Planners drove out independent shops

In recent weeks, the Kentish Express has covered the story concerning the council’s purchase of the Park Mall Shopping Centre and their future plans for the underoccupied arcade. Plans for ‘quirky’, ‘meaningful’ and ‘interesting’ shops are on the authority’s agenda, in a bid to revamp and revitalise this quarter of the town’s shopping infrastructure, thus bringing the shoppers in, rather than driving them out.

While we are all certainly ‘for’ such plans to revamp what has sadly become a white elephant, what are the council going to do differently as new owners, to ultimately secure tenants? There was also mention that it was hoped that ‘independent’ traders would be interested. Sustainability and affordability would be key to the success of such plans. One would despair if tenants only stayed a short while due to high costs and overheads levied upon them.

The town was once full of ‘quirky’, ‘meaningful’ and ‘interesting’ shops which meant so much to Ashford’s people, but meant nothing to the developer, nor the town planners of the time. Many of these were independent traders which were a hugely important part of the town’s trade, but were not able to relocate or set up somewhere else in the town when they were faced with being in the path of redevelopment and forced to close. Streets of individual shops which had stood for decades fell victim to improvement plans.

This week’s Remember When looks back at one street – New Street, where independents once reigned, until the wrecking ball arrived!

Do you have any photographs or slides that you would be willing to lend me, to enable them to be scanned and featured in the Kentish Express? If so please write to me: Steve Salter, Kentish Express Remember When, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR or email me at rememberwhen_kmash@ hotmail.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @SteveKMAshford.

Or you can also leave a telephone message for me with brief details by calling 01233 623232.

New Street, Ashford, in 1962. While several residential properties were sandwiched between business premises, the independent trader was often situated in one of the main entrances to the town centre, and with names such as Longley, C.J.Anderson,...

Another 1962 view of New Street. There was often a sense of completeness in the town of old as this splendid view of New Street shows, with long and mixed-use streets paving the way to a largely independent Ashford. It is understood that predecessors...