More than 100 protestors are expected to lobby councillors ahead of a meeting to decide the fate of a shopping centre slated for closure.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) members will meet on Thursday to decide whether to flatten Park Mall in the town centre or preserve parts of it.
It follows the submission of a petition, which garnered more than 1,500 signatures, requesting the local authority reverse the decision it announced in February to demolish the site.
Bosses at ABC say the site is set to make way for an interim surface-level car park, while plans to build flats on the land remain in the pipeline.
Documents submitted before the meeting state that ABC first acquired an interest in the plot in 2015 with a vision to redevelop the site due to its transition to a secondary shopping area and the poor condition of retail units.
It adds “the Park Mall site is not financially sustainable”, with annual losses of £700,000 and “significant maintenance costs projected of £980,000 by 2026/27 and £9.3 million from 2028 onwards.
The report states that of the 32 units at the mall, half have made secured alternative arrangements, including nine relocations, three closures and four vacant lots.
For the remaining 16 tenants, discussions are ongoing regarding a move to new premises.
Currently, these tenants generate a total of £89,000 in annual rent, a figure expected to decline as further businesses move or close down.
Previously, traders were granted a four-month extension to their stay at the site, with ABC moving the initially set deadline of the end of August to January 9, 2026.
Alongside the extended vacancy date, the council is also offering a £10,000 empty premises grant to assist with relocation inside the town centre and a rent refund for the final three months of traders’ leases.
But few businesses have chosen to stay.
The husband-and-wife team behind The Little Teapot pulled down the shutters for the final time on Saturday, exactly a decade after first opening in the town.
Renowned budget chain, Poundstretcher, also confirmed they will leave the site on August 23.
The report due to be considered by councillors tomorrow also questions whether a partial demolition is the way forward.
It adds: “Park Mall’s interconnected structure presents significant challenges, as the shared walls, foundations and services complicated the separation of retained units.
“Partial demolition is not a financially viable option, given the substantial maintenance cost associated with retained units and ancillary expenditure, which is not expected to outweigh potential rental income.”
A structural report from Savills in March 2015 has also been submitted ahead of the meeting and details an estimated budget requirement of £1.35 million for repairs to the site.
This included maintenance to the adjoining Park Mall car park, which has remained closed since August 2023.
The report adds: “Park Mall has become a secondary shopping area, with the development of competing town centre and out-of-town retail facilities at least a contributory factor to the slippage from its original commercial status.
“The result is that, with some exceptions, the class of retail occupier at the centre is generally fairly low and unlikely to be a good financial covenant.
“A substantial amount of work needs to be carried out at the property to carry out essential repairs, to catch up with a maintenance backlog and to put existing and future vacant units into a condition suitable for reletting.”
Previously, Tom Burke, star of BBC crime drama Strike, backed the bid to save the doomed shopping centre from demolition, claiming council bosses are “ripping the heart out of the town”.
