How a once bustling town shopping centre has been reduced to rubble
A drone shot of the demolition of Park Mall in Ashford, Kent, which will be replaced primarily by housing in a £144million redevelopment (Picture: Barry Goodwin/Cover Media)
It was once described as the heartbeat of a bustling town centre – but Park Mall is now without a pulse.
Buildings including a multi-storey car park are being torn down as part of a major residential redevelopment at the heart of Ashford in Kent.
The diggers moved onto the site on Friday and demolition is likely to take up to a year to complete.
Drone images show work has already started on the car park, flattening the units underneath it which previously included Poundstretcher, Savers and the Little Teapot cafe.
An interior view of Park Mall in early April after units had been stripped out but demolition not yet begun (Picture: Cover Media)
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Park Mall is near the centre of Ashford and was once a bustling shopping centre (Picture: Barry Goodwin/Cover Media)
Park Mall is owned by Ashford Borough Council (ABC), which has long had plans to build houses on the land.
Bosses said the shopping centre was ‘not financially sustainable’ amid a declining retail sector, the loss of anchor tenants such as Wilko and escalating maintenance costs.
Their decision to flatten the centre has sparked anger among traders, with many backing a petition calling on the council to only demolish part of the site.
Two diggers crawl across the site, which the last remaining tenants left in January (Picture: Barry Goodwin/Cover Media)
The entrance to the work site at Park Mall where diggers have moved in over the last few days (Picture: Cover Media)
But the authority has pushed ahead, though it is yet to appoint a ‘development partner’ to work on the rebuild. Redevelopment is estimated to cost at least £144million.
Simon Betty, the council’s portfolio holder for commercial property and investment said: ‘We have always held long-term ideas to transform the centre away from retail.
Park Mall was once bustling but many shops had moved out in recent years (Picture: Cover Media)
Signs around Park Mall described it as ‘the heartbeat of Ashford’ (Picture: Cover Media)
‘Despite our best efforts the centre has struggled, especially in recent years.
‘Now seems the right time to redevelop Park Mall so it continues to play an important role in the town centre’s future.
‘Where we can, we will support the current tenants to find suitable premises elsewhere.’
Demolishing Park Mall and the adjacent multi-storey car park will take around a year (Picture: Barry Goodwin/Cover Media)
A former drop-off point at the back of the mall is being used as a base for the demolition team (Picture: Barry Goodwin/Cover Media)
Park Mall opened in 1987 after a number of homes were cleared to make space for the development.
The site was once home to big-name chains including Next, Topshop and Boots but had declined in recent years. The last traders had to leave the centre by January.
Speaking earlier this year, Ashford historian Steve Salter said he believed the extension of the neigbouring County Square shopping centre in 2008 and the opening of Ashford Designer Centre in 2000 were key factors.
Park Mall featuring Topshop, left, in 1987 shortly after it opened (Picture: Steve Salter/Cover Media)
‘I think the outlet has been a huge nail in the coffin,’ he said. ‘Building that so close to the town centre should never have happened.
‘When Sainsbury’s was there in the early 1990s it had more footfall. It was a really pleasant environment and nice shopping centre to go to.
‘So it’s a shame, as I have seen worse shopping centres in worse conditions which have been said to have more chance of economic repair.’
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