The council says it can pay for the new Angel Centre without a loan. Councillors vote on Tuesday; building would start on 19 November and finish in July 2028.
The council says it has found the money to build the new Angel Centre without borrowing a penny. The funding gap that stood in the way of the build has been closed, according to the report councillors will vote on next Tuesday.
If Full Council agrees on 20 October, the construction contract would be signed two days later. Work would start on the Sovereign Way Mid car park on 19 November. The council’s programme has the building finished on 6 July 2028. (Report to Full Council, 20 October 2026)
Last week we reported that Cabinet had sent the build to Full Council only “subject to the funding gap being closed”. The size of that gap was kept private. The public report, published this week, now sets out how it closes. (Our report of 12 October)
What it costs
The project budget stands at £20.618 million. That covers feasibility, design, planning, construction and fit-out. The council expects the final bill to be about £20.5 million, once changes such as dropping the living wall are taken off.
At the start of the project, in 2024, the estimate was about £23 million. The report says the cost came down mainly through design changes.
Two council costs sit outside that budget:
- £42,330 in planning and building control fees
- £87,000 for Kent County Council land either side of the car park entrance, which transferred on 1 October
The council has already spent £1.859 million on design and survey fees.
Where the money comes from
Until now the council had expected to borrow for the construction, most likely from the government’s Public Works Loan Board. On 29 September those loans were priced between 5.53% and 6.84%.
Instead, the report lists these sources:
- £14.4 million already set aside in the Tonbridge Town Centre Reserve
- £1 million from the Tonbridge and Malling Leisure Trust
- £1.1 million from the Revenue Reserve for Capital Schemes
- £3.5 million more for the town centre reserve in the 2027/28 budget, already allowed for in the council’s financial strategy
- about £0.5 million to close the last of the gap
That last half million comes from two places. Because work has started later than planned, the council’s cash has stayed invested for longer. The report estimates that has earned more than £100,000 in extra interest this year.
The rest comes from Local Government Reorganisation, or rather its pause. The council had planned to put money into a reserve to prepare for the reorganisation of Kent’s councils. The government paused that process in Kent in September, so part of that money can now go to the leisure centre instead.
“Officers have identified sufficient resources to fund the project without recourse for borrowing, leaving the Council to remain debt free from this project,” the report says.
Why the council says it cannot wait
The construction prices assume work starts in November. The report warns that if the decision slips beyond Tuesday’s meeting, costs are expected to rise. More money would then have to be found.
It also sets out why the council did not choose to repair the old building:
- a full refurbishment was estimated at up to £14.58 million at 2023 prices
- with design work, it might not start until 2028, by which time the report puts it at about £17 million
- add the £1.859 million already spent and the total comes to about £18.86 million
- the centre would have had to close, and the report says about 70 staff work there
“There is not a ‘do nothing option’,” it says. The 45-year-old building needs new boilers, ventilation and a new sports hall floor. Part of its roof contains asbestos tiles.
Under the contract, the development partner, Alliance Leisure, delivers the scheme for the price agreed at the end of the design stage. Cost overruns, other than changes the council asks for, are for Alliance to manage or bear.
What the new centre will have
The finished design, from development partner Alliance Leisure and builder Etec, includes:
- a four-court sports and community hall
- a gym with 110 stations
- three multi-purpose studios, with a moveable wall between them for larger community meetings
- a dedicated spin studio
- a soft play zone
- an active wellness hub
- a café
- changing rooms with a Changing Places toilet, and a lift to the first floor
(RIBA Stage 4 report, Annex 2)
The council expects the building to produce about 256 tonnes less carbon a year than the current centre, a cut of around 88%. It is designed to a BREEAM Excellent standard, with air source heat pumps and solar panels on the roof.
Community groups and the rooms
Groups who hire rooms at the Angel Centre have asked for guarantees that they will have somewhere to meet. The council’s review of its agreement with the Leisure Trust concluded:
- the new centre does not reduce any rights community groups have now
- no individual group has a contractual right to book a room, today or in future
- creating such rights for named groups is possible but not recommended
The council proposes to add a line to the agreement. It would make the Trust provide, as a minimum, “meeting rooms available for community hire”. Community charging rates would continue. The Trust could only change that with the council’s approval.
The u3a will address Tuesday’s meeting about the replacement centre, in a deputation of up to two speakers. (Agenda item, addresses from members of the public)
What is still private
Two parts of the decision are in the private papers:
- the annual service fee the Leisure Trust would pay the council, currently set at zero
- the full wording of the changes to the Trust’s management agreement
The vote on the build is conditional on councillors approving both.
The timetable
- Tuesday 20 October: Full Council decides whether to go to construction
- Thursday 22 October: construction contract signed, if approved
- Thursday 19 November: work starts on site
- Thursday 6 July 2028: work complete
That finish date is later than the one given in September. At the Tonbridge Community Forum on 21 September, Cllr Adem Mehmet said construction would finish in spring 2028. The detailed programme in the papers has the build itself running to 27 June 2028, then a month for handover. (Target project delivery programme)
What it means for you
- If you use the Angel Centre: nothing changes yet. The existing centre stays open until the new one is running, which on this programme is summer 2028.
- If you park at Sovereign Way Mid: the car park is the building site. If councillors approve the build, expect it to close from mid-November. Other town centre car parks are on our parking page.
- If you belong to a group that hires rooms: the proposed wording names community meeting rooms for the first time, but it does not reserve space for any particular group.
- If you want to watch: the meeting is at 7.30pm on Tuesday 20 October at Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, and the council streams Full Council on its YouTube channel.
We will report the outcome. Background on what was granted planning permission in July, including the smaller floor area and the loss of 112 parking spaces, is in our planning decision report.
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