News from latest Town Centre Management meeting Business as usual in High Street


TOWN Centre Management (TCM) had a five-month break between meetings because interest was “dying”. Thatwas town centre manager Bill Moss’ explanation


for a gap ended by a meeting that brought together town centre businesses in early April. TCM is a company that acts on behalf of the members


– includingMaidstone Council and town centre shops and businesses – which are its main funders. It also gains money from town centre crime reduction part- nership fees and commercial activities. TCM usually holds meetings every month that are


open to members. But Mr Moss said: “We have not had a meetingfor a few months because it was dying. “We are going to have speakers and presentations be-


High Street traders have been reassured about access during works


MAIDSTONE Council insists there will be no ac- cess restrictions for High Street businesses during the forthcoming improvement project. The borough has announced that work on the


£2.2m project to regenerate the area between The Mall shopping centre and the junction with Mill Street – phase one of the scheme – will begin in late June and end in February next year. John Foster, regeneration and economic devel- opment manager, said: “There should not be any instance where retailers will not have access to their premises. “If there is any issue


on a day to day basis, there will be a site office available where people can raise their con- cerns.” Retailers will soon be


cause we want to move things forward.We want to be- come the meetingof choice people feel they must attend.”


possibility that work could be put on hold for a couple of weeks over this period. He hopes that the work will have progressed beyond the Town Hall by this stage. The scheme will include re-paving the surface, planting new trees, moving bus stops, re-chan- nelling the traffic flow and the development of new communal spaces. Mr Foster said: “We will end up with a mas-


sively improved street and it could become a des- tination in its own right, a place where people will want to come and visit.


“There will be three new


given a plan outlining a detailed timetable high- lighting when specific areas will be worked on. Town centre manager Bill Moss raised concerns


Movers and shakers  Sports Soccer was looking to move from its current premises in The Mall to a 35,000 sq ft ‘megastore’ beneath Maidstone Gateway. The unit is larger than the former Army and Navy store inWeek Street. This would open up a vacancy at its existing store.


 A consortium involving nightclub owner Aaron Stone is said to have purchased the former Loder and Payne store in Bank Street. The property, which last traded six years ago as Primus, is undergoing refur- bishment.


 A British Heart Foundation furniture store will replace QS at 10-11 High Street.


 Two new tenants are likely to take up vacancies at Fremlin Walk, which would leave just one empty unit – formerly oc- cupied by Notting Hill.


Contractor work RINGWAY, the contractor who will under- take the High Street work, has agreed to re- furbish an area of land known as the Horseway, near All Saints Church and the River Medway.


that businesses could suffer a dip in trade at the most crucial time of the year if work continues through Christmas. Mr Foster added there was a


open spaces around the town hall, which will give people somewhere central to meet up. We have never before had the chance to have events in the very middle of the centre. In the past we would have to go to


Brenchley Gardens or Lockmeadow. Butwe could get bands or have a farmers’ market.” Mr Moss applauded Maidstone Council for “having the balls” to go ahead with the scheme in the wake of funding cuts and financial difficul- ties.


Phase two of the project, which takes in the Mill Street junction to the A229 dual car- riageway and would cost £1.2m and has been put on the back burner due to funding con- straints.


 A trader at Market Build- ings is looking to move to larger premises.


 Pret a Manger (above), now open in FremlinWalk, has agreed to donate all of its left- overs at the end of the day to Trinity Foyer, a town centre charity that looks after vulner- able youngsters.


 Bhs was doing a major re-fit at its premises in The Mall.


 Café Rouge was due to move in to 42-44 Earl Street, formerly Jays Solicitors.


 Office Shoes is now open in FremlinWalk.


THE Rotary Club of Maidstone Riverside has do- nated five chairs to the new Goodman Dementia Centre run by Age Concern in Bearsted. The centre, which was opened in July 2010,


can accommodate up to 20 clients per day and is open Monday to Friday. It is managed by a qualified nurse and a fur-


34 East


Good for blue COMMUNITY reform cam- paigner Baroness Newlove was said to be impressed by Maid- stone’s Urban Blue bus, which provides late-night help to those in need, on a recent visit to Maidstone. She came to prominence after


her husband Garry Newlove was murdered by three youths in 2007. A group of Swedish police were also due to visit the bus.


New Year cheer THIS year’s Chinese New Year celebrations finally worked, ac- cording to town centre manager Bill Moss, who said: “We have tried for four years to do the celebrations in the town centre, but we have never got it right. “This year it worked so we


now know the formula for next year.”


Retail event A GROUPof senior retail direc- tors will discuss business is- sues in Maidstone on May 25. Alex Gourlay, chief executive ofAlliance Boots,will chair the meeting.


Footfall is on the increase ...


FOOTFALL at Maidstone’s two major shopping centres has seen a 5% year-on-year increase. The daytime figure is worked out by weekly electronic monitor-


ing at The Mall and Fremlin Walk. “This is bucking all kind of trends,” said town centre manager Bill Moss. “I am not suggesting everybody is spending lots of money and shopkeepers are jumping for joy, but cer- tainly customers are coming to the town, which is good.”


…and nights are busy, too MAIDSTONE’s night-time economy is in rude health, according to Bill Moss. In a TCM meeting of bar, restaurant and nightclub owners, it was reported that the year has started encouragingly. “They say business is terrific,” said Mr Moss. “Nobody can account for it and nobody knows the answer. They just say: ‘keep it coming’.”


Riverside Rotary helps dementia care centre


ther four staff plus volunteers. It is open to anyone within the borough of Maidstone. The president of the Rotary Club, Peter Body- combe, who is also a volunteer driver for Age Concern, chose the charity as one of his nomi- nated local beneficiaries during his year.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk One explanation


put forward was that more people are entering the town to socialise, rather than shop.


Drainage advice PLANNING approval was granted for a single storey rear and side extension in Lit- tlebourne Road, Vinters Park. Maidstone Council attached


an informative, urging the ap- plicant to dispel concerns over drainage issues.


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