From luxury hotels to well-known brands, Kent will see all sorts of exciting new developments in the coming years.
Below we list some big names that want to invest in your area…
Tunbridge Wells
A luxury hotel chain is planning to open its second Kent location at a Grade II listed country house near Tunbridge Wells.
The Pig announced last year that it would be coming to Groombridge Place.
The new hotel will be called The Pig at Groombridge and will have over 40 bedrooms, all with views over the estate’s moat, gardens and vineyard.
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In 2019, The Pig at Bridge, near Canterbury, was named the best place to stay in the region by The Sunday Times and last November it was ranked fourth in the top 50 best boutique hotels in the UK.
The Tunbridge Wells site is scheduled to open in 2025, subject to approvals.
Canterbury
A ‘derelict’ Canterbury high house, once home to Burton and Dorothy Perkins, could be transformed into a restaurant beloved by the rich and famous.
Bosses at The Ivy, known for attracting celebrities including Kate Moss, David Beckham and Tom Cruise to its London locations, are planning to transform the entire site, located on the corner of Rose Lane and The Parade, into a luxury restaurant.
The ground floor will house most of the proposed 140 indoor seats, along with 32 alfresco seats on both The Parade and Rose Lane. The kitchen and a private dining room are on the first floor.
The new venue has also now received permission from Canterbury City Council to open seven days a week from 8am to 12.30am, serving alcohol from 10am to midnight.
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Sulfur
Swale will welcome a number of shops and restaurants.
Construction of a new multi-million pound Aldi in Queenborough, Sheppey, is nearing completion, but the opening date has been delayed.
Swale Borough Council’s planning committee gave the green light to the supermarket plans in December 2022.
The discount giant is investing £9m in the construction of a store in Neats Court, with construction work starting last year.
The German company announced last fall that the store would open in April, but that has been postponed.
Screwfix will also open a new store on the Isle of Sheppey later this year.
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, a Burger King branch is planned at a gas station.
Plans for the fast food giant to move to a new building are part of a wider refurbishment of the BP branch on St Paul’s Street, near Sittingbourne Retail Park.
Asford
A fourth McDonald’s is set to open in Ashford after controversial plans were approved in April despite concerns about increased traffic at one of the town’s busiest roundabouts.
The new drive-thru restaurant will be built on Chart Road, next to the infamous ‘tank roundabout’ and will be accessible via Bridge Road.
It joins three other restaurants in the city, in Eureka Park, Main Street and Orbital Park, the latter of which is the company’s busiest drive-thru in Europe.
It is not yet known when the restaurant will open to the public, but excavators and materials have been spotted at the location.
Dover
Dover is moving closer to opening its fourth Costa coffee shop.
The site has been cleared and the warehouses demolished to make way for the new branch on the A20, Snargate Street.
A building permit has already been granted for the new location and it is expected to open later this year.
The other Costa stores are located in the city centre on Biggin Street, a dedicated branch in St James’ Retail and Leisure Park, with another branch in the same location in the clothing and homeware store Next.
In addition, the Roman Painted House on New Street will soon reopen in the city after a £70,000 renovation was set aside.
The historic monument, which is more than 1,824 years old, has been closed since September 2022.
Folkestone and Hythe
More development is in the pipeline for the thriving town of Folkestone, with an Aldi supermarket and two drive-thru restaurants set to be built on the site of a former drinks factory.
Revised plans have been approved to transform the 11-hectare former Silver Spring Mineral Water Company site on the city’s Park Farm Industrial Estate.
Landowner Channelx Project Management Ltd, which bought the site from previous developers Ravensbourne Investments, amended the plans in 2022 to include a mix of retail, hospitality and industrial space.
The developers have since made further adjustments and the plans were approved by Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) last month.
A historic landmark in the city will also reopen as the Leas Lift undergoes a major renovation.
The cable car, built in 1885, transported passengers between the promenade and the sea for over 100 years.
Seven years ago the attraction had to close due to problems with the braking system.
It is now scheduled to reopen in 2025, following a £6.6 million refurbishment.
Thanet
A new £3.5 million ‘family entertainment centre’ is set to open in a major shopping centre in Thanet this summer.
Work continues at the Hollywood Bowl site in the Westwood Cross shopping centre, which will deliver 22 bowling lanes, rides – including Mario Kart and air hockey – and an American-style bar and restaurant.
The Broadstairs branch, housed in the former Debenhams store, will also feature four ‘luxury VIP lanes’ for bowling fans.
Originally due to open in autumn 2023, the opening was delayed, but bosses now say it will open “early August”.
A trampoline and bouncy castle park will also open this year in the Westwood Cross shopping centre.
Jump Inc. is also establishing its newest branch in the former Debenhams store.
It will be the company’s first site in Kent and the company claims it will be the largest site of its kind in the UK.
The exact date of the opening is not yet known.
Dartford
Construction has started on a multi-million dollar recreation area in Dartford.
Stone Recreation Ground in London Road is undergoing a £4.3million makeover.
The renovated park will include a new, larger café, an outdoor area for performances and improved landscaping.
Funding for the project comes from the city council, which has committed £650,000 up front and is contributing a further £1.25 million from future Community Infrastructure Levy income, while Dartford City Council is paying £2.55 million.
It is expected to open to the public in spring 2025.
Maidstone
Costa Coffee lovers will soon be able to pick up their favourite drink at a new drive-thru in Maidstone.
Gallagher Properties Limited was granted planning permission last month to build a drive-thru Costa Coffee on the Eclipse Park estate, near M&S.
Elsewhere in the city, WH Smith has announced the return of another Toys R Us store.
The retailer has revealed the next 17 locations where the toy store will open this summer, including Maidstone.
Tonbridge and Malling
Sainsbury’s wants to invest £20m in a former department store in Tonbridge.
The supermarket at the Angel Centre is being expanded and will fill the old Beales store space, which has been vacant since 2020.
Work on the expansion will start as soon as possible and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
Another supermarket coming to Tonbridge High Street is a new Morrisons store.
Morrisons Daily will occupy the retail space on the ground floor of The Nave complex.
The 270 m² store is a nod to the building that originally opened as International Stores in the 1970s. This means that the building is once again being used as a supermarket.
It is not yet known when this will open.
Grave of Gravesham
One of Gravesham’s biggest new attractions is Hatch Markets.
Street vendors, bars, games and entertainment are all part of the revival of Gravesend’s historic market.
Owner Jamie Clark previously said they hope to attract a variety of street vendors and shops, such as a deli, bakery or a store selling wine or craft beer.
The current grocery traders also continued to exist.
Hatch Markets opened to the public late last month.
Seven Oaks
Sevenoaks appears to be an exception to the rule, with no new major stores set to open in the area in the near future.
A Sevenoaks City Council spokesman said: “We have no concrete information about new retailers or restaurants setting up in Sevenoaks in the short to medium term.
“That is partly because we have one of the lowest numbers of vacant homes in the country.”