ashford's future brochure
DESCRIPTION
Ashford's Future Brochure outlining main objectives for Ashford as a growth areaTRANSCRIPT
Ashfordthe smart choice for a fulfi lling
future
“There are few towns in England that can boast such excellent transport links, ongoing public and private investment, and continued house-building and job creation through tough economic times. Ashford is a place with wonderful natural heritage and a vibrant growth plan, making it a very exciting place to live and work in right now, with a bright future ahead.”
DAVID EDWARDS, HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AGENCY
DAVID GARDNER, EUROSTAR
“Ashford offers us excellent transport links, particularly the convenience of the high-speed rail link. The luxury of space, access to a skilled workforce and the combination of high-quality premises and value for money are also huge attractions. The town is undoubtedly the smart choice for any business, with a continued focus on delivering benefi ts for the companies located here.”
RICKY SHEPHERD, 27, ASHFORD RESIDENT
“Moving to Ashford has given us the quality of life we were missing in London – we have more room for less money and fantastic countryside on our doorstep, while still being just 37 minutes away from London by train. With all that Ashford has to offer, we’re looking forward to bringing our children up here.”
Ashford Best placed for business 01
www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk
Contents:
Ashford best placed 01
Ashford map 02 - 03
Best placed for opportunity 04 - 05
Best placed for connections 06 - 07
Best placed for business 08 - 09
Best placed for shopping 10 - 1 1
Best placed for living 12 - 13
Best placed for countryside 14 - 15
Best placed for leisure 16 - 17
Best placed for environment 18 - 19
Looking to the future 20 - 21
02 Ashford best placed
Town Centre
New road
Existing road network
M20 motorway
Train line
SmartLink
River Stour
Southern Expansion Quarter
Commercial Quarter
KEY:
Major development projects in progress Change is happening fast
Ashford best placed 03
www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk
Best placed for opportunity
In the heart of Kent lies a changing Ashford. A
vibrant, expanding town with traditional values
and a fi rm grasp of the future. A community and
an economy in the midst of transformation and
growth. A new force for business in Kent and
the South East. A town with new communities,
good schools, arts and culture, and a rapidly
growing business community. Ashford represents
a smart move for anyone looking for a new
place to live, work or do business.
Ashford is the new hub for business in the South
East – the gateway to the continent, and a new
economy for the region, with superfast con-
nections to London and the cities of mainland
Europe. And, with a population forecast to
double in size over the next 20 years, Ashford is
the fastest-growing town between London and
the continent.
You’re looking to live, work or invest in a town that’s connected, thriving and growing. Somewhere prosperous and inviting, with a palpable sense of optimism and a buzz about the future, and where quality of life and great value are second nature.
Take a fresh look at Ashford. The smart choice for a fulfi lling future.
With exciting residential, commercial, retail,
transport and leisure developments in progress,
and an ambitious £2.5 billion development
strategy that will create 31,000 desirable new
homes and 28,000 new jobs by 2031, Ashford is
enjoying a sustained programme of improvement,
prosperity and growth.
A multi-million pound town centre redevelopment
– including the largest shared-space
development in the country – is helping
transform Ashford into an inviting, vibrant and
sustainable town that combines the needs of its
residents with exciting commercial opportunities
for investors.
Ashford is a place where people feel happy and
secure about the future, for themselves and
their families. Relocating your family or business
to Ashford is a wise move – will you make the
smart choice?
Think you know Ashford? Think again.
Ashford - is the fastest growing town between London and the continent
Best placed for opportunity
Ashford best placed04
Ashford best placed 05
Ashford best placed06
Ashford best placed 07
Best placed for connections
However you prefer to travel, Ashford is perfectly
positioned to get you to your destination. The town
benefi ts from excellent road, rail and air links – and
thanks to an ongoing programme of investment,
they’re improving all the time.
The new high speed rail service to London St Pancras
means you will be in the capital in 37 minutes,
cutting travel time in half. And with two super-fast
trains leaving Ashford International every hour, the
service isn’t just quick, it’s convenient, too.
It’s just as easy to develop your European business
connections – take the Eurostar from Ashford
International, and you can be presenting in Paris
within two hours, brokering in Brussels in 90 minutes,
or liaising in Lille in under an hour. If you prefer
to drive, the Eurotunnel departure point at nearby
Folkestone offers a travel time of just 35 minutes to
Calais, while the port of Dover is 30 minutes’ drive.
Artist impression of proposed M20 footbridge
Ashford is brilliantly located to give businesses a valuable competitive edge. A thriving town at the heart of the region’s transport network, it has unparalleled links to London, the rest of the UK, and the continent, providing easy access to over 360 million customers throughout Europe.
