Final approval has been given for a major new leisure development in Ashford, Kent, paving the way for a cinema, hotel and seven restaurants on land at Elwick Place.

Cllr Gerry Clarkson, Leader of Ashford Borough Council, made the announcement at a recent Cabinet meeting.

Ashford Borough Council will fund construction of the new town centre complex with planning permission originally granted in December 2015.

Picturehouse, Cineworld’s boutique cinema brand, was approved to operate the cinema in June 2016.

Cllr Clarkson said: “It is pleasing to announce another significant development on one of our major regeneration projects. Already,
the impressive Ashford College building signifies a promising future, not just for the students who will pass through its doors, but it now stands watch over an area of the town that will see the development of brown field sites at Elwick Place, the Commercial Quarter and Victoria Way.

“We are evolving as a council. We are commercially-minded, adopting practices seldom seen in local government to achieve our ambition of delivering a vibrant town centre, inward investment and a future where we are self-reliant. This approach is valued by central government and by developers, and we look forward to working closely with Stanhope over the months ahead."