the website of South Ashford Community Forum
Ashford Borough Council have announced that the application for the development of 17 apartments for affordable rent on the Noakes Meadow open space is to be considered by the Planning Committee, next Wednesday, 6th November.
You may have heard recently that there have been some changes to our plan for opening the new junction 10a we are building on the M20 near Ashford, and I wanted to write to you to tell you what our plans are and what they mean for you.
The main thing that has changed is that we are fast-tracking work to have the new east facingslip roads at the new junction and the new A2070 link road open in time for 31 October. This will mean that drivers will be able to use the new coastbound entry and London-bound exit slip roads, and the new A2070 link road from this Thursday 31 October 2019.
Drivers will be able to access the M20 travelling eastbound using the new A2070 link road and M20 J10a. Drivers travelling westbound will also be able to exit the M20 at the new junction 10a and travel towards Ashford using the A2070 link road. Having these new links available for traffic is significant good news that will benefit thousands of drivers every day and improve access to and from Ashford. We accelerated this work to help
lorries move smoothly to and from Ashford Truck stop when the UK was expecting to leave the European Union on 31 October.
Opening these new links will also allow us to move on to the next stage of finishing the improvements. From early November the coast-bound slip road onto the M20 at junction 10 and the London-bound exit slip road will be permanently closed, allowing us to complete construction on the new west facing slip roads at junction 10a.
The A20 will remain on its current temporary alignment for the time being and will be connected to the new junction 10a in phases. The A20 will be connected to the east side of junction 10a on Monday night 4 November and will be open in both directions. Drivers will be able to exit at the new junction 10a and travel towards Sellindge, and will also be able to travel from Sellindge and access junction 10a. The A20 will be connected to the west side of junction 10a, via a oneway system. During this period, there will be no access to the A20 from junction 10a traveling towards junction 10. Drivers seeking to travel to junction 10 from junction 10a, will be directed to use the A2070 link road instead. This temporary road layout is shown in the diagram above.
The final changes should be complete – and the new junction fully open to traffic – in spring 2020.
I hope you agree that this is an exciting time for Ashford, as we take the final steps to open this major road improvement to traffic. We hope this information is helpful and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause.
If you have any questions please contact us by visiting our scheme webpage at www.highwaysengland.co.uk/M20J10a.
M20 junction 10a Project Manager
An application to Ashford Borough Council requesting the Council confirms that access works undertaken to Plots 1 and 2 of the Powergen site were undertaken lawfully to implement a start of the approved development of the site. The application has been submitted to confirm that the planning approval has not expired hence allowing the site to be sold with planning permission.
The application has been made Gerald Eve LLP on behalf of Victoria Road Developments Limited, which is in receivership.
ABC approved planning application 15/01671/AS giving detailed permission for 400 apartments on plots 1 and 2 and outline permission for 260 apartments and houses on plots 3,4 and 5 in November 2016. A condition attached to a later approval, 17/00018/AS, required the development of Plots 1 and 2 to be commenced within two years of the approval. The apartments were to be built to rent by Neighbour, a private rental company originating in Scandinavia.
The directors changed the name of the company owning the site, from Neighbour Ashford Limited to Victoria Road Developments, in 2018, perhaps indicating that they no longer wanted the Neighbour brand to be associated with the site. The company appointed receivers in August of this year at the behest of Lendinvest Security Trustees, who it is believed provided finance for the development.
Development of Plots 3,4 and 5 is being progressed by Quinn Estates for GRE Assets, a property company with headquarters in Oxford.
Amended drawings submitted to Ashford Borough Council on Wednesday of this week, indicate a reduction of one storey from the three highest blocks resulting in a removal of 24 apartments from the proposal.
The drawings also appear to indicate a reduction of the ground level in some areas. The number of parking spaces has been increased to address issues raised by Kent Cunty Council Highways
South Ashford Community Forum will undertake a further review of these drawings to gain a full understanding of the changes.
ABC Planning Case ref: 19/00709/AS
https://planning.ashford.gov.uk/planning/Details.aspx?systemkey=112528
South Ashford Community forum has drafted its response to the planning application for the proposed East Stour Park Development.
