A new cafe at a multi-million dance studio has opened in Ashford.

The facility at the Jasmin Vardimon studio on the Henwood Industrial Estate is the first part of the building to officially open to the public as builders finish working on the purpose-built facility in Javelin Way.

Ian Ross, executive director, said: “This autumn is an incredibly exciting time, as the company moves into its new building, JVHome, and we start to open the doors to the public.

"The opening of our café is just the first stage, as this fabulous new space in Ashford begins to welcome members of the community.

"As well as being the home to one of the UKs leading dance companies, it’s also a resource for local residents, with beautiful communal spaces to work, relax and socialise.

"Over the coming months, leading up to our grand opening in December, we are looking forward to welcoming more and more people through our doors.”

Bosses hope the cafe, which is open from 8.30am until 3.30pm, will have a 'strong sense of community' as it is open to everyone.

While parts of the building are now being used, the state-of-the art facility will officially open on December 7.

As well as the cafe, the facility has an auditorium, pilates studio, meeting rooms and a production space for the dance company to expand and create its touring productions and rehearsals.

The main dance studio has a fully sprung dance floor, retractable seating and a full lighting, sound and audio-visual rig.

There will also be community classes and additional space for small creative businesses.

It is the last of Ashford Borough Council's 'Big 8' projects – a series of major schemes including Elwick Place that the council hopes will transform and regenerate the town.

The first show to be produced at the new facility was Alice, a re-imagining of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which is currently touring the UK.

The new facility, funded by Kent County Council, Ashford Borough Council and the Arts Council England, is also the first of its kind in Kent making Ms Vardimon the only female choreographer in the UK to have her own specially designed studio outside London.

The building forms the centre of a major new arts hub in Ashford known as the Creative Enterprise Quarter.

The location is also home to Kent Music, an education charity and lead partner for the Music Education Hub for Kent.

It is surrounded by 26 commercial units, 15 are under offer for sale and 10 others are under offer for leasing, all at full market value, meaning only one unit remains available.

Mike Hill, KCC’s Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, said: “The Creative Enterprise Quarter, Ashford, is one of Kent’s largest cultural infrastructure projects and its development has been an exciting journey.

“There have been a number of challenges along the way, including navigating a worldwide pandemic and its ongoing impact.

“We are very pleased to have worked with such a talented team of experts and are very grateful to all of you for the way you have all pulled together to find technical and often creative solutions to drive the project forwards and get us to where we are today.”