Zones and land swaps to boost town
SWAPPING land, dividing the town into virtual zones and appointing someone to seek out funding could help Maidstone be- come a better place to live, work and shop. That is the view of Cllr Fay Gooch, chair-
man ofMaidstone Council’s corporate serv- ices overview and scrutiny committee, which was preparing to present a paper to the cabinet as the Downs Mail went to press. The paper, the Capital Programme Re-
view, looked at ways the council could make the best of its assets to boost the town’s economy and improve the borough. Land swaps could see Maidstone Council exchanging disused pieces of land with other authorities or private companies for mutual benefit. Examples given by Cllr Gooch included the NHS giving the council a former surgery to convert into offices in
Barclays move BARCLAYS Bank has been given permission to move into FremlinWalk. The chain has received plan-
ning consent to set up at No 13, currently occupied by Clinton Cards, who would move to a smaller unit at 8 FremlinWalk. Barclays’ two High Street branches, which employ the equivalent of 27 full-timemem- bers of staff, would close. The company says the Frem-
linWalk branch will employ 30 full time members of staff in total, with existing employees relocated where possible.
exchange for a piece of council land else- where, and the council re-homing a family in an empty house. The committee has suggested dividing the borough into zones with specific objectives. For example, in Upper Stone Street, where the air quality is poor, the committee sug- gested planting trees to improve air quality and make the area more inviting and attrac- tive. Cllr Gooch said all areas, including the High Street, would benefit from similar en- vironmental improvements and said the possibilities for identifying other zones were endless. The committee also highlighted the im- portance of having someone trained in the acquisition of funding to be on the lookout for grants and other income. The paper mentions appointing an external funding officer, part of whose job would be to find
Community garden opens
RESIDENTS in ParkWood are reaping the rewards of a project to develop a play zone and community gar- den at the Heather House Community Hall. Residents helped design the space, and volunteers
transformed the area, with a sensory garden, a play area for toddlers and a vegetable patch. Cllr Marion Ring, cabinet member for the environ-
ment, and Cllr Malcolm Greer, cabinet member for economic development,spearheaded the projectwtih ParkWood residents group Parents is theWord, gar- den design company Fleurs de Filles and VINCI Con- struction UK. The gardenwill be used for events and activities as
well as being a space for residents to relax and enjoy. Cllr Ring said: “It’s fantastic to see local residents
working withbusinesses in thearea toproduceawon- derful space. I would like to thank everyone for gen-
Cllrs
Marion Ring and Malcolm Greer with Jade Webster of Parents is theWord
erously donating time, money and materials.” Jade Webster, chair of Parents is the Word, said:
“Lotsof local residents don’thavegardens and this is alovelyway thatwecan transformaspace intoacom- munity garden for small children and elderly residents alike to enjoy.”
money to cover their own salary, but Cllr Gooch pointed out the council already em- ployed people with such skills. Cllr Gooch said: “The opportunities are
there if we open ourminds to them. There’s no reason why Maidstone shouldn’t con- sider some of these opportunities, espe- cially as we are trying to regenerate the town and other parts of the borough. We want to involve all the talent we have in Maidstone to make the best of our capital assets – local businesses and restaurants, church groups, Maidstone Town Centre Management, the chamber of commerce…” The committee also suggested bunting,
new benches and signs pointing out areas of interest to brighten the area and attract more businesses. It suggested speaking to developers about improving the appearance of areas, including the King Street car park.
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