How green are Britain’s richest small towns? #3 Sevenoaks

The third richest small town in Britain, according to consultancy firm WealthInsight, is Sevenoaks. Located 28 miles south-east of London, around 850 of its 19,000 inhabitants are millionaires.

West Kent, where Sevenoaks lies, is the most affluent part of the county, thanks primarily to its proximity to London. Property prices are therefore predictably high.

Seemingly a haven for artistic folk, the town has been home to many poets, writers and artists such as HG Wells, author of The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, as well as Edward Thomas and WH Davies.

Scottish naturalist John Kirk, who famously visited Zanzibar alongside medical pioneer David Livingstone (we presume), lived in Sevenoaks and is also buried there.

Meanwhile, Tony Hayward, who was CEO of oil giant BP around the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also calls the town his home.

Located within Sevenoaks is a 1,000-acre park, Knole Park, which is safeguarded by the National Trust and is the home to a healthy deer population. But Knole Park is not the only nature reserve in the area: Farningham, Oxenhill and Shoreham are also important heritage sites in the vicinity.

Sevenoaks district council supports energy efficiency measures, gives energy saving tips on its website and offers its citizens the chance to calculate their carbon footprint.

It says, “Our energy conservation work is delivered through a combination of advice, education, marketing and promotion, energy efficiency schemes, grants and discounts delivered in partnership with other agencies.”

The council is committed to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions, tackling fuel poverty and promoting low-carbon technologies and energy efficiency through renewables by 2015.

In May, it launched a workshop for businesses called Steps to Environmental Management Scheme, offering a “step by step method of developing a system to manage environmental impacts, improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and save money”.

If you live in Sevenoaks and are interested in ethical investment, read The Guide to Sustainable Investment 2013 for more information, and The Guide to Ethical Financial Advice 2013 to find a specialist ethical financial adviser near you.

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