Here is a number of archived news articles specifically related to the centre. The newer articles are listed towards the top of the page and the older ones towards the bottom.

Comments about the articles can be posted to us at contact@fonagvc.co.uk.

The closure of Budgen's supermarket on the Co-op owned site combined with the possibility that the Co-op might not take over and reopen has dominated issues in New Ash Green for the past two months.

Those feeling particularly vulnerable were the families with very young children to care for and the elderly both of whom would have found it very difficult to travel several miles to the nearest alternative.

Further, the supermarket being our anchor store there was an additional worry that the loss of visitors to the centre would seriously damage other local traders.

The situation led to the formation of a campaign group to protest at the impending closure.

A protest was organised outside the entrance to Budgens which attracted a large crowd with banners ready for the photocall by local newspapers.

Subsequent to that the Sevenoaks District M.P. Michael Fallon, visited the centre to hear the views of local residents all of whom gathered in the rain under the arcaded walkway in The Row opposite Budgens. (In the photo to the right, Michael is centre left wearing red and white tie.)

Michael visited the Village Association offices shortly afterwards for a more relaxed debate in the V.A. offices where FONAGVC and others were able to discuss with him the issues which needed attention, not only in relation to the impending supermarket closure bit also in relation to other issues of importance to the centre as a whole.

As it eventually developed the initial fears were not realised as the Co-Op did reopen with a very impressive organisation to move in with a minimal interruption in trade of only 1½ days.

Another gathering was organised, again in the pouring rain, (note rain drops on camera lens) to welcome the Co-op and hear its temporary manager Alex promising the future involvement of the Co-op with local community issues.

After the initial reorganisation Alex will be returning to his own store in West Kingsdown leaving the New Ash Green store to be managed by the previous Budgens manager Vanessa with continuity of employment for all the original Budgens staff.

What the situation did was inadvertently do the village a favour by issuing a wake up call to the village of the importance of the centre.

This has resulted in the formation of another group with the same long-term aspirations as our own although possibly with detail differences as to how that might be achieved.

We have met Alex and Vanessa to discuss how the Co-op might become more involved with the local community and in the next update to our web site there will be a new article on the supermarket and the previous Budgens article will be transferred to the past traders section.

Friends of New Ash Green Village Centre are opposing the installation of mobile phone masts and equipment in and on the tower at the centre of their village of New Ash Green, Kent.

So far they have successfully campaigned to persuade the local authority, Sevenoaks District Council, that the installation of the equipment in the tower is not permitted development and requires planning permission.

The mobile phone operator refused to accept the Council's decision and appealed to the government inspectors in an attempt to overturn their ruling.

The appeal process has now been completed and their appeal has been dismissed. This leaves the operator with three possible options, apply for planning permission, remove the apparatus or appeal to the high court.

The background to this is that the operator served a notice to install on Sevenoaks District Council, the Council failed to check the notice, simply assumed that the installation was permitted development and that a planning application was not required.

When the Friends checked the planning file they found that there were several errors on the installation notice, the main one being that the location of the masts was incorrectly given both by address and Ordnance Survey co-ordinates.

The incorrectly stated site location was over 100m from the tower and in the exit from a nearby car park. There was nothing on the installation notice, which gave any indication of the intention to install the masts in such an architecturally sensitive location and at such a low level in relation to the village's pedestrian precinct.

Further, the installation of the equipment within the tower, was found to require a planning application for a change of use since the tower had originally been designed as an amenity, an observation tower with extensive views across open countryside and only had a later planning consent for retail use.

Spokesman for The Friends, Consulting Engineer, Stuart Richardson, said that research carried out by the group had discovered many instances where they felt that Sevenoaks District Council had not paid sufficient attention to planning matters within the village centre and that this had resulted in major damage to the centre's architecture.

On this particular issue the Friends had nothing against the use of mobile phones, but the installation in the village centre was architecturally inappropriate. He hoped that their success to date would give other pressure groups encouragement to oppose the installation of other masts where they feel that the chosen site is damaging local amenity.

At first, Sevenoaks District Council had refused to support The Friends but after several months of letters detailing the precise wording of the legislation concerning permitted development eventually agreed and supported their case.

This was later joined by the governing body of New Ash Green, the Village Association and their chairman Councillor Alan Pett who joined in the objections, which lead to the dismissal of the appeal.

As noted in earlier articles, FONAGVC having maintained and replanted the two planters outside The Granary and The Deli, have now moved on to deal with other planters in the centre.

During the work we have received numerous comments from local residents, most of them encouraging and occasionally humorous.

The suggestion that we are working off ASBOs is not true.

Christine tackles the planter outside the Village Hall.

Whilst Stuart cleans out the base of the other end of the same planter.		Another team member Gill takes a well-earned rest during work on the planter outside the Co-op.

