The Parks
One of the most
attractive features of Ashford is its acres of green, open
spaces.
Incredible areas of outstanding natural beauty surround the
town, and the borough's picturesque rural villages
are tempting more and more people looking for a slice of
country life away from the city.
Ashford’s growth plans
require the amount of public open spaces around the
town to increase by upto 900 hectres, with provision for
natural, family-friendly spaces and pathways throughout.
To help meet this target, the Core
Strategy for Ashford's Local Development Framework proposes
the creation of three new strategic parks over the
next 20 years,
Comparable in size to London’s royal parks,
the parks will offer a wide range of leisure opportunities,
from exciting family-oriented activities to more
natural, rural-themed public spaces to attract both local
residents and visitors from further afield.
The proposed parks are:
Discovery
Park (Chilmington Green) - a family-orientated
park incorporating the Singleton Environment Centre, events and
sports field, formal gardens, play park, organic farm and
arts centre. Large enough to take a 40min jog or an
hour-long walk.- Conningbrook Park
(Conningbrook) - a major water park with a proposed boat
house, dinghy sailing, restaurant, and man-made beach.
- Stour Riverside Park (south
east Ashford) - a park following the Stour River, focusing on
natural-themed walks and activities that encourage
bio-diversity.
Ashford’s Future is conducting on-going public research into what
facilities each park should offer.
These parks will be connected by a ‘green
necklace’ of open spaces around the town, including cycle paths,
bridle ways and public rights of way. Sometimes crisp and urban,
sometimes soft and green, these spaces will change in style
according to the neighbourhood they pass through, and will create a
stunning green circle around the town for people to enjoy, whether
on their way to work or on a day out.