Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘Sensitive refresh’ on cards for restaurant
A glass-fronted ‘garden room’ is planned for Ashford’s Harvester as bosses seek to ensure the restaurant remains a ‘vibrant’ destination.
Owners of the business, Mitchells and Butlers, have submitted plans to Ashford Borough Council as a way of providing a ‘much-needed refresh’ to the site in Canterbury Road.
They hope to remove the current pergola to make way for the 72 sq m all-weather space which will sit to the left of the restaurant, upgrading the existing outdoor seating area.
The building is Grade II-listed and has special architectural interest but bosses say the alterations will be sensitive and will not compromise the look or history of the site.
The lightweight structure will have an aluminium frame and a retractable awning connecting to the roof with sliding glass panels.
As well as providing additional floor space, it is hoped the improvements will allow more customers to enjoy the dining and drinking facilities while ‘meeting commercial expectations and present-day needs’.
There will be no changes to the opening hours of the pub or garden meaning there should be no noise disturbances as a result, bosses say.
Mitchells and Butlers also own restaurant chain Miller & Carter which was planned for scrubland opposite the Harvester between the Holiday Inn hotel and the M20.
Planning permission for the £4 million 170-seater steakhouse was granted in 2019 however the deal fell through and the 1.85acre site was again put on the market for £500,000.
German discount chain Aldi then snapped up the land and confirmed it wants to install a number of traffic lights – including at the Cemetery Lane junction which leads to Longacres and Harvester – as part of its plans for a new store on the plot.
A planning application is yet to be submitted but a public consultation was held last year.
Just over a mile down the road, £5m restaurant Stubbs opened in November, featuring an outdoor area, oyster bar and bistro.