All aboard, The Supersonic Ashford Express – new play area arriving this month

Younger visitors to Ashford Town Centre will soon be able to get on board a new dedicated play space, as The Supersonic Ashford Express arrives in the town centre this month.

The plans for a new train themed play area were unveiled by Ashford Borough Council late last year, but its arrival was delayed slightly.

The good news is, it is now on schedule to arrive in March and has a fabulous name - The Supersonic Ashford Express, courtesy of Quinn aged 6 from Wittersham.

The project will see the installation of play equipment in the raised area in front of the bandstand creating a fun, attractive space for young children and families to enjoy in town.

It is specifically designed to reflect Ashford's unique heritage, incorporating elements related to the town's railway history, like locomotives, carriages, and platforms. 

The type and style of the play equipment has been chosen with sustainability in mind as well as considering things like maintenance, damage and anti-social behaviour in the design process. It has also been designed with accessibility and access for children of all abilities. 

It will cost around £150,000, which covers manufacturing, installation, and ongoing maintenance and will be funded by the national UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and developer contributions (Section106) from the Designer Outlet and The Range developments.

Choo-choo-sing a name

The only thing that was missing was a name, so we launched a competition with primary schools in January asking pupils to come up with a name for our new play area. The criteria included, it needed to be something which is fun, train themed or Ashford-related!

We had around 30 entries and choo-chose the winner this week. A delighted Quinn said: “I was so happy they chose my name! I think the children will feel really good playing on the SuperSonic Ashford Express”.

Cllr Heather Hayward, portfolio holder for tourism and culture, said: “After a little delay, I’m chuffed to see this project come to fruition. We want to create a play space for young families and children to have fun and enjoy, bringing life to this area. 

“The type and style of the play equipment has been chosen with sustainability in mind as well as considering things like maintenance, damage, anti-social behaviour in the design process. It has also been designed with accessibility and access for children of all abilities, so we hope all of our youngest residents will enjoy its arrival.

“We’re also grateful for all the wonderful name ideas which came through and are delighted with the winning entry from Quinn.”

This follows on from initiatives such as the temporary seating, furnishings and bunting that  decorated upper Bank Street and Middle Row over the past few summers, as well as events like Unframed Mural Festival last spring, Food & Drink Festival throughout July, Create Music Village in the Autumn and the ever-popular Carnival of the Baubles in November.

Plans on expanding the monthly Makers Market and creation of new permanent street trading pitches within Ashford Town Centre are also coming forward.

The works are being undertaken by KOMPAN, who installed the large bespoke playground at the Ashford Designer Outlet and many more around the borough. They were also behind the temporary gym equipment which they supplied in the town centre free of charge.

Rob McDonald. KOMPAN Area Sales Manager said: “We were absolutely delighted to be awarded the contract to install the new train themed play area in Ashford Town Centre.

"We worked diligently with the KOMPAN Design Studio to create this unique train themed play structure around the existing planter area and look forward to welcoming visitors into Ashford Town Centre to play."