The Pembury Society | Planning for the future

Are you a Pembury resident who cares for your village?

If so why not look through the information on this website, and join the Society. We have a steady membership and are always looking for new members. We also need more committee members to help us to achieve more for the village.

Come and join us and keep Pembury buzzing!

The aims of the Pembury Society are;

The preservation and protection of the beauty and character of Pembury.

To promote and protect features of architectural and historic interest within the Pembury conservation area and throughout the village.

Through developing a community spirit, to encourage residents to take pride in Pembury as a safe and attractive place to live in.

Through the members of the Pembury Society, to ensure that an independent voice is heard in the right Quarters on those issues that are close to the Pembury Society aims.

Click below for more information

Origins of the Pembury Society

In the late 1960s Cyril Masterman, a retired gas engineer who is reputed to have invented the humble, but most useful, gas poker, came to live in Pembury and built for himself a wood-tiled bungalow near the Priory at Longhill in Romford Road.

The site had attractive views. He soon found, however, that Pembury was being invaded by developers with grandiose schemes for large scale housing estates.

He wrote a Plan for Pembury which was submitted to the Tonbridge Rural District Council which was at that time our Local Authority. This included a by-pass for the Maidstone Road with a fly-over at its crossing with Church Road. He appears to have had little support from the local authority and decided to try to form a Residents' Association as a pressure group.

In 1973, partly because of the risk of confusion with the name of another village organisation, it was decided to change the name to the Pembury Society and recognition was sought from the Civic Trust. The Trust agreed to register the Society provided it was set up with a written Constitution approved by the Trust. This was done and the first formal meeting of the society took place in 1974.

There is an old adage about anybody, everybody, nobody and somebody - Everyone said something should be done about "it", everybody said somebody would do it, but although anybody could have done it, in the end nobody did it.

But Cyril Masterman appreciated the threat to Pembury and did something about it. There were planning applications for large developments along the Maidstone Road and elsewhere and he advocated a tight boundary around the built-up area, the northern relief road and the protection of trees. At the Appeal hearing on the Woodside Road development proposal, one of the developer's advocates complained, quoting The Merchant of Venice, "the lady doth complain too much"

The lady in the case was our then chairman, Mrs. Holland, but she was quick to retort "but she won her case". This seemed to have some impact on the Inspector; the appeal was dismissed and Pembury was assured of some relief from the prospect of more estates of housing being developed. The Inspector was heard to remark that, for Pembury "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH",
Meetings

The next Pembury Society meeting & Spring 2024 Members Meeting will be held at St Peter's Church near the Green - date to be announced shortly.

We hold two general members meetings including an AGM each year

They are free for members and just £3 for visitors.

Annual membership is just £5 per household
Pembury Society Projects
Here are some of the projects that The Pembury Society has carried out or made contributions to over the years.
Bygone Pembury book. Funding and publishing
Partner in Neighbourhood Development Plan
Campaign to prevent Hendy development
Refurbishment of War Memorial
Archaeology on the village green
Historic Map on the village green. Research & funding
Various memorial benches around the village
Archaeology on the Green - An ancient site of commerce in the Weald and the village and the site of a Blacksmiths forge.
- Any old iron?
- The Black Horse
- The Camden Arms Hotel
- The Camden Arms Hotel
- Chrurch Porch at St Peter's Old Church
- Oasts of Downingbury Farm
- Downingbury Farm
- Margery Polley Memorial
- Historic Map
- Historic Map
- View across the green

Planning Matters - Comment & Links

Notable Planning Applications

One of the services provided by the Society is to actively monitor local planning applications affecting the Village and its surrounds. We check all applications and work to ensure they are suitable for Pembury and maintain the highest standards for village development. The ones we list are just some of those reviewed, but which might have a community interest, or where we as a Society have made some comment.

The Society may express its opinion about planning applications but does not have any power or direct influence on outcomes. The most powerful influence on outcomes is from many and multiple objections from the local community to the planning department.

We aim to ensure that apathy and disinterest of the public do not permit undesirable schemes to gain approval.
You can send your comments direct to us at planning@pemburysociety.org

PLANNING	DATE	ADDRESS	TITLE	STATUS	DOCUMENTS	TWBC
23/02302 & 2303/FULL	MON 4th September 2023	The Ranch UK Redwings Lane Pembury Tunbridge Wells Kent TN2 4AD	Change of use of land from equestrian buildings to provide a gypsy traveller pitch (Retrospective)	Awaiting decision	CLICK FOR DOCUMENTS	TWBC PORTAL ENTRY
22/03534/LAWPRO	TUE 12 Dec 2022	5 Lower Green Rd Pembury Tunbridge Wells Kent TN2 4DZ	Lawful Development Certificate for siting of an ancillary temporary structure under the Caravan Act 1968	Approved	CLICK FOR DOCUMENTS	TWBC PORTAL ENTRY
22/02947/FULL	Tues 4th October 2022	Amberleaze, 2 Lower Green Road, Pembury, TN2 4PA	Addition of new access drive with 2 parking spaces	Awaiting decision	CLICK FOR DOCUMENTS	TWBC PORTAL ENTRY
22/01964/FULL	Thu 30 Jun 2022	8-9 Amberleaze Drive Pembury Tunbridge Wells Kent TN2 4HF	Demolition of existing buildings and erection of four two-storey residential dwellings (two detached and two semi-detached)	Approved	CLICK FOR DOCUMENTS	TWBC PORTAL ENTRY

Click for TWBC Planning Portal

Click for TWBC Planning Map

This recent planning vision from a developer contains a significant inaccuracy - that this proposal is backed by the Pembury NDP (Neighbourhood Development Plan). This is not correct - the area in question was outlined as 'suitable for development' in the TW area plan. The recently accepted Pembury NDP cannot challenge TW plans but any development proposals outside of these areas must consider the Pembury NDP. Neither the Pembury Society nor the Pembury Parish Council support this housing project.

