Builder in Tenterden

Homes in Tenterden

The heart of Tenterden's town centre is mainly 15th century, although many of its timber framed buildings are hidden behind 18th and 19th century fronts of brick, mathematical tiles, tile hanging or white painted weatherboarding, and some Wealden hall houses remain, adapted to modern use. Roofs in the old centre are traditionally handmade Kent peg clay tiles, and Golden Square, off Oaks Road, keeps a group of 18th century tile hung houses beside white weatherboarded ones.

Away from the High Street, Victorian houses front much of the triangle formed by Ashford Road, Oaks Road and Beacon Oak Road, and beyond East Cross Gardens the older streets are largely late Victorian and Edwardian, mixed with some 20th century houses. In St Michaels, St Michaels Terrace on Grange Road was built in the 1870s for agricultural workers. From the 1950s onwards the Shrubcote estate added two storey semi detached and terraced houses and flats, set out along a series of closes, and Phase A of the Tenterden Southern Extension brought around 250 new homes between Recreation Ground Road and Smallhythe Road.

Detached houses are common here. At the 2021 Census, 42 per cent of households in the three Tenterden wards lived in a detached house, compared with about 23 per cent across England. Typical local details include a red or orange brick ground floor with weatherboarding or hung tiles above, hipped or half hipped roofs and tall chimney stacks.

Extensions and Alterations for Every Age of House

On the post war and newer estates, single storey rear extensions, side extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions are the usual ways to add space without moving house. On older homes an extension has to sit comfortably beside the original building, so we match local materials such as red brick, weatherboarding, hung tiles and clay roof tiles wherever the design calls for them.

Inside, we remove load bearing walls and fit steel beams to a structural engineer's design to create open plan kitchens and living areas, and we reconfigure rooms in older houses where the layout no longer suits the way a family lives. All structural work is carried out with building control approval.

Planning, Conservation Areas and the Neighbourhood Plan

Planning applications in Tenterden are decided by Ashford Borough Council, and Tenterden Town Council is consulted on them. The Tenterden Neighbourhood Plan was approved at referendum in August 2024 and formally made by Ashford Borough Council in October 2024. It forms part of the development plan alongside the Ashford Local Plan 2030 and includes a design code for edge of town development.

The parish has four conservation areas: Tenterden, which covers the historic High Street and town centre, St Michaels, Smallhythe and Reading Street. In a conservation area, side extensions, roof extensions and new external cladding fall outside householder permitted development, so they need planning permission. The same applies to homes inside the High Weald National Landscape. Tenterden town centre is not in the National Landscape, but it surrounds the town on three sides, takes in hamlets such as Smallhythe and Reading Street and reaches some streets on the edge of town, so it is worth checking for each address.

Ashford's flood risk assessment records past flooding on Shirley Moor and around Smallhythe, including from the Reading Sewer, which can affect plans for extensions there. Whatever the project, we recommend confirming the planning position with Ashford Borough Council early, and we work with your architect, structural engineer and building control to see the build through.