When undertaking a commercial property search

When undertaking a commercial property search, Kent has scores of options available, which could change dramatically depending on the business itself.

Orchards and hop gardens are not the most abundant income for the county any more, with many international businesses looking to the area for its large catchment area of workers and its proximity to London. So where is the “Garden of England” would be best for prospective businesses?

North Kent has a history for housing large, industrial firms. Northfleet, for example, was once dominated by two imposing chimney towers from the town’s cement plant. Whilst that has since closed, the town is still a prime producer of paper, housing a large 1920s paper mill that is still in use, producing – among other things – Andrex toilet tissue.

Nearby Sittingbourne, however, grew from Kent’s abundance of chalk and clay. Realising the local clay offered the perfect conditions for making bricks (some of the most chalk-rich clay in Europe), many large brickwork plants opened. Today, these still thrive, as do paper, water transport and cement.

Rochester, on the other hand, has been synonymous with engineering and aircraft design for decades. With Rochester’s Institute of Technology cultivating the next generation of engineers, this status looks set to continue long into the future as well.

One of the most northernmost points of Kent is the town of Grain, most well-known for its oil refineries. Grain Power Station currently provides around three per cent of the entire National Grid’s energy supply and when it comes to the end of its life, there are plans to keep the industry at Grain, with the building of a new, gas-fired power station to sit alongside the old one.

So whereabouts in Kent a business chooses for its base can have a big impact, with anything from local geography to history or anthropology playing a part in whether or not it succeeds. But one thing’s for sure, Kent certainly has a wealth of options available.