Rap for council as fabrics store shuts
MAIDSTONE'S specialist C&H Fabrics store is closing after 40 years – and the borough council has been criticised by the company chairman. C&H, at the corner of Week Street and Union Street, will shut when the lease ex- pires in March, as it is making a loss. But the firm's other outlets, including Canter- bury and Tunbridge Wells, will remain open.
Chairman Bryan Hamblin said the rent (to
a Scottish landlord) and the business rates “have climbed so steeply that we cannot continue to trade profitably in Maidstone”. Mr Hamblin said: “We pay £70,000 a year, which is far too high. I fear other retailers will be forced to follow us as their leases end.” Mr Hamblin said: “The borough council
has done little or nothing to arrest the de- cline of the town centre and, in particular,
STUDENTS and staff of Cornwallis and New Line Learning Academies donated an abun- dance of food items and toiletries to the Maidstone Day Centre. The items were collected by a representa-
tive of the charity and distributed among the homeless people it cares for in the borough. This is the second year that both acade-
mies have contributed to Maidstone Day Centre’s Christmas Appeal and there are plans to take part again next year. The photograph shows students from NLL loading the charity’s vehicle with goody filled boxes.
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our end of town. No new car parks have been built near us in 20 years (indeed one has been shut).” He regretted the loss of 47 “excellent” em- ployees, plus freelance curtain-makers. Mr Hamblin added: "Maidstone has
changed a lot in the last 15 years and our end of Week Street has never recovered from the loss of the old Army and Navy store. Bluewater opened and Maidstone took a big hit. The new Fremlin Walk de- velopment has further damaged other areas of the central shopping zone. “Wealthier and more mature customers
repeatedly tell us they do not like coming in to Maidstone. They prefer the 'comfort' and 'quality' of TunbridgeWells, Canterbury and Tenterden.” C&H opened a new store in Guildford in
2009. Its other seven stores had a "remark- ably strong" 2010.
Maidstone Council spokesman Roger
Adley said: “Business rates are set nation- ally, based on rental values, which are themselves an indication of the area’s pros- perity. The council collects the money on behalf of the Government and the money goes to the Government. “When Fremlin Walk opened in 2005 it
put Maidstone into the top 50 town centre retail destinations nationally and main- tained our status as Kent’s premier town centre. Maidstone is well served by car parks – FremlinWalk has 760 spaces. “The council has approved a planning ap- plication for a mixed residential and retail use of the former Army and Navy store. “A number of new stores have opened in recent months. The former Woolworth’s store is now back in use as two retail units and a Tesco Express has opened on the other side of C&H Fabrics.”
Academies’ generosity helps town’s homeless Community
newspaper THE close link between the this year’s aims ofMaidstone Soroptimists and the Downs Mail in serving the local community were empha- sised by the newspaper’s President and former Editor- in-Chief Dennis Fowle. He spoke to the Soropti-
mists (President, Mrs Kate Kersey) on his book “So I Started a Newspaper”. The Downs Mail now reaches 88,000 households in the Maidstone community through its four editions.
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