Restaurant role for bookshop


BOOK retailer Waterstones is to close its Earl Street store andmake way for aWaga- mama restaurant. The book chain will instead be “consoli- dating” the operation from its other branch in Fremlin Walk. A planning application has been submitted to convert the store, which sits on the junction of Rose Yard, into a Wagamama restaurant, specialising in Japanese food. A supporting statement said the Earl


Street branch of Waterstones has “low to medium footfall”. It added: “A unit of this size in this location does not favour multi- nationals, and that has been borne out by Waterstones’ decision to consolidate trad- ing to their Fremlin’s Walk branch within the primary retail core. “The unit is too large for this sub-prime location, making it unsuitable for any ob- vious or known multinational or inde- pendent retailer who would more commonly favour a smaller unit. “It should also be noted that of the recent high-profile retail casualties, most operated


Charity fraud charge AFORMERchief officer at Age Con- cern,West Malling, has appeared at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court ac- cused of defrauding the charity of £217,500. Keith Austin, of Tovil Green, disputed the amount of money taken and was bailed.


New name for Friends THE friends and volunteers of Mote Park have re-launched as the Mote Park Fellowship.


medium to large store formats such asWool- worths, Clintons, Blacks/Millets, La Senza, Peacocks and JJB Sports. This has created a surfeit of good-sized units generally within the established retail cores of centres; which again is to the detriment of more secondary locations such as 19 Earl Street.” Wagamama would create 32 full-time equivalent jobs, which “exceeds the cur- rent employment at Waterstones”, accord- ing to the statement. “Wagamama are highly selective in loca-


tions they choose to operate and therefore have a degree of exclusivity, which adds to their attraction. Their restaurants are des- tinations in their own right and therefore serve to attract people into the centre, which is to the benefit of other businesses and general vibrancy. “The proposed restaurant markets itself


at both day time diners (shoppers, workers and visitors) and evening customers. Trade is therefore continuous and footfall high, which sets the use apart from many other A3 [retail] uses and users.


“Assuming an average of 50% occupancy across the trading day, the footfall gener- ated by Wagamama would be 120 move- ments (arriving and departing) per hour. A footfall of this level is considered to sup- port retail vitality and viability and is far in excess of many A1 retail uses, including the existing bookshop use.” Should Maidstone Council grant plan-


ning permission, the restaurant would seat up to 90 diners and trade between 11.30am and 11pm Mondays to Saturdays and 11.30am to 10pm Sundays. Maidstone would become the fourth


town in Kent to have aWagamama, which has branches in Ashford, Canterbury and TunbridgeWells. The Wagamama application states that


the “Waterstones vacation of the unit is a binding commitment, which is not prompted by this planning application and will occur irrespective of its outcome”. A Waterstones spokesman refused to comment on the store closure or howmany jobs stood to be lost.


Bomb blackmail A MAN has pleaded guilty to trying to blackmail a super- market to the tune of £10,000 by planting a fake bomb in one of its aisles. DavidWilliams, 49, of Knaves Acre, Headcorn, initially denied blackmail but later changed his plea. Bomb dis- posal experts discovered the package at the Morrison’s store in Sutton Road on December 10 and the buildingwas evacuated while they carried out a controlled explosion. Williams was bailed andwill be sentenced from June on- wards following psychiatric assessment.


Book a stall at fair PLANS are well under way for a summer fair at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church, Aylesford, on Satur- day, August 17 at the Community Centre and sports field. Anyone who would like to have


a stall should email anngbutter- worth@hot-mail.com or call 01622 710756. There will be a £10 fee to hire the space and anything profitt youmake on the stall will be yours.


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