News Delivering BNG Success at Paramount Place

Delivering BNG Success at Paramount Place

August 04, 2026

Client: Retirement Villages Group (RVG)

Location: Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Sector: Later Living & Care

Size / Scale: 167 Units

Completion: 2026

PRP Services: Landscape Design

 

Paramount Place demonstrates how urban later living developments can successfully champion ecology without compromising on architecture, urban integration, or resident wellbeing. Developed by Retirement Villages Group (RVG) in Tunbridge Wells, this £76m scheme features 167 homes centred around a south-facing courtyard.

For industry peers, Paramount Place serves as a benchmark for exceeding statutory biodiversity targets on complex brownfield-style sites. PRP’s Landscape Design team proved that high-density, accessible urban developments can simultaneously deliver exceptional ecological uplift and high-quality public realm spaces.

 

Achieving BNG Success 

  • 20% Biodiversity Net Gain: Successfully achieved double the statutory requirement, surpassing the targets set jointly by RVG and Kent County Council (KCC).
  • Targeted Nature-Based Interventions: BNG was unlocked not through off-site offsetting, but via integrated on-site measures, including: Extensive new canopy and ornamental tree planting, Multi-tiered green roof terrace gardens, Specialised biodiverse green roofs designed to maximise local flora and fauna habitats.

 

 

Challenges & Solutions

  • Complex Urban Integration: Achieving a 20% uplift was challenged by significant level changes across the site and an existing Public Right of Way (PROW) running directly through it, which tightly constrained available ground-level footprint.
  • Collaborative 3D Digital Delivery: To preserve ecological space while meeting engineering and accessibility requirements, PRP deployed full 3D coordination via Revit from RIBA Stage 1 onwards. Aligning landscape tightly with architecture, engineering, and services allowed the team to weave biodiversity seamlessly into structural podiums, terraces, and the central public realm without sacrificing spatial quality.

 

Added Value & Placemaking

  • Ecological + Social Public Realm: The landscape strategy successfully balanced ecology with community needs, creating a brand-new, fully accessible public square for Tunbridge Wells that hosts local events while contributing to the site's green infrastructure.
  • Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement: Seamless planning approval was achieved through close coordination with the local planning authority and Kent County Council, ensuring BNG methodologies met rigorous regional expectations.
  • Holistic Social Value: Beyond environmental metrics, the project engaged local schools via a creative writing competition (£1,000 for school resources and Topping Out VIP invites), involved residents in naming the scheme (‘Paramount Place’), and supported local festive community initiatives.