Dover District Council has invested nearly £350,000 to create five new retail units in Aylesham.
Located in the centre of the village in Market Place, the units have just been fitted out and the first two are to be handed over to their occupants before the end of July. A pet supplies store and a barber are due to move in shortly. Negotiations are ongoing for the remaining units.
Richard Beer, proprietor of RBees Pet Supplies, was set to be the first shop to open and he was presented with his keys by Dover District Council Leader Cllr Keith Morris on Wednesday, 11 July.
Richard, who grew up in Aylesham, said: “I’m really excited about this, I’ve signed a 15 year lease with the council for the shop. I’ve taken it on as much for my 14 month old son Jonathan as for myself. I’m hoping when he is older, he may want to take over the business.”
The council purchased the building, which includes a number of first floor flats, in 2017 from the developers of Aylesham Garden Village. The ground floor space was originally intended to be a supermarket but the operator pulled out.
Work over the past couple of months has included installing all services and fitting attractive frontages to each shop which include a built in protective roller blind.
Cllr Morris said: “I’m delighted to see businesses moving into the new units. They will enhance a village which is becoming increasingly vibrant and popular as more people move into new homes on the Aylesham Garden Village development.”
Posted on 11 July 2018