If it’s air travel you need, Ashford is just 90
minutes’ drive from Heathrow and one hour from
Gatwick. Alternatively, you can change at Stratford
– just 30 minutes away – on the high-speed line for
Stansted or London City.
Ashford benefi ts from an ever-improving public
transport network, plus well-maintained footpaths
and cycle routes for low-carbon commuting. The
town’s bus services are being expanded to provide
effi cient, reliable connections to new development
areas, while SmartLink, a new fast, regular bus
service to be phased in from 2012, will connect
residential communities with key employment
areas, the town centre and the high speed station.
Meanwhile, a major programme of investment and
improvement in the town’s road network is helping
to make city congestion a thing of the past. Ashford
is really going places. Come and join us.
TRAINS FROM ASHFORD TO:
Station Time
London St.Pancras 37 mins
London Stratford 29 mins
Lille 57 mins
Brussels 90 mins
Paris 120 mins
www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk
Ashford best placed08
Best placed for businessIf you’re looking to relocate or upgrade to give your business the edge, Ashford is a wise choice. With highly competitive salaries, huge savings on offi ce rents, and a large pool of skilled labour – and benefi ting from unrivalled connections to the capital, mainland Europe and the rest of the UK – it’s the ideal location for successful businesses looking to thrive in an ever-competitive marketplace.
Cost savings can mean the difference between
business success and failure. Employee costs
average 20% less than in London and 10% less
than in the rest of the South East. Coupled with
offi ce rents around 68% lower than London, 65%
lower than Paris, and 21% lower than other towns
in the South East.
The town currently has 16 established business
parks – including the successful, high quality Eureka
Business Park, where recent lettings cost just
£210m2 (£19.50ft2). And there’s massive growth
potential, with over 345 acres (140 hectares) of
commercial development sites available, and a
further two million square foot of state-of-the-art
offi ce development planned. Ashford’s thriving
economy is built on a foundation of affordable land
prices and readily available development
opportunities. Average offi ce rents are just £172m2
(£16ft2), compared to £551m2 (£51ft2) in central
London.
A highly sophisticated and super-fast fi bre optic
broadband network is currently under
development for the town, which will result in
world-class telecommunications technology for
businesses and residents alike.
Ashford best placed 09
Ashford boasts a talented and skilled workforce.
The town has a working population of over 46,000
employees, with one million adults of working age
living within an hour’s drive, and around 70% more
‘wealthy executives’ than the national average.
Around 5,000 thriving companies are already based
in Ashford, ranging from SMEs to major global
businesses, including Brakes, Coty Rimmel UK Ltd,
Eurostar, Hitachi, and Givaudan (formerly Quest
International UK Ltd).
Add up these factors and one thing is clear: Ashford
represents one of the best investment opportunities
in the UK. Make the smart choice, and come and
be part of it.
OFFICE RENT IN ASHFORD COMPARED TO OTHER TOWNS/CITIES
Towns/Cities Metre Sq. Sq ft
Ashford £172/m2 £16/ft2
Oxford £189/m2 £18/ft2
Tunbridge Wells £193/m2 £18/ft2
Sevenoaks £193/m2 £18/ft2
Brighton £203/m2 £19/ft2
Heathrow £222/m2 £21/ft2
Reading £229/m2 £21/ft2
Slough £233/m2 £22/ft2
Maidstone £242/m2 £22/ft2
Guildford £297/m2 £28/ft2
Paris £486/m2 £45/ft2
London City £551/m2 £51/ft2
www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk
Ashford best placed10
Best placed for shoppingAshford’s vibrant shopping malls and inviting town centre satisfy all tastes. From the extended County Square to the strikingly designed Ashford Designer Outlet, you can enjoy a pleasant and relaxed shopping experience.
Ashford best placed 11
Ashford’s County Square shopping centre
underwent massive redevelopment in 2008,
doubling in size, and is now home to a large
Debenhams department store, as well as many
major retailers, including Marks & Spencer,
Next, Jane Norman, H&M, New Look, HMV
and Waterstone’s.
Ashford’s high street offers an inviting mix of
your favourite brands and independent retailers,
housed in charming medieval and Georgian
buildings in the town’s historic core, while Park
Mall combines modern mall shopping with a
traditional courtyard feel. A thriving café culture
gives the town a welcoming, cosmopolitan feel.
The Ashford Designer Outlet is one of Europe’s
most stylish shopping destinations. Designed by
architect Lord Richard Rogers, it is conveniently
located near the town centre, and adjacent to
Ashford International station.
