Win HappyPremiumSearch Rayogreatest hitskentnewsOnline stalker from West Kingsdown who used 80 fake identities jailedAndrew Bloomfield's been sentenced to four years and two months in prison Andrew Bloomfield's been sentenced to four years and 2 months in prison after persistently sending indecent images and upsetting comments to two women The 39 year old used fake identities to target the women for several years Mr Bloomfield targeted a victim he knew indirectly and used sexually derogatory language and made lewd suggestions to her When his target objected to the offensive content he continued to send her similar material on social media using fake identities over several years Bloomfield targeted a second victim on social media platforms with images of men’s genitals and offensive messages using around 80 false identities The two women were acquaintances and discovered they had both been suffering the same ordeal The police were contacted and an investigation commenced that led to the arrest of Bloomfield at his home address on 31 August 2022 was charged and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to two counts of stalking the 39-year-old was sentenced to four years and two months’ imprisonment He will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years that prohibits him from having a Facebook or Instagram account in a name other than his own He also has to comply with an indefinite restraining order ‘This appalling man has caused misery for his two victims over several years His disgusting messages and images left the women in considerable distress and he should be thoroughly ashamed of his vile conduct.' Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app. Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited Company number: 1394141Registered office: Media House Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing Company number: LP003328; Registered office: The Lantern London NW1 2PL All registered in England and Wales VAT no 918 5617 01H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No: 845898) Sign up to our daily newsletter for all the latest Kent stories and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox Thank you for subscribing!We have more newsletters South East Water has issued a new update after thousands of households in west Kent were left without water due to a water main burst at the weekend the water provider announced that a burst had taken place at the treatment works facility in Trottiscliffe approximately 7,000 residents in West Kingsdown Kings Hill and the surrounding areas have endured multiple days of supply issues While the facility was successfully restarted on Sunday disruption continued throughout Monday as the works were not running at full capacity while repairs continued meaning efforts to refill drinking water storage tanks took longer than usual Bottled water stations were established in Kings Hill and West Kingsdown while customers continued to endure issues South East Water staff have been delivering water directly to customers on the Priority Service Register the water provider announced: “Water supplies have returned to the majority of customers in West Kent overnight affected by the burst water main at our water treatment works.” However some localised areas are still without water due to air pockets in the pipeline network which South East Water crews are working to fix today The bottled water stations will re-open at Asda in Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall from 9am this morning South East Water has once again apologised to customers affected by the ongoing issues In their latest update posted at 7.19am today the water supplier added: “When supplies return to customers While this may appear to be concerning – please be assured both cloudy and discoloured water pose absolutely no risk to health “Discolouration happens when naturally-occurring deposits which settle and build up within our network of water mains over time are disturbed by a mains burst or a sudden increase in the demand for water and dislodge these particles These deposits are typically made up of iron or manganese oxides which are naturally present in both our water sources and our water mains “Our best advice to customers is to simply run their cold water tap until the water turns clear the tap water remains perfectly safe for drinking Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE. Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Approximately 7,000 customers have been experiencing no water or low pressure since Saturday 22 March The incident has impacted residents in Kings Hill South East Water said it was "sorry" for the inconvenience after the incident caused significant flooding and damaged critical equipment at one of its water treatment stations The company says it believes customers will be without water or will experience low pressure into Monday Bottled water stations were set up over the weekend for customers affected and they will be open again on Monday South East Water said: "The water treatment works has restarted and we are now refilling one of two drinking water storage tanks in the area which had drained down it will take time to refill this tank to the point at which we can begin carefully pushing the water through the network to customers' taps." we still believe customers will be without water or will experience low pressure into tomorrow [Monday]." A government spokesperson said: "The Government is receiving regular updates from South East Water about the water supply disruption affecting properties in the West Kent area "The company must take urgent steps to support residents and resolve the issue as soon as possible "The Government is committed to protecting water customers which is why we are forcing companies to double the compensation for supply issues "We're also unlocking over £104 billion in private sector investment to build infrastructure including reservoirs and new water pipes across the country." Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.. Our teams are contuing work in the area to help clear discoloured or cloudy water following the recent supply problems you may notice your water looks brown in colour please don't worry as it is not harmful "This happens when small particles of iron within the mains are disturbed "If you fill a glass of water and it clears from the bottom upwards then this means your water is just a little more aerated than usual Simply run the water from your cold kitchen tap until the water is clear We're continuing to see recovery in the drinking water storage levels across our network in west Kent and expect to see further improvement overnight Since getting our water treatment works back in operation last night we've seen some recovery in the levels within our drinking water storage tanks in the area our site is not yet fully operational as repairs continue following the flooding and damage to equipment caused by a burst pipe over the weekend We're continuing to use tankers to inject water into the drinking water storage tanks in the area and this will continue into tomorrow to help restore supplies to customers in the area Some customers are seeing their supplies restored however it may not be until tomorrow when all supplies are returned Please be assured that we're working really hard to get the site back up to full capacity so we can increase the amount of water we're extracting To date we have injected 1.4 million litres of water into the drinking water storage tanks in the area to increase the levels and will continue this into the evening the water treatment works continued to run overnight and we have begun pumping water into the second drinking water storage tank so both tanks are refilling We are now starting to see supply return in this area This happens when small particles of iron within the mains are disturbed Tankers are continuing to inject water directly into the drinking water storage tanks throughout the day to increase the levels "Our teams are working really hard to get the site operating at full capacity so we can increase the amount of water flowing into the drinking water storage tanks." Due to the slow recovery of the drinking water storage tanks we are sorry that it's unlikely water supplies will return to most customers today We're working really hard to get the site up to full capacity so we can increase the amount of water we're extracting treating and pumping to the reservoirs." 25 MAR 2025BookmarkA bottled water station has been established in Kings Hill (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)Homes in west Kent were left with no water or reduced supplies for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday (March 25) following a water main burst South East Water announced that a burst had occurred at the water treatment works in Trottiscliffe Kings Hill and the surrounding areas have endured issues with their water supplies South East Water reported that the flooding had caused "significant flooding and damaged critical equipment" Technicians worked throughout Saturday night and Sunday to complete repairs at the water treatment station the water supplier confirmed that the water treatment works had been restarted though supply issues continued throughout Monday as the facility was not running at full capacity while repairs continued In an update posted at 7.19am this morning South East Water announced that supplies had been restored to the "majority" of customers in the affect west Kent area some households still had no water or low pressure today (Tuesday March 25) due to air pockets in the pipeline network which South East Water crews have been working to fix Bottled Water Station had been re-opened at the Asda supermarket in Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall South East Water teams also continued to deliver bottled water to customers on the Priority Services Register who medically need water or are unable to travel Find our live blog of this situation as it developed below We will share any new developments on the water situation in west Kent to this blog tomorrow For more news follow KentLive to stay in the know To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, put your email in the box at the top and hit subscribe or visit here Follow KentLive on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to like and follow. Follow us on X - For breaking news and the latest stories. Click here to follow us on X (formerly Twitter). Sign up to our free Kent Traffic and Travel newsletter for the latest on the roads or join our Facebook group Kent Traffic and Travel As homes in west Kent see their water supplies return at last following several days of disruption running water may at first appear discoloured South East Water has explained why this occurs and has issued advice for affected households South East Water has now confirmed that water supplies have been returned to all but 117 properties in Swanton Valley and West Peckham Supplies are anticipated to be returned to these properties within the next few hours and bottled water stations remain open while the residual disruption continues Water supplies have been restored to all but 117 properties in Swanton Valley and West Peckham which should have supplies in the next few hours. Bottled water stations are open at ASDA, Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library & Village Hall. More Info https://t.co/UviFpLnbwB pic.twitter.com/DbHCZt4WI4 As some homes in west Kent continue to face issues with water supplies due to air pockets in the pipeline network bottled water stations have been re-opened this morning These can be found in Kings Hill and West Kingsdown we're very sorry to all our customers in West Kent who have been affected by this and thank them for their patience while we worked around the clock to restore supplies." South East Water has issued a new update after thousands of households in west Kent were left without water due to a water main burst at the weekend Find the full details here. Welcome back to our live coverage of the water supply issues in west Kent While the "majority" of homes in the area have seen their water returned today (Tuesday others are still facing issues due to air pockets in the pipeline network We will be bringing you all the latest updates as we get them Do you have any information or photos? Email kentlivenewsdesk@reachplc.com Don't miss out on the biggest local stories.Sign up to our KentLive newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more. South East Water said that it expects further improvements overnight: South East Water says there will be a further update on the situation tomorrow morning (Tuesday) - some 2,900 properties remain without a water supply tonight Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall have now closed We’re sorry to all customers in the west Kent area currently affected by water supply issues.We’ll provide a further update in the morning South East Water said water supplies may not be fully restored until tomorrow with around 3,000 properties still without water or experiencing low pressure this afternoon South East Water has issued a reminder about bottled water stations remaining open tonight: Our bottled water stations at ASDA, Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall will remain open until 9pm this evening. We’re sorry to all customers in the west Kent area currently affected by water supply issues. pic.twitter.com/JaUpS4ZU38 South East Water is continuing efforts to restore water supplies in west Kent following the water main burst on Saturday Bottled water stations have been set up in Kings Hill and West Kingsdown which will remain open until 9pm tonight A South East Water spokesperson added: "Our teams will be out and about again today re-delivering bottled water direct to those customers listed on our Priority Services Register who medically need water or are unable to travel "Tankers are continuing to inject water directly into the drinking water storage tanks throughout the day to increase the levels Our teams are working really hard to get the site operating at full capacity so we can increase the amount of water flowing into the drinking water storage tanks." Approximately 7,000 Kent residents have been impacted by the water supply issues in west Kent following a water main burst While repairs are well underway and the water treatment works in Trottiscliffe have been restarted the facility is not operating at full capacity many homes are still without water or are contending with low pressure due to the slow recovery of the drinking water tanks while repairs continue it is "unlikely" that supplies will be returned to most customers today (March 24) said: "Our water infrastructure is falling apart Customers are paying the price for a private water sector that has failed them Residents should not be having to rely on bottled water for days on end As households in west Kent continue to face issues with water supplies following a burst main South East Water has established two bottled water stations while the other is located at the West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall A spokesperson for South East Water added: "We are very sorry to anyone affected Our teams are working really hard to fully return the water back to normal for all our customers." We’re sorry to customers still experiencing supply issues in west Kent. We’re working hard to restore supplies as soon as possible. Bottled water is available at ASDA, Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall. pic.twitter.com/WKvt6RgLb4 South East Water has stated that works continue today to restore water supplies in west Kent it is "unlikely" that they will be restored today Though the water treatment works have been restarted the facility is not running at full capacity while repairs continue following the water main burst it is taking longer than it would normally to refill the drinking water storage tanks in the area Work will continue today to return water supplies to west Kent, but it’s unlikely supplies will be restored today. Bottled water is available at ASDA, Kings Hill and West Kingsdown Library and Village Hall. Get updates: https://t.co/yI4GXcY5WM pic.twitter.com/vCdi8uEL2U An estimated 7,000 Kent residents have been impacted by the water main burst to the west of the county Five Oak Green and the surrounding areas are enduring supply issues for the third day in a row While the water treatment works in Trottiscliffe have been restarted customers in the area are still facing issues with supplies while storage tanks are refilled South East Water currently expects that many customers will face disruption throughout the rest of Monday While customers around west Kent continue to endure disruption with water supplies bottled water stations have been established in Kings Hill and West Kingsdown South East Water stated in its latest update "The bottled water station sites are currently unmanned but staff will be arriving this morning." Find the full details below Teams are also out directly delivering bottled water to customers on the Priority Services Register who medically need water or are unable to travel. Anyone not on the Priority Services Register can sign up here While South East Water has confirmed that the water treatment works in Trottiscliffe have been restarted homes around west Kent are still facing disruption to their supplies One of the two drinking water storage tanks is currently being refilled after it had been drained down However this will take time to reach the point at which water can be safely pushed through the network to customers' taps Progress on refilling the tanks has been slowed due to the ongoing repairs which mean the treatment works are not running at full capacity A spokesperson for South East Water said this morning (Monday Properties in west Kent continue to face issues with their water supplies following a water main burst South East Water confirmed on Saturday evening (March 22) that a burst had taken place at the water treatment works in Trottiscliffe Kings Hill and the surrounding areas have been left with no water or reduced pressure While the water treatment works have been restarted disruption continues as storage supply tanks are