As work to transform derelict railway sheds into multi-million pound film studios continues, reporter Liane Castle tours the abandoned buildings set for one of Kent's most ambitious developments...

Walking around what will eventually become the Ashford International Studios, it's not hard to see why this bold project is one of the county's most highly anticipated.

The former Victorian railway buildings at the town's eerie Newtown works look like they could fall down at any moment.

The roof is long gone, windows are cracked, rust has taken over and paint has faded away.

The Grade II-listed sheds used to be a hive of industrial activity but have sat empty since 1972, collecting dust and becoming an untidy blot on Ashford's landscape.

But soon they will be almost unrecognisable thanks to a £250 million investment which is set to convert what has become the south-east's largest brownfield site into four film studios, 300 flats, a 120-bed hotel and workshops.

Entertainment giants including Netflix, Amazon and HBO have been linked to the project which is expected to be up and running in 2025.

Plans were approved in 2020 and contractors have been on site preparing the grounds for when work officially starts next summer.

It is a joint project by Ashford Borough Council (ABC) and Quinn Estates as part of plans to regenerate the town while creating more than 2,000 jobs.

Speaking at a tour of the site on Friday, Mark Quinn, chief executive and chairman of Quinn Estates, said: “It's brilliant to finally be at this stage because it has taken us five years to find the site, buy it, and go through all the due diligence.

"To finally be at a point where we’re starting to construct it, and create something special within these buildings, is brilliant.

"For Ashford, it will mean taking part in an industry that’s one of the fastest growing in the world.

"It will mean more than 2,000 jobs, opportunities for young people, and it's going to be an incredible opportunity for people to work in an industry perhaps they never thought about working in.

"What’s happened so far is that we have taken all the asbestos off the roofs, we’ve remediated about eight acres of the site that contained 100 years of contamination from making trains, and we’re now coming to the end of that.

"What will happen now is enabling works which put the infrastructure and utilities that we need into this, and then finally we will see the buildings start to go up from the middle of next year."

Asked who will operate the site once it is up and running, Mr Quinn says his Bridge-based company "is in legals with a billion-pound film fund".

"They have done this before, they are very good at what they’re doing, and we’ve actually seen what they have done in other parts of the country and the world so we feel very comfortable that we are getting involved with the right partners," he said.

"Their customers are people like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, the people that need content in order to make their companies continue to grow.

"We think it will probably take three-and-a-half to four years to complete the entire scheme, but sections of it should be complete within two-and-a-half years."

The studios will go in new buildings just off Newtown Road, while the historic engine sheds will become a mixture of residential and commercial.

Extensive retail units and a seven-and-a-half-storey car park featuring 383 spaces will also be constructed, as well as a production office set to be more than five storeys tall.

One of the first parts of the project to open will be an education space set aside for an expansion of Ashford College.

Graham Razey, chief executive of EKC Group, which runs the college, said: "For us, this is an absolutely fantastic opportunity.

"We’re going to develop a new film school for Ashford to train the future generation of filmmakers, producers, creatives and innovators.

"It’s an opportunity for young people to get the skills to live, work and play locally.

"There will be courses that will allow young people to train in film making, film production and music creating skills that the industry needs.

"We’re hoping people can start benefiting from this around the 2024 and 2025 timescale.

"Clearly by the time we come here, the development will be up and running and we’re hoping it happens fast, the training is needed now.

"At Ashford College we have a whole range of creative programmes from fine art, to music technology and production, and media, TV and film.

"At the moment, it's just one floor in a building, this is going to be a whole new centre dedicated to that also which is going to provide an environment where creatives can really excel."

Developers are hoping to retain as many glimpses of the past as possible, while regenerating grand church-like windows.

There will also be a further 62 serviced apartments, a conference space, a gym, a restaurant and a fully landscaped new public realm running the length of the estate.

Cllr Gerry Clarkson (Con), leader of Ashford Borough Council, said: “This will be one of the most important economic drivers for the borough in the next few years, which is why it is one of our 'Super Six' strategic projects and a key part of our corporate plan.

“These exciting proposals involve finding a new use for one of the longest listed buildings in the country, which is of significant historical value but has been left to decay.

"This development will sensitively ensure our proud railway heritage is recognised, while transforming a brownfield site which has laid dormant for many years into a film and TV studio hub together with a hotel, serviced apartments, conferencing facility and a health club.

“Not only will this put Ashford on the map nationally and internationally, it will also create sought after film studio space, provide thousands of jobs and make the town a hub for the creative arts industry, which is set to grow significantly in the future.”

'Ashford needs jobs and opportunities to put itself on the map...'

The project is also benefitting from a £14.7 million chunk of the government's Levelling Up Funding that has allowed the enabling works to take place.

Ashford MP Damian Green, who helped secure the cash, feels the project will be "utterly transformational" for the town.

He said: "It's not only really exciting to have a film studio so that we get international stars here, but more importantly, the fact that Ashford College is going to build an extension here will mean that it provides training and job opportunities for young people in Ashford that simply didn’t exist before.

"It's extraordinarily exciting because I can remember going back a couple of decades looking at this site and thinking, it's really close to the town centre, it's really close to the Designer Outlet so why is it still derelict?

"The answer has always been nobody could think of what to do with these huge buildings which are listed so you can’t knock them down.

"The inspiration of using them as film studios has unlocked what is a huge site near the centre of Ashford which will mean within three or four years, a shed with no roof will be full of apartments, restaurants, and a hotel. It will be utterly transformational.

"Ashford needs jobs and opportunities to put itself on the map.

"We can do this while making a significant gesture to our railway heritage which is, and always will be, a railway town.

"To use old rail buildings for a modern, 21st century purpose is really good.

"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.”

In January, ABC members set up the Ashford International Development Company which now owns 65% of the project.

Company chairman Cllr Peter Feacey (Con) said: "Since January, a huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes and recently we have appointed a range of technical experts as we approach a really exciting stage of the project.

"Enabling works are already well under way on site and I look forward to seeing the development rise from the ground over the coming years.

“My fellow directors and I realise the great responsibility as well as a great privilege of delivering this project for the residents of Ashford and the wider international community."