Half Page The South East


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Kent’s Property Market Report Lands in November


The performance of the county’s property the


industry, recent which reflects changes to how the


public lives, works and plays, will be unveiled in this year’s Kent Property Market Report.


Recognised as the most authoritative and in-depth report on the health of the county’s development industry, this will be the 33rd edition of the Kent Property Market Report.


Produced by Caxtons Property Consultants, Kent County Council and Locate in Kent, the annual report covers the office market; industrial, distribution and logistics; science and business


parks; as well as retail, rural, tourism and leisure, and the residential housing markets.


While looking back over the last 12


months at key deals and investments, Caxtons also provides its insight into what the year ahead holds for developers, landowners and businesses in the sector.


As the closest part of the UK to mainland Europe, Kent continues to attract foreign direct investment, as well as from UK companies, with Locate in Kent highlighting the strategic sites across the county ready to welcome new companies and employment.


Investing In Dover


Dover is a well-connected town, served by both the M2 and M20 motorways and a high-speed rail service to Central London. Just 21 miles from mainland Europe, ferries depart on average every 30 minutes.


The Port of Dover is the UK’s busiest international ferry port, with over 10 million passengers a year. It has a growing and diversifying cargo business, an award-winning cruise port, a new marina and revived waterfront, as well as being home to a vibrant new events programme.


And Dover is a great place to live, work and visit, with our world-famous white cliffs, home to magnificent castles and forts spanning more than 2,000 of history, surrounded by spectacular natural landscapes.


A whole range of exciting regeneration initiatives are coming together to bring major investment in the future for Dover and the district, including:


• Dover Beacon - Dover District


Council has been awarded £18.1m from the Levelling Up Fund plus £3.2m from the Future High Streets Fund towards a ‘Dover Beacon’ project, which will deliver over £90 million of economic benefit. It will be home to: an education campus providing


training opportunities


in creative and digital industries; a business centre, providing flexible, affordable


facilities for start- ups and SMEs; a creative centre;


and a refurbished underpass and improved public realm


• Maison Dieu, Reawakening a Gothic Fantasy - The Grade I Listed, 800-year-old Maison Dieu is undergoing a £10.5m restoration with a specialist team currently re-instating


the William Burges


decorative scheme by hand! The project has been supported by a £4.27m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and is bringing redundant spaces into commercial use, including a holiday let and a unique new concession in the Victorian gaol cells.


• Dover Fastrack - A fleet of new electric buses is


set to operate


on the new ‘Dover Fastrack’ route which will connect Whitfield with Dover town centre and Dover Priory railway station.


Buses


will have priority on the express route which includes a new bridge across the A2 and a new link road. Fastrack is being funded through Homes England (up to £22.9m), the


Department for Transport


(£9.5m) and Dover District Council (£1.42m).


• Dover’s Roman Painted House – Dover District Council reopened the historic Roman Painted House to the public from Saturday 14 September, as part of Dover’s Heritage Open Days. For more details, please see DDC’s regeneration page at Dover Council


Town Centres: Progress on plans for the regeneration of Tonbridge Town Centre are moving forward, with Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council approving a mixed-use approach comprising residential, commercial and retails uses along with a new medical practice and hotel. A master plan for the site will be brough forward during 2024/25 with a Tonbridge Town Centre Programme Board overseeing progress. At the same time, Tonbridge has been given a vote of confidence by Sainsbury’s who have submitted plans for a £20m expansion of their existing store.


Employment Sites: With ‘Aylesford 750’ let and now nearing completion at Panattoni Park Aylesford, there is currently only one unit now available on site – Unit 6a, which comprises just over 16,000 sq/ft. The 90-acre park connects Junction 4 of the M20, offering fast access to London and continental markets.


Strategically located off Junction 5 of the M20, Click Aylesford is being brought forward by Wrenbridge and will result in 300,000 sq/ ft of new industrial and office space. The site is being built to market leading sustainability credentials and will be completed in the Summer of 2024 – for further information go to https://www.clickaylesford.co.uk/


Office and Co-working Space On West Malling High Street, Fernham Homes has restored a Georgian Grade II listed building into new offices as well as a community work hub for people to rent out space on a flexible basis called ‘In the Bank’.


In the


Tonbridge, success


of


DeskRenter has built upon Castle


Lodge Co-working


office space by establishing a new facility, Workstation Tonbridge, which is located on Barden Road and just a matter of metres from the mainline station.


Mixed Use Developments Once completed Phase 3 of Kings Hill


will


provide 635 new homes, a youth recreational facility, community hall extension, new public park along with community enhancements. Construction work is also underway across a number of other sites in Kings Hill, amounting to a total of 350 further new homes. Having secured planning permission in 2023, Aylesford Lakes is now under construction. The development will provide a ‘later living community’ around the eastern lake at Aylesford Quarry. The scheme will also include a community hub building, along with contributions towards public transport and footpaths.


Growth in Tonbridge and Malling


Introduction Tonbridge and Malling is very much alive with investment, entrepreneurialism and growing clusters of activity, especially in agri-technology and the logistics sector. The following are just some of the key investments:


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COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MONTHLY 2024


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