Oast house could be restored to 'former glory'

Sevenoaks Town Council is leading the plans to refurbish the former oast house at Sevenoaks Quarry

Plans to restore a disused historical building in Kent to its "former glory" and place it at the heart of a new housing development have moved forward.

Sevenoaks Town Council is leading plans to refurbish the former oast house at Sevenoaks Quarry, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council aims to turn the refurbished building into a "new community facility" for the 950 homes set to be built on the site.

"It has long been the town council's ambition that this oast house is restored and refurbished as a vibrant community hub and integrated with the rest of the town," it said.

Plans to build 950 homes at the site, near the Bat and Ball railway station, were approved in June 2023

The firm's head of land development, David McCabe, said these plans would bring the oast house building "back to its former glory".

Councillor Claire Shea said the 950-home development would only succeed "if it's a real community at the outset".

The site was first used to mine sand in 1928. Extraction at the site, operated by Tarmac, is set to come to an end in 2030.

It is not yet been decided exactly what the oast house building would be used for, but a café and pop-up shop are among the ideas that have been floated.

Ms Shea added: "The idea is that by creating a community asset right at the beginning we can make sure the development integrates into existing Sevenoaks and becomes a real community rather than just a satellite of it."

The council said it would now submit a "high level feasibility study" on the future of the building to Tarmac, and request a transfer of ownership so work can progress.