Plans to demolish a row of town centre shops to make way for a new hotel have been refused - amid fears it would create a “terrible eyesore”.

The 92-room establishment set for New Rents, Ashford, was approved three years ago and several stores in the street have since shut.

But now a bid to flatten the units has been snubbed by councillors worried construction of the hotel may continue to be stalled.

The eye-catching project, designed by award-winning architect Guy Hollaway, has been held up due to concerns it will exacerbate pollution problems at the Stodmarsh Nature Reserve, near Canterbury.

The protected beauty spot has been affected by wastewater run-off from developments across east Kent causing high levels of harmful nitrate and phosphate nutrients.

At a meeting of Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) planning committee last week, councillors expressed concern that the existing shops could be knocked down - only for nothing to be built in their place.

Cllr Charles Suddards (Lab) said demolition would “leave a complete blight in that part of the high street”.

“I cannot see any reason on earth why anybody would want to support the demolition and creation of an eyesore and a huge gap in a primary shopping area,” he said.

Cllr Simon Betty (Ind) added: “This is incredibly unappealing. I think if this were to be demolished, it would be a terrible eyesore within quite a pleasant area.

“It would be a total shame and waste. Why can’t those buildings be utilised all the time they’re there?

“We would be wasting our resources, so I certainly support the officer’s recommendation to refuse this application.”

After a brief five-minute discussion, councillors voted unanimously to reject the demolition bid.

The New Rents shops, built in 1978, were last occupied by Game, British Heart Foundation, KPC Events and Betfred until the arrival of Home Needs Furniture in one of the units in November last year.

PDSA’s store is still open but the charity shop is expected to move into the County Square shopping centre.

The first and second floors of the proposed New Rents unit are planned exclusively for hotel use, while the third floor is to be a mix of hotel and residential.

Meanwhile, the fourth floor would be solely for flats.

Although the operator of the hotel is still not known, it is expected to offer three- to four-star accommodation.

However, work on the 0.44-acre scheme, which is set to feature 10 flats in total, has stalled for several years.

In February 2024, wooden hoardings went up around the New Rents site - but they were taken down two months later amid the Stodmarsh concerns.

Then in October last year, developer SPPF Ltd applied to demolish the shops following new proposals from ABC and Canterbury City Council to try to resolve the pollution issues.

The two authorities are forming a joint company called the Stour Environmental Credits Ltd (SEC) which will trade in “nutrient credits”.

Developers will purchase the credits from SEC and the company will then use the proceeds to help fund projects to mitigate the pollution caused by building new homes.

These measures include creating wetlands elsewhere, water companies improving works to water treatment facilities, upgrades to septic tanks and new connections to treatment works.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

SEC will then issue certificates to developers to confirm that they have bought credits and contributed to mitigation, which would be submitted with planning applications to allow them to proceed.