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Darford's closed shops

Dartford's destiny

By Ed Cook

BBC Kent's Ed Cook, who grew up in Dartford, looks at the town's development plans and hopes for the future.

Dartford town centre is set for a multi-million-pound revamp. There are plans for hundreds of new homes and shops, including a Tesco superstore, in the Lowfield Street area, where many units are boarded up and empty.

BBC Kent's Ed Cook

But the vision has been hit by the credit crunch, with the project now likely to be delivered in phases, rather than as a complete package. At the moment, there's no date for work to start, although the borough council hopes the bulldozers could move in before the end of the year.

A tour of Dartford

Ed went on a wander around his home town, to chat to some of the locals about the future of Dartford.

Listen: Ed's tour of Dartford >

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Jeremy Kite: Council Leader

The Council leader

Jeremy Kite says, "Lowfield Street is in desperate need of regeneration. We've gone through one plan which didn't come off. We're now at the heart of another plan which seems to be receiving a lot more political and public approval but we can't wait too much longer. I'm confident we'll get the full package for Lowfield Street but the issue is over timing and phasing.

"In the recession, it's going to be hard to build 900 new homes, when other developers aren't able to do so. I think we'll get the full package but it's going to take longer to arrive. I think this year we'll see some big changes to the way the town centre is configured, and the start of the Lowfield Street development."

Chris Saunder: Market Trader

The market trader

Chris Saunders says, "There are a lot of charity shops and banks now - not many retailers. I'm leaving the market because it's not viable being a small trader. I can't really survive.

"Around 30-years-ago, the market revitalised the town but now the shopkeepers are going and it's not a thriving town centre anymore. It's partly because of bad town planning. There are retail outlets spread over the town, instead of one centralised shopping area."

Ray Richardson: Butcher

The butcher

Ray Richardson says, "The only thing people complain about is the parking. You would have thought it would be easy with all the empty shops in Dartford. The road system is one of things which messes this town up - it's quicker to go to Bluewater.

"I like Canterbury as it has a well-developed park-and-ride scheme. People are very loyal to Dartford though. We've lost the large Co-op store but people are making use of the other supermarkets. The bargain shops also seem to attract people."

Lee Piner: Cabbie

The taxi driver

Lee Piner says, "I've been a cabbie for five-years and Dartford is starting to go a bit downhill now. It was a lot busier and there were more shops. The credit crunch is starting to take effect.

"Passengers sometimes comment on the boarded-up shops when I drive down Lowfield Street. You've only got the market on Thursday and Saturday - other days it's fairly quiet. I'm doing my London knowledge now because there's not enough business here."

last updated: 26/06/2009 at 14:35
created: 26/06/2009

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Dartford's destiny