Community action/Malling
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The gift of climate and ecological emergency is that we all get to work together. Ordinary citizens and community groups naturally share what they learn, and what they know of what helps. Everyone can help, everyone has something to offer, everyone is welcome. We all need to design, make and grow a better future for ourselves, our communities and our world. Together we CAN. Yes we CAN.
The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Malling. It's an introduction to local networks, groups, and events.
- Malling community resources, Malling community climate and environment action and Neighbourhood Plan for West Malling are separate pages.
CDC video
[edit | edit source]Each week 3 different short videos from across the UK or world.
Rural sustainability UK, Community energy UK, Community action/Argyll and Bute / ...This week's featured Global videos / ... read more about Cosmolocalism
| Map | |
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| Location | West Malling, Kent, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51° 17' 43.45" N, 0° 24' 34.06" E |
News
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'Not enough water supply' for planned housing, BBC News (Mar 12, 2026) — There is "insufficient" water supply for the number of houses planned in a Kent borough, South East Water has claimed.- Hedgerows the 'unsung heroes of the countryside', BBC News (Feb 16, 2026) — A group of Kent volunteers is aiming to provide vital habitat for wildlife by planting about 3,800 yards (3,500m) of hedgerows in the countryside this year.
- 60 homes proposed by Vita Group at Belvidere House in East Malling close to rejected Ivy Farm site, kentonline.co.uk (Jul 28, 2025) — “The whole battle between locals trying to protect their area from over-development and the developers starts all over again. It’s relentless.” Gary James
- Hedgerows the 'unsung heroes of the countryside', BBC News (Feb 16, 2026) — A group of Kent volunteers is aiming to provide vital habitat for wildlife by planting about 3,800 yards (3,500m) of hedgerows in the countryside this year.
- ‘To live a normal life again, it’s a dream come true’: UK’s first climate evacuees can cast off their homes and trauma, theguardian.com (Feb 09, 2026)
- Behind the scenes as GPs face 'tidal wave of demand', BBC News (Jan 22, 2026)
- WL Meets: Zoe Gilbertson who is refashioning textiles from the ground up, wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk (May 13, 2026) — Nick Easen meets designer Zoe Gilbertson who wants to revive the UK textile sector, with sustainability woven in from the start
- ‘A share in the delight’: the people investing in the UK’s first community-owned solar battery, theguardian.com (May 08, 2026) — Oxfordshire’s Ray Valley Solar already generates clean energy for 7,000 homes, and is now crowdfunding storage to marry daylight with evening demand
- Fixing social care: Report highlights potential of co-op model in the UK, thenews.coop (May 08, 2026) — Commissioned by Co-operatives UK and Cwmpas, the study found co-ops provide ‘fairer, better quality, community-rooted care’
- Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary, theguardian.com (May 07, 2026)
- Sail-power offers passengers new crossing between England and France, reuters.com (Apr 28, 2026)
- Europe needs affordable, low‑carbon homes – here’s how Barcelona is reimagining its housing system, theconversation.com (Apr 08, 2026)
- How one Kenyan community is building a new future on reclaimed ground, globalvoices.org (May 14, 2026)
- Data Centres Need a Social License to Operate, demnext.substack.com (May 13, 2026) — How lessons from citizens' assemblies are highly relevant for the future of AI infrastructure and data centres, Another Democratic Future and Claudia Chwalisz
- Argentina’s co-operativas escolares: A case study in co-op education, thenews.coop (May 12, 2026) — In 1946, national legislation formally established the teaching of co-operativism and the creation of school co-operatives
Networks, sustainability initiatives and community support
[edit | edit source]- Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Community, private group on facebook.com, link checked 08:43, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
- Friends of the Earth Kings Hill, private group on facebook.com, link checked 08:36, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
- Tonbridge and Malling Friends of the Earth on facebook, link checked 08:41, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
- West Malling Parish Council
Events
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May 16, 2026 (Sat) — Malling and District Repair Café, East Malling Village Hall, mallingrepaircafe.co.uk- May 24, 2026 (Sun) — West Malling Farmers Market, westmallingfarmersmarket.co.uk
- Jun 13, 2026 (Sat) — Malling and District Repair Café, East Malling Village Hall, mallingrepaircafe.co.uk
- Jun 28, 2026 (Sun) — West Malling Farmers Market, westmallingfarmersmarket.co.uk
Regular events
- Malling and District Repair Café, usually 3rd Saturday of the month, mallingrepaircafe.co.uk
- West Malling Farmers Market, usually on the 4th Sunday of each month, but may be different in December
- Aylesford Farmers Market, usually 3rd Sunday each month. Aylesford Farmers Market on facebook.com
UK events
- May 2026 — National Walking Month, livingstreets.org.uk
- May 4 - 10, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — National Hedgerow Week, hedgelink.org.uk
- May 11 - 17, 2026 (Mon - Sun) — Mental Health Awareness Week, mentalhealth.org.uk
Global or international events
- May 1 - 3, 2026 (Fri - Sun) first weekend of May every year — Jane's Walk, How to Lead a Jane's Walk, Video, janeswalk.org
- May 03, 2026 (Sun) — International dawn chorus day, first Sunday of May, wildlifetrusts.org
- May 3 - 9, 2026 (Sun - Sat) — International Compost Awareness Week, compostfoundation.org
- May 9 and Oct 10, 2026 — World Migratory Bird Day, worldmigratorybirdday.org
- May 20, 2026 (Wed) — World Bee Day, May 20 each year, fao.org
- May 21, 2026 (Thu) — Outdoor Classroom Day, celebrating and inspiring outdoor learning and play, outdoorclassroomday.com
- May 22, 2026 (Fri) — International Day for Biological Diversity, May 22 every year, cbd.int
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Communities online
[edit | edit source]- eastmalling.net, independent project providing information and news for residents and visitors of East Malling
Local concerns
[edit | edit source]Overdevelopment
In common with many areas across the the South East, the constant threat of overdevelopment or inappropriate development, for example locking us into yet more car dependency, pollution and carbon emissions, loss of green space, lack of genuinely affordable housing and imbalances against community interests in the current top down planning system is a concern for many people locally.
