Town Centre Management update: Maidstone Business Forum Work starts on high-tech hospital
ACEREMONY to formallymark the start of work on Kent’s newest hospital, the Kent Insti- tute of Medicine and Surgery in Maidstone, (KIMS) has taken place at the Newnham Court site.
The hospital, being built by
local contractor Gallagher, will be one of the UK’s most ad- vanced surgical hospitals when it opens early in 2014. Phyllis Holt, representing a
group of clinicians who will part-own the Institute, per- formed the traditional ground breaking ceremony on the seven-acre site off Bearsted Road,Weavering. Clydesdale Bank has agreed to provide the first £34m of fund- ing for the project, which will cover the initial build and oper-
BUSINESSES in Maidstone are being urged to get on board to bring a new “creative” quarter to the town. Louise Francis and Laura Knight, who operate as arts con- sultants from the Maidstone Stu- dios, were disappointed to hear the council had shelved plans to incorporate art into the new Ju- bilee Square, on grounds of cost. The duo, who have experi-
ational costs. The rest of the money is being provided by cor- porate and private investors, in- cluding around 100 clinicians. KIMS will provide care across multiple disciplines, including cardiothoracic, neurosurgery, gy- naecology, orthopaedics, oncol-
ing about the Portas review – which supports the use of art as an encouragement to visitors – andwewant tomake it happen. “We workwith artists who are enthusiastic about wanting to bring things to the town for public benefit and we want to create something unique.” Laura and Louise have sought
ence in bidding for Arts Coun- cil grants, would like to see a week-long arts festival in the town as a launch-pad for a longer-term artistic revival.
AMAJORimprovementschemefor Maidstone’s Cobtree Manor Park is ready to go ahead, with news that the Charity Commission has agreed to release more than £1m from the Charity’s Trust. Maidstone Borough Council,
which leases the park from the trust, has drawn up a plan to im- prove the children’s play area and picnic site, withavisitor centre, na- ture trails and a trim trail. The park was one of the many legacies to Maidstone from former mayor Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake.
PEOPLE who feared the closure of Knightrider Street could cause a gridlock in Maidstone are now suggesting the road should stay shut. The much-feared traffic chaos which could have come from the start of gas mains work at the bottom of Stone Street has not yet transpired, the town’s business forum was told. In addition, because traffic
lights at the junction of College Road and Knightrider Street were now permanently on green, therewas little or no con- gestion backing up.
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Cllr John Wilson, who chairs the Cobtree Manor Estate Charity Committee, said: “This is fantastic news and means we can now get on with our masterplan.” Contractors have already started
the support of the Town Centre Management Business Forum and are looking for philan- thropic entrepreneurs who will help make their dream a reality. The duo singled out Market
Phyllis Holt turns the first turf, alongside Paul Abrahams of Vinci
Construction and Maidstone councillors Malcolm Greer, Chris Garland and mayor Rodd Nelson-Gracie
ogy and diagnostics, including angiography, advanced MRI and nuclear medicine. It will provide the only car- diothoracic and neurosurgery tertiary care beds in Kent and will not only offer private med- ical care but also support for the
Pair planning to bring ‘creative quarter’ to town Louise said: “Everyone is talk-
Buildings, Pudding Lane, Bank Street and Earl Street as ideal locations for an artists’ quarter andsaidsomuchworkhad been done in preparation for the town centre project, it would be a shame to see it wasted. Cllr Malcolm Greer said he
toowas sorry the art project had been dropped, but said: “We have had three years of having to save money – and it’s not over yet. Things like this need to have a commercial backer. Although our plans have had to change for now, that does not mean they are dead.”
Funds released for Cobtree Park improvements
workonthe zoo-themedplayequip- ment and work should commence on site soon. The improvementschemecomes
hard on the heels of a major up- grade to the town’s main Mote Park, the renovation of Brenchley Gardens and a tidying-up of the small parkbehind the carriage mu- seum. Cllr Malcolm Greer told the Busi-
ness Forum: “Maidstone now has some really nice green spaces. It’s yet another of the things of which the town can be proud.”
Gas works spark call to keep street closed Town Centre manager Bill
Moss said the roadworks did not appear to have affected foot- fall in the town, either. He told members: “There was
some concern the roadworks would impact on customer flow in the town centre. However, in the Chequers Mall and Fremlin Walk, which have electronic footfall counters, it would not appear to have made a jot of dif- ference.” When Southern GasNetworks announced their 12-month plan for gas main replacement works, Mr Moss was very con-
cerned it would mean traffic chaos and a loss in revenue to traders, as motorists avoided the town centre. But he admitted: “We ex- pected the worst and, thank- fully, it has not happened, which has to be positive news.” Cllr Malcolm Greer was among several members who ar- gued there was a good case for keeping Knightrider Street per- manently closed. He said: “It is something to
think about, particularly now the town is focusing on its her- itage buildings in that area.”
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NHS, by providing treatments to Kent residents who currently have to travel to London hospi- tals. It will use the services of
about 200 clinicians and create some 400 new jobs. The longer-term vision is to extend the site, creating a med- ical campus that will be a cen- tre of excellence. The new facility will feature
nine theatres for both simple and complex procedures, incor- porating video facilities and en- abling teaching and instruction anywhere in the world. The hospital will also benefit
from the latest medical technol- ogy, thanks to an agreement with GE Healthcare, which will benefit from being able to show- case its products at KIMS.
Party time for
young and old MEN and women who remem- ber the Queen’s Coronation in 1952 were invited to sit down with pupils from local primary schools inMaidstone town cen- tre to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Aplaquewas duetobeun-
veiled to mark the completion of the new town square – to be known as Jubilee Square – on Friday, June 1, when 160 peo- ple were invited for a sit-down lunch and music event at the heart of all the action. Further festivities were due
to take place in the town centre on Saturday, June 2, in Market Buildings and Union Street.
Town goes Dutch MAIDSTONE has once more played host to visitors from overseas. The chief constable of Rotter-
dam, the city’s chief prosecutor and the mayor spent amorning in the town, looking at the workings of the crime reduc- tion partnership. The Dutch party visited the
town’s groundbreaking Switch Café and the Urban Blue Bus, and also looked at the success of theMaidSafe radio scheme. The visit was arranged by
Kent Police. Maidstone Town Centre manager Bill Moss said: “This is yet another clear ex- ample that Kent is ahead of the game.”
Forum record MAIDSTONE town centre man- agement’sBusiness Forummem- bership has hit a record high. Town Centre manager Bill
Moss reported that the addition of the Blackthorn Trust and traders in theMarket Buildings had brought membership up to 54, representing 75% of the total floor space in the town centre.
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