Kentish Express Ashford & District
Seafood makeover for former hotel
Work to transform a derelict hotel into a seafood restaurant and country pub is well underway after the project was given the green light by council officers.
The Croft Hotel in Kennington is being turned into the Stubbs Restaurant, which will specialise in raw seafood and house a cosy country pub.
The site is set to open in autumn 2020 after renowned restaurateurs Alex and Helen Bensley revealed plans to transform the Canterbury
Road spot earlier this year.
The husband-and-wife duo - who have a track record of turning failing pubs into successful eateries - sold five of their restaurants, including The Old Mill not far from The Croft, to Shepherd Neame for £11.9 million in 2016.
They now plan to remodel the existing building into a dog-friendly pub with open log fires, local ales and beers and a cellar of wines after Ashford Borough Council (ABC) approved the planning application in June.
The £4 million project - which also includes the sale price of £1.8m - will see an extension constructed to make room for a new seafood restaurant, large kitchen, oyster and shellfish bar and dining room.
An outside seating area on a heated terrace is also planned, as well as boutiquestyle accommodation in lodges at the side of the former hotel.
It will cater for 175 diners, with 125 in the main restaurant area and 50 in the bar area.
“We have got planning permission so now it’s full steam ahead,” Mr Bensley said.
“We have got to meet 28 conditions but the council has been unbelievably supportive.
“So far we have renovated the existing building from the basement - the building was virtually derelict and now it is in prime condition.
“The rafters have been repaired and all the windows have been replaced.
“It’s a complex and ambitious project but I believe in it enough to spend £4 million on it.
“I think Ashford needs it.” Mr Bensley plans to appoint 75 new staff members, with most of the positions already filled, including a head chef, manager and wine waiter.
The menu will be based around fresh local fish, shellfish and farm produce and meat from the Marchants of Bethersden, as well as vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Mr Bensley, who previously told the Kentish Express how his vision is to cater for the “more affluent, business and mature market”, added: “It will be a high quality pub with a good wine cellar and a seafood restaurant serving raw fish.
“The Kennington area is quite affluent, there’s a lot of retired people and business folk, so I am quite confident it will work.
“It will be ‘on the next level’ for Ashford.”
Stubbs Restaurant will open from 11am to 11pm seven days a week.
Last January, controversial plans to demolish the hotel were turned down by the council.
Developers wanted to build nine four-bedroom homes on the site, but planning officers at ABC dismissed the proposal, calling the hotel a “valuable tourist facility” which should not be lost.
In 2016, Mr Bensley sold The Old Mill in Canterbury Road, the Oak on the Green and the Fish on the Green in Bearsted, the Chequers on the Green in High Halden and the Swan and Dog in Great Chart to Shepherd Neame.
He has previously transformed numerous other pubs, including The Hooden Horse in Great Chart.