Edenbridge's Spitals Cross estate nears the end of a £10.3m rebuild, with 23 new homes due this autumn

The biggest investment in the Spitals Cross estate in Edenbridge in a generation is nearing completion, Sevenoaks District Council has announced, with 23 new affordable homes and a replacement community hall and shop due to be finished this autumn. The £10.3 million scheme, on the council-owned estate off the western edge of the town, is now in its final phase after work began in November 2023. (Sevenoaks District Council, Biggest investment on the Spitals Cross estate in a generation nears completion)

What is being built

The council says the project replaces the estate’s tired 1960s buildings and adds new homes on land that was previously underused. The package includes:

• 23 new affordable homes built to high environmental standards, 19 of them for rent and the rest offered as shared ownership;
• a replacement social club and shop, in place of the original 1960s buildings;
• 60 new off-road parking bays, 27 of them fitted with electric vehicle charging points;
• solar panels, cycle parking, new play equipment, landscaping and improved signage.

The 23 homes are being transferred to West Kent Housing Association, which will let and manage them. The construction work has been carried out by Oakwood Building Contractors Ltd, the contractor the council appointed for the scheme. (Sevenoaks District Council, Spitals Cross community improvements)

How it is paid for

The new homes help fund the wider community improvements, alongside £375,000 secured from the Government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund and the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy, the charge developers pay towards local infrastructure. (Sevenoaks District Council, Biggest investment on the Spitals Cross estate in a generation nears completion)

Councillor Michael Horwood, the Cabinet Member for Innovation and Improvement, said: “We’re excited to be delivering the most comprehensive package of improvements on the Spitals Cross estate since it was built.” Anabel Palmer, Director of Development and Partnerships at West Kent Housing Association, said: “We’re really pleased to be part of this investment, which will bring real benefits for both existing and future residents.” (Sevenoaks District Council, Biggest investment on the Spitals Cross estate in a generation nears completion)

What it means for residents

For people already living on Spitals Cross, the practical change is a long-running building site reaching its end: a working community hall and shop again, more parking on an estate that had too little of it, and charging points for residents who run an electric car. The new homes add to the district’s stock of genuinely affordable housing at a time when most new building in the area is open-market.

The 19 homes for rent will be let through the council’s Housing Register, so they go to people already on the local waiting list rather than the open market. If you want to be considered for an affordable home in the district, you can check whether you qualify and apply on the council’s affordable housing and Housing Register pages.

The scheme is one of several council investments in Edenbridge this year, alongside the £2 million upgrade to Edenbridge Leisure Centre agreed by Cabinet in June. For how local services like this are funded, see our guide to Sevenoaks council tax bands; to follow new building near you, our Sevenoaks planning applications guide explains how to check your own street; and for more around the district, see things to do in Sevenoaks.

Sources

• Sevenoaks District Council, Biggest investment on the Spitals Cross estate in a generation nears completion (25 June 2026; £10.3m cost, 23 homes split 19 rent and shared ownership, 60 parking bays with 27 EV points, solar panels, replacement social club and shop, £375,000 from the Brownfield Land Release Fund and Community Infrastructure Levy, autumn 2026 completion, transfer to West Kent Housing Association, Cllr Horwood and Anabel Palmer quotes)
• Sevenoaks District Council, Spitals Cross community improvements (estate location in Edenbridge, contractor Oakwood Building Contractors Ltd, work began November 2023, replacement of 1960s buildings)
• Sevenoaks District Council, Affordable housing and the Housing Register (how affordable homes are allocated locally)

Image: Edenbridge High Street, the nearest town centre to the Spitals Cross estate. Photo by Stacey Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph.