ASHFORD, KENT — Popular fast-food franchise Pepe’s Piri Piri is eyeing a new location in Ashford town centre, marking what would be its third restaurant in Kent.
The company has submitted a planning application to take over the ground floor of 13 Elwick Road, a long-vacant commercial unit situated at the corner of Elwick Road and Bank Street. The proposal was filed by WH Group Investment and is currently under review by Ashford Borough Council (ABC).
The site in question, built more than four years ago and located next to Trafalgar House, has never been occupied. ABC purchased the freehold of the property last year, which includes 14 studio flats above the commercial unit. The council has not disclosed the purchase price.
No public comments have been made for or against the proposal on the council’s planning portal.
If approved, the Ashford outlet will join existing Pepe’s locations in Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, and Maidstone High Street. Plans to convert the former TSB bank in Maidstone into a Pepe’s restaurant were approved last year.
The new site would place Pepe’s near Elwick Place, a £75 million leisure development that launched in December 2018 with high hopes from local authorities. Despite early optimism, only four businesses currently operate within the complex.
Last year, the council assumed control of the former Picturehouse cinema at Elwick Place after the Cineworld-owned chain gave up its lease. Now operating as The Ashford Cinema, the venue is set to remain under council management for at least another 18 months, as announced in January.
Pepe’s Piri Piri has not issued a statement regarding the new location. A decision on the planning application is expected later this year.
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