Exclusive images reveal more plans for former golf club
Published: 00:01, 24 July 2017
A coffee house and Indian restaurant could be built alongside a traditional country pub if striking plans to further develop Herne Bay’s former golf club are approved.
Bosses at Quinn Estates hope to build more than 100 flats on a five-acre corner plot of the site where the Old Thanet Way meets the A299.
They are also planning to build a gym above a convenience store on the land, which they are calling the Eddington Park development.
Quinn Estates director Mark Quinn – who released images of the scheme exclusively to KentOnline's sister title the Herne Bay Gazette last week – says the plans offer an exciting opportunity.
“We are doing exactly what we said we would do and we are going to deliver on our promises,” he said.
“We want to build something that is an exemplar development and the flats we are proposing offer an opportunity for people to get their own place.
“We have had interest from a coffee house and Indian for the restaurants – we are a company that likes to deliver and we are trying to do a development that is best-in-breed.”
Mr Quinn, who will submit his plans to the council soon, won planning permission for more than 500 homes and a new sports hub in September 2015.
His new Eddington Park scheme, which is set to create about 130 jobs and also includes 18,000 sq ft of office space, features a number of studio flats which will cost just £100,000.
He hopes to build 12 studio flats, 81 one-bedroom properties and 26 two-bedroom flats along with the commercial properties.
“Our flats will give people the opportunity to buy,” Mr Quinn added.
“If they are 26 or 27 years old and have saved up quite a bit, they could look at actually buying one of these places.
"I want to do something niche and different..." - Mark Quinn
“It’s what people used to do 30 years ago and we are trying to give people an opportunity to do it again.”
Mr Quinn says his firm is in advanced discussions with the owners of the Five Bells Inn in East Brabourne outside Ashford to run the pub, which would be built facing towards the Old Thanet Way.
“We are looking to bring a real quality pub operator to the town,” he added.
“It is an incredibly successful pub chain – they own the pub in Brabourne and another in Ashford and Rye.
“I could have done a formulaic scheme as we had interest from a national operator, but I want to do something niche and different.”
Mr Quinn says preliminary work has started on the sports hub, but could not give an estimated completion date.
The facility, which will feature six new state-of-the-art tennis courts, also includes football, hockey and cricket pitches.
Mr Quinn also says construction of a new 66-bedroom care home, which is expected to create 50 jobs, will start in the autumn.
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Dan Wright