Ashford Borough Council: Preliminary Market Engagement for Ashford Arts Centre Operator

Contracting authority

Contracting authority:

Ashford Borough Council

Public Procurement Organisation Number:

PJTC-7477-RLVM

Address:

International House,, Dover Place
Ashford
TN23 1HU
UK

Contact name:

Stephanie Leonard

Email:

procurement.email@ashford.gov.uk

Telephone:

Not provided

Website:

Not provided

Organisation type:

REGIONAL_AUTHORITY

Devolved regulations that apply:

None

Procedure

Procedure type:

Open procedure

Preliminary market engagement conducted:

Not provided

Special regime:

None

Scope

Title:

Preliminary Market Engagement for Ashford Arts Centre Operator

Reference number:

ASH/25/358

Main category:

SERVICES

Description:

Ashford Borough Council is bringing forward the redevelopment of the former Odeon cinema on Ashford High Street into Ashford Arts Centre (working title, naming convention to be agreed with successful bidder), a flexible theatre, gallery and community venue, and a landmark cultural project for the town centre. Following Cabinet and Full Council approval, this first phase of the project focuses on restoring the High Street facing part of the building; it does not recreate a full-scale theatre and is designed to complement rather than compete with larger regional venues. Design development is being led by Haworth Tompkins, with RIBA Stage 2 complete and Stage 3 design now underway.

The Council intends to appoint an operator or leaseholder to run the venue once complete, on a lease or concession basis pending final classification, and is undertaking preliminary market engagement to understand market capacity and appetite among cultural and commercial operators before finalising its procurement route and minimum requirements. This builds on strong interest already shown by creative and community organisations in Ashford and is intended to ensure the technical brief and contract terms are realistic and will attract high quality operators, given the Council's ambition for the venue to become a genuine cultural anchor for the area. The Council acknowledges that some form of public revenue support may be required to enable a venue of this kind to operate sustainably; the level and structure of any such support has not yet been determined and will be informed by this engagement. This is not a call for competition and does not commit the Council to commence a procurement process.

Turnover estimated at approximately £6.1 million over a 15-year term, in line with the lease or concession term set out above. This reflects the Council's indicative commercial model for the venue, based on cumulative operator income (not net or gross profit and excluding public subsidy) over the 15-year term.

Lease or concession term of approximately 15 - 25 years from operational handover. Start date to be confirmed once the Stage 3 and Stage 4 design and construction programme is finalised, but indicative dates provided are based on an early agreement being in place in early 2027, with the venue opening in July 2028, based on the current programme and a 15 year agreement from opening.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:
https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/tenders/UK-UK-Ashford:-Recreational%2C-cultural-and-sporting-services./6784S55D35

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/respond/6784S55D35

Total value (estimated):

GBP 6,100,000 excluding VAT

GBP 7,320,000 including VAT

Contract dates (estimated):

31/03/2027 to 30/06/2043

CPV classifications:

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services.

92300000 - Entertainment services.

92310000 - Artistic and literary creation and interpretation services.

Delivery regions:

UKJ4 - Kent

Participation

Suitable for SMEs:

Yes

Suitable for VCSEs:

Yes

Engagement

Engagement deadline:

28/08/2026

Engagement status:

The engagement has not yet been carried out.

Engagement process description:

1. Purpose of this Engagement
Ashford Borough Council is undertaking preliminary market engagement in advance of a potential procurement process for the appointment of an operator or leaseholder to run Ashford Arts Centre.
The purpose of this exercise is to:
•understand current market capacity and appetite among cultural, community and commercial operators
•test the contract structure against real operator experience, including views on whether, and to what extent, public revenue support may be needed
•inform the proposed procurement route, contract structure and specification
•identify opportunities for community engagement, accessible pricing and high-quality content programming
This is not a call for competition and does not commit the Council to commence a procurement process.

2. Venue Overview
•Location: the former Odeon cinema, Ashford High Street, currently being redeveloped by Haworth Tompkins
•Main auditorium (Studio Theatre): up to 176 seated, or 212 standing, a flexible performance space for resident and touring content
•First floor Dance Hall and community space: approximately 145 sqm, with seated capacity varying by use from around 45 up to around 132 depending on layout, intended to operate as a concurrent, separate hire alongside the auditorium, supporting workshops, rehearsals, dance classes and wellbeing activities, as well as commercial and public hire including meetings, conferences, weddings and private celebrations
•Additional spaces: a foyer with café/bar and informal workspace, a gallery and pop-up creative area for exhibitions and community showcases, and accessible circulation with modern building systems throughout
•Design and technical development detail available in the information pack on request
•Further background on the project, including the Cabinet report and community engagement activity, is available on the Council's website: https://www.ashford.gov.uk/your-council/council-projects/town-centre-improvements/the-odeon/
•Public sector revenue support: the Council acknowledges that some form of public subsidy may be required to enable a venue of this scale and specification to operate sustainably. The level and structure of any such support has not yet been determined, and responses to this engagement will help inform that decision
The Council is particularly interested in understanding how operators can support: local employment opportunities; affordable and accessible pricing alongside genuine community access commitments; high quality cultural and commercial content programming; and a resilient commercial model capable of sustaining the venue over the full contract term.

3. Engagement Format
•Operator Market Day: Wednesday 12th August 2026, held via Teams, with senior representatives from Haworth Tompkins, Ashford Borough Council and Blue Horizon Ventures presenting the design, requirements and next steps
•Optional follow up conversations available on request
All participating organisations will receive the same information pack, to ensure transparency.

4. Confidentiality
Information provided will be used solely to inform the Council's procurement strategy. Commercially sensitive information will not be disclosed publicly.

5. Next Steps
Following this engagement, the Council may:
•refine its delivery model
•adjust its route to market
•publish a formal procurement notice
•decide not to proceed

Register attendance for the market day by Friday 7th August 2026, to Julian Russell julian@bluehorizon-ventures.com

Written expressions of interest and responses to the questionnaire are due by Friday 28th August 2026 via the Kent Business Portal.

Submission

Other organisations