refilled Welcome to our live coverage of this breaking incident We will be bringing you all the latest updates relating to the water supply disruption in west Kent as we get them Get the latest property market news straight to your inbox Last year, Sevenoaks was highlighted in the Daily Telegraph's list of the "most desirable towns in Britain" utilised census data to create its rankings with Sevenoaks being the only town in the county that made the cut And this trend hasn't gone unnoticed by Londoners Ward Estate Agents report that from January to August this year 36.36 per cent of all property buyers moving into the area were from London boroughs READ MORE: The gorgeous Kent village named the 'county's safest place to live' and it's a foodies' paradise READ MORE: The fantastic multi-pool centre in Kent with water rapids, splash zone, jacuzzi and cafe The driving factors behind this shift are said to be the high cost of living in London and the comparative value for money found in Sevenoaks the branch manager of Ward Estate Agents in West Kingsdown said: "The main reason we are getting from Londoners looking to move to Sevenoaks is that [London is] far too expensive a photographer and entrepreneur who swapped London for West Kingsdown said: "A £500,000 house has much more value here than in London "I got a detached property with a massive garden and there are no stabbings regularly like in London so it's better for the kids." The influx of Londoners is bringing a fresh vibrancy to the smaller villages around Sevenoaks a recruitment and HR professional commuting from West Kingsdown to London observes that people are drawn to Sevenoaks and its environs for superior schools and to escape London's hustle who runs Michael's Barber Shop in St Botolphs Road and has been a local fixture for two decades has seen an uptick in weekday customers due to remote working He also notes a positive change in community spirit saying: "People who work in London are quite miserable and a lot of people seem a lot happier since they are working from home Their work life is better so they're able to eat heathier go for a jog and have more zen about them." However Michael is worried that the rising house prices in Sevenoaks will make it "almost impossible" for future generations to own a home there He shared his personal concern: "I don't own my own house either even more so now its going to make the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." has been at the helm of The Anchor Pub for 45 years and was honoured with a Sevenoaks community award last year With roots tracing back to a family-run pub in London and a lineage of black cab drivers he feels a connection to the Londoners relocating to Sevenoaks He expressed his affection for the town: "There's a little bit of London down here and I love Sevenoaks I'm probably one of the biggest supporters of Sevenoaks because it is a lovely place to live and to be honest as long as you're a decent person and just get on it does not matter where you come from." said: "While once it was the commute - less than 30 minutes to London - since the pandemic it's the choice of grammar and public schools which are the driving force behind the town's attraction" He added: "As the commute becomes more popular again the town is perfectly placed to accommodate all needs while retaining its historic features." the average price of a home in Sevenoaks was £777,182 Detached houses made up the majority of sales in Sevenoaks last year selling for an average price of £1,353,522 Terraced properties sold for an average of £477,156 For those commuting from Sevenoaks to London the average journey time to Charing Cross on Southeastern is 39 minutes Approximately 129 direct trains travel daily from the town's station to Charing Cross which is conveniently located a short walk from the town centre at the bottom of a hill The average train journey from Sevenoaks to London Bridge takes about 31 minutes with the fastest journey clocking in at just 22 minutes Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot There are a few reasons this might happen: please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page We're getting everything ready for you and you'll be on your way in just a few moments Villagers are being consulted on the scheme for 13 homes By Debbie King · 14 February 2022 Plans for 10 affordable homes and three open market bungalows to fund them will help people up and down the housing ladder West Kingsdown Not-for-profit housing housing association English Rural are currently consulting online about a proposal supported by the parish council would be for rent only and their would be legal restrictions meaning they could not be sold Two two-bedroom houses would also be built on a shared ownership basis Pat Bosley said a village survey carried out before the pandemic revealed a shortage of homes for the young as well as those looking to downsize and the plans would cater for both demographics "This would be for both ends of the spectrum People who want to stay in the village but cannot afford to and also those that want to downsize So we are trying to help both ends of the market," she said two bungalows would be built and offered on the open market market with the profit from the sale going to help fund the affordable homes A third bungalow would be offered to the current owner of the land in form of payment for the site which was being made available at a nil cost housing association chiefs hope to submit plans for the scheme in the spring with building work starting later this year A face to face consultation will also take place on Wednesday March 23 at The Old School in School Lane between 4-7pm Click here to learn more! LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}} Fears of 'music blaring' have been voiced by locals and councillors following the news that a former Co-Op in West Kingsdown is to be redeveloped barbers and salon in the place of the old supermarket - but concerns have been raised After moving a few hundred metres down the road last August the former Co-Op was left empty but will soon