500-space car park ‘looks like beans tin’

After outline planning permission was granted last month for a huge multistorey car park in Station Road, we asked readers on our Facebook page for their thoughts about the scheme.

Zoe Relf: Competition time... who can improve on this design? I could get my 10-year-old to go on Minecraft and do better. This is a total blot on the landscape. The Vicarage Lane car park is a necessity to the elderly and disabled drivers - they can’t cross dangerous busy roads.

Emma Hargrave: My 15-yearold just saw it and she said: “it looks like a tin of beans on its side... I could do better than that”.

Julie Gladman: It fits with the ‘space age’ that we’re moving into! But seriously, it’s a car park that will be needed when they take spaces from Vicarage Lane, does it need to be pretty? Also, it’s partly behind other buildings, and the report says its appearance could change during construction.

Barbra Rogers: Just wait until the sun hits it... it will take everyone’s retinas out. Plus elderly and disabled people will still have a hike to the town centre...

Jane Large: Why do they need another car park when the town is rubbish? All the big-name shops have gone and where they get it’s an up-and-coming town from I just don’t know.

Natalie Bibey: What about parent and toddler bays? Ashford town centre has eight and they are all in Park Mall.

Toni Fuller: Why do we need a 500-space car park when there is naff all up town? What a waste. What about spending some money on bringing people to Ashford, like shops or entertainment for families.

Gill Papi: Does anyone actually go into Ashford town anymore? And when Debenhams and Bonmarche close that will be it... finished.

Kevin Henty: Did they pick up the design from Thunderbirds?

Tony Peppe: Why are we building more car parks when the number of people coming to the town is declining almost as fast as businesses are shutting up shop.

Sharon Wraight: Why does it have to look state of the art which will cost more than just a functional building fit for purpose.

Sonja Anne: Lit up at night? Let’s pollute the environment a bit more! How about new schools and new GP surgeries to cope with already increased housing?

Chantal St John: It baffles me that they are expecting that level of visitors to Ashford! It’s certainly not a shopping, cultural or leisure mecca.

Justin Venes: A car park is a great idea, but surely not accessible only via the ring road?

Mark MJ Slater: I hope it has plenty of car parking attendants. What a place for criminal activity and car thefts, tucked away and hidden from view behind the bowling alley. As for the Vicarage Lane plan, look closely and it’s more houses and flats, just what the residents of Ashford want.

Percy Hales: Not sure I’ve ever seen an attractive multistorey car park. Mind, I haven’t been looking.

James Hazeldon: It’s not the design so much that should be questioned, it’s the bottleneck traffic lights onto Station Road which is bad nearly every working day. As for the need, it’s not required at all - even if you took away Vicarage Lane this is still not a requirement!

Kyla Donnelly: Are there any shops left in Ashford worth visiting? The times

I’ve walked through the town it’s all been charity, phone, barbers and betting shops.

Carol Courtney: Can anyone tell me why we need another car park when our shops are closing?

Mary Lenthall: It looks as if a can opener will be useful.

Mickey Wildman: Another waste of money that Ashford doesn’t need.

Michael Reynolds: It’s just somewhere for the London commuters to park.

How the huge 500-space Station Road multi-storey car park could look behind the Hollywood Bowl bowling alley