The old Greatness football pavilion is free and Sevenoaks Town Council wants ideas by 31 December. What is inside, what it won't allow, how to bid.

The original Greatness Pavilion, home to Sevenoaks Town FC until the club moved into its new clubhouse this month, is now empty, and Sevenoaks Town Council wants to hear from anyone with a plan for it. Expressions of Interest must reach the council by 31 December 2026, and its Community Asset Committee will consider them on 25 January 2027 (Sevenoaks Town Council, press release, 30 September 2026).

The building became free when the new Greatness Football & Community Centre, built by the town council and the football club together, was finished. The council says it is “keen to hear from parties with ideas for how to use Greatness Pavilion in a way that complements the surrounding facilities.”

What is in the building

The council describes it as a brick building beside the Greatness Recreation Ground car park, with a function room, a small kitchen and café area, toilets and showers. Its Expressions of Interest pack gives more detail (Invitation for Expressions of Interest, Greatness Pavilion (PDF)):

  • The footprint is 20m by 9m, not counting the public toilet attached to the outside.
  • The function room is described as “a reasonable size”.
  • The showers have not been used for two years.
  • The kitchen is small, with an under-counter fridge and a built-in microwave. Whoever takes the building takes those on too, and the council says they “will not be replaced or upgraded”.
  • The supply is electricity and water, with no gas. The building has wifi.
  • The windows have security coverings.
  • The old alarm does not work, so a new user would need to arrange a new alarm contract and give out-of-hours contact details.
  • A defibrillator inside the building will stay where it is.
  • Commercial waste would need its own agreement with Sevenoaks District Council.
Location plan of Greatness Recreation Ground off Mill Lane, Sevenoaks, with the pavilion outlined in red north-east of the car park, the car park and parking outlined in blue, and the play area to the west
The pavilion (outlined in red) and the car park (outlined in blue), off Mill Lane. Map: Sevenoaks Town Council, Expressions of Interest pack. © Crown copyright and database right 2026, contains OS data

The pavilion is off Mill Lane, postcode TN14 5AA. The unisex public toilet on its outside wall and the drinking water fountain beside it are not part of the offer: the council runs the toilet directly and has it cleaned by a contractor.

What the council does not want

The pack is plain about one thing. The new community centre next door will have a café open to the public, and “the Town Council would not want to compete with this business”. A second café is therefore unlikely to get far, though the kitchen can serve another use.

Any successful bid would be on a short-term basis: the pack says a Licence to Occupy agreement will be needed, depending on the final decision about how the building is used.

Facts panel: Greatness Pavilion. Forms due by 31 December 2026; Community Asset Committee decides 25 January 2027; building footprint 20m by 9m. Inside: function room, small kitchen and café area, toilets, showers. Supplied: electricity and water, no gas, wifi, a defibrillator that stays. Not wanted: a café competing with the new Greatness Football and Community Centre.
Graphic by Sevenoaks Online
Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppX

How to put in an idea

The form is in the Expressions of Interest pack, which you can download from the town council’s Greatness Pavilion page. Return it by post to Sevenoaks Town Council, The Council Offices, Bradbourne Vale Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 3QG, or by email, by 31 December 2026.

The form asks for:

  • who you are, with addresses, including a registered address if you have one
  • what you want to use the pavilion for (you can attach extra material)
  • whether you run any other facilities
  • how many staff and how many volunteers you would have
  • whether you have researched the idea and can deliver it
  • how you would encourage people to use it
  • your delivery plan or strategy
  • what you would count as signs of success and growth

The council says bidders may be asked to a meeting to explain their idea, and will need to supply references. You can view the building first: the pack says visits can be arranged with Stephen Wood, the council’s Facilities Manager, at FacilityManager@Sevenoakstown.gov.uk or on 01732 459953.

What else is changing at Greatness

The pavilion is one part of a wider overhaul of the recreation ground, which the town council took over from Sevenoaks District Council in 2008. According to the pack:

  • The current play area will be removed and the space used for more car parking.
  • A new £250,000 play area is due by the end of 2026.
  • A new outdoor gym is due by the end of 2026.
  • More landscaping is planned this autumn, once the new centre, play area and gym are finished.

The car park stays free. There is also barrier-controlled overflow parking on Sevenoaks Town FC match days.

What it means for you

If you run a club, class, charity or small business that needs a room with a kitchen and toilets in the north of Sevenoaks, this is a building that has not been on offer before, and the council is asking for ideas rather than setting a use. You have three months, so there is time to visit and do the research the form asks for. Anything that brings people to the park without competing with the new café fits what the council says it wants.

For families, the useful news is in the small print: the old play area is going, and the new one is due before the end of the year. Until then, see parks and playgrounds in Sevenoaks for other places to play.

Sources