Striking plans to transform disused industrial buildings into a new leisure complex have been revealed.

Council bosses want to turn the former Ashford Youth Theatre site in Dover Place into a food and drink space, as well as opening a business area in the three-storey former corn store next door.

The scheme - which will be called The Coachworks - is an interim development and only has a five-year lifespan as the land is due to become the second phase of the Commercial Quarter in later years.

But a public consultation will be held next week and ABC hopes the £650,000 development - which also features live event space - will open as early as next summer if planning permission is gained.

Carl Turner Architects has been commissioned by ABC to draw up the plan.

The authority's senior development and regeneration manage, Stewart Smith, says the industrial buildings date back to 1846.

He said: "There is nothing else like this in Ashford and across the region and I’m confident The Coachworks is going to prove hugely popular and draw people into the Commercial Quarter from far and wide.

"There is so much to admire in the ideas presented by the architects.

"For example, the walls in the building where the food and drink hub is located (the former Ashford Youth Theatre site) will be re-clad in a profiled polycarbonate sheeting, which transforms the building into a huge lantern at night.”

The 5,500 sq ft former theatre building will become the centrepiece of the project, featuring an eye-catching mezzanine level.

The three-storey former corn store will be converted into a business base with start-up work spaces and shared facilities, hosting up to 200 people.

A large space will be sandwiched between the two buildings, divided between a covered structure and open-air space.

ABC says the area will be ideal for events such as theatre performances, cinema and live sports screenings in the summer months.

Mr Smith added: "Drawing on Ashford’s rich history as a centre of trade, these proposals will provide a platform for the next generation of cultural and creative innovators.

"The mixed-use campus provides a variety of work, performance and leisure space for people to enjoy."

The inspiration for The Coachworks name comes from a firm of coachbuilders which was based there for 30 years from the 1960s. Crofords Carriages counted the royal household and Harrods among its customers and the company still operates from the town.

A public consultation will take place next Wednesday (July 11) from 4pm to 8pm at The Taproom in Bank Street to allow residents to meet the team behind the scheme.

For more information, visit www.coach-works.co.uk