Kentish Express Ashford & District
New development hot off the press
Bold plans unveiled for more than 150 homes on former Headley Brothers printing firm site Huge project includes 60 houses, 97 flats and new footbridge over River Stour
More than 150 homes could be built on a riverside site which once housed one of Ashford’s most historic businesses.
Developers have unveiled plans to construct 60 houses and 97 flats on the former Headley Brothers plot near the town centre.
The outline application - submitted to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) last week - includes a new footbridge over the River Stour which would link the site to Queen Mother’s Park.
Headley Brothers had been based on the land, known as the Invicta Press, since a fire destroyed its original factory in Edinburgh Road in 1906.
But in November 2017, the printing business closed for good just months after being taken over.
Now, Peer Investments Ltd wants to erect 157 properties on the land, as well as creating an ‘ecology park’ next to the river.
The firm had previously planned to build 250 homes on the 13.5-acre site, but says the scheme has now “evolved to provide a lower-scale development”.
If approved, residents would access the plot from Mace Lane - using the entry point which currently leads to the Mace Industrial Estate.
Only pedestrians and cyclists would be allowed into the development from the Lower Queens Road access point, which would be closed off by bollards.
In early 2019, the former Headley Brothers factory was demolished, but other industrial buildings are still standing on the site.
Under the plan, all remaining structures will be knocked down to make room for the homes.
Bosses say the new buildings will be between two to five storeys in height, with the tallest to the south of the site next to the Mace Industrial Estate, creating a “landmark building”.
Although details are yet to be provided, Peer Investments says affordable housing will feature in the development, which is being called ‘Invicta Park’.
But in Ashford Borough Council’s Local Plan - a blueprint mapping out where 16,872 homes will be built across the district up to 2030 - the authority has only earmarked part of the site for housing.
It has included a section close to Lower Queens Road for up to 40 homes, however it does say it could form the first phase of a wider scheme.
Peer Investments’ agent - DHA Planning - claims the site’s “highly sustainable location” and use of brownfield land mean its location “can be accepted in principle”.
It adds that ABC’s “housing policies and growth strategy are out of date” as the authority is currently unable to demonstrate a five-year land supply, meaning planning applications should be approved except for when they are deemed to be unsustainable.
Of the 97 flats proposed, 35 maisonettes - 21 two-bed and 14 onebed - are included in the project.
Bosses say the ‘ecology park’ will provide an extension to the Queen Mother’s Park, which forms part of Ashford’s green corridor.
It will include a riverside viewing area, with woodland walks provided in some sections of the scheme.
The final number of parking spaces is yet to be determined, but 256 spaces are currently pro
posed.
And DHA says because all homes are planned for ‘flood zone one’, the development “will be at low risk of flooding” - even though the site lies within three flood zones.
It adds: “The proposal has been subject to significant pre-application consultation with the borough council, which has shaped the development to what we now considered to be a high-quality proposal, located in a sustainable location.
“There are few environmental constraints across the site, and those that are indicated have been responded to positively, with a comprehensive landscaping scheme helping to assist the development assimilate onto site, while protecting and enhancing the green corridor to the east.
“The proposal not only includes a significant level of high-quality housing provision within a short walk of the town centre but also enhanced pedestrian and cycle connections between the site and the town centre.”
To view the plans, visit www.ashford.gov.uk and search for reference number 21/00028/ AS. The deadline for public comments is Friday, January 29.
What do you think? Email kentishexpress@thekmgroup. co.uk