Half of people living in a Kent town avoid its “ghostly" high street due to a lack of shops, according to a new survey.

But one in three think opening a Primark would provide Ashford with the shot in the arm it so badly needs, as Chantal Weller reports…

"Primark should definitely come to Ashford - we come to the town centre about once a week but if Primark was here, we’d want to come more often."

Visiting County Square shopping centre earlier this week, Jackie Pritchard is not alone in wanting the clothing giant to join the town.

Residents have long called for the company to open its 10th Kent store in the centre, with many seeing the abandoned three-storey Debenhams unit as the perfect place for it.

And now, for the first time since the 'Bring Primark to Ashford' Facebook campaign was launched 15 years ago, new statistics show just how much the town wants it to happen.

The figures, collected by MP Damian Green in his 'Ashford Town Survey', put the Ireland-based retailer as the runaway favourite.

When asked which shop they would most like to see open, 33% of the 1,200 respondents listed Primark, with M&S - which left the town in 2019 - second with 24%.

A department store of any kind came third - something the town centre has been missing since Debenhams pulled out in 2020.

"The overwhelming winner is Primark," said Mr Green, who says he will now talk to company bosses about the possibility of opening in the town.

"Of course it is an individual decision for each retailing company as to where they put their stores, or indeed if they keep stores open in an era of online shopping, but there would clearly be a ready market for Primark in Ashford.

"Primark coming here would be a huge boost and the Debenhams store is a big vacant space that would be ideal. It’s an obvious space to do it.

“I will be trying to encourage some of these big, popular retailers to take another look at Ashford and know that they’ve got people wanting to come to their stores.”

Mr Green, who has been the town’s MP since 1997, was “delighted” to receive 1,200 replies to his survey, which he says shows “what people really want”.

It reveals how 49% of respondents do not regularly visit the town centre due to a lack of shops, while others blame parking charges and anti-social behaviour.

Shopper Carol Moore says Ashford is a “ghost town” but feels Primark could be its “saving grace”.

"It’s all charity shops, we need some big shops fashion-wise and Primark is probably ideally suited to Ashford because they’ve tried the expensive brands and they don’t work,” she said.

“You can’t keep taking all the shops away - at one point we were going to lose Next as well.

“It’s all very well putting everything online but not everyone can do it.”

Even before Covid hit, the town centre was dealt a double blow when both M&S and Debenhams pulled out of County Square within a matter of months.

“Any new shops are a positive thing because a lot have shut recently,” says resident Megan Featherstone, who feels Primark is a “must” due to the town’s growing population.

“People need to have somewhere to go and young people like shops like Primark.

“I know a lot of people shop online but it’s important to still have shops and get out – it’s important for people’s mental health.”

Mr Green is standing in Ashford for the Conservatives in this year’s general election after being rejected for the new Weald of Kent seat.

He says he has shared the results of his survey with “senior people” at Ashford Borough Council (ABC).

The data shows how 41% of respondents visit the town centre less than once a month.

“There has been a debate for a long time about whether people feel safe,” Mr Green said, after 59% of respondents said they do feel comfortable in the town centre.

“Some will be surprised that a significant majority do feel safe, although there is a distinct fall in the numbers feeling safe at night.

“Similarly, contrary to some of the noise made on social media, a large majority think there is enough parking in the centre, although the cost is seen as a deterrent.

“As for positive suggestions, reducing rents for shops is a common idea, along with a theatre/art gallery and cleaner streets.”

KentOnline shared the survey results with County Square, which is continuing to market the empty Debenhams unit.

London-based real estate investment consultants Landswood de Coy, which is working on behalf of the site’s owners, says plans for new retailers “are being actively explored with various stakeholders”.

Spokesman Omid Rezaei told KentOnline: “With construction and operational costs at high levels, any landlords and retailers will need to work together, alongside the local authorities, to make potential plans commercially feasible and keep attracting visitors to the shopping centres and high street.”

Landswood has previously said how food and drink outlets or office space could fill part of the centre’s closure-hit extension, which opened in 2008.

Redevelopment proposals are also on the cards elsewhere in the town centre, with ABC looking to convert Park Mall shopping centre into residential.

And KentOnline revealed last month how bold plans for a concert venue on the Vicarage Lane car park have been put on hold.

Commenting on Mr Green’s survey results, an ABC spokesman said the data has helped provide insight into the views of residents.

“The council undertakes a number of initiatives to look to support improvements in Ashford town centre, and we will work with any property owners to try to support retailers that the public would like to see come into our town centre where this is possible,” they said.

“Primark is a brand that brings footfall into town centres, but their large format stores restrict the opportunities where stores can be located, so we will continue to work with town centre landowners on opportunities that are available.”

So will Primark ever come to Ashford?

When KentOnline asked the retailer for a statement, it said it “loves to hear people would like to have a Primark store near them”.

But it added: “As a growing business, we're always looking for new opportunities for store locations, however we can't comment on speculation about where we might open next.”