Kentish Express Ashford & District
Bid to repair restaurant after huge fire
A popular Indian restaurant that suffered a huge fire earlier this year has taken the first steps to repairing the damage.
A planning application has been submitted to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) on behalf of the Joshan of Wye, in the High Street to rebuild the roof, badly damaged in the blaze.
Listed building consent is required for the 18th century building and GDS Chartered Surveyors have been drafted in as project managers to oversee the repair.
On June 1 firefighters spent more than five hours tackling the huge blaze at the Grade II-listed restaurant. Six fire engines were called in.
Luckily, no one was injured, but the building suffered substantial damage and has been closed ever since.
The fire is believed to have started in the roof of the restaurant at the back of the building, where there is the most significant damage.
A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Swift actions by crews on the scene using a cold-cutting fire-fighting system significantly reduced the extent of the blaze, preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent commercial buildings.
“The kitchen of the restaurant was severely damaged by the fire and one of the flats above the premises and the roof of the property were also damaged.”
Essential repair work needs to be made to the roof, walls, ceiling, lighting and power outlets.
The application is for the “reinstatement of roof structure after fire damage, along with associated works arising from internal water damage.”
A spokesman for GDS Chartered Surveyors said: “As Building Surveyors specialising in the insurance reinstatement field we believe our input will ensure minimal disruption to the undamaged fabric of the building and sympathetic replacement of the unsalvageable elements to deliver a quality restoration.”