Quinn Estates gets green light to convert Houchin in Ashford to building merchant
06:00, 30 July 2020
An historic former aviation manufacturer will be turned into a building merchant following council approval.
The Houchin building in Brunswick Road, Ashford, housed a factory for 70 years, making ground support equipment for the civil and military aviation industries.
It closed in December 2014, resulting in 47 job losses.
However plans were unveiled in March by developer Quinn Estates to demolish the now-vacant structure to make way for a builders' merchant business.
The proposal consists of a main building acting as an open warehouse for larger goods and materials, while four on-site units will be used as specialist trading counters for smaller items like nails.
Up to 20 parking spaces are included, with four being purpose-built as goods parking bays.
Quinn Estates has touted the job-making capacity of the new venture, suggesting 15 jobs will be created to run it.
The council officer's report reads: "The site with its existing 1950s building containing asbestos, would be greatly enhanced by the proposed 21st century designed built form proposed, and by bringing a redundant site back into active use.
"As such, the proposal would be more aesthetically appealing than the ageing building stock throughout the majority of the estate."
The report also stated no objections had come from Kent Highways or KCC Flood & Water Management, and that only one resident out of 24 surveyed objected to it.
Only one resident commented on the application, with Brian Byott writing: "I would strongly object to further building of industrial units in the vicinity of the A28 as this application is.
"The traffic along this section of the A28 is always congested and the addition of extra delivery vehicles will cause a bad situation to get worse.
"I would also point out that a quarter of a mile away is a industrial site with over twenty units which have stood empty for over year and the developer has now applied for an extension to operating hours, so to add all these into the A28 traffic problems as well does not seem sensible."
Despite this, the plan was given the go-ahead.
