Eyesore buildings next to Airport Cafe, near Sellindge, could be flattened under plans
14:00, 06 January 2024
Plans have been submitted to flatten and upgrade eyesore buildings next to a hugely popular roadside cafe.
Four commercial units beside the Airport Cafe near Sellindge, between Folkestone and Ashford, have fallen into “total disrepair”.
The “severely substandard” existing structures have been untouched for the past 35 years and would be demolished under the plans.
If approved by Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC), the run-down buildings will be rebuilt and include a new utility block.
Each unit will be self-contained and provide a toilet and kitchen to be used by a “small number of occupants”.
The Airport Cafe is Ashford’s number one quick bite to eat on Tripadvisor and has a rating of 4.5.
In 2021, KentOnline readers voted the venue as the best place to get a full English breakfast.
The application to upgrade the units was submitted by David Morgan, who owns the lorry park behind the restaurant along the A20.
Within the planning documents, Mr Morgan writes: “This new building will provide high-quality sanitary provisions to both the application site and the adjoining truck stop.
“The existing structures are so severely substandard that it will prove impossible for them to be upgraded.
“The units will be rebuilt utilising the existing footprints on a like-for-like basis.”
Currently, the buildings are “basically un-serviced open spaces and the toilet requirements were initially unavailable”.
The current access and parking yard are at present unpaved.
Within this application, it is proposed this will be paved over and dedicated parking spaces will be provided.
Mr Morgan believes the approval of these plans will have “no additional impact on the site or the surrounding area”.
A decision is expected to be made on the plans by the end of this month.
In 2022, the lorry park was given the green light to continue operating, four years after temporary permission ran out.
Seven years earlier, the cafe was hit by a fire that ripped through the kitchen causing, £20,000 worth of damage.
The owners said at the time that the delayed response by emergency services added tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
