Ashford Borough Council has appointed Milligan as developer to deliver the ambitious Vicarage Lane town centre redevelopment project. The new team also includes MICA (architect) and AECOM (project manager).
The scheme, which includes the former Mecca bingo hall in the Lower High Street, is a proposed mixed use development, aiming to deliver quality homes, cultural and performance space, food and drink outlets and workspace to complement the market town’s history and heritage.
The council’s proposals include the part demolition of the rear of the former bingo hall to reveal an uninterrupted view to the iconic Grade I listed St Mary’s Church, while retaining the high street frontage of the building to create a multi-use indoor event space.
Explaining why they had chosen to bring in Milligan, Cllr Paul Clokie, Ashford Borough Council’s portfolio holder for corporate property, said it had been looking for “a stand-out performer who was passionate about using the Vicarage Lane scheme as a catalyst for town centre regeneration”.
He added: “We believe this scheme will help rejuvenate Ashford, enhance our cultural offer, create significant employment opportunities and help attract inward investment for the benefit of local communities.
“High Streets were facing challenging times even before the Coronavirus pandemic sent our town centres into lockdown.
“As we emerge from lockdown there is an even more compelling need for our High Streets to reinvent themselves and what they offer. The council is committed to revitalising Ashford’s town centre and I’m confident that this specialist team will help us take this exciting scheme forward.”
Developer Milligan has a rich pedigree of developing mixed-use projects with inspiring retail and leisure at their heart. It has developed, asset-managed or partnered on properties valued at more than £5bn and has developed over 3m sq ft in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Barcelona, and Bilbao as well as operating the retail and leisure at Camden Lock Market. The Milligan approach is to drive value to all stakeholders by creating places where communities and businesses can thrive.
Stuart Harris, Chief Operating Officer at Milligan, said: “This is an exciting regeneration project and we are delighted to be working with Ashford Borough Council, which is a forward-looking and proactive local authority. We look to develop places where people are inspired to live, work, and play and that provide lasting value for their communities. We have a long-standing relationship with Ashford as some of our team were involved in the development and leasing of the Designer Outlet 20 years ago. Through more recent work we’ve developed good regional knowledge of independent and emerging start-up artisanal companies, who we would love to see come to Ashford alongside some of the great independents already trading in the town.”
To read more about this exciting town centre regeneration, please visit our project page.