We have a scheme to recycle your unwanted plants! More of this later, but in the meantime don't bin your unwanted shrubs.

Contact us: contact@fonagvc.co.uk. We need them.

Despite the fact that the Google Search Engine seems to have buried us somewhere within cyberspace word seems to have got around and we are now regularly getting over 500 visits a month.

We have many articles pending so we are unlikely to run out of steam for some considerable time.

The web site does not publish detailed information about all our activities. More detail is given in e-mail updates to those who register with us for that purpose.

If anyone, trader or resident wishes to be added to the list of e-mail contacts or has anything of interest about the centre to contribute then please contact us at contact@fonagvc.co.uk.

Over the past few months we have weeded, cleaned out and restocked the somewhat neglected planters outside the Village Bakery and the Deli.

These planters are an important part of our village centre and we hope to continue to maintain them in the future.

We are now turning our attention to other planted areas in the centre. We would welcome help from anyone who particularly likes dealing with plants or simply wishes to see our centre well maintained and properly looked after.

Anyone interested in helping can contact us at contact@fonagvc.co.uk.

On an e-mail from Australia, Avis Bowman identifies the two ladies in the foreground of picture number 20 in the Photographs > Early Years section of the web site.

The one on the right is Avis herself and the one on the left with the tray is Nadia Sclare.

Avis was the owner of Recollections, an antique shop and coffee bar on the first floor of Upper St. North.

Nadia was a partner with Janet Weizman in Spellbound, a ladies fashion shop on the ground floor in The Row.

Our thanks to Avis and best wishes for her life in Oz.

The first edition of Village News in 2003 carried details of the closure the architectural practice Eric Lyons, Cunningham, Metcalfe. Under their earlier name Eric Lyons and Partners, the practice (in collaboration with building developer SPAN) formulated the concept and original design for New Ash Green in the 1960s. It is now sad to report of the death of Ivor Cunningham in March of this year.

Ivor Cunningham on left with Patrick Ellard.

Born in Orpington, Kent in 1928, Ivor joined Eric Lyons and Partners in 1955 after completing his training in both architecture and landscape design. Historian Neil Bingham neatly describes Ivor's role in the practice in the recently published book 'Eric Lyons and Span'‚ 'Ivor Cunningham not only became the principle landscape specialist in the firm, but closest to Lyons of all his working colleagues. They came to share an office where they were often to be found working together hunched over the same drawing board, their ideas flowing fast, playing off each other, running their 6B or charcoal pencils across the board in tandem, knowing intuitively where the line would end'. Working in this manner Ivor and Eric produced a basic plan for New Ash Green in 1962.

After planning permission had been received in 1964, Ivor and Eric designed New Ash Green's early neighbourhoods and the first phases of both the Shopping Centre and School. Underpinning Ivor's approach was his belief in the 'total landscape concept'‚ where a thoughtful consideration of the relationship between the buildings and open spaces would facilitate a more interesting and diverse environment. In 1963 Ivor was promoted to partner in the practice, becoming senior partner after the death of Eric Lyons in 1980.

Authors note: I first met Ivor in the Summer of 1997 when I went to interview him for a book I was hoping to write about the work of Eric Lyons and Span. By chance Ivor had embarked on a similar project a few years earlier. We later discovered there was a third party, Barbara Simms who was also looking to produce a book on Span. It seemed sensible to pool our resources and later recruit other leading historians and architects to work on a more ambitious project which would result in a book and related exhibition.

It was during this period that I really got to know Ivor. I was not only impressed by the breadth of his knowledge but the zest and unflagging enthusiasm he brought to the project. The result was a rather splendid book published in November 2006 (in which I wrote the chapter on New Ash Green). The exhibition proved to be amongst the best attended to be held at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London and due to popular demand the exhibition was actually extended into February 2007! As an architectural publication, the book has proved to be a best seller. In terms of hardback sales it is only behind Harry Potter in the Village Bookshop!

The church in East Molesey was full for Ivor's funeral service on the 26th of March. During the speeches I learnt that Ivor's father had died when he was only three and how consequently Eric Lyons had almost become a father figure to him. It was recalled how Ivor, who only lived ten minutes walk away from the Lyons studio, would often return after his evening meal to continue working into the small hours. After the service I spoke with one of Eric Lyon's sons who believed that it was Ivor's determination to see the book and exhibition through to completion that kept him going during the last months of his life.

The success of the book and exhibition are testament not only to popularity of the work of Eric Lyons and Span amongst the architectural profession and general public, but also testament to the significant contribution of Ivor Cunningham.

Patrick Ellard www.span-kent.co.uk

Copies of the book 'Eric Lyons and Span'‚ (RIBA Publishing) are available from the New Ash Green Village Bookshop‚ priced £25.

I only met Ivor on three occasions whilst the Friends were researching the early history of the centre and the work on its design by the Architects Eric Lyons and Partners in which Ivor Cunningham was a senior partner.