Ashford Designer Outlet houses over 80 brands
– including Gap, Tommy Hilfi ger, Fat Face,
Lacoste, LK Bennett and Kurt Geiger – and offers
designer labels at discounted prices.
Ashford offers a wide range of places to eat and
drink, as well as ample inexpensive parking.
Three park and ride schemes planned for the
town will provide 2,800 additional parking
spaces, and will connect the town centre,
Ashford International station, and the Ashford
Designer Outlet.
And when it comes to the weekly shop, Ashford
offers the full range – from value supermarkets
to a brand new Waitrose.
Ashford’s high street offers an inviting mix of your favourite brands and independent retailers
Ashford best placed12
Best placed for livingWith property prices a third lower than in the capital, a positive welcoming atmosphere, exciting leisure facilities, and a quality of life unmatched by city dwelling, Ashford is a great place to live. And with another 26,000 new homes to be built by 2031, Ashford will soon offer one of the widest and most exciting choices of housing in the UK.
Ashford best placed 13
Ashford is an exciting place to live. A town with
a thriving community, with quality schools that
produce results higher than the national average,
and with fi ve universities within an hour’s
drive. An inviting town, with room to grow, parks
and open spaces in which to play and explore,
and an extensive network of cycle routes and
footpaths linking residential communities with
schools, the town centre, railway station, and
growing employment areas.
Ashford is an affordable place to live. House
prices are a massive 28% lower than in London,
and 14% cheaper than the South East average.
A prosperous place, where your money goes so
much further. Where you can afford to enjoy
life, live more… do more. Where you can
experience the best that life has to offer.
Ashford is an inclusive place to live. A caring
town, with a diverse range of facilities for all
ages. With excellent healthcare and social care
facilities, community halls, and quality primary
and secondary schools. With an active voluntary
sector, supporting everything from health and
social care to charity fundraising and environ-
mental change.
Ashford is a safe place to live. A town with the
best success rate for crime reduction in the UK,
and where incident rates are one third lower
than the national average.
Add the benefi ts of living in a growing town to
the sense of wellbeing that comes from being
surrounded by the great outdoors, and the
overriding feeling of being connected. Connected
to the buzz of the capital city, just 37 minutes
away by train. Connected to the cultural delights
of Europe, just 35 minutes via Eurotunnel.
And just two hours from the romance of Paris,
via Eurostar.
Ashford best placed14
Ashford best placed 15
Best placed for countryside
Ashford’s green spaces help give the town a feeling
of serenity and calm. Our many parks and recreation
areas enhance quality of life, and provide room to
breathe. Stroll hand in hand along the riverbank,
take a bracing walk, have an impromptu kick-about
with friends, or simply relax and enjoy a good book
while the kids play hide and seek.
Ashford may be a prosperous, thriving business centre, but the town is located in the heart of the Garden of England, within easy reach of the beautiful Kent countryside and coastline. With picturesque villages, historic buildings, open fi elds and woodland on your doorstep, it’s easy to escape to the countryside and make the most of your leisure time.
Our many parks and recreation areas enhance quality of life
The town offers many outdoor cultural and leisure
activities throughout the year, as well as art displays
– and, of course, these open spaces provide a vital
habitat for wildlife.
You don’t have to go far to enjoy the beauty of the
surrounding area. Romney Marsh, designated areas
of outstanding natural beauty such as the Kent
Downs to the north, and High Weald to the south,
picture-perfect villages, hop gardens, oast houses,
and the coast are all within a short drive.
Ashford best placed16
Ashford best placed 17
Best placed for leisure
Ashford has some of the best leisure facilities in
the South East, including the prestigious Stour
Centre (leisure centre), with its new 25-metre
swimming pool and state-of-the-art fi tness suite,
and the Olympic-standard Julie Rose athletics
stadium, a stunning venue offering a diverse range
of activities, quality facilities, and an all-weather,
international-standard 400-metre running track.
A multi-million pound investment scheme is helping
to create a vibrant town centre that combines
modern shopping malls and pedestrianised streets
with fi rst-class leisure facilities and attractions that
complement and enhance the town’s heritage. By
late 2010, a sensitive expansion programme will
welcome a new central arts venue for the town,
within the historic setting of St Mary’s Church.
Concerts, performances, festivals and exhibitions
take place all year round – including Create, the
free one-day music festival, which attracts more
That elusive work–life balance can be hard to achieve, but Ashford has all you need to live life to the full. The town’s outstanding leisure facilities are the perfect antidote to the pressure of long hours and deadlines. From its multi-million pound redeveloped leisure centre to the vibrant arts community, Ashford is a place where keeping fi t and having fun are part of everyday life. It’s the wise choice for a healthy lifestyle.
than 5,000 visitors each year – while Eureka Leisure
Park boasts Kent’s largest multiplex cinema and
leisure complex.
