Pembury - Actions by Conservatives may have Delayed New Hospital

6.41.15pm GMT Fri 19th Mar 2004

Pembury Hospital - Tunbridge Wells

Christmas came early for Pembury residents last year. They had a double reason to celebrate: -

1. Kilmartin lost their claim for a judicial review of the decision by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to grant planning permission for a new hospital on the existing Pembury site.

2. Kilmartin also lost its appeal against the decision of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to refuse planning permission for a new hospital on the Knight's Park site.

"I am delighted that the hard work of all the Pembury Borough Councillors has been rewarded and the decisions of the Borough Council have been upheld", says Councillor David Mills, a former Chairman of the Council's Planning Board. "I am sure the outcome accords with the wishes of a huge majority of Pembury residents."

Councillor Mills continues "I cannot complain about the decisions that Kilmartin took in their own commercial interests; but I am less sure about the motivation of several of the Conservative Councillors who continued to argue against Pembury and in favour of Knight's Park long after the decisions were taken. Because they gave encouragement to Kilmartin to continue with its appeals, they have probably delayed the opening of the new hospital by at least twelve months."