AN HISTORIC building has been saved from demolition after the council threw out plans for a High Street development.

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has told developers to go back to the drawing board as plans to replace 180 High Street with a block of 13 apartments were described as "unimaginative" and "awful".

The Georgian building, which lies in the conservation area of the town, is believed to have been owned by Jane Austen's relative, Henry Austen.

Under the plans,the building would have been torn down and replaced with a block of two-bedroom flats, car parking and cycle spaces and refuse storage.

Councillor Owen Baldock criticised the modern design.

He said: "This has to be the most unimaginative building we have seen. It's a concrete block.

"They're trying to make something a bit better by putting a few balconies on it, it's awful. It does nothing to enhance the conservation area at all."

Councillors agreed to reject the plans on the grounds they were not an adequate replacement.