Kentish Express Ashford & District
Retail and storage plan as no buyer found for factory
Plans to demolish a derelict aeronautical factory and build new storage and retail units have been revealed by architects.
Houchin had occupied the twoacre site at Hilton Road on the Cobbs Wood Industrial Estate from 1945 until its closure in 2015.
Now developers Quinn Estates and Kent Space have revealed plans to knock down the building and replace it with a modern block with a mix of uses.
The site is next to the Dacia and Renault showrooms, and in the planning and access statement, the developers say the old factory is not fit for purpose.
They say that despite nearly two years of marketing they have been unable to find tenants for the site, which has an asbestos cement roof which could deteriorate and become hazardous.
The developers state: “This site provides an opportunity to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the community. It would also facilitate the development of this brownfield site and improve the visual appearance of the immediate area.
“The site has been assembled by Quinn Estates and Kent Space, who have set about creating a vision for a niche and outstanding commercial development.
“The site is currently unviable, technically impractical and isn’t able to accommodate the modern-day requirements for a building of its use.
“After 23 months of marketing the site there has been almost no interest in the existing commercial unit.
“It is therefore not suitable for modern commercial needs.” The developers believe the project could create up to 80 construction jobs, along with a further 60 at the storage site and 34 jobs indirectly.
It follows the recent redevelopment of the former Rimmel factory in Carlton Road, which was demolished last year after it was gutted by a fire in 2007. Developer Gallagher Group has created a new ready-mix concrete and aggregate depot on the site of the former cosmetics factory, along with plans for new retail units and a space for Ashford Borough Council’s in-house grounds maintenance service, Aspire.