Spotlight on Ashford

Ashford International Studios –Newtown Works

Plans are gathering pace to deliver an exciting film studios-led £250m regeneration project on the former Newtown Railway Works site in Ashford. This mixed-use development seeks to deliver TV and film studios with associated production spaces, a dedicated film school, residential units, commercial space and a hotel. Much of the enabling work has been achieved over the past year since the successful bid by Ashford Borough Council for £14.7m in Levelling Up Funding.

The TV and film studios at the derelict railway site will bring significant benefits to Ashford in terms of investment and job creation. The UK film and TV sector is growing. The British Film Institute forecasts the requirement for 10,000 new employees over the next five years, and Lambert Smith Hampton have forecast the need for 2.3m sq ft of new studio space over the next 15 years.

Ashford International Development Company (AIDC) has been working to secure interest from the film and TV industry for an operator, and have engaged with a number of leading studio operators.

They would work alongside the East Kent College Group facility to deliver the film school and develop training programmes to support the development of the local workforce, providing the talent required by the studio operator and the production companies renting the studio space.

Brompton

The planning application for a revolutionary new factory continues to proceed through the process. It is envisaged this would deliver a £100m investment for the area and potential for up to 4,000 jobs for the Kent economy. The UK’s largest bicycle manufacturer announced last year that it had chosen Ashford as the company’s global HQ, following a national search with a pledge to work with universities and colleges to build local skills. The planning application details of how the new factory will be constructed within a 100-acre floodplain, which will provide an opportunity to restore the wetland and promote walking and cycling for the community in this unique, natural setting in the heart of Ashford. The scheme would house a world class production facility and HQ, and by 2028, the company expects to employ over 1,500 staff. Once fully operational, the proposed development could result in around 4,000 jobs being supported locally, including supply chain jobs, jobs supported by the spending power of staff and the factory operation itself.

Ashford College £10m expansion

The £10m extension of Ashford College is complete having started in 2022 following the takeover of the college by the EKC Group in 2020 and their successful bid for funding from the Government’s Post-16 Capacity Fund. Known as Phase 2, the new wing will house classrooms and laboratories for Business, Information Technology, and Engineering.

The new facilities create a renewed focus on these up-and-coming fields, and allows 250 more students each year to access the high quality education offered at Ashford College. The scheme includes an Engineering Hub, which will highlight the role engineering can play in creating solutions to climate change and promoting decarbonisation. The extension will be key in delivering the new T Level qualifications, which are equivalent to three A Levels and provide learners with work experience as part of their training. Requiring the latest equipment and technology, the courses will benefit from the new facilities offered by Phase 2’s completion.

Town Centre Reset

High streets up and down the country are facing challenges with the after-effects of the Covid pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, ongoing financial uncertainly, and the growing competition of online shopping.

The council understands the challenges that our town centre residents, businesses, users and community groups face. It is vital that we continue to invest in carefully thought- through ideas and solutions to help bring about significant change, for the benefit of all. The Town Centre Reset – including the revitalisation of our High Street is a ‘Super 6’ project, and a key priority in our Corporate Plan 2022-24. It identifies a number of areas that require improvement and intervention, and these areas have had to be prioritised to focus available resources over the next few years.

Projects within the Town Centre Reset Action Plan include the delivery of Ashford UnFramed, a street art trail which took shape in the town centre in the spring, with many blank walls and building surfaces being transformed into high quality mural paintings. Artists included the world renowned and local resident Mr Doodle, the celebrated Alex Chinneck and Charley Peters as well as Ashford Snowdog artist Danielle Williamson and students from Ashford College.

To address the issue of vacant shops, the council launched a Town Centre Business Grant scheme in October 2023. The grants provide up to £10,000 for successful businesses or landlords to fit out and make improvements to empty premises in Ashford town centre.

Local Plan Review

The Council has begun reviewing its Local Plan which was adopted in 2019. The new Local Plan will seek to support commercial and employment developments on allocated sites. The council has issued a Call for Sites, to identify areas which could be considered for residential and commercial development as part of the new Plan.

Jasmin Vardimon Company and the Creative Quarter

The critically acclaimed dance company, which has been based in Ashford for the past ten years, has taken up full residency in JVHome on the Henwood Estate. It includes a 400 square metre production space with up to the minute audio, video equipment, lighting and computer imaging networks, a performance and audience space and technical gallery, alongside studio rehearsal spaces, offices and a cafe.

Eight years in the planning and part funded by a £3million National Lottery grant with other financing from Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council, JVHome also includes incubator and start-up spaces for emerging local creative companies and individuals. Community facilities include space for additional training courses delivered in partnership with KCC, a Pilates and yoga studio to house classes and a café for people to meet and socialise.

Jasmin Vardimon Company’s building is part of the regeneration of the formerly disused site on the Henwood Industrial Estate. Dubbed the Creative Enterprise Quarter the development will also become the home to other arts organisations in Kent in order to encourage connections and collaborations within a thriving arts community. One of the first of these is the leading music education charity Kent Music, which has moved from Maidstone to become Jasmin Vardimon’s Company’s neighbours. The project, which also includes 29 light industrial units, is spearheaded by Kent County Council along with Ashford Borough Council to the tune of £9.23m. Additional funding as made by a Growing Places Fund loan of £1.597million from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).

Scale Up Ashford

Scale Up Ashford is a business programme, providing support for companies located in Ashford with the ambition and capacity to grow. It is currently looking for seven businesses to enrol in their upcoming business support programme which will provide:

3 Support from an experienced highly successfully growth coach

3 Unlimited access to a localised team of experts to help address and overcome the key barriers to growth

3 Grant funding application support to enable access to the appropriate local, regional and national government funding schemes

3 Exclusive membership to a network of like-minded business owners providing opportunity to share common challenges, best practices and collaboration opportunities

3 A unique platform to promote, showcase and celebrate business success

Scale Up Ashford is funded by the council as part of its continued commitment to developing the economic prosperity across the area. The programme is delivered by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.

For more information visit ashfordfor.com