Outlet work starts in

A shopping centre boss says building work on a multi-million pound expansion project will start in November.

Peter Corr has been the Ashford Designer Outlet manager since December last year and will oversee the project which includes up to 50 more shops or restaurants arriving and is said will create 500 more jobs.

He said the centre could even hold a Guinness World Record for the largest “living wall” containing plants and flowers when the centre is complete.

But he admitted that it would only be temporary, as a project in Dubai will build one five times larger and is set to open several months later. Mr Corr said: “We already have the largest tented shopping structure in Europe and we want to get hold of the world record for the living wall, even if that’s only for a few months.

“The expansion will include 50 new units and an extra car park on land behind ASDA. It will give the centre a plaza type feel.

“We have to remove the current food court area and the tented structure first and we hope to start construction in late November this year.” The food court and play areas will need to be removed, along with car parking spaces, with new play areas and car parking spaces to be created.

But Mr Corr admitted that when the centre was originally built, expansion hadn’t been considered, so the bridge

An artist’s impressions of the planned expansion to Ashford Designer Outlet