ASHFORD is moving up Kent's office rent league table. The town' s office rents are still below those in Maidstone but they are catching up.

David Swindale, principal of Colyer Commercial, based in Tufton Street, Ashford, recently achieved a rental of £15 per square foot for space in International House, Dover Place, Ashford.

Mr Swindale said this figure was still around £4 a square foot cheaper than was being achieved in the county town but the gap had narrowed.

He called for more office building to fulfil demand but warned that the general economic outlook was not good. Although he believed Ashford would weather any downturn better than most towns it could not escape altogether.

That was all the more reason for rubustly promoting the borough's advantages as a business centre and he felt Ashford council could do more here.

This is something with which the council's new economic development manager, Mark Bradbury, is already addressing.

Mr Bradbury was formerly development manager for McArthur/Glen, and was responsible for getting that company's Ashford designer outlet off the ground.

With his contacts and knowledge of the area he is well qualified to promote the borough's advantages as a business location.