From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Liane Castle, 6 June 2022.

The Swan pub and Po Thai restaurant in Ashford could become flats under new plans.

Plans to convert an historic pub and Ashford's former Downtown Diner into flats have been submitted.

Developers want to turn The Swan in Tufton Street into eight one-bedroom flats while the former diner, which more recently became restaurant Po Thai, has been earmarked for seven units.

The Swan in Tufton Street could be converted into eight flats.

The Swan was built in the early 1860s as a home and in 1874 a licence to sell alcohol was approved.

However, since 2017 the owners of the building say they have had three tenants who have been unable to make the business viable.

Documents submitted by Kember Loudon Williams on behalf of applicant Rectory Lane Ltd say the pub has “experienced closure and loss making” over the past few years.

If approved by Ashford Borough Council, the plans would see it converted into eight apartments while a small extension at the back and a shared garden space would be built.

Part of the building would also be covered by a green roof.

Po Thai in Park Street was previously Downtown Diner.

While there would be space for six bicycles, there would be enough parking for only three cars.

Council guidance says there should be a minimum of one space per unit in the town, however, as the site ‘promotes sustainable travel modes’ the reduced parking scheme is seen as acceptable, according to the developers.

Meanwhile, the former diner in Park Street, close to The Panorama, could hold three one-bedroom flats, and four two-bedroom flats.

There are currently only two parking spaces available but this would increase to three if the plans – which have been submitted by applicant Oruc Gurkan – are approved.

Ashford MP Damian Green feels putting the buildings to use is a good thing.

“Having people living in the town centre these days is good because it supports the shops, pubs and restaurants that remain,” he said.

“But you want enough of the shops and pubs so people have somewhere to go. You have to make individual decisions based on the context and the wider offering in the town centre.

“What I hate to see is empty properties so it’s better to put them to some use.

“Having people within walking distance of the shops and restaurants is a good thing, it means there is always life around the town centre.

“It depends on how sympathetically they’re changed. The Swan is a nice building and I hope the essentials of the building are preserved.”

Before Po Thai opened in 2016, the building was the Press Rooms.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Liane Castle, 9 April 2024.

Plans to turn The Swan in Tufton Street, Ashford into home approved.

A historic pub dating back 150 years is set to become a home after owners were given the green light to turn it into a four-bedroom house.

The Swan in Tufton Street, Ashford opened in 1874 (I got it as early as 1865, Paul Skelton) but after a turbulent few years, bosses announced they needed to find a new use for the building.

A planning application to convert the three-storey building was submitted to Ashford Borough Council in February and has now been approved.

The restaurant and bar are currently on the bottom floor while the top two floors are residential.

The new proposal means the home can now be extended so it covers all three levels as one property.

Documents submitted by Kember Loudon Williams, on behalf of applicant Rectory Lane Ltd, say the pub had “experienced closure and loss-making” leading to “a number of failed tenancies”.

The owners say it would be beneficial for the venue, which they took over in 2017, to become a single dwelling.

Two doors down developers are building nine flats.

While plans were approved, concerns were raised over the amount of noise future residents might be exposed to as the "Phoenix," soon to become the "Players Bar," is directly opposite.

A planning condition means before work can start, owners must come up with a plan to protect the dwelling from noise which must be approved by the council.

The protection measures will then have to be in place before anyone can move in, along with at least one electric vehicle charging point.

There are currently four parking spaces on-site and a bicycle store, all of which will stay.

Previously plans were put forward to convert the building into eight separate flats, but the application was put on hold because of issues with nutrient neutrality surrounding water pollution levels at the Stodmarsh Nature Reserve, near Canterbury.

The owners feel changing it to a single home – as it was when the site was originally built in the 1860s – would be the best solution to avoid hold-ups.

New owners have taken over the "Phoenix" and hope to turn the pub previously branded “dark and dingy” into a sports bar.

It was taken over by Chris Hall last year and he has brought in Smoking Drum Caribbean’s Kieran Mckenzie to run the kitchen.

Two doors down from the "Swan," a building that stood for more than 100 years was knocked down to make way for nine flats and four terraced houses which are currently being constructed.

The Christian Fellowship Church was demolished in 2019 after planning permission for the development was granted a year earlier.

It previously housed a Datsun showroom, a church and a pre-school.

Construction workers are still on site and it is not clear when the homes will be complete.