host a raft of new businesses Sevenoaks District Council’s (SDC) development management committee met last Thursday (February 15) to decide on the future of the Hever Road site Read more: Man charged after A2 crash near Dartford that injured three people Read more: The cosy Kent pubs that are a favourite with the Queen’s son “Will there be beat music pumping out together with the pounding of machines over most of the site?” he asked “This will surely permeate through the flats over and into the neighbouring properties – the 1960s buildings were not so good at sound insulation If you’re minded to approve this application then consider imposing an hours restriction as well as eight residents – although three wrote in to support the bid who represents the village on Sevenoaks council “While residents are keen to see new shops within our well used and much loved parade of shops and would encourage that these are not left empty for longer than is necessary they need to be the right shops,” she argued the building will be split in three – one part hosting a gym Cllr Bulford added: “An even bigger concern would be the use of music within the gym it is unfair to residents living above this commercial unit to have to live with the music blaring and the bass associated with it which can often be found in a gym setting to work out to These buildings were built in the 1960s where acoustic measures are very different to what they are now.” She added: “The parade of shops cannot cope with the parking as it stands let alone adding more vehicles which will stay for longer periods of time." There are several flats above the building all owned by the applicants for the development Cllr Nick Varley (Lib Dem) asked the ward councillor if the three residents who wrote in to back the plans were an “extreme minority view or what,” adding “there obviously is some support for this proposal.” Cllr Bulford responded: “There is some support there are more that are against this application however I think the noise is a really big concern for the residents that live above.” Concerns were raised about the fact that toilets and fire escapes were not specified on the plans but a planning officer explained: “They are not shown on the plans but they don’t need to be for the sake of this application because the internal layout doesn’t require permission However from discussions with the applicant we can be pretty assured they will be putting toilets in.” Cllr John Edwards-Winser (Con) raised concerns about parking He said: “I can see that the gym is going to cause quite a parking problem around there.” Behind the Hever Road site there were previously more than 20 parking spaces but a recent planning approval for four houses in the car park by the same owner has removed them Councillors considered adding in a restriction on the gym’s opening hours – planned to be 7am – 9pm with Cllr Varley saying: “I’m very uncomfortable with these sort of time restrictions it’s open 24 hours a day – he goes at 11.30 at night most nights “So the restrictions we’re putting on here are already quite unusual I would say,” he said pointing out that many gym users go either very early or very late No condition on opening hours was introduced – but the owners will be forced to keep the gym door shut and to undertake noise and acoustics surveys Councillors voted to approve the planning permission with 11 votes in favour Mickey got into conversation with local councillors who had recently opened a community and sports centre in the village which during the building process had run out of funds to complete a loft area that was now dead space The councillors had been experiencing minor acts of vandalism to the building and anti-social behaviour on the fields and park next to the centre and were keen to open a boxing club to help engage the young people and instil the influences of discipline and respect reaching out to sponsors and dedication from Mickey as well as the rest of the club committee members West Kingsdown ABC finally opened its doors in early 2017 the club has been an extremely active on the competition circuit by producing two championship finalists and four semi-finalists It seems only a matter of time until they secure their first national champion But perhaps more impressive is the high level of respect that the club has gained within the local community in such a short period of time The club deliver female-only training sessions that are focussed on self-defence and fitness which have been really well attended as well as training sessions for people who have Parkinson’s as part of England Boxing’s Inclusive Activity Programme WKD also arrange regular fundraisers and donations from its members to give to local food banks and charities all with the aim of supporting those in greatest need Their great reputation in the community has led to the club receiving annual invitations to local schools and summer fetes to showcase themselves and recruit new members and also served them well during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 due to covid-19 the club set-up a fundraising page as part of England Boxing’s KO Covid-19 campaign and they managed to raise in excess of £2,000 to help keep the club afloat during hard times This was largely with thanks to local people donating their money in recognition of their support for the club and its efforts in the West Kingsdown area The club are now embarking on their next big project with plans in-place to extend their gym to double its current size Sarah and the club quite literally since day one and could not be more pleased for them and the impact that they have had on their local community,” said England Boxing’s Club Support Officer for the Southern Counties the club have been presented with many barriers and hurdles to overcome but rather than shying away from a challenge or blaming something else they have fought hard to secure their future and are now seeing the rewards as a result.” The club has hosted 13 shows in five years including five dinner shows and has the latest two booked for 2nd April and 28th May Find