On a bright and breezy afternoon, I sat down with Matt Boughton, the Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC), within the historic Tonbridge Castle. While the imposing medieval walls of the castle serve as a reminder of the town’s long past, our conversation was focused firmly on its future.
Matt, ever energetic, admits he’s always on the move—darting in and out of meetings and community events—but he’s also come to value the need for time to reflect. “If you don’t take time to think, you can end up just firefighting,” he says. “Sometimes the best ideas come from stepping back.”
We began with a straightforward but important question: From your perspective as Leader, what’s the single biggest opportunity for Tonbridge right now, and how are you looking to seize it?
“The River Medway,” Matt replied without hesitation. “Particularly the stretch from the town lock onwards toward the Aldi end of town. It’s an underused asset.” TMBC has already signed off on improved lighting along the riverside path from the town centre to Aldi—an upgrade designed not only to make the route safer but also to encourage more foot traffic and help connect that part of town.
“It’s crucial for accessibility and confidence,” he says. “If people feel safe and comfortable walking that route in the evenings, it starts to stitch together parts of the town that have felt disconnected.”
Matt also touched on the long-awaited Gasworks redevelopment site, which sits along the river. “We hope work will begin in 2026. There’s a real chance to create a proper riverfront space there. That’s part of a broader vision to make the river central to Tonbridge’s identity again—not just a waterway you cross, but somewhere you spend time.”
When asked about the most pressing challenge facing Tonbridge, Matt didn’t need long to answer. “School places. Especially at the grammar schools. Since VAT was added to private school fees, we’ve seen more people turning to the state sector, and that’s added new pressures.”
He described a trend that’s been causing tension in the local property market: “Families are taking short-term lets in Tonbridge when their child is about ten, just long enough to secure a place at one of the top schools, and then they move on.” This is partly behind the unusual rental-to-sale price imbalance in the town. “It’s putting pressure on long-term renters and warping the market.”
We moved on to talk about the Angel Centre—a building that’s become outdated and inefficient. Matt was clearly excited about the proposed replacement. “The new Angel Centre will be more efficient and far more usable.” Among the new features being considered are a soft play area, a flexible stage space, and a significantly expanded gym.
“The current layout just doesn’t work,” he says. “There’s too much dead space. The new one will be modern, accessible, and much better suited to the needs of local residents.”
Naturally, we turned to the biggest building project currently underway in Tonbridge: the £20 million redevelopment of the Sainsbury’s site, which is now incorporating the former Beales department store. “It’s taken time to come together,” Matt acknowledged, “but the fact that Sainsbury’s has committed to investing in Tonbridge while pulling back in other areas of Kent—well, that’s a real vote of confidence.”
The expanded site will include a much larger non-food retail section, something Matt believes Tonbridge has long needed. “The town has been crying out for better general retail. This could really help keep more shoppers local.”
When I asked whether this redevelopment might dovetail into a broader vision for a new town square on the Angel West car park—something that’s been floated in recent years—Matt was cautious. “That’s a really contentious issue within the council,” he said. “The idea of a public square is lovely in theory, but we have to ask: would it actually boost business, or would it just pull shops away from the High Street?”
Matt worries that building new retail units there could simply cause a reshuffling, not true economic growth. “You might just end up with the same businesses in a different location,” he warns. “And that could leave the High Street hollowed out.” “There is also the loss of car parking revenue to consider, especially in a time when budgets are tight”.
Our conversation turned to the evolving landscape of local governance. With talk of new town councils and the longer-term prospect of a Unitary Authority, Matt sees both opportunity and complexity.
He’s broadly supportive of creating a new Tonbridge Town Council to give residents more direct representation, but is realistic about its limitations. “Any major assets—like parking or commercial properties—would likely remain with the larger unitary body.
And if such a unitary council did emerge, would Matt consider standing for leadership in that broader authority? “I’d find it hard not to. I love campaigning—I genuinely enjoy getting out there, knocking on doors, listening to people. It’s part of why I got into politics in the first place.”
As we wound down our conversation, I asked Matt what he’s been watching or listening to in his spare time. “I’m a big fan of true crime documentaries,” he revealed. “But honestly? I rarely switch off. I like staying on the move, thinking about what’s next.”
That restless drive, that commitment to forward momentum, may well be what Tonbridge needs. With so many changes now unfolding—from riverside plans to retail renewal—Matt Boughton finds himself at the centre of a town very much in transition. And if his vision holds true, the best chapters in Tonbridge’s story may still be ahead.
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