The Committee
The current committee members are;
David Hanes - Chairman & Treasurer
Helen Castle - Secretary
Richard Snow - Publicity Officer
Kathryn Franklin - Planning Officer
Tony Nicholls - History Archivist
Peter Bruce - Website Manager
Brian Lawrence - Committee Member

Newsletter & Archive

ARCHIVED NEWSLETTER LINKS
Autumn 2022
Spring 2022
Autumn 2019
Spring 2019
Autumn 2018
Spring 2018
Autumn 2017
Spring 2017
Autumn 2016

Bygone Pembury Book

We are very pleased to announce the publication of the second print run of our book "Bygone Pembury" still priced at £18.

Over 300 pages of articles, postcards, photographs, maps, cuttings, advertisements and ephemera

Written, compiled and edited by members of The Pembury Society and friends

Published and Distributed by The Pembury Society

Now available for purchase direct from us by email and also from Barnes-Kingsnorth Estate Agents or the Black Horse, both on the High Street, with our grateful thanks for their support.

Please note that Barnes-Kingsnorth can only take payment by cheque or cash.

Contact us at info@pemburysociety.org
Pembury Past & Present - The Village in pictures
The Village Today
- Pembury St Peter's Old Church
- The Black Horse
- The Camden Arms Hotel
- The Camden Arms Hotel
- Chrurch Porch at St Peter's Old Church
- Oasts of Downingbury Farm
- Downingbury Farm
- Dundale Farm
- Bentincks Farm
- High Weald Farmland
- Fletchers Farm Oast
- Marlborough Wood
- Footpath to Dundale Road
- Footpath to Pembury
- Footbridge
The Bygone Village
- The Green
- The Green
- The Green
- The Green
- The Green
- The Green
- Hastings Road
- Hastings Road
- Hastings Road
- Hastings Road Garage
- Hastings Road
- Henwood Green
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- High Street
- Hospital
- High Street
- High Street
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Hospital
- Kent College
- Lower Green Road
- Lower Green Road
- Lower Green Road
- Pembury Hall
- Pembury Hall
- Pembury Ware
- Petrol Station
- Post Office
- Pembury Postcard
- Pembury Postcard
- Pembury School
- Pembury School
- Margery Polley Memorial
- Margery Polley Memorial
- War Memorial
- Woodsgate
- Woodsgate
- Woodsgate Colour
- Woodsgate Cafe
- Woodsgate Swimming Pool
- Woodsgate
- Workhouse
- Workhouse
- Workhouse Chapel
- Workhouse Entrance
- Workhouse Mens Exercise Yard
- Workhouse Plan
- Workhouse
- Workhouse Cells
- Workhouse Chapel
- Workhouse Chapel
- Almshouses
- Great Bayhall
- Great Bayhall
- Great Bayhall
- Black Horse
- Brickworks
- Bo Peep
- Bo Peep
- Cafe
- The Camden Arms
- The Camden Arms
- Canterbury Road
- Baptist Church
- Baptist Church
- St Peter's Old Church
- St Peter's New Church
- Coach Road View
- Dower House
- Garage
Pembury NDP - Neighbourhood Development Plan

Download the Village Plan
Response from The Pembury Society

Below is a copy of the development areas in Pembury which have been proposed in the Tunbridge Wells area local plan. As you can see it largely fills in any area up to the A21 bypass. We still only have one surgery and one school.
Tunbridge Wells Area Matters

This page is for Tunbridge Wells area documents concerning the wellbeing of Pembury Village

Below is a copy of the route of the 1945 Tunbridge Wells bypass plan (solid red) which would have eliminated much of the torturous traffic problems we have had ever since. We have added a variation of the route to utilise existing roads for minimised impact.

It links the A21 to the A26 around the western and southern sides of the town effectively creating a ring road and avoiding the heavy through traffic that blights the character of an otherwise elegant Spa town.

Much of the land required is still undeveloped.

Below is a traffic impact study based on the Tunbridge Wells area local plan.

Below is the Pembury Society's ideas to alleviate these traffic increases, at minimum impact and cost. Click on the image to download a PDF version.
Membership

Why not become a member of the Pembury Society? For just £5 per annum you get all the benefits of the society looking after your interests as a resident of the Village.

You can choose how to pay - either email info@pemburysociety.org or by Standing Order by following the links below, or via post;

THE PEMBURY SOCIETY
C/o Pembury Parish Council Office
Lower Green Road
Pembury
TN2 4DZ

CLICK FOR STANDING ORDER FORM