out more about the club on their Twitter and Facebook pages Millwall’s planning application for a new training ground in West Kingsdown was approved last night Sevenoaks council’s planning committee gave a green light to the plans The Championship club described the decision as “a significantly positive step forward in the implementation of the club’s vision for a state-of-the-art training facility for the first team and academy which is aligned with its long-term objectives “The club would like to place on record its gratitude to the council’s planning committee and officers but also for their outstanding professionalism and co-operation during the process to date.” Millwall chief executive Steve Kavanagh described it as “incredibly important and very positive news for the football club” He added: “We are very thankful to all those who have contributed to helping the club get to this point in what is a long and complex process and we’re excited about progressing further in the months ahead “There is a concerted commitment to ensuring delivery of a high-end and state-of-the-art training complex which is aligned with the club’s long-term objectives and in keeping with its values and principles There is still much work to be done before a facility is up and running but everyone connected with the project will continue to work every bit as tirelessly as has been the case to date in order to fulfil the club’s vision “One of our key aims is to bring about a meaningful and positive contribution to West Kingsdown and surrounding areas through the industry-leading work of the Millwall Community Trust “We will continue to keep supporters updated about notable developments in the months ahead.” Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Millwall have revealed more detail of their plans for a proposed new training complex in West Kingsdown The Lions confirmed in October that they had purchased a significant area of land in the area Millwall’s lease at their current base in Calmont Road does not have many years left to run “We aim to deliver a new state of the art training ground in West Kingsdown which will provide facilities for players which are fit for and in line with our long-term ambitions including achieving Premier League football status whilst also meeting the needs of the club now,” said the Lions on a website which they have launched outlining their plans “Millwall FC and our industry-leading Community Trust are seeking to widen existing outreach and consolidate our current training facilities with a permanent new training ground and academy whilst maintaining the match day site at the Den “We chose West Kingsdown because of its excellent connectivity and because it can provide for the needs of a training ground including offering a large enough site to accommodate the required football pitches and the privacy to the teams that train here we hope to support the local community across West Kingsdown and Sevenoaks through the actions of the Millwall Community Trust which already uses the power of sport to improve the lives of people in Lewisham Southwark and the wider Millwall community “Minimising the impact that the new training ground will have on the surrounding area and within the green belt is at the forefront of our plans “The majority of the training ground will comprise of open football pitches that will blend well into the surrounding landscape press/media provision and other amenities for players and management and an indoor training pitch is also required for the players to train in during the winter and inclement weather “These are requirements of the Elite Player Performance Plan a governing body for football clubs and the facilities proposed have been benchmarked against other similar facilities “The indoor training pitch will consist of a sleek yet discrete building located to the rear of the site where it adjoins the M20 “The academy building has been inspired by our study of local building forms and we have focused on creating a sympathetic roofscape to the indoor training pitch which reflects traditional agricultural buildings and neighbouring homes The visual impact of the academy building has been carefully mitigated by planted mounds and flint-filled gabion walls “The aim then has been to develop a contemporary and unique design solution that is rooted in the local area but that is also fit to meet the aspirations of a forward looking and dynamic football club looking to provide high quality training facilities for its players and the local community “Our vision for the site is landscape-led to ensure that the openness of the green belt is protected as far as possible and has been carefully informed by background studies undertaken by ecologists and arboriculturists “A sustainable drainage strategy will be developed for the site and proposals which will ensure that the proposals will not result in any flooding The plan includes new woodland on the west and east to screen development in the northern part of the site and a sweeping approach road with enhanced planting to help soften the car-parking area “We have worked hard to create the most efficient and flexible plans for the new training ground in West Kingsdown with an emphasis on sustainability,” said Millwall in a statement on their new training ground website “We aim to integrate sustainability measures through careful and considered design at an early stage the English Football League (EFL) announced the GreenCode initiative This is designed to allow all EFL clubs to focus on sustainability and use the third party to assist in tracking efforts improve year performance and highlight credentials as a result of the audit process and accreditation The club is currently engaged in seeking EFL GreenCode Accreditation “The new training ground is an excellent opportunity to implement the ambition of the club’s sustainability strategy which can help Sevenoaks achieve net zero by 2030 Specific considerations for the proposed training and academy facility include: solar landscape conservation and local materials recycling and renewable technologies.”