Ashford Borough Council

Reasons to Invest in Ashford:

Connectivity

• 37 minutes from London by high speed train
• 2 Hours from Paris by Eurostar
• 56 minutes from Lille by Eurostar
• 90 minutes from Brussels by Eurostar
• 2 motorway junctions on the M20 with a third due for completion in 2013
• 1 hour to Gatwick Airport

Cost Competitive

• Average office rents 68% lower than London
• Office rents up to 30% lower than other boroughs in Kent
• Salaries 30% cheaper than London and 15-20% cheaper than the South East

Growth

• Fastest growing town between London and the continent
• Population to double by 2031
• 31,000 new homes and 28,000 new jobs to be created by 2031
• Large scale government investment in infrastructure
• Large areas of development land available for employment use

Quality of Life

• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty within the borough
• House prices 30% less than London and 7% cheaper than the South East
• Excellent Leisure Facilities including multi million pound redeveloped leisure centre and an international standard athletics stadium
• Low crime rates and high resident satisfaction survey results

Assistance and Support For New Business Investors

The Economic Development Team at Ashford Borough Council work closely with existing and prospective Ashford businesses to ensure they are able to access the services and advice they need.

• The team are able to assist companies in finding suitable premises or development opportunities in the Ashford area.
• If a suitable premises or development site is located the team will work closely with the planning department on issues of permissions or changes of use.
• Ashford Borough Council are able to host visits to Ashford by companies and intermediaries to introduce the area and provide tours of suitable development sites.
• All visits will be supported with promotional information on Ashford for a companies future reference and to inform decision making and business cases.

For more information on how the Economic Development team can assist your business please contact us on 01233 330 310 or economicdevelopment@ashford.gov.uk.

Existing Business Base

Ashford’s strength is its diverse economy and strong business base. Ashford is a growing town and this can be seen from its growing economy and business base.

• Ashford is home to nearly 6000 companies with the number of companies based here growing 39% since 1998.
• 9000 jobs were created in Ashford between 1998 and 2007 and the population has grown by 23,000 between 1987 and 2007, with these trends set to accelerate due to Ashford’s growth agenda.
• Ashford employees provide excellent value for money, with average workplace earnings being lower than the regional and national average.
• Ashford has a mix of large multi national companies such as Hitachi, Eurostar, Smiths Medical, Brakes, Premier Foods, Alliance &Leicester, Coty and Givaudan.