Kentish Express Ashford & District
Town centre sites are always changing
There’s been something of a notable transformation of Ashford over the years where several areas within the town centre in particular have altered considerably.
With both previously developed and undeveloped land being chosen for many new developments in the town’s heart, it’s no wonder that Ashford is expanding into the green fields that surround it.
Where countryside once stood and views across it were once possible, large developments are cropping up all over the place.
For anyone that hasn’t been to the town for a very long time, they would certainly notice a vast difference.
It was during the 1970s and 80s, though, that ‘previously developed’ land started to appear as a result of developments that surrounded it and somewhat marred its future use or saleability.
Some of this land was snapped up reasonably quickly, whereas other sites around town were left untouched for years.
Some redundant sites, both residential and commercial, were prematurely ousted and the land utilised for local authority parking – a trend in Ashford over the decades.
Seemingly, many of these sites in this category were not earmarked for ‘immediate’ redevelopment, causing controversy amongst the locality.
One such site, for instance, now houses the County Square extension.
It was largely obliterated in the 1970s through to about 1993 and then finally developed in 2005.
That’s a lot of years in between to sit on a prime town centre site.
This week’s Remember When looks back at a trio of images illustrating some of the said ‘previously developed’ sites in the town’s heart.
■ Do you have any photographs or slides of old Ashford you would be willing to loan me, to enable them to be scanned for a possible feature in the Kentish Express?
Please don’t delay, get in touch! Please email me: rememberwhen_kmash@hotmail.co.uk