Kentish Express Ashford & District
Developer hails ‘brilliant’ response to office project
Accountancy firm and Swedish bank set to move in at site
A developer says there has been an unprecedented level of interest from businesses keen to move into new office and retail spaces in Ashford.
Mark Quinn, of Quinn Estates, is part of the consortium building the Commercial Quarter at Dover Place.
The company has also lodged a planning application to transform the former Houchins factory on the Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate.
Mr Quinn said both sites had sparked interest, with two-thirds of the planned office space being snapped up, and three-quarters of the space at the Houchins site.
He said: “It has been brilliant. It’s an unprecedented level of interest, which has been way beyond our expectations.
“The Commercial Quarter will be the largest office development in Kent in the last 15 years. It is a real statement, and will have 600 people working there within the next year and a half.
“It is aimed at the London market, as it is easier to get people to work down here and it is less expensive to live.”
He said major firms had been signing agreements at the site, including accountancy practice Wilkins Kennedy and Swedish bank Handelsbanken.
The building, which is currently under construction, will boast four floors of office space, while there will also be a roof gar- den on the sixth floor, and retail space on the ground floor.
The ground floor could be home to a restaurant, or a fine foods store such as Macknade from Faversham, but Mr Quinn also confirmed there had been talks with a dentist and orthodontic practice for some space in the building.
This week his firm has applied for planning permission to allow D1 planning uses, which would give permission for community facilities such as churches, children’s nurseries, museums, art galleries and health clinics to open at the site.
Meanwhile, Quinn estates has applied to replace the former Houchins factory with space for trade counters and bulk retailers.
Storage business Kent Space is also involved in the plans, which could create 60 jobs in one of the units.