Council votes to demolish mall in 'heated' debate
BBCA controversial plan to demolish an Ashford shopping centre has been passed.
Ashford Borough Council (ABC) voted in favour of a motion to bulldoze Park Mall to, what the council called, a "heated" response from people who had attended the meeting on Thursday.
A petition with 3,500 signatures opposed removing the existing site, which the council said was losing £700k a year, to create an interim car park while redevelopment plans are considered.
An ABC spokesperson described the debate as "long, and at times heated" but said while considering public feeling, they had voted to pass the motion.
Ahead of the vote, which passed with a majority of 30, traders at Park Mall accused the council of making their minds up and not consulting the public over the decision.
Save Park Mall campaigner and trader David Hebditch said: "If you'd done even the briefest of public engagements on this subject you would have discovered this overwhelming viewpoint but sadly you didn't."
Audible discontent later came from attendees after Reform councillor Bill Barrett was told he could not raise a motion to reverse the decision in part.
A member of the public shouted: "This is why this country's in decline. You disgust us."
Following an adjournment, Ashford mayor Lyn Suddards told attendees: "I just want to apologise to people who were troubled by the clapping, by the noise, by the upset.
"I'm afraid I did let the jovial clapping at the start go by but it did become aggressive and some people felt intimidated by the end of that, by the end of the debate and I am sorry about that."
Green Party councillor Steve Campkin described how he was "still shaking" after the disturbance.
On Friday, an ABC spokesman said that social media speculation police were called "doesn't appear to be true".
Kent Police confirmed they did not attend.
An ABC spokesperson added: "The Park Mall site is not financially sustainable, with annual losses of £700,000 and significant maintenance costs projected of £980,000 by 2026/27 and £9.3 million from 2028 onwards."
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