From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk  By Dan Wright, 9 January 2018.

Ashford: Auction House to reopen as wine and cocktail bar.

A troubled town centre nightspot is to reopen as a wine and cocktail bar after new tenants agreed a 15-year lease.

Council bosses revoked the premises licence at the Auction House in Ashford last year after hearing about a series of glass attacks.

But the site – which is between the junctions with Gilbert Road and Castle Street in New Street – is now set to reopen after being put on the market in November.

Stafford Perkins chartered surveyors director Richard Stafford, who signed the deal with the new tenants last week, said: “It was suffering from a lot of problems but the new guys are a professional outfit.

“There are very few licensed premises in Ashford so we had a lot of interest – we had 10 offers on it.

“The new guys have their own small chain of existing establishments and we are very pleased for them.”

Stafford Perkins chartered surveyors director Richard Stafford.

The tenants have signed a temporary deal until a new premises licence is granted by Ashford Borough Council.

The building goes over three storeys with the bar on the ground floor, toilets on the first floor and kitchen and storage areas above.

"We have handed the keys over and are very pleased with the deal..." - Richard Stafford.

Mr Stafford – who offered the building with a rent of £25,000 per year – added: “The new tenants will have to submit a fresh licensing application.

“The council is keen to see professionally run licensed operations in the town centre, and as soon as we put it on the market we were getting lots of calls.

“There are very few long-term empty units in the town now – we have handed the keys over and are very pleased with the deal.”

Last year, police brought the licensing review against the bar because they suspected then operator Alan Daly had tried to cover up an incident in September by supplying the wrong CCTV footage.

It followed a spate of incidents over the previous 18 months, in which there were two cases of grievous bodily harm, 13 cases of actual bodily harm, nine common assaults, two sexual assaults, an affray and an accusation of drink spiking.

The bar had also been subject to a licensing review in August 2015 after Lancashire cricketer Liam Livingstone was ‘glassed’.

It is not yet known when the bar will reopen but a new licensing application is expected to be submitted soon.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Georgia Woolf, 20 July 2019.

The "Auction House" Bar - which was relaunched in March after previously being called "Lot 7" - has been put up to let.

The circumstances surrounding its closure remain unclear but the lease is now on the market.

Stafford Perkins is advertising the property.

Director Richard Stafford said: "It is early days and we have only had one person look at it so far, but I do expect to see some interest.

"We had some interest the last time it was on the market and it is in a good location for a night time site.

"I gather it was quite popular as a place to go for an early evening drink and then people could stay there all night.

"There aren't many town centre bars and the new tenants could start trading immediately."