Town Centre Management update: Maidstone Business Forum Footfall down,


but town ‘flying’ THE number of people shop- ping in Maidstone has fallen this summer – but not as signif- icantly as in many other parts of the country. Footfall in the town centre dropped by 2.1% in September, compared with the same period in 2011,which was 1.7% up on September 2010. However, compared with


some parts of Britain, Maid- stone was “flying”, members of the meeting heard. Many of Britain’s retailers


had been adversely affected by the Olympics, with families staying at home to watch sport on TV rather than venturing out to the shops, according to Town Centre manager Bill Moss. The appalling wet weather


was another factor that had kept people indoors for much of the summer, he said. “Add to this the disruption in Maidstone caused by road- works and the creation of Ju- bilee Square, and you can see that the traders have done re- markably well.” With the average decrease in footfall over the country as a whole coming in between 6.5 and 7%, Maidstone had actu- ally fared very well, he said. There were currently 66 empty shop units – 10% of the total of 667 – at a timewhen the national average was 14.6%.


£30K on signs A SERIES of heritage signs will soon point visitors to Maid- stone in the right direction. The council has allocated a


sum of £30,000 to be spent on finger posts and heritage signs, which will show visitors where they are – and tell them where to go. As part of a drive to boost tourism in the town, coaches will no longer be asked to drop off and pick up outside the Archbishop’s Palace, but to de- posit their charges outside Maidstone Museum, which now houses the tourist infor- mation office. From there, there will be a riverside walk and heritage town trail to take them around the county town’s historic sights.


THE lights will be going on all over town when Santa Claus comes to Maidstone for the an- nual switch-on ceremony. The traditional event, with


Santa and the mayor and the cast of the Christmas pan- tomime, will take place outside the Town Hall at 5.30pm on Thursday, November 22. However, in a break with cus-


32 East


GAS main replacement works in Stone Street will be suspended over the Christmas period. Work is now ahead of schedule, despite a number of unexpected hiccups, andwill be sus- pended at the end of November until early Jan- uary to alleviate traffic congestion. Workmen had to change tactics when part of


Christmas relief on roads


the pipe servicing Upper Stone Street was found to be beneath the opposite carriageway to the


one they expected, causing the slip road from Mote Road to be closed. Briefingmembers of the business community,


Town Centre manager BillMoss said: “This cre- ated some quite severe pinch points and we have been feeling the effects. However, work is progressing well and is ahead of schedule. “It is good news for our traders that the work is to stop in the run-up to Christmas.”


‘Cheap’ vodka


could be fatal TRADERS have beenwarned to steer clear of seemingly cheap vodka. Trading Standards officers are


Subway could close overnight


IMPROVEMENTwork tothe lower end of MaidstoneHighStreet could be underway byMarch next year. As part of the scheme to improve the street scene appearance and


safety of the town, it has been suggested the subway could be gated off on Friday and Saturday nights, ensuring all activity is above ground and monitored by CCTV. Paul Alcock, chairman of the town’s Night Economy Forum, said: “It


wouldmakethe townmuchsafer. I cannot imagineany young ladywant- ing to go through the subway at night.”


Meeting to tackle issue of begging


A MULTI-agency meeting is to be held to tackle the problems of vagrants and drug-users con- gregating inMaidstone. Problems have occurred for


many years in Brenchley Gar- dens and near the Archibish- ops’ Palace, but increasing instances have been reported of


people begging close to the High Street cash points, intimi- dating customers. The council is to meet with


the police and homeless charity Porchlight to discuss ways of addressing the issue, including the installation of CCTV and police monitoring of ATMs.


aware of a variety of cheap vod- kas illegally flooding the market and say drinking it could kill. The vodka – the source of which is unknown – has been found to contain as much as 50%methanol, which can cause blindness and even death, if consumed in large quantities. The fake vodka first hit the streets last Christmas, when of- ficers foundmethanol – used to make anti-freeze – and indus- trial solvents in bottles labelled as genuine trade-name vodkas. Trading standards officer


Jason Reilly told theMaidstone Night Economy Forum: “If you are offered cheap vodka, don’t buy it – tell us. If it seems too good to be true, it is.” Jason warned that consumers


who had already been drinking would not be able to tell the dif- ference and could make them- selves seriously ill.


Fake notes warning FAKE £20 notes are doing the rounds in Maidstone town cen- tre pubs and clubs. Operators are advised to take


care when handling the notes, which can be remarkably realis- tic, and to use note detectors.


Who are you going to call? Gumbusters!


GUMBUSTERS are at work in Maidstone town cen- tre, keeping the shiny newgranite pavements in pris- tine condition. The council has bought a “gumbusting” machine


to get rid of offending chewing gum stuck to the pavements in Jubilee Square and Bank Street. Cllr Malcolm Greer, who was one of the prime


movers of the High Street redevelopment, said he had taken a great deal of criticism over the new


scheme, but was delighted to see that it was now proving to be a success and receiving praise from a number of quarters. Cllr Greer said one reason the granite was chosen


wasbecauseof its resistance tomarksandstainsand the easewith which chewinggumcould be removed. He said hewas particularly looking forward to the


Christmas activities in the square andwork starting on the lower end of the High Street in the new year.


Twin lights ceremonies herald start of festive season


tom, a second ceremony, at the junction of Earl Street andWeek Street, will take place about half-an-hour later, with a pro- cession of people anticipated between the two. Town Centre manager, Bill


Moss, said: “This year looks set to be really exciting. We have the new Jubilee Square and, in this example of the town centre


all working together, we should be able to deliver the best event ever.” The Christmas event has been organised by the Maidstone Town Team, which comprises members of the council, Town Centre Management, residents, clergy and retailers representing Fremlin Walk, the Chequers Mall and Royal Star Arcade, as


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


well as the independent traders. Theteamishopingtoper-


suade the council to operate a “free after three” car parking policy in its Lockmeadow car park in the run-up to Christmas to encourage shoppers into the town, and possibly a late-night extension to the park-and-ride scheme from at least one of the out-of-town sites.


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