Backing the future

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Ashford’s central position in Kent makes it the hub of communications in the area. Six roads radiate from it in different directions, with five railways lines, one of which, of course is the direct line to Europe at Ashford International. Its links, therefore, have had a major bearing on its expansion. Industrial centres and housing estates have sprung up over the years, swallowing the surrounding land.
On the outskirts Ashford doesn’t appear an attractive town and its ring road has been much maligned for its destruction of the older, more attractive buildings when it was built in the 1970s. But look a little deeper and venture into the town centre dwarfed underneath the tall sprawling concrete office blocks, and you’ll find some historic buildings which illustrate its underlying character.
It has a Georgian feel and the High Street is at the centre of ‘old’ Ashford. Buildings like the three-storey red brick County Hotel are a good illustration of its origins and the
area around the magnificent 13th^-century parish church of St Mary’s that dominates the skyline for miles around is a quiet haven of quaint brick and white-tiled houses.

Grammar school
In Church Yard is the old grammar school that now houses Ashford’s museum and through an alleyway to the north of the church is the heart of the mediaeval town. This little mini haven is a gentle reminder of a time past, but, unfortunately, the older buildings, although attractive and nostalgic, are looking a little tired and in need of sprucing up.
Ashford, generally, is in need of a makeover. Its shopping malls of Park Mall, with its prominent main entrance and atmosphere of modern mall shopping mixed with traditional courtyard, and County Square Shopping Centre, a fully enclosed area with open plan cafeteria, are clean and attractive, but the remainder of the town centre currently lets the image down.
The Council, is, however, doing something about it. Ashford was awarded the prestigious 2005/06 Beacon Award from the Government for Asset Management, which celebrates how the town has used its property, leisure centres, museums and so on to the benefit of the community at large.

Gateway to France
But the piece de resistance for the town that has the pride of being our official gateway to France is a huge development project to double its size over the next 30 years. The project has started already, as you will notice by the plethora of cranes creating a commanding presence in the east Kent skies.
A total of 31,000 new homes, shops, restaurants and 28,000 jobs, improved education facilities, and community facilities are all on the planning agenda to be completed by 2031. Ashford has been identified as ‘The Growth Town of Kent’ and highlighted by the Government as one of four key growth areas in the south east, alongside the Thames Gateway, Milton Keynes and the Stansted/M11 corridor.
“The council wants to ensure that the growth is long term and sustainable,” explains Dean Spurrell, senior communications officer (marketing) at Ashford Borough Council. “We have a master plan - ‘GADF’ - which stands for Greater Ashford Development Framework that sets out the specific areas where the growth will be, much of it on existing brownfield sites. Most of the growth will be in the town centre, but we aim to create two ‘urban villages’ to the south of the town, one of which will be called ‘Chilmington Green.’”
The first area being developed is County Square. “We are doubling that in size and it’s due to open in spring 2008,” continues Spurrell. “We’re delighted that Debenhams has signed up to be part of the new shopping centre and so has Next. We are expecting many more top retail names to join.”

Ashford currently is traffic oriented – our aim is to make it everybody oriented

Two students from Ashford School of Art and Design are contributing to the County Square project. Peter Elliott, 18, and Toby Ross, 19, both second-year students working towards a National Diploma in Fine Art, have created individual works of art which will be displayed on the development’s hoardings.
Peter’s artwork is based on photographs of the High Street, which he has visualised as speakers, while Toby’s design reflects the current building work and incorporates a crane and a giant microphone into which the people of Ashford are shouting.
This is a major town centre development, but the town is also expanding outwardly. The much maligned ring road has proved a constraint on growth, so a big improvement plan is underway, as anyone who has driven through the roadworks at Junction 10 of the M20 will know.
“It’s going to become two-way public streets which will improve the look of the town,” says Spurrell. “Ashford currently is traffic-oriented. Our idea is to make it ‘everybody oriented’, for cars and people alike.”
To attract younger people to the town and prevent the teenage and early 20s residents from leaving, a £46million project is underway to build a further education facility near Ashford International Station to be opened in September 2009.

Young people
“I went to college in Ashford,” declares Spurrell, a lifelong resident, “but did my degree at Canterbury. We want to create a facility to keep young people here to study.”
To fund this ambitious project the money is coming from the Government and the Department of Communities and Local Government and SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, and Kent County Council.
Another council initiative is Ashford’s Future, a partnership between local councils and Government Agencies looking at the growth and making sure it is sustainable. Also the Core Strategy initiative identifies the broad areas where new development will be located and sets out new standards for design quality and energy efficiency in new developments. Policies in the Core Strategy will directly address important issues such as affordable housing, employment opportunities, water supply and treatment, flood plain protection, protecting and supporting rural areas and villages, transport links and community facilities.
These are exciting times for Ashford. While its mediaeval heart will continue to beat, and get a spruce up, its ambitious 21st-century aspirations will be realised for the benefit of the existing and thousands of new residents.