14% of Tonbridge and Malling is 'Built on', compared to 6% nationally, Nov 9, 2017...bbc.co.uk. Because of recent and planned new housing the disparity is likely to be growing, with even more of a disparity for some parts of the Borough. It wold be interesting to know what the figure is for Malling and how this has increased over recent years...
Housing news
- A Land Use Framework for England: will it help join up land use decisions?, cpre.org.uk (Apr 01, 2026)
- Quarter of England at risk of water shortages (Mar 28, 2026) — less water in the system than planners are currently preparing for will have a knock-on effect on new housing developments
- 'Not enough water supply' for planned housing, BBC News (Mar 12, 2026) — There is "insufficient" water supply for the number of houses planned in a Kent borough, South East Water has claimed.
- One in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data., theguardian.com (Feb 18, 2026) — between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones.
- Salt Cross: Carbon neutral village plans approved by government, BBC News (Feb 04, 2026)
- Europe needs affordable, low‑carbon homes – here’s how Barcelona is reimagining its housing system, theconversation.com (Apr 08, 2026)
- New York Cooks Up a Plan to Boost Energy Efficiency in Public Housing, insideclimatenews.org (Mar 16, 2026)
- Community land trusts: Building a different kind of wealth, thenews.coop (Feb 03, 2026) — How the model is protecting US neighbourhoods from property speculation and gentrification
- 100 US cities have now abolished parking mandates, freeing up space for housing, theprogressplaybook.com (Nov 19, 2025)
- Could Zurich’s housing cooperatives be the solution to the rest of Europe’s housing crisis?, theguardian.com (Oct 23, 2025)
New
- Grey belt tracker, from the Community Planning Alliance: docs.google.com (form only, map not found?)
- Via this Land Cover Explorer map, you can see changes in land use / land cover, for example the built up area, 2017-2023: livingatlas.arcgis.com, added 14:41, 8 September 2024 (UTC)
Campaigns
- Friends of Offham Road, "Committed to supporting sustainable development and protecting green spaces around West Malling". Friends of Offham Road on facebook.comadded 17:46, 7 December 2025 (UTC)
- Kent quarry extension is one of the biggest threats of the 21st century. Hermitage Quarry expansion plans: If approved, the loss could even surpass ancient woodland losses from the Lower Thames Crossing and HS2 schemes combined, woodlandtrust.org.uk, added 14:04, 9 August 2023 (UTC)
- Broadwater Action Group, based in East and West Malling,...Press release, broadwateractiongroup.co.uk, added 12:35, 27 August 2021 (UTC)
- Protect West Malling, public group on facebook
- Ryarsh Protection Group, an action group working alongside Ryarsh Parish Council. "Our priority currently (2018) is to object to the proposed 'West Malling Sandpit' which is a large sand quarry located in Ryarsh."
see also: Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England
About Malling
[edit | edit source]West Malling is an historic mediaeval market town based in West Kent. Malling, West Malling and hinterland consists of the parishes of Addington; Birling; East Malling; Kings Hill; Larkfield; Leybourne; Mereworth; Offham; Ryarsh; and Trottiscliffe.
The area is unusual in that East Malling, Larkfield and Kings Hill are substantial communities with their own shops and facilities – however they provide the main commercial and industrial estates, leaving West Malling as a traditional market town offering retail shops, services and hospitality to the surrounding area. There are more than 500 businesses in the Malling area.
The parishes are within the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (offices at Kings Hill). The town is actually closer to Maidstone, County Town of Kent, than to Tonbridge; however both are substantial centres accessible to West Malling car drivers, but Tonbridge much less so for car-free households...MAP Action plan 2009-2011, Introduction (link no longer available).
West Malling archive
[edit | edit source]Past events
- Nov 5 - 27, 2021, Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Hub's Pledge tree. Every small change we make has a ripple effect influencing and inspiring our friends, families, colleagues and shops and businesses.
- Our Eco Hub is creating a pledge tree in West Malling Library. We hope to get lots of schools, businesses and groups involved to make a pledge to take one step greener and be part of a bigger community movement.
- Make your leaf or leaves from some waste paper or card (preferably in autumn colours!) Write your pledge on it and post the leaf into the library during November.
- We will add the pledges to the tree and share how the tree is growing on our Facebook page @KingsHillandWestMallingEcoHub. Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Hub on facebook.com
See also
[edit | edit source]- Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England, Housing UK news
- Housing, Housing news
Near you
[edit | edit source]News
- Council offering free use of leisure centre hall, BBC News (Jan 04, 2026)
- Nearly £500k funding offered for green projects, BBC News (Nov 09, 2025) — Maidstone Borough Council is offering nearly £500,000 worth of funding to support environmental initiatives to combat climate and nature crises in the borough
- App launched to improve night-time safety, BBC News (Sep 13, 2025)
- 'Not enough water supply' for planned housing, BBC News (Mar 12, 2026) — There is "insufficient" water supply for the number of houses planned in a Kent borough, South East Water has claimed.
- Ambitious plans to redevelop town centre unveiled, BBC News (Jul 06, 2025)
- Town to get new 'central' leisure hub, BBC News (Feb 02, 2025)
Gravesham - Maidstone - Medway - Sevenoaks - Tonbridge - Kent
| Authors | Phil Green |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Cite as | Philralph (2014–2026). "Community action/Malling". Appropedia. Retrieved May 29, 2026. |