Keen walkers can enjoy Ashford’s many historical
footpaths, including the North Downs Way, Pilgrims
Way, the Stour Centre Valley Walk, the Greensand
Way and the Saxon Shore Way.
Further afi eld, you can take your pick from a range
of attractions and leisure facilities, including the
18-hole Chart Hills Golf Club, designed by Nick
Faldo, the Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch, and
the award-winning Chapel Down Wines vineyards
in Tenterden.
With so much to do, combined with the therapeutic
benefi ts of the beautiful Kent countryside, living in
Ashford provides an optimism and quality of life
that inner-city living can’t match.
Ashford best placed18
Best placed for environment
Ashford believes in smart solutions for a better,
brighter future. We’re working hard to encourage
responsible, sustainable growth and development
within our town, and to harness renewable energy
technologies.
Under our carbon-neutral policy, all new
developments in the area have to offset their
CO2 emissions with initiatives such as tree-planting,
energy effi ciency projects, and renewable energy
schemes.
We’re using ecological footprinting to measure the
environmental impact of our growing population,
and to balance and manage that growth with
respect for the earth’s natural resources.
A new, award-winning venue, the Singleton
Environment Centre, opened in 2008. It was built
A caring approach to the environment is fi rmly on Ashford’s agenda.A strong commitment to sustainability and the environment puts the town in front when it comes to an optimistic outlook.
using local and recycled building materials, and
harnesses biodiversity, sustainable energy
production, and methods of recycling water.
The centre serves as a multipurpose venue and
educational resource for local schools and
community groups.
Meanwhile, a multi-million pound investment and
a fi ve-year plan are helping to improve Ashford’s
water supply, and to tackle waste water and fl ood
risk by implementing sustainable drainage systems.
The introduction of improved transport links –
including cycle paths and park and ride services – as
well as new homes and offi ces incorporating energy
and water saving measures, will all contribute to
lower carbon emissions and a thriving, healthy
environment in which to live and work.
Ashford best placed 19
We’re working hard to encourage responsible, sustainable growth and development within our town, and to harness renewable energy technologies
Ashford best placed20
Ashford best placed 21
>
>
>
>
>
>
2010
2010
20112011
02012
2012
2011..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
By 2031, 31,000 new homes and 28,000 new jobs will have been created in this growing, prosperous town. And exciting change is happening right here, right now, as new infrastructure to support Ashford’s growing population is developed. Here are some examples of the changes and developments taking place over the next few years.
> Start of improvements to Ashford International station forecourt area.
> Work starts on Victoria Way, a new road linking the station with south Ashford.
> Improvements to Junction 9 of the M20, and nearby Drovers Roundabout begin.
> Masterplanning for a new commercial quarter in the town centre.
> Completion of works to improve Ashford’s water supply, including a mains
pipeline from Bewl Water.
> Opening of a new arts and performance space in the town centre’s historic St Mary’s Church.
> Planning approval for Elwick Place, including 27,000 square metres of commercial, retail and
leisure facilities, as well as 300 homes.
> Opening of Gateway Library Plus – an improved library, register offi ce, and new educational
and community facilities.
> Start of development of new residential neighbourhoods at Chilmington Green and
Cheeseman’s Green.
> Opening of a new primary school at Repton Park.
> Introduction of a new fast, regular bus service – SmartLink – to connect the station and
town centre with residential areas around Ashford.
> Work starts on a new junction – 10a – on the M20 motorway.
> Introduction of a new park and ride scheme.
> New cycle paths will be in place.
> Development of the new commercial quarter, to provide 55,000 square metres of
commercial space, and 2,500 jobs.
Ashford Best placed for business01
ASHFORD’S FUTURE SUPPORTSTHE PARTNERSHIP OF GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR BODIES TO DELIVER THE REGENERATIONAND GROWTH OF ASHFORD. AN AMBITIOUS £2.5BN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (INCLUDING £100M OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING) WILL CREATE THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS AND HOMES SUPPORTED BY NEW ROADS, HEALTH, LEISURE, COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION PROGRAMMES.
www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk
t: +44 (0) 1233 [email protected]
www.ashfordbestplaced.co.uk
Produced by Ashford’s Future, Spring 2010
Printed in the UK by on material made fro
post consumer waste; the printer and paper
manufacturing are credited with ISO 14001