What we do

Neighbourhood Watch

WPARA has had an active Neighbourhood Watch for more than 15 years which, with the support of our PCSOs and the local police crime prevention team, has kept crime at low levels. Prompted by residents the police have successfully tackled vandalism at the Nevill Ground and drug dealers selling their wares in Warwick Park, graffiti painting has also been reduced.  Graffiti is a good example of why we cannot relax as new taggers appear from time to time, but we have had some success with one of our PCSOs identifying a tagger who was subsequently prosecuted.

Our policing area is Pantiles and St Marks and you can find more details of local crime rates for the area here. You can also read a message from our local PCSO, Ewan McKim under the Community Policing section.

We circulate a twice weekly email from the Kent Neighbourhood Watch Association to all members with the latest developments and alerts on issues such as internet scams and cold callers.

If you would like to receive our emails, please send an email to Malcolm Dove our Neighbourhood Watch coordinator at [email protected]   Access is free to anyone, but we do expect recipients to be from households which are members of WPARA. If you are not a member please contact an area representative or email us at [email protected]

STREETSCAPE

Streetscape covers everything in the public realm from pavements, lighting, trees and signage to street furniture.  It’s the most visible sign of work that WPARA does to preserve the unique character of the area.

Most of the responsibility for maintenance and repairs falls to Kent County Council.  They have no local offices and many of the highways team are located miles away in Ashford, Aylesford, Maidstone and other places, so they are less aware of the specific characteristics of our area.  We are working hard to build good relationships with the different teams responsible for the streetscape.  For instance, we are actively campaigning to get the pavers restored in some areas.

As residents we can also do our bit to maintain the pavements and keep the streets clean outside our properties. Keeping hedges clipped back and sweeping and weeding the pavement all help and show the authorities we are committed to preserving the environment.

During the lockdown many residents realised how lucky we are to have a road with such wide pavements and longer-term we are looking to see what can be done to improve the public realm and enhance the quality of life for residents.

Extreme weather issues

As a spa town, Tunbridge Wells has numerous springs and culverts, some of which traverse the WPARA area as well as an ageing Edwardian drainage system which is performing at the limits of its capacity. The Pantiles is the lowest area in the town and historically the drainage system has been unable to cope with heavy downpours. After considerable pressure, including contributions from WPARA, in 2018, substantial alterations were made to the drainage system around the Pantiles with surface water diverted into the River Gromm.  This has proven successful as long as drains are kept clear in the Warwick Park area.

Neil Williams has taken responsibility for contacting the council about blocked drains. Although several attempts have been made, these have only been partially successful due to parked cars blocking access. TWBC’s has a problem co-ordinating parking restriction notices and the arrival of contractors.

It will help if residents ensure that the drains outside their property are kept clear of leaves and other detritus. This will help to stop the drainage system being overwhelmed during a cloudburst.

20 MPH ZONE

We are advocating for the area to be made a 20 mph zone.  This would be a logical extension to the existing zone in the Village area and make a clear boundary between Forest and Frant Roads which are main arteries for through traffic in the town.

Cars pass through Warwick Park at speed as it is often used as a cut through to either traverse Rodmell Road or as a rat run via Roedean Road to avoid the junction at Forest and Frant Roads.  The current traffic calming is also an antiquated system which is ineffective and if anything adds to pollution with stop start driving.  We believe we have a good case to ensure a 20 mph zone is implemented. The area includes a nursery as well as several sports clubs and lower traffic speeds would support improved road safety and promote more pedestrian and cycle usage.

Securing a 20 mph zone would also create the possibility for more grants to improve the streetscape with trees and planters, so it would be a win-win for improving the ambience of the area.

RAILWAY BRIDGE

The bridge on Warwick Park is a relic from the railway line that used to connect Tunbridge Wells Central Station with Tunbridge Wells West station.  The line closed in 1982 and since then some of the track bed has been incorporated into gardens of the houses along the north side of Blatchington Road.

The bridge has a completely unsatisfactory single lane restrictor which is supposedly designed to slow down cars, but it appears to almost act as an accelerator.  There is so much wrong with the current layout.  It collects litter, has poor lighting and unsafe ‘bicycle lanes’.  It needs a radical rethink and a complete overhaul.

We are in the early stages of developing a proposal for this area and are in consultation with different stakeholders.  We will post updates of any progress in the news section.