Maidstone Business Forum update


Pride, not prejudice, as new archive centre gets set to open


RARE and valuable treasures from Kent’s historic past will be winging their way to Maidstone with the opening of the new Kent History and Library Centre. Manuscripts by author Jane Austen will be among treasured archives to be housed in the new centre, due to open off James WhatmanWay in late April. The centre will replace the old Springfield library, which is to be demolished, and St Faiths li- brary in St Faiths Street, which is to be sold, as well as the East Kent Archive Office, based at Canterbury Cathedral, which will close. The new premises will be on


by Jane Shotliff Renewed bid to


fly the purple flag MAIDSTONE is making a sec- ond bid to fly the coveted pur- ple flag for the quality of the night-time entertainment in the town. Town Centre Management


was disappointed to find it had failed to sufficiently impress inspectors to gain the accolade in March 2011. “This would have been quite a major coup for us,” said Town Centre man- ager Bill Moss, “so naturallywe were despondent and ques- tioned the decision.” Following discussions with


one level, with toilets, refresh- ment areas and the latest technology to allow cus- tomers to accessWi-Fi and high-speed internet. The new History and Library Centre is hoping


The new Kent History and Library Centre will bring together archives from around the county


to sport a piece of public art–ametal “tree” – on the side of the building and will house 14km of valuable archives, if laid end to end. The centre, now nearing completion, will offer


free access to computer facilities, as well as lap- tops to access the internet. It also incorporates a “flexible space” that can accommodate 60 peo- ple and will be available to local groups for business meetings, networking events and breakfasts. Members of the forum described the new build- ing as “iconic”. Town Centre manager Bill Moss


Plea for truce in CCTV war TOWN Centre manager Bill Moss has waved an olive branch in the battle over plans to move CCTV monitoring toMedway. Mr Moss, who visited the Medway centre at


the end of January, said he had been “very im- pressed” with both the people and facilities. Town Centre Management had been un- happy after Maidstone borough councillors turned down its own bid for the contract. TCM claimed council taxpayers would be getting less hours of monitoring for their money. Mr Moss told the town’s business forum:


“We have been critical of the move and I re- main critical, but I have to say I have been very impressed with what I have seen. They appear to be extremely efficient and talk common sense and are making all the right noises. All we need now is for them to deliver.” The Medway CCTV centre will monitor five


main areas, including Gravesend and Swale as well as Maidstone and Medway.


SAFETY improvements to a bridge over the Medway in town are to be made in Spring. Cllr Malcolm Robertson, who


sits on both Maidstone and Kent councils, has been cam- paigning for improvements to the high level bridge over the Medway, which connects Maid- stone Barracks station and Maidstone East, and the access to nearby Whatman Park. He said both could be greatly improved for the safety of pedestrians. Now that the town had a high-


speed rail service from Maid- stone East, it was more crucial than ever before that the bridge


12 Malling


said: “It is one of the rare occasions when the building looks better than the drawings. It is a ter- rific building and a very welcome addition to the town.” Cllr Malcolm Robertson said: “It is a simple but


iconic design,” and Cllr JohnWilson commented: “The architecture is fantastic. It is something we can be really proud of. ”


The opening of the Kent History and Library Centre coincides with a new push by KCC to pro- mote its free services for business. A mine of free business information is avail-


able from Kent libraries, as well as through its online library service at www.kent.gov.uk/on- linelibrary


New Year footfall down MAIDSTONE experienced a quieter start to the current year than in 2011. Although footfall in the town was up in De- cember by 2.45%, it was decidedly down post- Christmas, the town’s business forum was told. However, town centre manager Bill Moss said


he was heartened that local shops continued to survive through harsh economic times, com- menting it was chiefly the national names which were disappearing from the High Street. He said: “If it was our individual shops which


were closing I would bemore concerned, but the names we are losing are national businesses, which is no reflection on Maidstone, but on the national economy.” Town Centre Management is to carry out a


check of the current vacancy rate. Last summer, 10.5% of the town’s shop units were empty – less than the 14.5% national average. Mr Moss said he expected the Maidstone figure would rise as a reflection of the big national names going to the wall.


Safety improvement to bridge over Medway


crossingwas improved, he said. There was good news for the


town centre business forum when he revealed that he had succeeded in persuading KCC to part with some of the cash in its coffers to fund the improve- ments and work should com- mence in the spring. He said: “Money is tight, but


we need to improve that whole area for pedestrians. “There is a good case for ar-


guing the entrance to Whatman Park is improved and for better signage, so people realise they can walk from one part of the town to the other with relative ease and in safety.”


the Association of Town Centre Managers, which manages the scheme alongside the Purple Flag advisory committee, a sec- ond inspection will take place – probably in the autumn – in the hope ofmaking a better im- pression. Mr Moss said: “Purple Flag is


a new accreditation scheme that measures the success of the town’s night time economy.”


Suzy Lamplugh


Trust to make a visit REPRESENTATIVES of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust visited Maidstone to see how the town cares for its vulnerable women, particularly after dark. The trust, set up following


the disappearance of a young estate agent 26 years ago after she set out alone to meet al- leged house-viewer “Mr Kip- per”, are today pioneers of personal safety and work na- tionwide to highlight the risks people face.


Cafe Rouge eyes


up town centre A FORMER solicitor’s office in Maidstone is to become a French restaurant. Café Rouge has applied for a drinks licence and is recruiting staff to work at the former of- fices of Day’s Solicitors in Earl Street. The international noodle bar


Wagamama is also rumoured to be looking for premises in the town centre.


Gearing up for supermarket sweep TRAFFIC teams are gearing up to monitor traffic flows around Wheeler Street when the new Aldi supermarket opens later this year. Work on the site (pictured)


is gathering momentum, but Cllr Malcolm Robertson fears that traffic generated by the new superstore could see another bottleneck in the middle ofMaidstone. He has raised his concerns with the town’s highways manage-


ment centre, who have confirmed they are already on the case. Donna Terry, manager of the highways management centre,


said: “The traffic team are aware of the building and have an- ticipated the congestion this could cause.” She is proposing a mobile camera be placed on site to moni-


tor traffic flows when the new store opens, with a view to find- ing a more long-term solution.


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