Ashford International Studios Plans Progressing

On Friday 25 November, the delivery team for Ashford International Studios in Kent brought Ashford MP Damian Green, key Whitehall officials and other stakeholders up to date on a landmark project, granted planning approval in September 2020, that will deliver £250 million of investment and circa 2,000 jobs for the region. 

The event revealed the significant progress achieved over the past year since the successful bid by Ashford Borough Council for £14.7 million in Levelling Up Funding, that has allowed vital enabling works to take place.

After refreshments and networking, guests relocated to the former Victorian railway site at Newtown Works to see for themselves the scale and ambition of a key strategic project providing new purpose for 37,192 m2 of Grade II listed buildings and surrounding former railway land, left empty since the 1980s.

Ashford MP, Damian Green, said: “This exciting project is not only good for our local economy and the job prospects of many Ashford people, it is a great example of local and national Government working together. The Government has provided Levelling Up funds which have helped the council and the developers get to this stage, and we will all benefit from this collective effort.” 

A significant amount of enabling and infrastructure works have already been undertaken with full construction scheduled to start on the site at Newtown Works in summer 2023. The residential element of the project, consisting of around 300 high-quality homes created within the 37,179m2 of Grade II Listed buildings, is on target to be completed by July 2025. 

To find out more about the proposals visit the Ashford International Studios website.