Next focuses on Eclipse Park home store Continued from page one


heels of the town centre closure of Jessops and uncertainty over the Maidstone branches ofHMVand Blockbuster after they fell into administration. CllrWendy Hinder, who represents Boxley


ward, said it was unfortunate the town cen- tre shop had to close, but thiswas already on the cards before the new plans were un- veiled. She said: “Whether we like it or not, the concept of shopping is changing and town centres are changing. In the current climate, we need to welcome anything which pro- tects and creates jobs.” The proposed Next Home store is expected to create 180 jobs – ofwhich 128 will be new


jobs if the town centre staff opt to transfer. Although the town centre lease is due to


expire later this year, a spokesman for Next said an extension might be requested to allow completion of the new store and a smooth transition of staff. Next has submitted a planning application


for the J7 site but it is unlikely to be deter- mined before April. Even if planning per- mission was to be granted, it would be 2014 before new staff commenced work. The company insists that the choice of Maidstone for its new showcase store will draw traffic away from the Medway towns and other parts of the county. “This will increase the profile as a place


for new investment,” said a briefing note, seen by Downs Mail. “It will provide mate-


Cllr Ian Chittenden


RESIDENTS in North East Maidstone are pressing the council to put the town centre first when considering applica- tions for out-of-town shopping development. Cllr Ian Chittenden, who rep- resents Maidstone North East on KCC, says he has been inun- dated with emails and phone calls regarding the Next pro- posals for land at Eclipse Park. Cllr Chittenden says the sug- gestion of a retail store on Eclipse Park not only flouts council policy, which is for of- fice and high-tech use of the site, but also jeopardises the vi- ability of the town centre.


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rial spin off benefits for the town centre and the wider area.” The value of the investment proposed by


Next and Gallagher Properties amounts to £9m and Iain Allsop, regional estates man- ager atNext said there had been a favourable reaction to the company’s plans for the Eclipse Park. Paul Alcock, manager of The Mall, said it


did not come as a surprise to him that Next was to leave at the end of its 25 year lease. He said: “I suspect they would have gone from theMall in any event, even without this planning application on the table. “Maidstone is a very strong town. Com-


pared to the national average, our number of empty shops is very low.”


Store ‘could jeopardise town centre’ He has written to the plan-


ning department outlining resi- dents’ concerns and said: “Approval of retail develop- ment here will inevitably lead to further applications for this site and the evolution of a major out-of-town shopping area, resulting in a disturbance, traffic and local congestion. “It may also damage the via-


bility of our town centre.” Opponents of the scheme say


the store would exacerbate traf- fic congestion, as well as air and noise pollution in the area. Although there are plans to


alter the roundabout at J7 and to adjust traffic flows, Cllr Chit-


tenden believes the scale and design of the store is unaccept- able so close to the roadside and in the foreground of the Kent Downs AONB. The development brief for Eclipse Park required “green roofs” to soften the impact of de- velopment but Cllr Chittenden said no green roofs were incor- porated in the Next scheme, and there was little space for land- scaping.


Developers acting on behalf


of the retail chain say the pro- posed store would be a magnet for customers throughout Kent, who would then venture into Maidstone town centre.


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