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A virtual meeting is being held to decide the fate of a Kent film studios scheme that could see the likes of Netflix and Disney coming to the county.
Bosses want to transform the derelict Newtown railway works in Ashford into 7,440 sq m of filming and production space, also teaming up with universities to offer education in filmmaking.
Ashford Borough Council had initially planned to discuss the ambitious Newtown works plan on March 25 but this was postponed following technical issues at a prior meeting and a public heath petition by councillors.
Recommended for approval when discussed next Wednesday, bosses hope the project will bring in 3,000 jobs and establish Ashford as a major creative hub.
In a statement released by the developers, they state: "Ashford’s Eurostar stop connects Kent with Netflix’s European hub in Amsterdam and France’s most popular network TF1 linking the UK with Europe in a post-Brexit world, serving as the country’s creative linchpin and capitalising on the studio boom created by US streaming giants.”
The proposal is being joint-led by Quinn Estates and industry specialists The Creative District Improvement Company - a firm that currently oversees a portfolio worth £500 million.
Alongside four film stages will be production facilities, a restaurant, a 120-bedroom hotel and 303 apartments.
At more than 18 storeys high, the hotel would become the largest building in the Ashford borough.
This is a far cry from a site that has gone largely unused since 1962, when the last full-time occupant Easterleigh left.
Before that, the 1847-built railway works served the London Dover Railway and rapidly grew.
It quickly became the town's main employer as it took on more work from Battersea, industry that continued until the 1960s despite being bombed in the Second World War.
Many buildings were demolished over the ensuing decades, and the large building seen today is a shell of the original workshops.
The abandoned site contains five Grade II-listed buildings and - while many have welcomed repurposing and renovating the disused historical location - the proposal has raised concerns with The Victorian Society.
Regarding the proposal, the heritage group wrote: "Whilst we are content with the proposed treatment of the acetylene store, paint shop and gatehouse which seem generally sympathetic, we have serious concerns about the proposed treatment of the engine shed and locomotive sheds which would have a detrimental impact on the significance of these listed buildings, as well as the site’s.
"Apart from their historical significance, both sheds at Newtown also represent impressive architectural spaces with massive brick walls, beautifully constructed superimposed brick arches, and vast internal spaces.
"We therefore consider the removal of the roofs and the construction of two storey extensions and internal subdivisions to be a highly damaging proposal which shows little regard for the history and significance of both of these buildings.
"We understand that there have been issues in finding viable uses for the site over the years, and we accept the dramatic development of the rest of the site, yet we cannot accept a proposal which completely destroys the integrity of two key listed buildings on a site which should be considered as highly significant to the town."
The society concludes by saying the current application "amounts to substantial harm".
This was noted by the council's planning officer who, after recommending the plan for approval, wrote in his report that the Secretary of State had to give consent for ABC to decide the proposal as "a consequence of the Victorian Society’s objection to both the planning and listed building consent applications being considered by the council."
It will be decided at the authority's first ever fully virtual meeting after new powers were granted to councils to host meetings online.
A video of Wednesday's meeting, which starts at 7pm, will be available on the Ashford Borough Council website.
