Ashford Borough Council Launches Public Consultation On Major Town Centre Regeneration Projects

Ashford Borough Council has announced plans to regenerate three key sites in the heart of Ashford — The Tanyard, the Civic Centre building and the Stour Centre car park — marking a major step forward in transforming the town’s gateway area. A public consultation has now opened, giving residents, businesses and stakeholders the opportunity to review the proposals and help shape the future of this important part of the borough.

Residents, businesses and stakeholders are invited to review the proposals and share their feedback ahead of planning applications being submitted later this spring.

Together, the projects will deliver new council homes, strengthen active travel routes, restore important heritage assets and expand the borough’s renewable energy generation.

Cllr Noel Ovenden, Leader of Ashford Borough Council, said:

“At the heart of this initiative is the ambition to deliver council homes for local people in places that are already well connected to jobs, schools and services. By reviving a landmark site and returning the Civic Centre building to community use, we’re protecting heritage, improving the streets and pathways people use every day, and investing in clean energy at the Stour Centre. Please take part in the consultation — your views will shape how these plans work for Ashford.”

The Tanyard – A new riverside neighbourhood with heritage at its heart

The Tanyard site, formerly occupied by Kent Wool Growers for almost 100 years, is proposed to become a landscape‑led residential neighbourhood delivering 160 homes across four apartment blocks, each six storeys or fewer.

The scheme will help address local housing need by delivering council homes designed to support Ashford residents and families.

The proposals include:

• Retention and restoration of the Grade II* listed Whist House, which will become a new housing facility for the Council.
• Reinstatement of Tanyard Lane as a pedestrian and cycle‑focused route for the first time in more than a century.
• New public spaces including courtyards, shared surfaces and a riverside edge along the Great Stour.
• A sustainable car parking ratio of approximately 0.4 spaces per home.
• A new site access from Tannery Lane and improved pedestrian and cycle connections to the station, Stour Centre, Civic Park and town centre.

The scheme draws heavily on the site’s historic tannery heritage and its strategic location just 200 metres south of Ashford International Station.

Civic Centre Redevelopment – Bringing a vacant building back into community use

The former Civic Centre office building on Tannery Lane is proposed to be converted into 60 new homes, including studio, one‑bed and two‑bed apartments. The redevelopment retains ground floor office space and introduces new active frontages onto the park.

Key elements include:

• A new kiosk café fronting Civic Park.
• An improved amenity space at the rear of the building.
• A car parking ratio of 0.4 spaces per home.
• A new public‑facing art mural on the adjacent Stour Centre flank wall.

The redevelopment makes efficient use of previously developed land, respects its proximity to Civic Park and the Great Stour, and helps reconnect this area to nearby leisure, transport and town centre amenities.

Stour Centre Solar PV Project – Generating clean, renewable energy for Ashford

To reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support the Council’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, proposals have been developed for a major solar energy installation at the Stour Centre.

The plans include:

• Approximately 1,544 solar PV panels mounted on new canopies above the existing car park.
• An annual generation capacity of around 1MW of clean energy.
• Reduced carbon emissions and operational energy costs for one of the borough’s highest consuming public buildings.
• Improved long‑term resilience against rising energy prices.

This project aligns with Priority 3 of Ashford’s Climate Change Strategy (June 2022), which focuses on reducing fossil fuel reliance through increased renewable energy generation.

These three projects form a unified regeneration initiative designed to improve housing provision, enhance public spaces, strengthen heritage assets and reduce carbon emissions across Ashford’s civic quarter.

Residents, businesses and local organisations are encouraged to take part in the consultations and help shape the future of this important part of the town. Full details, concept plans and feedback opportunities are available online and at scheduled consultation events.

For full details of the Town Centre Regeneration project, please visit www.ashford.gov.uk/environmental-concerns/climate-change/town-centre-regeneration-consultation/

To take part in the consultation, please visit: https://haveyoursay.ashford.gov.uk/stour-centre-solar-canopy-project