The Range has pulled out of plans to open a huge store in Ashford, KentOnline can exclusively reveal.

Bosses at the national homeware giant were expected to run a shop on a new estate next to John Lewis after the scheme was approved in 2018.

But work on the Drovers Retail Park site is yet to begin and the large unit is now set to be filled by budget chain Home Bargains.

The discount company already has a shop in the town on the nearby Warren Retail Park next to an M&S Foodhall, but chiefs say the site is "too small" and "does not meet the current store requirements of 20,000-25,000 sq ft".

They say opening on the yet-to-be built estate close to the busy Drovers roundabout would create 50 jobs and help attract other retailers to the site, which is due to feature a Costa Coffee drive-thru, vets and five other shops.

But Home Bargains bosses have had to apply to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) for planning consent because they want to change the permitted use of the unit previously earmarked for The Range.

Currently, all of the shops planned for the Drovers Retail Park have to be within the bulky goods sector to protect the viability of the town centre, but Home Bargains sells everything from fresh food and toiletries to dogs' toys and homeware.

It means bosses have had to ask ABC to alter the type of goods which can be sold.

A decision on the application is yet to be made but the chain will act as the estate's anchor store if given the green light.

In a statement written on behalf of site owner Prescot Business Parks Limited by planning consultants Quod, it says "delivery of the scheme will be uncertain" if the changes are not approved.

"Retailers for the other proposed units are not known at this stage," it said.

"However, no material changes in the goods currently permitted to be sold [in the other stores] are proposed.

"Instead, it is expected securing Home Bargains as an anchor tenant will increase the attraction of this location for other retailers and result in securing other tenants for the remaining floorspace.

"The proposed changes seek to enable Home Bargains to trade from unit five, which was previously earmarked for occupation by The Range."

Set to feature an outdoor garden centre, Home Bargains bosses had looked at numerous other potential sites before opting for the Drovers Retail Park.

The empty Debenhams and M&S units in County Square were both considered, as well as the Commercial Quarter at Dover Place, Park Mall, Elwick Place and Vicarage Lane car park.

With its floorspace going across three storeys, Debenhams was deemed unsuitable, with one floor already being eyed up by the Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre (AIMREC).

Elsewhere, the availability of M&S was "unknown" as the site was "not being actively marketed", but it was seen as too small anyway.

Other empty sites in Ashford were also considered, but bosses say "there are no units within or at the edge of Ashford town centre that could accommodate the proposed development".

In their planning statement, the developers added the whole retail park scheme off Fougeres Way could create 450 jobs.

They added: "Securing Home Bargains as the anchor tenant will facilitate the delivery of the wider scheme, which will deliver a number of significant benefits.

"These include private sector investment in the borough in the region of £10m.

"Without securing an occupant for unit five, which will facilitate the delivery of the permitted scheme, the socio-economic benefits will not be realised."

Despite repeated requests for comment, The Range press office was unable to provide a response to KentOnline.

It is not known whether the existing Home Bargains store on the Warren Retail Park will close if the new shop gets the green light as the chain was "unable to provide a comment at this stage".

The 12,700 sq ft store was previously a Family Bargains and later a Poundland before becoming Home Bargains in 2017.

Plans for the Drovers Retail Park first surfaced in 2018 when Australian firm Bunnings was the proposed anchor store.

But when the DIY specialist pulled out of the UK market, it was replaced by The Range - a move which excited shoppers in Ashford who currently have to travel to Cheriton or Canterbury to visit a branch of the homeware chain.

Developer Castle City Estates had gained planning permission for the estate from ABC in December 2018 but recently sold the site to Prescot Business Parks Limited, which it says has a "positive track record of delivering new units for Home Bargains around the UK".

Before selling the plot, Castle City Estates' Barry Henderson said in April 2019 how the retail park could open later this year.

It was described at the time as a ‘homewares hub’, with chains including Oak Furniture Land and ScS mooted as other possible tenants.

While the plans received unanimous support from councillors at the ABC planning committee meeting in 2018, the Central Ashford Community Forum raised concerns about traffic on the nearby Drovers roundabout.

However, a council officer assured the committee that Kent County Council had assessed the area to ensure the roads would not be too badly affected during peak hours.

When built, drivers will access the retail park from the same junction as for John Lewis.

Years before the retail estate was ever considered, the Drovers Retail Park site was previously earmarked for an 800-space park and ride.

To view the planning application, visit www.ashford.gov.uk and search for reference 20/00326/AS. The deadline for public comments is Monday, May 18.

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