9:35 am, April 15, 2023
Hendy Group has won permission to turn a former John Lewis store in Kent into a £5m ‘motor village car dealership’.
It submitted its proposal for the Kingstanding Business Park site to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council at the beginning of the year and the plans have now been approved.
The John Lewis at Home store closed in April 2021 but now the vacant site can be transformed into a four-brand car and van business after planners gave the scheme the green light, according to Insider Media.
As part of the proposal, Hendy’s Mount Ephraim dealership in the town will shut and staff from its sales, servicing and parts departments will transfer to the new site, with the Mount Ephraim site possibly being turned into housing.
Hendy Group chief executive Paul Hendy was quoted as saying: ‘We can now progress our plans to bring this major empty retail site, which is close to other motor retailers and the A21, back into use.
‘It will ensure the area remains a destination for eager car buyers.’
He added: ‘Modern manufacturers – and our customers – rightly expect ever higher standards.
‘Unfortunately, the obvious physical constraints of our current site on Mount Ephraim mean we can’t make the improvements we need to put in place.
‘Our only option is to relocate, and the vacant John Lewis site now provides us with the ideal solution.’
Hendy said: ‘It was great that members recognised our commitment to retaining jobs in the borough and provide sufficient space to expand our operations to accommodate our car and van franchises.
‘Redeveloping the existing site for housing is far more in keeping with the current character of Mount Ephraim, but that will be a subject of a future application.
‘As well as removing cars from the centre of Tunbridge Wells, when fully operational our Kingstanding Way site will generate less traffic than when John Lewis was open.’
Hendy Group says it aims to open the doors to the new dealership by early next year. The development work won’t involve the empty shop being demolished.
The dealership business added that the move was intended to not only keep but also increase its workforce, which currently numbers 150.
Image: Google Street View
