Sevenoaks Town Council urges District Council to hand over Freehold of Stag

Published: 02 September 2025

As the local government reorganisation process gets underway, Sevenoaks District Council is working to enable the protection of local assets via transfers, if possible, to town and parish councils or voluntary organisations. Otherwise, the default position is District Council assets would transfer to the new Unitary Authority, which will probably be based in Maidstone.

Sevenoaks Town Council (STC) is carrying out an ongoing consultation with residents in the form of a survey, asking which community assets STC should request. Currently, 92% of respondents support STC requesting the transfer of the Stag theatre. Sevenoaks Town Council has so far provided Expressions of Interest for the transfer of six assets from Sevenoaks District Council, including the Stag theatre.

In the Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) agenda papers for its Finance & Investment Advisory Committee, to be held on 2nd September, it proposes a 100-year lease for the Stag on a peppercorn rent to Sevenoaks Town Council.

However, Sevenoaks Town Council has several concerns with taking on a 100-year lease rather than the Freehold of the Stag. The lease proposal provides all the financial disadvantages to the Town Council, and ultimately the Stag charity, without the benefit of being in control of its destiny.

The Town Council has exciting plans to invest in the Stag in the future, including extra seating, an art gallery, disabled lifts to the stage etc., but these would all need permission from the new Unitary Authority. If the Town Council wants to take out loans or enter into long-term agreements, this will also require permission from the new Unitary Authority.

The new lease arrangement will likely have regular rent reviews, and the new Unitary Authority could decide to demand a rent that makes the Stag unviable operationally.

The new lease is also proposed to exclude the current car parking area. This is vital for staff, volunteers, and show ‘load-ins’ which often involve large trucks.

Sevenoaks District Council states that the Stag could be sold on the open market for £1.5m, however, this is not the case. STC still have a 10-year lease and there are many planning restrictions. Independent professional value provided a current market value of £400k - £750k. Since 2009, when STC took over the Stag with the charity it has enabled £1.5m capital investment via grants etc. into the building. If there are concerns that STC might sell the building in the future, an overage (payment for development) could be applied to the Freehold.

Sevenoaks Town Council hopes the District Council will reconsider and hand over the Freehold of the Stag whilst it still can, ensuring the community retains this cultural facility, enabling continued investment for future generations, and avoiding any opportunity for it to be considered for development.

For more information about the Town Council’s Expressions of Interest for the transfer of assets, visit our consultations webpage.