RVP car park upgrade attracts more shoppers

Wednesday, 11 November 2026 at 12:23

Carbon-saving solar roof panels on RVP car park

The recently completed upgrade of Royal Victoria Place car park in Tunbridge Wells is attracting more visitors to the shopping centre.

Recently completed significant enhancements to the car park serving Royal Victoria Place shopping centre in Tunbridge Wells town centre have made it a much more pleasant parking experience, with increased footfall already seen.

Graham Tuthill from Paddock Wood-based Baxall Construction, speaking at the 2026 Tunbridge Wells Business Fair at the Assembly Hall, said that usage had already increased to between 50 to 55% of capacity on average, from the previous figure of 33%. He envisaged that with the proposed increase in units and re-development, including a new boutique cinema, that this figure would increase further over coming years.

Mr Tuthill explained that the existing car park, spread over nine floors, had suffered severe water ingress and concrete stress over recent years, and was structurally unsound in some places.

There are now 959 extra-wide parking bays, and 43 Blue Badge and 24 Parent Child dedicated bays.

Poor lighting has been replaced by LED lights, which respond to human activity. There are now 13.000 lights installed across the 9 floors.

On the roofs, 980 solar PV panels have been installed, which are much more power efficient, saving 90 tonnes of CO2 a year. These will not need replacing for another 25 years.

Mr Tuthill said that public feedback had been highly positive, particularly regarding improved safety features, such as anti-slip flooring, LED lighting, and clearer signage.

He added that the next projects are likely to revamps the Great Hall and Meadow Road car parks on the town centre, both also owned by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Further information from Baxall here -

https://www.baxallconstruction.co.uk/project/royal-victoria-place-car-park/