A large town centre car park is to close next weekend.
The 210-space Edinburgh Road building in Ashford shuts on Sunday, January 11, according to a notice put up by Ashford council.
The Edinburgh Road car park in Ashford
The photograph of the sign was taken by Francesca Dove, who works a few minutes’ walk away in the Tucked Away Takeaway in the High Street.
She told KentOnline: “I’m panicking of where I can park now. There are others nearby, but they are more expensive.
“Also, all other drivers using Edinburgh Road will have to go somewhere else too.”
The multi-storey car park is one of the few in the town centre, along with the already-closed neighbouring Park Mall car park, that only charges until 3pm. Others make drivers pay until 6pm.
They have also charged £1.10 per hour, while the Vicarage Lane and Station Road spaces nearby cost £1.30.
The notice announcing the closure date for the Edinburgh Road car park in Ashford. Picture: Francesca Dove
The loss of both car parks means a total wipeout of 254 town centre spaces.
The Edinburgh Road block is being demolished along with the neighbouring Park Mall Shopping Centre for redevelopment.
The council, which owns both sites, wants to place an interim 200-space car park before eventually using the land for housing.
The last trader at Park Mall, Matthew Abercrombie, of Vapeology, is now leaving, with the centre closing completely next Friday.
The council says the 1987-built Park Mall has to go because of a declining retail sector, the loss of anchor tenants such as Wilko and escalating maintenance costs.
Francesca Dove uses the Edinburgh Road car park in Ashford as her workplace is nearby. Picture: Francesca Dove, Facebook
It rejected a 3,500-signature petition submitted by the Save Park Mall campaign group, which called for the centre to be kept.
Internal papers previously revealed how the authority – which has owned the shopping centre since 2015 – considers the site “not financially sustainable”, with annual losses of £700,000.
Most businesses at Park Mall have found new premises either in the town centre, including Vapeology, or further out in Ashford town or borough.