Kent Space has brought forward its plans to expand its serviced office and self storage facilities in Ashford due to strong demand and a buoyant local economy. The extra facilities will bring the firm’s investment in the town to £5.5m, with work due to start in mid-2016.
Kent Space, based on the Kingsnorth Industrial Estate in the former iconic Letraset building, provides professional, modern and secure serviced office space to rent, as well as flexible self-storage units to its customers, all on easy in and out terms.
The Ashford site is home to more than two dozen companies with a payroll of over 200 staff. Kent Space refurbished the building in late 2014 to provide 27 high-quality serviced office suites for up to 10 people, two hi-tech meeting rooms and 300-plus self-storage units ranging from 15 to 200 sq ft.
Now a further 30 serviced office suites and 250 storage units of various sizes are planned.
Director Suzanne Knowles says: “Given the growth of business generally within Ashford, the demand for our high-quality serviced offices has been strong. This has enabled us to bring forward our plans to develop the second phase of an additional 30 offices.”
More meeting rooms will also be added, which can be hired to both internal and external clients. These rooms will be fully equipped for all types of events.
Suzanne says: “We are delighted to have brought back to life the truly iconic former Letraset building which holds strong memories with so many past employees and residents of Ashford. We have recently been offered documents relating to the history of the building which will go on display in our reception area. These include the opening of the Letraset building and also the visit of Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret in 1970.”
Cllr Graham Galpin, Ashford Borough Council’s portfolio holder for business, said: “I’m pleased that Kent Space is in a position to extend its capacity earlier than they originally thought. They are one of the borough’s real success stories. We are very keen for Ashford to be a thriving business hub for major companies and entrepreneurs alike, so opportunities such as this are positively encouraged and show why Ashford is the number one business location in Kent.”
A Locate in Kent study identified Ashford as the best business location in Kent. The report measured the attitudes of business figures in the South East towards Kent as a business location, with Ashford coming out on top as the number one choice for developers, advisers and businesses. Two thirds rated Ashford highly for its rail links – the HS1 high-speed service to St Pancras takes just 38 minutes – while road links, proximity to Europe and London, and available sites were all praised.
