More than 60 investors, intermediaries and developers attended an exclusive event in London last week (25 Sept) to find out how they can benefit from investment opportunities in Ashford, the fastest growing town between London and the continent.

The breakfast briefing, ‘Ashford: On the Right Track’, was hosted by Ashford’s Future, the agency overseeing the town’s development, and showcased what the Channel Corridor town has to offer in terms of financial growth and return on investment.

The organisers have declared the event a “resounding success” after attracting some of the biggest players in the UK market. Among the companies represented were St Modwen Properties, Jones Lang LaSalle, DTZ, Stanhope, Royal Bank of Scotland and ING Real Estate.

‘Ashford: On the Right Track’ was held on 25 September at The British Library Conference Centre in London. Speakers included Judith Armitt, managing director of Ashford’s Future; Robyn Pyle, chairman of Ashford’s Future and head of Urban Community Development with Land Securities Group; Paul Wookey, chief executive of Locate in Kent; and Emma Goodford, partner, National Offices at Knight Frank.

Judith Armitt said they were delighted to have attracted such a high-quality audience. “We billed this event in advance as a must for property developers, surveyors and investors who wanted to turn an opportunity into a project and reap the benefits of Ashford’s growing success as a major business hub.

“It’s clear from the turnout that our message has struck a chord with developers who are looking beyond the current economic difficulties for opportunities. The feedback we received from delegates at the end of the presentation was overwhelmingly positive,” said Judith Armitt.

Delegates discovered why so many businesses are locating to Ashford, how investment capital is being allocated, why Ashford offers such a good ROI in a difficult financial environment, and how they can become involved in the Ashford success story.

They learned that companies are locating to Ashford at twice the rate of any other South Eastern town. That trend is expected to continue as Ashford gears up for the launch of high-speed domestic rail services in 2009, which will cut the journey time to London to just 37 minutes.

Judith Armitt said that the arrival of the domestic high-speed rail service was a cornerstone of the Ashford offer.

“Location is critical to Ashford’s success, with excellent rail, road, air and sea links providing businesses with easy access to 360 million consumers across Europe. The new 37 minute fast link to London will strengthen Ashford’s attractiveness.

“The recent decision to reintroduce a direct daily service between Brussels-Midi and Ashford will also bring excellent opportunities for tourism and trading links between Ashford’s business community and Northern Europe, reinforcing Ashford’s reputation as the place to do business on an international scale.”

Delegates were told that Ashford is pursuing an ambitious £2.5bn development strategy, including the creation of 28,000 jobs, the building of 31,000 homes, and development of 2 million square feet of commercial space.

To press home the fact that Ashford is already a business success story, the audience heard the town is home to 5,000 companies across a wide range of business sectors, from food processing, manufacturing and engineering to business services.

Among the excellent presentations made to delegates was the unveiling of an Ashford Office Market Report, prepared on behalf of Locate in Kent and Ashford Borough Council by Knight Frank.

The in-depth report includes an overview of the office market in Ashford, information on rents, availability, developments in the pipeline, a detailed business profile, sections on future prospects and challenges and comparisons with rival centres.

Benchmarked against these rivals, the Knight Frank report concludes: “In reviewing other competing centres within the region, it is again clear that the major advantages Ashford has to offer occupiers are the discounted rental levels and a fast train service to the continent and, more importantly, London. Accessibility to a large labour pool should also prove advantageous.”

In urging developers and investors to take up the opportunities which Ashford has to offer, delegates at the British Library were asked: “When the economic upturn comes, will you be best placed in Britain?”

For more information about the ‘Ashford: On the Right Track’ event, please visit the Bestplaced website.

Media Release 0255/08
26/09/2008