We are writing to share an important update on our pitch development project and to call on your continued support as we move through the next critical phases. This needs some reading, so grab your refreshment of choice and settle in!

Pitch Planning Application: Survey Progress

We understand that timescales matter, and we want to be transparent about where we are in the project journey. The ground investigation and ecology surveys are progressing well, and whilst we anticipated receiving the draft reports earlier, we are pleased to confirm that both teams have provided firm commitments for imminent delivery.

Soiltechnics have confirmed they will share their ground investigation (GI) report within the next 1-2 days, with Arbtech providing their ecology report on the same timeline. These reports are crucial foundation documents that will allow us to proceed with confidence to the next stage.

Following receipt of these surveys, our drainage strategy partner, Waterco, will be able to complete the drainage design solution. Based on receiving the GI report in the coming days, we anticipate the drainage strategy will be completed by mid-December. This is a natural progression in the design sequence, and we remain confident in this timeline.

Once we have these reports in hand, we will adapt both the pitch and car park designs accordingly and present these for review by our wider project team. This collaborative review typically takes around one week, following which we will draft the planning statement and supporting application form to accompany the technical documents we have already completed.

If a public consultation event is held—which we consider advisable and important—this is likely to be scheduled for early to mid-January 2026. This would put us on track for a planning submission in late January 2026. We are actively working to expedite the survey reports where possible, and we appreciate the professionalism and commitment of all technical teams involved.

Our project team remains focused and energised about moving this forward.

As Officers, Members, Players and Supporters, you have previously asked what you can do to help. Well, here we go, now is the time to "step up to the plate" and make your mark!

Supporting the Community's Infrastructure Needs

We are now asking for your help with two critically important parallel activities that will directly support our facility development and the broader sporting needs of Tonbridge and Malling.

Local Plan Consultation: Chapter 13 and Infrastructure Delivery Plan

The borough council is currently consulting on the draft Local Plan, and this is a significant opportunity for the community to have its voice heard on infrastructure planning and sports provision.

We are urging all officers, members, players, and supporters to review Chapter 13 (Infrastructure and Services) and the Interim Infrastructure Delivery Plan, paying particular attention to hockey provision. The current Infrastructure Delivery Plan does not adequately reflect the hockey facility requirements identified in the Playing Pitch Strategy 2025, and community feedback during this consultation period is essential to strengthen the council's commitment to addressing this gap.

Please take the time to review the details here, that relate to Chapter 13; https://tmbcconsult.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/v3/new-and-improved-infrastructure-provision?step=step1

The wider public consultation and details can be seen here; https://tmbcconsult.commonplace.is/en-GB/

Your comments matter!!! They form part of the formal record and directly influence the final Local Plan that will guide development in our borough for years to come. This includes what we wish to do as a Hockey Club.

We are creating a representation from the Club that will be submitted as part of the public consultation. This is under review at present and will be sent for all to see once that review has concluded. Below is a high-level summary of our points we plan on submitting;

The Core Issue: The Interim Infrastructure Delivery Plan fails to include hockey pitch provision despite the Playing Pitch Strategy 2025 explicitly identifying K Sports re-provisioning as a High Priority action, creating a critical gap between evidence base and delivery mechanism.

The Loss: K Sports lost its only pitch at Cobdown (one of only four artificial grass hockey pitches in the borough), displacing 150+ active members with no alternative provision available.

Strategic Evidence: The Playing Pitch Strategy 2025 identifies the requirement as High Priority, with an estimated £1.3m cost and clear partners identified (TMBC, Kings Hill Parish Council, K Sports, Sport England, England Hockey).

Why It Matters: The gap creates four distinct risks, breach of Sport England Playing Fields Policy Exception E4, failure to implement the evidence base, risk to club viability, and loss of identified growth opportunity for additional capacity.

What Should Be Added: Two projects; the immediate re-provisioning project (one pitch with floodlighting and ancillary facilities at Kings Hill Sports Park) and a phased expansion project (second pitch to meet latent demand for additional teams).

Policy Framework: Clear recommendations for strengthening the IDP to distinguish re-provisioning from new provision, confirm Sport England's statutory role, ring-fence funding, and establish delivery oversight.

Recommended Council Actions: Three timeframes (immediate, short-term, and medium-term) with specific actionable steps including formal IDP inclusion, Section 106 commitment, and support for the Kings Hill planning application.

We do still ask that you submit your own comments on the consultation, as the more feedback they have, the more weight it builds to our case.

Supporting Sport England's Role in Planning

Finally, we are urging every member of our community to sign the online petition supporting the Sports Recreation Alliance's call for Sport England to remain a statutory planning consultee.

There is currently a proposal under review that would remove Sport England's statutory role in planning decisions affecting sports facilities and pitches. This would be a significant and damaging step backward for sports development and facility protection across the country. Sport England's involvement ensures that planning decisions properly account for the needs of sports provision and the protection of facilities like ours.

Please take a few moments to add your voice to this campaign by signing the petition at:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/735586

The petition directly supports the Sports Recreation Alliance's work to maintain robust planning protection for sports facilities and infrastructure. Every signature strengthens the case for maintaining these important safeguards.

Looking Ahead - Moving Forward Together

We are genuinely excited about the momentum we are building on this project. The delivery of the survey reports in the coming days represents a significant milestone, and we are confident that the next phase of work, design refinement, planning application preparation, and community consultation will move swiftly.

We are grateful for the ongoing partnership with Kings Hill Parish Council and for the exploratory discussions we are having with them around potential sponsors for the initial pitch construction. These partnerships reflect the collaborative approach that will see this project realised.

Thank you for your continued support, your engagement with the consultation process, and your help in advocating for sports provision in our community. Together, we will deliver the facilities our club and our sport deserve. Please do continue to engage with our social media, posts, articles and share as far and wide as possible.

Even if we manage secure sponsors for the pitch, this is just the start of what we plan for the Club to become! It wont stop there and just be the beginning!

Our Crowdfunder project remains live but is currently running very slowly…please do spread the word wherever you can! We need to get as much attention on this as we can, in addition to other streams we have running that are looking to fund the project; https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/qr/gW3LMkNn?utm_campaign=sharemodal&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=shortlink

Last ask - The Club Lottery: This is a great way to help us raise money! Please, as you get together over the festive period, share and get family, friends and others signed up! We will be sharing assets to help you do this (watch this space - there is a team working on bringing this to you!), but please do all you can to help us. Buy another Ticket! Sign up your neighbours! Get the works Christmas Party attendees to sign up! Buy tickets as Christmas presents for people! The more tickets we have playing, the more we raise in grants from the Lottery to hit our goals! https://join.thefundraisingclub.org.uk/k-sports-hockey

Dare we hope that by the start of the 2026-'27 season, we could possibly have a new home!!!

If you have any queries or concerns about the project timescales or processes outlined above, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Support our project on Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/communityhockeyfacility-khhc?