The former NatWest bank has been brought back into use following a careful conversion of the prominent Grade II listed building in the heart of the town, representing a £2.5m investment. It now provides a modern office hub, including a centrally-located headquarters for the Kent-based housebuilder, along with a new flexible workspace offering, In The Bank, delivered by Fernham Homes.

Dating back to the early 18^th Century, Brook House has an active role in the community once again, bringing over 60 workers into the town, while introducing flexible and adaptable office, meeting room and co-working options (with 40 desks available) for local businesses and residents.

In addition to the new facilities, the refurbishment upgrades the sustainability credentials of the building with full electric heating throughout and secure bicycle parking and showers, while the original carpark has been updated with EV charging to all spaces.

Commenting on the new business hub for West Malling, Cllr Matt Boughton, said: “Fernham Homes new office in West Malling puts the historic former NatWest building to great use. They’ve remodelled the inside to create co-working spaces available for local businesses while bringing high quality employment into the heart of West Malling. It was a pleasure to open their new offices.

“I’m delighted to have a local business investing so much in our community and I wish them well in the future.”

Demand for quality localised workspace is clear with over 60% of the In The Bank flexible workspace already occupied. Toby Massey, Founder of Brim Chargers, a specialist electric vehicle charging supplier, was the first to do so: “Being a technology company, a lot of our work is remote. However, spending time together in a co-working space like this is important for our culture as a team and collaboration. This is what keeps us innovating, solving problems and creating new ideas. Not just with each other, but the other people that we share it with. Working within the housebuilding sector, we’re looking forward to share the same building as Fernham Homes, sharing insights and bouncing ideas off one another. It was a big draw for us along with the convenient location and facilities – it’s like a home from home for the whole team.”

Sean Ellis, Managing Director of Fernham Homes, comments: “We are thrilled to be opening Brook House and our new headquarters in the same year as we celebrate 25 proud years of building new homes across Kent.

“It means a lot to us to bring such a treasured and prominent building back into use for the local community and economy, introducing a new flexible workspace offering and business hub in the town centre.

“This was also the natural choice for our new headquarters. Fernham Homes has a long legacy in Tonbridge and Malling, with many successful relationships, including Spadework, our official charity partner, and our neighbours at The Swan with whom we hosted our first fundraising gala last year raising almost £50,000. We’ve also worked with them to create an exclusive Deli To Desk catering service to In The Bank members, which we know will be popular being loyal customers ourselves.”

In The Bank is due to launch in February. For further information, visit in the-bank.co.uk.