For those wallowing in the gloom of a Brexit led slowing of the UK economy, a trip through the three south east counties could prove to be a rewarding experience.
That is because many local authorities and businesses are not accepting the bleak future and are building new commercial and residential facilities, notably in Ashford.
What is the key to the changes? One of them is transport with a number of improvements, such as changing the Ashford ring road to a more user friendly route but also wider spread improvements to the motorways and main roads.
What is another factor? It appears to be a dynamic and helpful local authority aiming for economic growth and better facilities for the population. Here again, it is true of Ashford.
Outside this east Kent town, other places are pushing for change, particularly the business parks such as Discovery which has embarked on a new phase of development and Newhaven. However, there are problems as highlighted by Glenny’s Richard Seton-Clements with the loss of commercial space to residential use.
It is obvious the government could not care less about this as long as they are able to get headlines in the newspapers about more houses being built. It is par for the course when it comes to government’s attempting to understand commercial property.