A life of surprises as launch party is buzzing

It wasn’t what Mrs B and I had been expecting, the Macknade pre-launch party in Elwick Place. But then, if everything turned out to be just what we expected with no surprises, life would be pretty dull.

To begin at the beginning. We made our regular Saturday pilgrimage to the Lower High Street in the hope that Bob would be there with the bread stall. He wasn’t. Neither were the two nice ladies who come up from Hastings on market days with their hats and hippy stuff. In fact, all that was there were the hot dog van and the veg boys.

Never mind, we thought, Macknades would probably have a selection of goodies laid out as a sample of what will come when (at long last) they open up the first unit under the cinema. I didn’t see Gerry Clarkson anywhere when we got to Elwick Place but, if he did show up, he must have been beside himself with pure joy.

The place was buzzing. Strangely, we saw little evidence of the store that is to come among the market-like collection that was there. But never mind that. It was apparent that there actually is life in Ashford after all. Perhaps someone will decide that, having virtually killed off the market by moving it to the Lower High Street, it could be revived by moving it to Elwick Place, in almost the spot where the original market had thrived.

It’ll be good, won’t it, if the film studios project goes ahead, making use of the old railway sheds which have stood abandoned for far too long. The developers Quinn appear to be doing something to actually benefit the town. Maybe I’m really the cynic that some people take me to be but my first thought is ‘what’s the catch?’

Thinking about something which benefits the town, I’ve been watching the steady growth of the buildings being erected adjacent to the wretched Panorama building. I imagine the people living in the Panorama will not be too happy to have blocks of flats going up only a few yards away from their windows.

Have you, like me, been amused by the declaration on the hoarding around Panorama that there are only a very few apartments left. They’ve said that since before conversion began.