Fremlin Walk improvements plan
APLAN to improve the FremlinWalk shop- ping area in Maidstone has been unveiled. Legal & General, who acquired the site in December 2010, wants to establish two roofed areas; install a multimedia screen; erect better signage and lighting; provide lift improvements and works to the car park lobby; and create stencilled patterns to walls on the junction ofWeek Street. Aroofed area hosting seasonally changing events and activities would help attract greater footfall to the west end of Fremlin Walk, near House of Fraser, with an LED screen to show centre events, this year’s Olympics, information and advertising. The proposals have been submitted to Maidstone Council. The supporting state- ment said: “In the short term we have worked to improve the tenant mix through
AN EXTERNAL review of the controversial Maidstone Mu- seum East Wing project could be commissioned after the con- tract over-ran by six months. Councillors have expressed concern at the extra costs in- curred – and themanagement of the project itself. The East Wing should have
been completed in April 2011 but the deadline was extended by 11 weeks – partly due to in- accurate surveying. It was then extended for a further 10 weeks, which contrator Morgan Sindall attributed to problems with the lift shaft, the connection of the power supply, installation of
expected. We need to increase footfall and dwell time to improve the performance of the centre which, in turn, will attract higher end retailers and improved rents. “Although the department store is trading
The proposed
entrance to Fremlin Walk fromWeek Street
the scheme and have achieved 100% occu- pancy for the first time. “However, in the medium term we believe
the estate will need to be revitalised to keep its appeal fresh, both to retailers and shop- pers.
“Commercial rents are not what could be Questions over museum contract over-run
ducting and design changes. In the event, the project was
not completed until October 21. Although the council had set
aside £500,000 to address the overspend, questions are still being asked about the length of the contract over-run. In May, the council appointed
a member of the building sur- veying team to monitor and re- port on progress but the cabinet now wants an independent con- tractor to carry out a review of the project and report back to chief executive Alison Broom. It was hoped the matter would be discussed by the full council on February 29.
well and the car park is well used, the foot- fall is particularly weak in the area in front of the department store where units are more difficult to let. “Footfall drops off significantly along the
retail street the further you progress away from Week Street. Therefore, there is a key requirement to increase the flow of cus- tomers from the car park and department store, up and out into the retail street, and to draw customers fromWeek Street along the whole length of the retail street.” Maidstone Council will decide on the planning application.
‘Room for improvement’ at tourist centre MAIDSTONE’s new tourist information centre has been criticised by the chairman of the council’s planning committee. The centre, previously at the Town Hall reception area, opened in November and is located within the new extension to Maidstone Museum in St Faith‘s Street. However, it took until mid-January for it to stock any brochures advertising local attractions. Cllr Richard Lusty said: “I amdisappointed in the way the tourist information department has deteriorated. Maidstone is a great place for tourism, so seeing theway it has deteriorated is upsetting. I have spoken to the chief executive [Alison Broom] and it will improve.” However, he heaped praise on other aspects of the project: “The
plans for the museumwere passed by this committee and whatwe see today is a great credit to the borough and the memberswho had the foresight to add this extension. “I voted for the museum extension but at the time I made a state-
ment that the design seemed more in keeping with the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, which was reported in Private Eye magazine. “Having visited the museum I think it fits in with its surround- ings. The architecture is good and the cladding fits in well.”
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