Action group reveals hopes for ambitious regeneration of ex-college

Plans for a residential scheme at the former Wye College were approved in 2018, but now campaigners have revealed their ambitions for a community and cultural hub in part of the historic site. Kentish Express reporter Rachael Woods spoke to one of the key

A10-room hotel, restaurant and wine-tasting cellar are envisaged as part of a £2.4m redevelopment of a college site.

Wye College Regeneration Action Group (WyeCRAG) has shared its plans for the former home of the agricultural college.

It has submitted a proposal to site owners Telereal Trillium and Ashford Borough Council (ABC) to retain the oldest 15th century buildings for use as a community and cultural hub to include Wye library, with the addition of commercial areas containing exhibition and events space and a tourist office.

In a public meeting held last month at Wye School, the group explained how the space, which amounts to one fifth of the site, would be home to the village’s societies and archives including the Wye heritage centre, historical society, agricola club and the offices of Wye parish council.

It is a bold vision of an alternative future for the site that had been an agricultural college since 1898, until its former owners Imperial College London closed it in 2009 and it was eventually bought by property giant Telereal Trillium in 2015.

In 2018, the developer’s scheme for 13 houses, 28 flats and about 90 car parking spaces was controversially passed by ABC.

But WyeCRAG chairman James McAdam said: “We have started the conversation as there is nothing in the current [Telereal Trillium] proposal for the village.

“Planning agreements should be between the landowner, the council and the community, but in this instance the community appears to have been by-passed.”

He said the group hopes the buildings could form a “planning gift” in return for the development of the rest of the site, but Telereal Trillium said its plans had been evolved in conjunction with “local stakeholders, conservation and heritage experts over a number of years” and remained “the only viable option” for the site.

WyeCRAG presented a walkthrough slide show to an audience of 200 showing what it would be like to step inside the Grade I-listed structure, visit its medieval and Jacobean

rooms, stand in its parlours and tread the sweeping staircase with its surrounding statues re-instated.

The group said its plans would involve minimal changes to the historic buildings, to which all visitors would have “unrestricted access” to on the ground floor.

WyeCRAG says it has formulated a “robust and sustainable” business plan after seeking professional advice from business management, fundraising, strategic development, conservation and restoration, which is supported by villagers