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Guarded by 24/7 security, a crime-ridden site, once a thriving Kent farming community has been deserted for years.
But following a recent agreement through Ashford City Council, the town’s historic Kent Wool Growers land is, despite everything, in condition for a new life, as reported through Liane Castle. . .
Overgrown trees and undergrowth have begun to pierce the hulls of the abandoned buildings that once housed Kent Wool Growers, an agricultural cooperative that spent nearly a hundred years on Tannery Lane.
The remaining windows have been damaged, graffiti has been painted on damaged doors and pigeons nest in holes in damaged roofs.
The 2. 9-acre site, situated next to the city’s Royal Mail sorting office, has fallen into disrepair and has a magnet for anti-social culture since the company closed in 2017.
What was once the store’s main construction is now in a deplorable state after a massive fire, believed to have been started intentionally, devastated the site in 2019, contributing to its deterioration.
A smaller fire broke out at the site in March this year and was also considered suspicious.
Security dogs and guards now guard the site 24 hours a day in an effort to eliminate disturbances and what remains.
The company, founded in 1920, has 73 members and has grown to more than 4,000.
But the company fell out of control after suffering a drop in retail sales and accounts, putting pressure on its cash flow.
This meant that the once bustling center that sold a variety of agricultural supplies, as well as an armory and clothing store, was temporarily deserted.
Former Stanford worker Daniel Lewis said: “Kent Wool Growers was hiding there, not everyone knew it, but you can be sure they would come home with something. “
“It served about 20,000 farms in the southeast.
“There’s a lot of it. “
A year after its closure, the site was sold to London-based regeneration specialist U I for £3 million.
He presented questionable plans to build more than 250 apartments, adding a huge 14-story building, which were approved in 2019.
The fire broke out months later but, thankfully, the Grade II* listed Whist House at the corner of the site near the ABC Civic Centre remained unscathed.
However, its poor condition means that it is now covered with scaffolding and surrounded by garbage.
But there is still hope for the long-term construction, as its refurbishment is still on the agenda.
I never moved forward with its approved plans, but earlier this month, ABC revealed it bought it for an undisclosed amount.
The authority says it will present new proposals that will include apartments, townhouses and a network center, albeit on a smaller scale than those approved in the past.
Sponsors say the task may include only a number of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and four-bedroom townhomes, but the exact number of sets has yet to be confirmed.
All existing buildings will be demolished to facilitate development, except for Whist House, which is intended for the construction of a network of some kind.
This decision pleased Ashford historian Steve Salter, who says the site is traditionally known as Tanyard and dates back to the seventeenth century.
“It’s a tannery,” he says.
“The ‘tanning’ trade, which consists of using animal skins and hides to make leather, and until the 1960s there were several other constructions on the land that existed in the tanning era.
“The old tanning booths have been demolished, so the only notable construction left is the star-winning Whist House.
“It’s a personal space and at one point it belonged to one of the families that ran the wool producers.
“The space had some outbuildings that you can still see lines when passing by the left side and a Victorian green space attached.
“The site has a wonderful old presence and I’m glad they keep Whist House as part of the plans. “
In 2018, sculptor Alex Chinneck remodeled the former Brundett House building, located at the front of the site, into a zipper.
The paintings were commissioned through U I, who also commissioned the artist to design a striking crossing over the river to the Stour Center.
The passage is designed to resemble a circular bridge over water, forming an access point.
But while ABC plans to build at least one bridge over the river, it’s not yet clear whether the circuit design will remain as a component of the refurbishment.
The authority, which is now run through a coalition of Ashford Independents and Green Party, does not disclose how much it paid for the site, but requested to disclose the data as a component of a data access request submitted through KentOnline.
The bosses say design work is underway on the project ahead of a public consultation in early 2024.
The application for a building permit is expected to be submitted later that year.
The ABC civic centre, a stone’s throw from the grounds of Kent Wool Growers, could be converted into public housing, as the authority plans to move to the nearby International House.
A public consultation on the proposed update concluded earlier this month, and ABC is scheduled to discuss the update at its cabinet meeting on Thursday.
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