by Sam Lennon
slennon@thekmgroup.co.uk

Revamping Ashford's landmark Charter House office block could cost £21 million says a council planning expert.

The huge renovation estimate for the building – which is now almost completely empty – comes from senior Ashford council planning officer Lois Jarrett .
She told a council planning committee that the huge sum would need to be spent on modernising the 1970s building to attract new tenants.

Council figures show Charter House accounts for nearly a third the borough’s current vacant office space, more than 157,000 sq ft against 350,000-plus sq ft elsewhere.
The owner, London-based Dukelease Properties, says it is still trying to get the building re-used and is examining numerous options to do that.
Mrs Jarrett told councillors last week: “In order to update it to meet modern standards it would cost something like £21 million. There just isn’t the value in old town office space.”
Council leader Peter Wood (Con) told the Kentish Express: “It’s such a great shame to see it sitting there idle serving no useful purpose – it’s such a waste.
“I and others have made it very clear to the owners that the council is prepared to be extremely flexible in order to help bring the building back to life, but our efforts have been to no avail."

See this week's Kentish Express for a special in-depth report on Charter House's history and future.