Plans to convert a closure-hit shopping centre into homes could be fast-tracked after Wilko fell into administration, council bosses say.

The future of Park Mall in Ashford has been much discussed in recent weeks, with its 300-space car park shutting on the same day the homeware giant officially collapsed.

Now Ashford Borough Council - which has owned the centre since 2015 - says its long-held ambitions to convert the development may occur earlier than planned.

Wilko occupies by far the largest unit at the site, but fears for the future of the town centre have been raised since the former family-owned chain went into administration two weeks ago.

ABC says Park Mall is "always something it has longer-term plans for", with the authority initially focusing on turning it into a "hub" for independent traders.

But faced with the car park closure and potential loss of Wilko, bosses now say their residential ambitions may be realised sooner.

Although they are currently unable to offer any details or timescales, chiefs say the centre "remains part of our longer-term plans for the town centre redevelopment", but "will remain a shopping and retail destination for the near future".

The Ashford Independents and Green Party are now in control of ABC after the Conservatives were toppled in May’s local elections, with Wye representative Cllr Noel Ovenden (Ash Ind) appointed leader.

The authority’s new town centre regeneration manager, Keli Nolan-Lyons, says plans to upgrade a key part of the town centre are also being considered along with the redevelopment of Park Mall.

She says the council is looking to focus investment on an area called ‘The T’ which includes the top end of Bank Street and the Upper High Street between North Street and New Rents.

While the exact details are yet to be revealed, Mrs Nolan-Lyons, who was previously Tenterden Town Council’s business and tourism co-ordinator, says it will be based on what businesses want.

“There are lots of things in place, I can't reveal too much right now, but it is about looking at a certain area which we call ‘The T’,” she said.

“We have to keep looking at it with fresh eyes because it is business-led and new businesses come in all the time and we are not in control of that, that's down to landlords.

“But we have to have an open mind as lifting the town centre into the next phase is about attracting business and footfall and looking at making it a lovely place people are proud of.”

Plans for ‘The T’ first emerged in an Ashford ‘town centre reset’ document published under the previous Conservative administration.

It included shifting existing independent traders in Park Mall to Bank Street, but Mrs Nolan-Lyons says “there is no update” on the potential Park Mall moves “at the moment”.

When asked by KentOnline “is there still hope for Ashford town centre?”, she replied “yes, absoloutely”.

“There are businesses opening in the next few months, there is Little Land, a children's play centre in Park Mall, and Billy’s Pie and Mash shop in North Street, which has already opened, so we have got to be doing something right,” she added.

“The face of town centres is changing consistently across the nation because of Covid; there are a lot more recreation and hospitality businesses.

“Big chains have moved online so that leaves more space for independent businesses.

“Post Covid, people want to give their independent businesses a go, and that's not just in Ashford, it's nationwide but it is definitely on the up.

“We have such a great business community here, it is one of the best I've come across.”

Little Land is preparing to open in the former Adams unit in Park Mall in September, while Billy’s Pie and Mash opened in the former Wyldfire tattoo studio – next to the town’s former Merchant Chandler store – last month.

Mrs Nolan-Lyons says “there is no update” on the future of the former Mecca Bingo building in the Lower High Street, which ABC has owned since 2018.

Earlier this year, multi-millionaire Paul Gregg revealed ambitious plans for a huge entertainment venue on the bingo hall site and neighbouring Vicarage Lane car park.

The ‘Ashford LIVE’ scheme was snubbed by English National Opera (ENO), which Mr Gregg hoped to attract, but the former Everton Football Club director told KentOnline in May how the development “is not dead”.

ABC, which owns the hall, has been looking for an operator to take on the site and “put their own unique stamp” on the building since February last year.

In a statement on Mr Gregg’s plan, the authority said in February how it “had been approached about what appears to be an exciting proposal, however we have only held initial discussions with the people behind this idea”.

Meanwhile, signs advertising an “everything must go” sale have been put up at Park Mall's Wilko as questions remain over the future of the chain.

The retailer tumbled into administration on August 10, putting the future of its 400 shops and 12,500 workers at risk.

Administrators have denied plans to close stores next week after the GMB union said “the majority” would be shut, leading to a raft of redundancies.

In a statement yesterday, the joint administrators said: “In the immediate term, all stores remain open, continue to trade and staff continue to be paid.”

But they admitted “redundancies and store closures in the future” were “likely” and said employees representatives had been informed.

In June, Bare Bazaar closed after two years in Park Mall, while Emporia Fabric and Craft is preparing to shut in September.