A landmark clock tower covered in bird poo is to chime for the first time since the 1980s as part of a multimillion-pound redevelopment of a railway works.

The 1907-built structure at the entrance to Ashford’s Newtown works has been abandoned for years.

But new plans put forward by Quinn Estates, which is leading the redevelopment of the site alongside Ashford Borough Council (ABC), reveal how the tower is set to be overhauled.

If a planning application is green-lit by ABC, The Cumbria Clock Company, responsible for the maintenance of more than 1,000 church and public clocks across the UK, would carry out the project.

Following a recent inspection, Quinn Estates says the Grade II-listed building needs to be revamped as it is in "a very poor condition and covered in a thick layer of bird guano".

If approved, the existing acrylic and glass clock faces - each three feet in diameter - would be dismantled.

They would then be cleaned and reassembled for display within the site’s former engine sheds, which are due to be converted into 303 flats as part of the wider project.

The "rusty" pendulum spring would be replaced before three coats of paint, primer, undercoat and black gloss are applied to the clock, which was originally manufactured by Brighton-based company Thwaites and Reed.

The tower itself is also planned to be made watertight through repairs to its decaying roof timber.

A spokesman for Quinn Estates said: “Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of interest in the clock tower, including the clock which will be fully restored to a working condition including chimes.

“The last time the bell sounded, apart from tests, was in the 1980s with the time on the clock currently fixed at 2.26.

“We will continue to share updates on progress and look forward to being able to share more on the restoration of these important listed buildings with the community in the new year.”

Information submitted by Iceni Planning, on behalf of Quinn Estates, says the project will allow the clock to be transformed.

It read: "While the restoration would involve loss of historic movement, it is not possible to retain this mechanism in situ and make working again.

"This proposal permits the installation of a new movement within the clock and thereby presents a viable approach to achieving its working condition.

"The existing movement will be cleaned and sensitively restored prior to display and mounted on a bespoke metal frame which will enable the motion of its pendulum.

"[It] presents a positive opportunity to elevate and better express the significance of the building as an historic clock tower which functions as a landmark building within the former railway works site - and has been designed to ensure that a maximum amount of historic fabric can be salvaged for reuse."

Bosses say the clock's dials and hands would look the same following restoration, as would the sound created by the bell's strike on the hour.

It would be controlled by one of The Cumbria Clock Company's master clocks with an antenna for accurate timekeeping automatically adjusting during both seasons.

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Last month, Quinn Estates said the “utmost care is being taken” during work at the site, which has so far seen 50,000 bricks “removed and preserved” from the Grade II-listed engine sheds.

The overall scheme, due to cost £250m, was expected to include four film studios linked to Netflix, but a question mark now hangs over that part of the plan as bosses have been unable to secure an operator.

The studios were set to be built opposite the former engine sheds, but developers said in September how four potential operators interested in the project - called Ashford International Studios - had failed to provide a "viable business proposition".

It means contractors are currently focusing on the Victorian engine sheds, which are one of the UK's longest listed buildings, stretching across 350 metres.

Quinn Estates says its work is “essential in ensuring the significant heritage assets on the site are restored and brought back into active use”.

The company has a 35% stake in the Ashford International Development Company (AIDC), which was set up as a subsidiary company of ABC in January 2022 to deliver the Newtown project.

ABC retains a 65% stake.

A decision on the clock tower application is expected by February 6.