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Last night's Ashford Borough Council meeting to approve a bold film studios scheme took just under three-and-a-half hours to conclude.
The mammoth discussion over the £250 million Ashford International Studios project, to be built at the former Newtown railway works, was also the first fully virtual meeting held by the authority.
During last night's talks, a high amount of praise was heaped on council officers, who worked hard to set up the meeting and ensure it ran smoothly.
Council officers were also lauded for negotiating and setting out the specifications and conditions of the large proposal, which could see Netflix and Amazon using the studios.
Of particular note was Roland Mills - the leading planning officer for the scheme - who compiled the 50,000-word report and answered questions on a range of topics throughout last night’s meeting.
He kicked off the meeting with a presentation on the studios, including what is set to be built there, how older buildings will be converted and what materials and architectural considerations had been made in the design stage.
Design
Among these was an alteration to the 18-storey hotel, which gained a pitched roof and receded mid-section during the planning process.
However the amendment didn’t go far enough for some.
They questioned whether the design of the hotel was particularly unique, and whether it complied with policy for "landmark buildings" to be distinctive or exceptional.
Cllr Bernard Heyes (Con) noted the council report which says the tower has a distinctive design coherent with its surroundings, to which he responded: "I'm afraid I couldn't disagree more with this statement.
"It's incredibly devoid of any merit - it actually reminds me of a rocket on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral and is definitely out-of-keeping with the Newtown area."
Of the amendments to the iconic Locomotive Shed itself, he stated that: "The main sheds have definitely lost a significant amount of their historical integrity by the nature of their conversions."
The design of the tower led Cllr Diccon Spain (Lab) to motion for deferral with the hope that the applicant could come up with something better.
He said: "With such a dominant building that will be there for decades if not hundreds of years, I'm particularly thinking about the tower that will be visible for miles around. I don't believe that tower and the hotel are distinctive in design.
"They remind me of the standard tower blocks from the 1950s."
However Cllr William Howard (Con) seconded fellow Tory Cllr Neil Shorter's motion to approve the scheme after noting the amended plans were much improved and the sloped roof was architecturally similar to another town landmark - the Curious Brewery.
Local opposition
With both the views of the ward representative Cllr Andy Rogers (Ashford Independent) and the South Willesborough and Newtown Community Council (SWAN CC) being aired, their petitions struck a very similar chord.
Cllr Rogers said: “This planning application’s a tremendous opportunity for the town – an opportunity for growth, employment, skilled trade, trading and education.”
He also celebrated “the re-use of buildings that are empty and been allowed to fall into disrepair that – if nothing was done – would most certainly be lost forever.”
Despite this, the Aylesford & East Stour councillor did raise the issues of “infrastructure that can already struggle with demand”, a lack of affordable housing and the limited supply of car parking space.
He did laud the electric charging points for every bay, and schemes promoting the use of cycling and public transport.
The SWAN CC did recognise “the economic, educational and job benefits in this development but considers negative impacts on our residents outweigh them – consequently it objects to this application”.
It believed the one parking space per accommodation would promote overspill parking in surrounding streets, a problem that already frustrates residents.
A promised community space had been doubled from its original size of 41.4 sq metres, yet the community council felt it wasn’t big enough, lacked kitchen facilities and details were absent regarding the hire, availability and usage of the room.
Affordable housing also was a key issue, with none on-site. They asked if the council could buy some of the apartments and make them affordable. Officer Mr Mills later said this would not be in the planning committee’s remit.
Another issue that would be raised many times throughout the night's debate was the Crowbridge Road, which would serve as the site’s main access.
Access
Crowbridge Road features a small humpback bridge which can narrowly fit two cars side-by-side and limits vision of oncoming traffic.
The Quinn Estates solution to this is the installation of three-way traffic lights, but committee members asked if the road and bridge could be widened.
Conservative councillor Matthew Forest said: “It doesn’t put me in mind of an access road to a quote ‘world-class studio’ site.
“I have concerns about some of the vehicles accessing it – in particular larger HGVs or longer vehicles – and I want to clarify that there’s no risk of grounding or any other accident that could result from the new traffic.”
Matt Hogben of KCC Highways highlighted Balfour Beatty, whose site adjoining the Newtown rail works requires HGV access.
He pointed out: “Crowbridge Road has neither weight nor width restrictions.
“Balfour Beatty access their site via this bridge and their vehicles sometimes carry maintenance trains weighing 45 tonnes, so we don’t believe there’s any impediment to larger vehicles.”
He also responded to questions about widening the bridge, which has been deemed impossible due to land on either side being owned privately or by Network Rail.
Heritage
The historical nature of the Newtown rail works proved a hot topic during the meeting, with a number of committee members raising worries about the preservation of the site’s heritage.
Cllr Jessamy Blanford (Con) emphasised the need to highlight the past use of the building, which Roland Mills said would be addressed by public art and signage.
To this, Cllr Hayes said: “In some ways we don’t need public art – it’s already there.
“There are original turntables still there, and there will be the destruction of original, very old cranes inside the locomotive shed that are still there.
“There’s no talk about retaining them but that’s industrial archaeology.
“My ancestors worked there from the 1870s onwards. My whole family worked there and I think it’s very significant that the art is part of the site but the heritage is already there and we need to work to retain it.”
The council officer responded: “We do need to protect the site’s important archaeology and Cllr Heyes made a great point about the turntables.
“I’ve seen both of them and stood on them. They are embedded within the detailed landscape proposals that have come forward.
“There are cranes at the site – at least one of those is being retained – and guiderails that may be able to be worked into the design of the multi-storey car park.”
Ashford Independent Cllr George Sparks also highlighted the listed clocktower - which is being converted into a site office - asking if the clock itself could be made to work again.
It was decided that a condition should be attached to the planning permission that a full archaeological survey must be carried out and presented by the applicant.
Signal and reception
One worry shared by many councillors, nearby residents and the community council is the possible detriment to TV and satellite signal caused by the tower.
Cranes working on the Ashford Designer Outlet opposite the rail site caused disruption for homeowners, and it’s feared the tower could have a permanent effect.
Despite council officers having been assured by the developer that it would have no effect, another condition was added to have a survey carried out to model what effect the 18-storey monolith might have in terms of signal.
After more than three hours of debate, the motion to approve - proposed by Cllr Neil Shorter and seconded by Cllr William Howard - was passed.
The motion was supported by 12 members, abstained by Cllrs Euan Anckorn and Brendan Chilton, and rejected by Cllrs Sparkes, Hayes and Spain.
To watch the meeting, click here.
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