Maidstone Business Forum - Peter Erlam reports on the latest meeting News in brief


Less weeding CERTAIN areas of the town are beginning to look untidy, mostly due to a proliferation of weeds, the meeting heard. This is because KCC now


clears weeds only once a year, not three times a year.


Christmas lights TOWN Centre Management has decided not to hold an annual Christmas lights switch-on event but to coor- dinate with FremlinWalk’s own display. The number of lights will


be limited this year due to the High Street works but will include Bank Street.


CCTV decision


A DECISION about who should runMaidstone’s CCTV system was due by early No- vember. Town CentreManage- ment is on the shortlist of bodies bidding for the con- tract.


Longer loo times


THE public toilets near the River Medway at Fairmeadow should be open from Easter to September, it is recommended by Town Centre Management.


Dual signage


THE possible introduction of multilingual signage is being investigated by TCM’s mar- keting group.


Footfall rises


TOWN centre footfall has risen by 4.4%, the most re- cent figures show.


Three-way lights can add three minutes to taxi fares


MAIDSTONE Market may be relocated to the town centre. That is an option being ex- plored as the council looks into its current performance and the role it plays. Creation of a dif- ferent type of market was also being investigated. One forum member said re-


siting the market from Lock- meadow would undermine


Surgery for Mr Town Centre


TOWN Centre Manager Bill Moss has had another health scare – similar to one he experienced a year ago. TCM chairman Paul Alcock reported that Mr Moss had


fallen ill on the morning prior to the forum meeting but that, after attending hospital, was home by lunchtime. Mr Moss was due to have laser surgery to correct a circuit


in his heart that had caused the original problem last No- vember, when he was off work for several weeks.


THE heart of Maidstone is in good health, insists borough council chief executiveAl- ison Broom. In a presentation to the forum, she said


the town centre was a “traditional” style. Its strengthwas its diversity,with the likes of Archbishops Palace, the museum and the river among attractions that con- tributed to its attractiveness compared to other districts. Maidstone is Kent’s largest retail centre, with more floor space than Tunbridge


Regeneration works WORK in Bank Street as part of theHigh Street regeneration proj- ect will take place after Christ- mas, following discussions with traders.


Salon to takeaway DYSON Brown (formerly Blu Hairdressing) at 95a Week Street, Maidstone, may be re-


34 East


Diversity is a winner Maidstone Market attracts shoppers to Lockmeadow area of town


Wells or Canterbury, and it is the 38th “strongest” in the UK – and forecast to hold that position. Shop vacancy levels are only 10%-12% compared to a national average of 15%. It also boasted the county’s biggest night-


time economy, generating £55m annually. Mrs Broom also reported the ways in which the council supports local business,


placed by a hot food takeaway. A planning application re-


quests the new business use for the ground floor and a one-bed- room flat at first-floor level. Both sections were used as hair salons for many years. The planning documents state


that the future occupier of the proposed takeaway is not known. Maidstone Council will


rule on the proposal.


including free one-to-one advice through The Gateway and the Chamber of Com- merce; small business units at Parkwood; and investment in creative industries via Media Tree. But the council’s predominant role, she added, is investment in the public realm, such as the current High Street, Mote Park and museum schemes. She also spoke about the council’swork-


ing relationship with Town Centre Man- agement.


Business workshop SMALL and medium-sized busi- nesses are invited to attend the Steps to Environmental Manage- ment (STEM) workshop at Maid- stone Town Hall. The half-day workshop, on


Tuesday, November 8, is being organised by Maidstone Council and KCC’s South East Business


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


Carbon Hub. Delegates will be guided through the first level of the STEM certification scheme.


New estate agency


WIEK Corporation Ltd has been given permission to convert a re- tail shop into an office for an es- tate agency at 22 Union Street, Maidstone.


Town’s cabbies complain about red-light delays


TAXI drivers have suffered an ear-bashing from late-night customers over delays caused by tem- porary traffic lights for the High Street regenera- tion project. Dennis Conyon,who represents theMaidstone


Taxi Proprietors’ Association, said his members have had to wait an unnecessarily long time on red lights. One driver, outside the Town Hall, told the Downs Mail he had timed the wait – for red to change to green – at two minutes 40 seconds. Customers become especially frustrated in the


early hours when there is less traffic and no allowances have to be made for buses to negoti-


ate the works. Mr Conyon said he struggled to understand


why, with new technology, the lights could not be re-phased for a period during the night. But hewas told therewas no funding available


to alter the phasing each night. Mr Conyon told the forum that customers who


are “well bellied up” could not understand why they are waiting so long with the pay meter run- ning. It is a difficult situation for drivers to deal with, he added. But a spokesman for the Eurovia roadworks contractors explained that with three separate sets of temporary lights – inMill Street, Pudding Lane and the High Street - they had to allow a minute at each set for traffic to drive through and clear, making a total of three minutes for the complete phase. "You can't satisfy all of the people all of


the time," he added, hinting that bus driv- ers have complained even more than the cabbies.


Meanwhile, the town centre revamp is “slightly ahead of schedule” according to Eurovia. The facelift should be finished by


next summer. Work will be halted for two weeks over Christmas, from Decem- ber 22.


Investigation into possible market move


the town’s discount shops whereas an Italian or German- style market would bring peo- ple into the centre and generate more money for existing retail- ers.


Council chief executive Ali-


son Broom observed that the market had undergone a “massive evolution” since the days of it beingmainly agricul- tural.


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