In 2001 Ashford was identified as “the growth town of Kent” when the Government included the ancient market town as one of four key growth areas in the South East. Today, a £650m investment programme is helping to support a range of exciting building and infrastructure projects as Ashford begins to realise its potential.

Ashford, which is located in Kent in the middle of the Channel Corridor, is now the fastest growing town between London and the Continent. It is on course to double in population by 2031, creating 28,000 extra jobs and 31,000 new homes.

Ashford’s growth potential is largely built on affordable land prices, readily available development opportunities and improving rail links. For those in charge of masterminding the transformation of a town which will see the population grow from 55,000 to 110,000 by 2031, the blueprint for success is simple – to make it best placed to work, live and do business.

A brand has been created to help promote this. The ‘Ashford best placed…’ brand reflects that Ashford is optimistic about the opportunities which lie ahead. It also reflects that the area is growing responsibly while caring for the environment. More information about the brand is available on the Ashford Best Placed website.

The agency tasked with assisting “the growth town of Kent” to become a reality is Ashford’s Future, a partnership between Ashford Borough Council and key government agencies. After several years of meticulous planning and preparation, the agency is now working in partnership to co-ordinate delivery, achieve sustainable growth and stimulate investment.

Ashford’s location is critical to its success, with excellent rail, road, air and sea links providing businesses with easy access to 360m consumers across Europe. The eagerly-anticipated introduction of a new high-speed domestic rail link in 2009 will slash the commuting time between Ashford and London from 83 minutes to just 37 minutes.

With house prices around 30% cheaper than London and 7% cheaper than the South East average, some of the UK’s best known developers are building a wide selection of homes in the borough, including a sizeable proportion of affordable housing.

Key aspects of Ashford’s investment programme include:

• Introduction of high-speed rail services to London, reducing travel time to 37 minutes;
• A £60m extension of County Square Shopping Centre, opening spring 2008;
• Expanding education facilities, including £55m Ashford Learning Campus;
• Some of the best leisure and sports facilities in the South East, including a £15m redeveloped leisure centre and international standard athletics stadium;
• 2 million sq ft of commercial office development, including completion of the first phase of office space at the Eureka Business Park, adjoining the M20 / J9;
• Development of large-scale residential neighbourhoods (5-6,000 residential homes), including substantial number of affordable housing;
• £28m investment in transport schemes, including transformation of the Ashford ring road, M20 / J10 widening improvements, a park & ride scheme and other upgrades;
• £24m investment to improve water supplies.

Abigail Raymond, Acting Managing Director for Ashford’s Future, said that Ashford was currently home to 5,000 businesses employing more than 46,000 people. “The town is already popular with businesses of all sizes, from micro-businesses through to major global corporations like Quest International, Coty Inc and Hitachi.

“The introduction of high-speed rail services to the capital is a major selling point for Ashford as a business location. Coupled with our excellent road links and office rents around 70% lower than in London and 40% less than in competitor towns in the South East, Ashford is becoming an increasingly attractive prospect for investors.

“By carefully developing our infrastructure and connections and by making Ashford an attractive place to live and to invest in, solid foundations for the future are being laid.”

For more information about “the growth town of Kent” visit the Ashford Bestplaced website, call 01732 520700 or email our Enquiries team.

Media Release 0134/07

25/04/2007