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Outrage as iconic shopping centre loved in the 90s to be demolished in just months after ‘spiralling decline’

PEOPLE are outraged as an iconic shopping centre loved in the 90s is to be demolished in months.

Businesses in Park Mall in Ashford, Kent, have until the end of August to vacate after owner Ashford Borough Council said the site is no longer viable.

SWNS
Park Mall Shopping Centre in Ashford, Kent, opened in 1987[/caption]
Alamy
The local council took over the lease in 2015 and has announced the centre will be demolished[/caption]
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Andrew Pardy disagrees with the decision to flatten the centre[/caption]

The local authority states it has “been in a state of spiralling decline for several years and is operating at a significant loss”.

The open-air mall, which opened in 1987, was once home to big High Street names such as Next, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Boots, and was described as the “heartbeat” of the town in its heyday.

Current traders are being offered support amid the impending transition but say they’re worried shoppers will remain loyal after the move.

They are also concerned about potential job cuts.

Rita Bhandari, from Divine Beauty Lounge in the centre, told BBC Radio Kent: “We don’t know where we can move our business to.

“That’s the main thing because we have regular customers from 13 years ago.”

Steven Carroll, Pound Stretcher trainee manager, said they don’t want to risk bringing in more staff to then tell them “in six months they could be out of the job”.

Local resident David Smith said the decision is “absolutely terrible” and urged the council to reconsider.

While shopper Effie Devenish said the town centre is at risk of becoming “empty and unloved”, adding it already “seems to have gone downhill quite a bit”.

Resident Sean Miles told KentLive the council isn’t catering for locals and it feels like the town is “falling to bits”.

Major high street retailer with 17 Scots stores to close 'a THIRD' of UK shops
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Andrew Pardy added: “It will make the cost-of-living crisis much worse as many of the shops that are losing their location are great cost-savers.

“So many shops are relocating to outside of the town – all development is happening outside Ashford and the centre feels neglected.”

The council told the BBC closing the centre will help reduce operating losses at the site and pave the way for potential “redevelopment and regeneration” there.

It added that there are many vacant units in the town centre which it hopes some of the vacating businesses can move to.

Ashford historian Steve Salter believes the decision has come about due to an extension to the neighbouring County Square shopping centre in 2008 and the introduction of Ashford Designer Outlet in 2000.

He told KentOnline I think the outlet extension “has been a huge nail in the coffin” and building it so close to the town centre “should never have happened”.

“And I always thought the council should have made Park Mall undercover like County Square because I think that would have made it more desirable and less open to the elements,” he continued.

“As we have all seen, some of the shops which left Park Mall ended up going to County Square, and the extension there in 2008 made that a better standard too.”

Matthew Abercrombie says he used his life savings to open Vapeology at the site and wants £30,000 in compensation from the council.

Mr Abercrombie, 45, took out a 10-year lease when he filled an empty unit previously occupied by a printing shop in 2019.

But he says he is now “scared” for the future.

The council says traders can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 if they spend the same amount and move to one of the town centre’s vacant units.

However, Mr Abercrombie and fellow trader Vince Monticelli, who owns The Record Store, agrees the grant doesn’t go far enough.

The 66-year-old said: “If there were concern for the businesses then I think something more than this grant would be on offer for us.”

When it opened on a plot previously home to houses and commercial buildings, Park Mall had been in the planning for nearly a decade.

By the 2000s it had attracted a host of national chains. It’s flagship unit was home to Sainsbury’s in the 90s, which attracted plenty of footfall.

The space was later taken up by Wilko – but with many big names already leaving, the bargain retailer also vacated in 2023.

The council secured the leasehold in 2015, with the site still home to around 20 businesses today.

In a statement, the authority said it has “always been clear that our longer-term plans are to redevelop the area away from retail”.

“Initially, (in 2015) it was about taking over an unloved part of the town centre and turning it into a hub for local, independent traders and while we have seen various traders come and go over the past decade, we feel it’s been a success within a really difficult trading period,” it said.

“In recent years, though, we have seen even more challenges across the retail sector including the loss of key anchor store Wilko, which has had a detrimental effect on footfall.

“The advent of the Covid pandemic slowed down any proactive consideration of redevelopment, but it is now time to progress regeneration plans, as the asset cannot support a continued managed decline anymore.”

The Sun has contacted the council for further comment.

Alamy
The bleak looking high street in Ashford as more shops have to let and for sale signs[/caption]
SWNS
Ashford resident Sean Miles is concerned about the demolition of Park Mall[/caption]
SWNS
Vince Monticelli runs The Record Store in Park Mall and says the proposed grant isn’t enough[/caption]
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Michael Landon didn’t allow ‘any a--holes’ on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ set: actress

Before Melora Hardin starred in "The Office," she headed to the prairie.

The actress, who got her start in Hollywood as a child, auditioned for "Little House on the Prairie" when she was 9 years old. She was later cast in an episode to play Belinda, one of Albert Ingalls’ (Matthew Labyorteaux) classmates.

The 57-year-old, who has recently launched a collage-style wallpaper line, Storyboards by Melora Hardin, has fond memories of helping to bring the hit series to life. She told Fox News Digital that Michael Landon, who starred as beloved patriarch Charles Ingalls and directed the series, was revered on set by the fellow "Prairie" kids.

