A new retirement complex could be coming to town despite concerns about a nearby medieval site.

Plans to redevelop land around Lansdowne Road in Tonbridge have been in the pipeline since 2012.

Churchill Retirement Living has been buying land around the road for the past few years and in 2020 applied to build 35 apartments.

But the plans were initially refused by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC), and dismissed on appeal, as councillors had concerns over the scale of the buildings and its impact on the Fosse Banks.

Originally, the Fosse Banks were part of medieval Tonbridge’s defences, including an earth bank topped with a wall, surrounded by a large ditch.

All that remains today is part of the earth bank and the ditch.

They also now sit both within a conservation area and Churchill’s land.

In 2020 Historic England raised objections against the complex, claiming the development would bring “significant harm” to the banks.

Despite these concerns, Churchill has decided to re-table its plans for a retirement complex, this time reducing both the amount of apartments to 32, and also the height of the buildings.

While Historic England still has reservations over the proposals, it considers the new plans to be less harmful than those submitted in 2020.

As a result, council planning officers have recommended the redesigned apartments for approval and Tonbridge councillors will decide its fate on Thursday, May 19.

The site between Lansdowne Road and Annison Street has had a chequered history with various housing developments being approved since 2012 but none have so far come to fruition.