Shopping village could double in size
A MAJOR overhaul of the Newnham Court Shopping Village, almost doubling it in size, could be on the cards as part of plans to re- vitalise Maidstone’s peripheral retail sites. Land Securities intends to submit a planning application to Maidstone Coun- cil to redevelop the site, currently home to a garden centre, restaurant, veterinary hos- pital and numerous retail outlets. Newnham Court covers almost 250,000 sq
ft at present, but the new scheme would keep the pub and oast buildings, while increasing available floorspace to 455,000 sq ft. This would include a 40,000 sq ft garden centre with a further 42,000 sq ft of exter- nal display space, a 42,000 sq ft super- market, a 90,000 sq ft three-storey department store, 218,000 sq ft of retail space for existing tenants and nearly 23,000 sq ft of space for food outlets, in-
OFSTED inspectors carried out a monitoring visit at Tree Tops Academy in Brishing Lane, Park Wood after the academy’s predecessor school, Bell Wood Primary School, was judged to be causing concern. The inspectors found rates of progress in the Early Years foun- dation stage and key stage 1were improving, although rates of progresswere inconsistent. Attainment for older children remained well below the na- tional average, and progress in English and maths was slow. Activities in lessons were not
cluding the Inn and oast buildings. The council is already being asked to consider an application for a huge Next home store only a few hundred yards away, close to J7 of the M20, and news that Newnham Court could expand will serve only to add to fears that Maidstone centre could suffer at the expense of out-of-town shopping parks. DHA Environment has already been com- missioned by Land Securities to submit a formal request to screen the proposed de- velopment for any environmental impact, and concluded they do not believe an envi- ronmental impact assessment is necessary. They say it is unlikely to impact on areas
of ancient woodland, although it would be partially visible from some parts of the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) to the north.
Academy ‘needs to do better’
well matched to pupils’ abili- ties, which limited progress. Much of the teaching was in- adequate, and younger or less able pupils often struggled. Pupils were generally well be- haved, but when activities did not match pupils’ needs, there was low-level disruption. The academy should, as a matter of urgency, ensure that all pupils have access to a chal- lenging curriculum. The standard of teaching should be improved, and the leadership and management of the school should be reviewed.
Access to the site would be via the New
Cut Road roundabout, currently being used for construction traffic for KIMS. DHA said: “The comprehensive redevel- opment would deliver key infrastructure benefits, including significant highways im- provements, to help solve existing conges- tion problems affecting the area. “The proposed development is expected
to have positive social and economic effects by retaining and generating direct and indi- rect employment opportunities during the construction and operational phases and by generating local expenditure with positive effects on the local economy generally.” The council has five weeks to decide if an
EIA is necessary and, if so, it will need to produce a “scoping opinion” to agree the scope of any assessment DHA would be re- quired to undertake.
Why stylist George is a cut above A MAIDSTONE hairdresser is through to the regional finals of a hair- dressing competition, thanks to a 1920s-inspired cut and colour. George Springett (20), of Willington Street,
will compete against 24 other stylists inWest- minster on April 3 for a place in the grand final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy award. The former Cornwallis Academy student, who works at Number Nine Hairdressing in Pudding Lane, was confident about getting through to the next round in the gents’ cut and colour cate- gory.Hesaid: “I’vetrained with theBritish team trainer and my cousin is one of the top hair- dressers in the country so I’ve had some good teachers.” George, pictured left working on model Karl Smissen, worked at Maidstone salon Samuel James.
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