Councillors say yes to £55 million brewery project

Scheme to include 216 flats and supermarket

Councillors have unanimously approved plans for a £55 million development comprising flats, a brewery and visitor centre and a supermarket.

Ashford Borough Council’s planning committee voted in favour of the plans for the Victoria Way development on Wednesday night last week.

Applicant HDD Ashford submitted the plans for the brownfield site in August.

Wine-maker Chapel Down, which already operates a vineyard in Tenterden, will open a £1.25 million Curious Brew Visitor Centre, which will include a restaurant, bar and brewery tours.

The centre is expected to be open seven days a week, and will have 21 parking spaces on site.

Plans also include one block of 200 apartments, and another block of 16 flats to be built above three shops.

The U-shaped block will include 48 studio flats, 52 one-bedroom flats and 100 two-bedroom flats built to rent.

Arlene van Bosch, from developer HDD Ashford, said: “The site has been vacant for many years now.

“We have undertaken extensive consultation. We believe that this will have a very positive impact in the town.

“Curious Brew expect to reach up to 500 visitors a day at peak times within three years.”

The developer estimates that scheme could generate 210 jobs.

Residents have expressed concerns about parking, vehicle access and traffic, but councillors say traffic management in the area will be monitored.

And the applicant has reviewed and increased the parking provision from 0.7 to 0.9 spaces per apartment.

The developer argues that the scheme will attract a younger demographic, potentially appealing to people working in London.

HDD Ashford argued that the site’s close proximity to town centre amenities meant there would be less need for cars for those living in the flats, but this view was not shared by all councillors.

Council leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson said: “We have to also be mindful of what is happening in Ashford.

“We still need to live in the real world and people will still have a use of cars.

“I have seen over the last dec-

‘We believe that this will have a very positive impact in the town’

ade an increase in traffic.”

Councillors also approved an 18,500 sq ft Aldi supermarket with 93 parking spaces. It was claimed that this would create 60 jobs.

The meeting heard that developers could fill council coffers with £1.9 million worth of contributions for roads and infrastructure such as libraries and schools.

The council could also gain an extra £681,800 from council tax and business rates.

The developers claimed that the project would generate an extra £50 million to the local economy over the next 10 years, with an extra £3.8 million being spent by residents in the town each year.

The application for a 125-bedroom hotel on the same site will be discussed at next month’s planning committee meeting.

How the flats and supermarket, below, could look