An independent veterinary group that can trace its routes in Sevenoaks, Kent back to 1890, has opened a new practice, having outgrown its original premises.
Pennard Vets spent more than three years planning the new practice, carrying out focus groups with local pet owners and consulting with its team to fully understand what the new building needed to deliver. Based on Pembroke Road, the new 11,500 sq ft practice is more than double the size and just 100 metres from its original location on Eardley Road, which opened 132 years ago in 1892.
Director, Matt Flann, from Pennard Vets explained: “The move comes with a lot of excitement and a touch of sadness. We had exhausted all possibilities of further extensions or modifications to the original building. To continue to deliver the first-rate care we are so used to providing for our patients and clients, we needed to make the move, and it’s due to the huge effort from our entire team that we have been able to bring it all to life.
“Although it’s sad to leave the old building, we feel that we have come full circle. When our founder, David Pugh, created the original practice at Pennard House in 1892, it was purpose built for its time with hay lofts, stables and a small treatment room for animals coming into the practice, but times change!
“Despite many claims to fame, including being the practice where Winston Churchill’s black swans were treated, and where Sir Henry Cooper, the former boxer opened our hydro-therapy ward, it was time to move.
“Over the years the building had undergone several modifications and extensions to cope with modern medicine, but to really future-proof Pennard Vets, we needed to create a modern and welcoming space for our clients, their pets and our team, as well as enough theatre rooms to carry out clinical procedures and quiet, comfortable wards where pets can recover peacefully. The new building also allows us to extend our services to include a CT machine for advanced imaging and all of this is set within a highly energy-efficient building.”
One of Pennard Vet’s longest-serving team members, Carolyn Westacott, who is a senior client care manager, has worked for almost 45 years at the original Sevenoaks practice and she enjoyed welcoming clients to the new practice. The first client through the doors was presented with a bottle of fizz. Carolyn said: “When I first started in 1979, times were of course very different, but the fundamentals remain the same, we are all here to do our very best to help pets stay healthy and support their owners.”
Matt added: “This building is testament to the power of the collective and reflects our team’s strength, unity and shared vision. Together, we’ve turned our ambitions into reality, creating a space that mirrors our dedication to providing the best possible care for our patients. This achievement goes beyond bricks and mortar; it’s a structural display of our values and commitment to pushing the boundaries of pet care and we are delighted with the result.”
The new practice includes separate dog, cat and exotic wards, a CT scanner, dental suite and a privately accessed bereavement room, as well as housing the group’s 24-hour emergency hospital – Sevenoaks Emergency Vets.
Pennard Vets was founded in Sevenoaks, Kent in 1890 and has eight practices, employing a 155-strong team, throughout Kent in Allington, Borough Green, Langley Park, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and West Malling. In 2021, Pennard Vets became the largest practice in the world to be transferred into employee ownership, within an employee ownership trust (EOT), meaning all employees are now stakeholders in the business. Pennard Vets was the first veterinary practice in Europe to become B-Corp certified in 2022.
