The second workshop for the Southborough Common consultation was held at 7pm on Wednesday 8th February, at St. Thomas's Church in Southborough.

Accessing Southborough Common formed the basis of discussion for the second workshop of the consultation. The local community worked in groups to consider physical access (problems and solutions), visual access (impairments and enhancements) and access to information about Southborough Common.

A summary report of this second workshop is now available to download from our website. Visit our Southborough Common pages, and click through to the downloads section for this, and other reports. 

As part of the consultation, we are also hosting a discussion forum on the Kent High Weald Partnership's website. The intention of this forum is to provide another means by which people may submit their ideas and comments about the common and the consultation process. It may also be used by workshop attendees to continue their discussions on the topics that are raised. Visit the forum today, and have your say on the future management of Southborough Common - www.khwp.org.uk/forum.

If you haven't already registered to attend the workshops, or would like to receive regular email updates throughout the consultation process, then please contact Jane Frostick, KHWP Greenspace Officer on 01580 212972, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We look forward to meeting and speaking with you over the coming months.

Further Information
The Kent High Weald Partnership has been engaged by Southborough Town Council to write a new management plan for Southborough Common. Following guidance issued by the Open Spaces Society and Natural England, this plan will be produced in consultation with the local community.

From January to March 2012 a number of workshops will be held in Southborough to provide expert guidance on landscape, access and wildlife, and to help stimulate discussion. Feedback from these workshops will then be reviewed at a final workshop entitled 'Managing Southborough Common', where the best options for the future management of the common will be assessed.

As well as the workshops, KHWP will be holding a number of drop-in sessions in Southborough, where people can come and talk to us about the common. There will also be a static display, and a comments box available at Southborough Library throughout the consultation period.

Further details of what the consultation will include is available from our Southborough Common consultation web pages.