Landmark renovation as ‘tired’

Tunbridge Wells has seen many changes over the years, but one property on Little Mount Sion has undergone a particularly striking transformation. What was once a tired commercial unit has now been carefully converted into a stylish two-bedroom home, right in the heart of the town centre.

The full renovation, carried out by Presence & Co., included everything from design and planning to the final finish. The result is a contemporary home that blends modern touches with the charm of its historic surroundings. The property is now on the market with Presence & Co.’s estate agency, offering buyers a unique opportunity to live just moments away from Tunbridge Wells’ shops, cafés, and transport links.

This is just one example of the kind of projects currently reshaping the local property landscape. Presence & Co., headquartered in Tunbridge www.presence.co.uk

A raft of employees are benefitting from better health thanks to a pilot scheme rolled out across the Medway Council area.

Medway Council’s Healthy Workplace team recently took part in a new Department of Health and Social Care pilot service under which workplaces were visited and staff given blood pressure checks, height and weight checks and lifestyle screening.

The programme was funded to deliver 326 checks in total over an eight-month period, up until May 2025. The Medway team beat the target, delivering 558 checks altogether. The checks were designed to pick up any early signs of heart disease and signpost people to medical care if needed, or provide healthy lifestyle advice. Of those checked, 91 people were found to have high blood pressure and 42 individuals were found to have irregular pulse issues, increasing their risk of stroke and other cardiovascular issues. All were referred for medical treatment.

Wells but working nationwide, has increasingly been recognised for its role in converting and repurposing buildings across both residential and commercial sectors.

The company’s model of keeping services inhouse, whether it’s electricians improving EPC ratings, carpenters on renovation projects, or its estate agency marketing the finished homes, has allowed it to deliver projects with speed and consistency. Their work extends far beyond Kent, with teams operating across the UK on developments, facilities management contracts, and large-scale commercial refurbishments.

Little Mount Sion is a milestone project for the business, highlighting the growing demand for high-quality housing in central Tunbridge Wells and showing how underused spaces can be reimagined to meet modern living needs.

One employee said: “From my point of view, the health check could quite literally have saved my life! It prompted me to pursue appointments that I honestly would not have bothered with having suffered from unmedicated unstable blood pressure for years. I am now on medication which has stabilised my BP into a normal range, and I cannot thank my employer and the health team enough.”

The service has proved so popular that from July, the Medway Healthy Workplaces Programme made the offer of on-site health MOTs widely available to workplaces who sign up to the Medway Healthy Workplaces Programme.

Find out more about the Medway Healthy Workplaces Programme at www.medway.gov.uk/healthyworkplace