Ivor is on the right in the above picture working with Eric Lyons, centre and Richards Lyons on the left in their usual manner of all developing their design ideas together by sketching and continually modifying on the same piece of paper.

Ivor I found to be a very modest, quiet and helpful man who went out of his way to show a personal interest in what the Friends were trying to do and helped us considerably with our research work.

Without his help we would not have been able to acquire copies of many of the early design drawings.

Ivor is usually credited with his contribution to the landscaping of New Ash Green. However, during our research in the R.I.B.A. drawings collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London we found many sensitively prepared architectural drawings of the Centre signed simply and very modestly "i.c."

His contribution to our village may therefore have been understated and with his passing we have lost a knowledgeable and valued friend and contact with our history.

Stuart M. Richardson - October 2007

We have now been contacted by Rebecca Robertson with a second identification of the gentleman standing in front of the former Donaldson’s hardware shop in The Row. See Past Tenants > Donaldsons section of the web site.

Previously identified by David Brazier as "Tom", Rebecca now tells us that he did indeed answer to "Tom" but that he was her grandfather, real name, Ray Robertson.

Our thanks to Rebecca for the update.

Happy Birthday New Ash Green!

It's hard to believe that 40 years have passed since "At Home", New Ash Green's official launch event was held on 21st September 1967.

From a low platform positioned in front of 36 Over Minnis, speeches were given by Lesley Bilsby and Ernest Haynes of Span Kent Ltd. Guest speaker was the former housing minister Keith Joseph.

As the autumnal sun shone, the audience listened attentively to tales of inspiration, hard work and optimism for the future development of New Ash Green.

After the speeches, guests were invited to view the six show houses along the North Ash Road before concluding festivities at a buffet lunch held under a marquee that had been erected for the day.

So once again - Happy birthday New Ash Green and here's to the future.

Patrick and Alison http://www.span-kent.co.uk/launch

(Admin note: This is not strictly about the village centre, but pretty close! On the basis that the past, present and future of the village and its centre are closely intertwined and we support the span-kent web site we include this poster and text from Patrick and Alison.)

A new entry in the Current Traders section of the web site is The Village Pharmacy.

The Village Pharmacy is one of the longest established traders in the centre having been here continuously since the centre opened in 1969 when it was first run by Eric Brindle. (of more later, possibly, if someone can persuade him to talk to us!)

We particularly like this entry.

A village is as much about people as it is about buildings and the photographs of the pharmacy staff by Les Deacon have managed to capture that ingredient so important to a village trader of friendly rapport between staff and customer.

Photos by Les Deacon. Article by Angela Deacon.

Compact Discs are now available again in New Ash Green.

A new venture in our amazing and possibly unique village bookshop is the availability of several thousand C.D.s. either in stock or available through the Naxos system.

See article added at the end of Shop Profiles > The Bookshop.

As usual in the bookshop, the sale of C.D.s is dealt with in a knowledgeable and friendly way. Go and see. You will not get this sort of commitment and help in Bluewater.

The friends have made a formal complaint to Sevenoaks District Council about the use of the interior of the Centre's Viewing Tower as a mobile phone base station and also about the masts mounted on the tower.

This tower was originally designed as an amenity for the local residents as views from it are for several miles across surrounding countryside.

It was for some time also used as a craft shop and art gallery. (See Past Traders section under Lorna Dallas Conte)

We object very much to the way this tower has been taken over for telecom use without local consultation and are trying to find ways of returning it to use by local residents and traders.

The full story will shortly form part of an e-mail update to those who have registered with us an interest in being kept informed of developments in the centre. To do this contact us via contact@fonagvc.co.uk.

By the time this note appears on our web site a new green grocers will have opened in the former dry cleaners, no. 8 The Row.

This will be run by Justine and Clive and will be called JUSTGREENS.

We hope to have more detail for our current traders section a soon as they become established.

The new employment agency has now opened in the former travel agents at no. 3 The Row. They have relocated from Longfield and from the extensive shop fitting work carried out prior to opening and the number of staff employed they appear to us to be a very professional organisation intent on having a very successful practice within the centre.

We hope to have more detail for our current traders section shortly.

Pets Pantry at no.10 The Row is now under new ownership of Trevor Andrews assisted by Maureen Baldi.

See article in our Current Trader Profile section.

At the time when Eric Lyons and Partners were working on the design of the shopping centre and throughout its construction Warner was a senior architect within their practice. He was in charge of the production of final information for the construction of the centre and also responsible for the practice's day-to-day dealings with the contractors during the construction phase on site.

Many of the original drawings, which we have obtained, clearly show Warner's signature signing off the drawings as having his approval to be issued outside the office.

He subsequently became a partner in Eric Lyons Cunningham and Partners, and continued work as a consultant to the practice well into the 1990s.

He is now retired and lives in Weybridge.

The Friends have now visited Warner as part of their research into the history of the centre's design and the detail of its construction.

Warner is a charming and helpful man. The conversation which we had expected to take about an hour eventually lasted for nearly four hours and but for the need of both of us to be elsewhere later in the afternoon would no doubt have lasted even longer.

Despite the intervening years, Warner was able to remember many of the design development conversations, which were discussed in the office prior to the final decisions, which lead to the centre as it was eventually built.

It is very clear both from the conversation with Warner and from our research in the drawings collection at the Victoria and Albert museum that many different designs for the centre were considered and the final as built design is the result of several years of design development within the office.

He also remembered many of the details of its construction and was able to help in many areas where information is missing from our sets of drawings.

His contribution to our knowledge of the centre will be of great help to us in the future.

After the discussion, Warner kindly offered to show us round a nearby Lyons/Span development, Templemere.

The housing is a little different from the Lyons/Span work in New Ash Green, but their setting within lush and carefully thought out landscaping gave us the curious feeling that we had already arrived back in New Ash Green.

Altogether a very enjoyable afternoon and our thanks to Warner for his kindness, his patience and his time.

The Friends recently hosted a study visit to New Ash Green organised by the Royal Institute of Town Planning.

Lyn kindly agreed to open up the café for the evening and the Friends mounted an exhibition about the centre and took parties on guided tours of the centre and surrounding housing.

After the tours, everyone returned to Lyn’s café for tea, coffee and sandwiches served by Lyn's son Dan and for a discussion session.

We very much enjoyed the visit and from the thanks received afterwards it seems that those who attended appreciated the effort put into preparation for the evening.

As a by product of the visit The R.T.P.I. have now added to their website our request for help with plans for the future of the centre. From this we have now received contacts with whom we are now discussing what future work might be possible.

The Friends have made an initial complaint to Sevenoaks District Council about the insensitive design of the C.C.T.V. system within the centre.

As a result of the initial complaint, one of the cameras, which had not been working for many years, has now been reconnected and much of the loose wiring between the cameras has been refixed and tidied.

Since then we have visited the control centre in Sevenoaks to see at first hand how the system is operated.

We were shown the banks of cameras within the control centre and one of the operators demonstrated the field of view of the cameras and the method of control of the pan, tilt and zoom cameras.

The quality of pictures from the P.T.Z. cameras is much better than is generally believed, particularly the level of detail obtained when zooming in to close up.

We are, however, still not satisfied with the response to our initial complaint. In our opinion the system is amateurishly installed and further work is needed.

We are therefore extending our complaint into the formal complaints system within Sevenoaks District Council in an attempt to persuade the Council that the system should be made more effective and less visually intrusive.

Richard Lyons, eldest son of Eric Lyons, the architect who with SPAN was responsible for the design of Phase 1 of the shopping centre and about a third of the village housing visited New Ash Green on 5th April 2007.

The visit was arranged by The Friends of New Ash Green Village Centre to discuss the future of the shopping centre and how refurbishment and local modernisation could be achieved within the context of the existing buildings.

Richard had worked on the designs for New Ash Green in his fathers practice whilst still a student. He remembers having helped to make the design models which appear in photographs at the start of the Early Years photographs elsewhere on this web site.

He subsequently qualified as an Architect and became a partner in Eric Lyons and Partners Architects.

Whilst in New Ash Green, Richard was taken on a tour of the Lyons/SPAN housing where he met a number of residents who were clearly very pleased to meet him and expressed their admiration of the design quality of the housing and landscaping designed by his father.

The tour continued through the shopping centre and then on to Lambardes for tea where the conversation focussed in more detail on the centre itself.

Richard on the spot where the official launch of New Ash Green "At Home" on 21st Sept 1967 took place.

We learned more about the original design of the centre, the development of the early design ideas and the reasons behind some of the final design decisions.

Richard also had some ideas for the future which we had not considered and his comment that "some of the problems should be looked at not as problems but as opportunities" is an approach likely to influence our attempts at finding solutions to some of the issues currently confronting the centre.

As a result of their application to Sevenoaks District Council's Arboricultural and Landscape Department the Friends have obtained a Tree Preservation Order on all the trees in the Centre's main car park leading to The Link and in the entrance to The Link itself.

Further trees between the entrances to the South Car Park off Centre Road were added to the T.P.O. by S.D.C.

The application was made by the Friends because of the architectural importance of the trees which had originally been planted as a formal group to enhance the approach to the Centre and because of recent insensitive lopping back to stumps of some of the trees in the group.

As result of the T.P.O. all work to these trees has to be carried out under the control of Sevenoaks District Council and any member of the public who notices work being carried out which is not clearly under such control should contact Sevenoaks District Council without delay.

The diagram above is from the T.P.O and shows the area affected by it.