From the https://www.kentlive.news By Mary Harris, 25 January 2019.

A distinctive pub in Tonbridge is going to be bulldozed to make way for new homes.

'The history of the town is being eroded and I am sure a more suitable development could be done without demolishing this building'

The Primrose in Tonbridge is going to be bulldozed to make way for new homes. (Image: Lewis Durham)

A distinctive weather-boarded pub in Tonbridge which closed last summer is going to be bulldozed to make way for homes.

The Primrose in Pembury Road and plans for four houses and two flats have been approved by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

The plan to redevelop the pub and car park attracted nine official objections from members of the public and three letters of support.

Those backing the proposal from Acklam Developments in Chichester said the pub had been underused and welcomed a new use for the land. A council report said trading figures demonstrated there was little hope of the pub being reopened as a viable watering hole.

The design for Primrose Inn on Pembury Road in Tonbridge (Image: Darling Associates Architects)

A resident living in the same road as the pub said: "At the moment we have a virtually derelict pub that has long been under-utilised and a poorly-maintained eyesore, and an overgrown patch of Tarmac, so anything that brings this redundant space back to life is a good thing."

The borough council can not currently show the area will see enough housing being built during the next five years to meet needs. This is currently affecting how the council decides on planning applications as there must be a "presumption in favour of sustainable development".

Primrose Inn is described as a "landmark building that has distinctive white weather-boarding" in the council's Tonbridge Character Areas assessment, but the report which went before the planning committee last week said this "does not mean the building should be retained in perpetuity".

But a resident in Goldsmid Road called for the building's preservation, saying: "Please do not demolish this building. The history of the town is being eroded and I am sure a more suitable development could be done without demolishing this building. I understand the need for housing is great but it can't be at the expense of the history and natural beauty of the town."

Other objections concerned the number of flats being built in Tonbridge and that "neighbouring properties have a history of subsidence".