We are aware that a petition has been started against the development. Petitions cannot be presented at meetings of the Planning Committee so will have no effect on the decision. All who wish to object to this development should submit their comment using the process set out on the Ashford Borough Council website: https://www.ashford.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/making-planning-applications/comment-on-applications/
South Ashford Community Forum will include the issues listed below in its comment. You may include these issues in your own comment but need to formulate them into suitable paragraphs.
Ashford Bourough Council Case Reference: 19/00709/AS
http://planning.ashford.gov.uk/Planning/details.aspx?systemkey=112528
The planning application for development of land to the north of Norman Road and between Romney Marsh Road and the East Stour river has been published.
South Ashford Community Forum will review the application and comment.
The Ashford Borough Council planning case reference is 19/00709/AS
A Better Choice for Property Ltd., the property investment company owned by Ashford Borough Council, has announced an exhibition of proposals for development of the site of the Homeplus home furnishings store in Beaver Road.
The site was purchased by A Better Choice fot Property earlier this year from Southern Housing Group. Although Southern Housing had commissioned outline designs for development of the site, no planning
application for the proposals had been published.
Thursday 16th May 2019
3pm – 8pm
The Stour Centre, Station Approach, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1ET
A Better Choice for Property Development Ltd invites you To attend a public exhibition event in relation to a proposed high quality mixed use (residential and commercial) development on the former B&Q (now Home Plus) site in Beaver Road.
The public exhibilion provides an informal opportunity for the local community to learn more about this development and to provide feedback to the team.
A model of the initial scheme for the site will be on display and representatives from A Better Choice for Property Development Ltd as well as members of the project team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Email: info@dhaplanning.co.uk
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) have submitted a planning application to demolish 14 flats and 3 houses at the Poplars at the junction of Beaver Lane and Beaver Road and replace them with 31 apartments for independent living older tenants.
The proposed development follows the rebuilding of Farrow Court, nearby, Danemoor in Tenterden and the proposed rebuild of East Stour Court in Mabledon Avenue as part of an ABC strategy to modernise and increase their sheltered housing stock.
The new apartments will be for affordable rent to tenants aged 50 or above.
The ABC Planning case reference is 19/00516/AS
https://planning.ashford.gov.uk/Planning/details.aspx?systemkey=112217
The applicant has appealed a decision by Ashford Borough Council to refuse an application to change an industrial unit in Eastmead to a motorcycle workshop.
Alexander Motorcycles currently located on Ellingham Industrial Estate applied, in December 2017, to change the use of Airtech House in Eastmead Avenue from industrial/commercial use to a motorcycle workshop. Ashford Borough Council refused the application in, August 2018, because “The proposed change of use would give rise to an unacceptable level of noise and disturbance to residents within the locality which cannot be adequately mitigated. As a result, the residential amenity of the occupiers of dwellings in the locality would be significantly harmed to their detriment. “
Alexander Cadenhead, a director of Alexander Motorcycles, submitted an appeal against the decision on 3rd February of this year.
Ashford Borough Council planning case ref: 17/01873/AS
Planning Inspectorate case ref: APP/E2205/W/19/3221781
A retrospective planning application for change of use of a chalet bungalow in Bond Road as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) has been refused by Ashford Borough Council.
The application by Mr. Scott Bayliss, the owner of a number of houses in multiple occupation in South Ashford, to allow the 40 Bond Road to be used for occupation by seven people was refused on the grounds of insufficient parking provision. Although the application showed two parking spaces on the frontage of the property, these do not exist and no application was made for a dropped kerb. It is also thought that there is insufficient space on the property to accommodate two parking spaces meeting ABC’s parking standards.
Since October 2010 a planning application has not been needed for change of use of a dwelling house (Planning Class C3) into a Small HMO (Planning Class C4), however if more than six unrelated persons occupy and share amenities, planning permission is still required. When the Permitted Development rules came into force ABC made a Direction under Article 4 of the legislation which effectively removes the Permitted Development status for Small HMOs in Aylesford Green, Beaver, Little Burton Farm and South Willesborough wards.