development on land west of Hermitage Lane, meaning the final decision will now be made by Government rather than local councillors.

The move comes after Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council's Planning Committee indicated it was minded to refuse the application, which includes proposals for up to 1,300 homes, a primary school, village centre, employment and community space, play areas, road and infrastructure improvements.

Under new Government policy introduced earlier this year, planning applications for more than 150 homes that are minded to be refused by a local council must be referred to the Secretary of State, who then has the option to call in the application for her own determination. It's the first time this policy has been tested in the borough.

The council wrote to the Government outlining why it felt ministerial intervention was not justified because the proposal:

• Does not conflict with national planning policy in a way that requires ministerial determination.
• Does not raise issues of more than local importance.
• Does not give rise to significant impacts beyond the immediate locality.
• Does not involve exceptional architectural, urban design or national security considerations.
• Does not provide a compelling reason to depart from the principle that planning decisions should be made locally wherever possible.

But the Secretary of State has rejected this view and will now decide if the development is approved or refused.

Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Mike Taylor, said he's frustrated by the decision which will mean government, not local people, will now determine an application that would have a significant impact on the area.

He said: "We are disappointed that the Secretary of State has taken this decision, especially since we were able to demonstrate that this application did not warrant a Government determination.

"Decisions like this should be left to local councillors, who understand the impacts on local communities and are best placed to weigh up the views of residents alongside planning considerations.

"We hope that the Secretary of State will give full consideration to the reasons why the Planning Committee was minded to refuse the application and ultimately reach the right conclusion."

The full planning application can be viewed on the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council planning portal here - https://publicaccess.tmbc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=TDF4RNQHG5M00&activeTab=summary

19/08/2026

FROM TMBC