Page 45 - KPRM 2019

Arts Council England) the delivery of a Creative Laboratory/ Dance Studio at Henwood Industrial Estate, Ashford.
Tunbridge Wells Cultural Hub
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent County Council are working together to provide the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells with a Heritage, Cultural and Learning Hub. The
vision for the hub is to create a building that provides an excellent visitor experience for all, high-quality architectural design, a destination building and acts as a catalyst for the regeneration of Tunbridge Wells as a cultural destination. The project will see the integration of the following services under one roof:
•Museum Service
• Libraries
•Archives and Registration •Adult Education
•Visitor Information
•Gateway for Citizen Information Services
The site is in a prominent position in the centre of Tunbridge Wells and forms part of the Civic Complex. The existing Library & Museum building and the Adult Education Building are both Grade II listed. The brief for the project requires the buildings to be made fit for purpose. An area of new build
is proposed to accommodate the requirements of the brief and to link the two buildings. Funding is coming from the Heritage Lottery and Arts Council England.
Education Capital Programme
Every child deserves a first-class education and the County Council ensures that there are enough good school places for every child who needs one. KCC has an excellent track record of ensuring enough good school places, informed by our Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in
Kent (KCP), which is updated annually. The KCP sets out
the principles by which we determine proposals, and it forecasts the need for future provision. It sets out how Kent County Council discharges its statutory responsibility to secure sufficient early years, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, primary and secondary places and to ensure that there are appropriate learning pathways for pupils
post 16 years old. It is KCC’s responsibility to ensure that
it has enough places in the right locations and at the right time to meet the demands of increased pupil numbers and parental preferences. This is an annual process, with a rolling
plan that informs the commissioning of education capital projects. The KCP 2019-23 identifies the need for additional permanent and temporary mainstream school and specialist places each year with the next two-year programme delivering £70m of investment. In addition, the County Council also works with the Department for Education to secure the local delivery of new free schools.
Kent Estates Partnership/One Public Estate
The Kent Estates Partnership brings together public sector services from across the county with the aim of identifying opportunities to collaborate and deliver organisational synergy, employment and housing regeneration and
key schemes. The Partnership was formed in 2016 with partners from Emergency Services, Health, Higher & Further Education and all levels of Government from across the
county. It works with the government’s established One Public Estate (OPE) programme to build a shared picture of the public sector estate in Kent.
So far, it has submitted bids to three OPE funding rounds, and has been successful in all. Funding of £703,000
is currently supporting eight collaborative projects in
the county for feasibility and master planning work. These projects are forecast to deliver £35m in capital receipts, 1100 new homes, 3500 new jobs and £5.5m in savings. Less tangible benefits include improvements to the living, working and leisure environment across Kent. Its aims include increasing general health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, in local communities as well as improvements to community facilities, transport links and access to improved employment prospects.
Proposal for the EDGE Hub at Canterbury Christchurch University.
Kent Property Market Report 2019 43
PHOTO: CANTERBURY CHRISTCHURCH UNIVERSITY