‘LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE’ STAR ALISON ARNGRIM SAYS NETFLIX REBOOT CAN'T RECREATE MICHAEL LANDON'S 'MAGIC'

"Michael Landon made everyone feel safe," she recalled. "He trusted in us, and we trusted in him. He was protective of us. And I think that was one of the most important lessons I learned early on [in Hollywood] – surround yourself with the people who make you feel safe."

"I’ve always said that acting and making movies and TV are one of the greatest team sports around," she shared. "And I believe Michael Landon was my first example of that. I learned from him right away. And it just felt amazing to be around people who made you feel safe to be a fool in front of, to fail in front of. As a performer, especially that young, it felt good to not feel constantly judged or challenged."

WATCH: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE CHILD STAR SAYS SET WAS LIKE ‘MAD MEN’

"It’s about working with great collaborators and not tolerating a--holes," she said. "He didn’t have any a--holes on set. And I think that’s super important. If you feel safe, then you can do great work."

Hardin had already been working "for a long time already" in showbusiness when she joined "Little House." But Landon was different, she shared.

"I worked with people who weren’t quite as nice as he was," said Hardin. "We had school on the set, and it was just so much fun to have other kids in school with you, working with you."

"A lot of times I would be doing a movie or something, and I’d be the only [kid] in the room," Hardin continued. "I’d be the only one in the classroom with the set teacher. And it was such a joy to have other kids when you got to be in class with them and then work with them. That was joyful. We would also play games. It was a really fun way to be a child, to be a child actor. It was certainly a highlight."

Hardin revealed that from the moment she walked on set, Landon was "so warm."

"He worked great with kids," she gushed. "He really knew how to make us feel comfortable. He would let us do our thing. He wasn’t a meddling director. He was very joyful. 

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"He had a longtime relationship with his crew and he surrounded people he really trusted. So it was seamless. He was just joyful. I never felt he was stressed. Maybe he was [working behind the scenes], but I never felt it as a kid. He just seemed to be having a great time… Everybody seemed to be smiling in my world as a young kid."

Hardin also instantly bonded with Labyorteaux, 58.

"I remember during my first audition, we had to do this flashback sequence of us dancing together," she recalled. "I was a dancer. I started dancing at 5. I was very serious about ballet. He was not yet cast as Albert, but he was cast as a young Charles [Ingalls]. We danced together, and he later told me he really wanted me to get the part because I didn’t step on his toes like the other girls did."

Hardin returned for the 1983 TV movie "Little House: Look Back to Yesterday." She played a new character, Michele, who was Albert’s love interest. They shared their first on-screen kiss.

"We both had a crush on each other," she said. "It was an incredibly sweet moment. I think it was something that we were both nervous about and we both enjoyed it. That’s a forever memory for me. And we became best friends. He’s my youngest daughter’s godfather. It was a wonderful, fortuitous moment in our lives."

"Little House on the Prairie" concluded after nine seasons in 1983. Landon passed away in 1991 at age 54 from pancreatic cancer. It was a somber time for the cast.

WATCH: ‘LITTLE HOUSE’ STAR MICHAEL LANDON WAS STUBBORN ABOUT HIS HEALTH: DAUGHTER

"I was still so young when he died, but I remember we were all sad," she said. "… But I was just so happy that I had that time with him, that time we shared on set and the creative experience we shared. I got to witness what a lovely person he was. I will always remember him like that."

Today, Harden has been keeping busy with her wallpaper line.

"My interest in art started really young," she explained. "My dad’s an actor and an artist. And I think I learned very young from him that, yes, you can be an actor, but it’s also really important to have other things you’re passionate about. And I’ve been passionate about art, and I’ve always been passionate about collage. I don’t think I was ever a great artist. I tried painting. But it didn’t spark me in the way that collage does."

"When I made my first film, I realized that collaging is sort of what you did in the editing room," she shared. "It all goes together. I’m a songwriter and that’s like collaging, too, because you’re putting together words and melodies in a way that belong together somehow. I think it’s always been who I am."

In January, Netflix confirmed that a reboot of the classic show had been given the green light. The streaming giant described it as "a transformed adaptation." It will feature Rebecca Sonnenshine of "The Boys" and "The Vampire Diaries" as showrunner and executive producer.

Hardin feels it should be given a chance.

"There’s certainly a place for some sweet, feel-good content," said Hardin. "I remember when a new ‘Hawaii Five-0’ was announced. I thought, ‘I remember when that was on when I was a kid,' and I loved it. Can they do it justice?’ 

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"I think it’s the same feeling here [for fans]. When you lived during the time of the original and got to experience it, of course you’re going to feel like, ‘There’s no way they will be able to do it just as well.’ But that’s not trust."

"I think now is a great time for feel-good content," she said. "We need some sweetness. We need some entertainment. I do think there’s a need for warmth and stories that celebrate commitment to family. I think that’s important."

"I think those good values of the olden days would be a nice thing to have on TV today for young people," she continued. "So much stuff these days is jaded and so dark. And yet, ‘Little House’ was just filled with so much love, heart and good values. Who wouldn’t want to experience that today?"

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