Town Centre Management update: Maidstone Business Forum Healthy town centre ‘fit for future’


TOWNcentre manager BillMoss saysMaid- stone is in rude health as it strides into 2013. With a fall in the number of empty shops across the whole of the town, its figure of 8.5% empty units compares very favourably with the national average of 14.6%, accord- ing toMr Moss. There are no empty business premises in Medway Street – although in nearby Mill Street a quarter of the buildings are vacant. The widely varying statistics were re- vealed in a Town Centre Management sur- vey, carried out towards the end of last year, which showed Maidstone as a whole had just 58 empty business properties – 8.5% of its 681 total. When the townwas last surveyed, in Feb-


ruary 2012, there were 67 empty business premises (9.8%). The average figure for Kent was 8.8% and for the UK was 11.3%, according to the British Retail Consortium. Other areas doing well include Fremlin


Walk, with just one empty property – the former JJB Sports store – out of 43 (2%), Week Street with four out of 89 empty (4%) and Market Buildings where one of the 24 buildings is empty (4%). Lower Stone Street and Knightrider Street


Wet summer


‘no washout’ FOOTFALL in Maidstone town centre has dropped to the levels of two years ago, despite major investment in the High Street and an influx of new businesses. But there were several con- tributory factors, the town centre business forum was told, and the figures were not “all doom and gloom”. Disruption during the High


Street regenerationwork and traffic congestion caused by the gas works in Knightrider Street and Lower Stone Street had both had an impact on visitors to the town, as had the wet summer weather. Town centre manager Bill


Moss said: “Although the footfall is down, it is not as bad as it seems, as there were several reasons.”


are struggling, with nine of the 42 shops in the two roads unoccupied (21%). Six of Gabriel’s Hill’s 50 shops are empty (12%) but this is 4% fewer than were empty dur- ing February’s survey. Similarly, The Mall Chequers has seen a 10% improvement since the beginning of last year and now just


BRITAIN is bulging with a surplus of shops, ac- cording toMaidstone’s town centre manager. Bill Moss,whochampions the town’s traders,


claims the country is sinking under a surfeit of retail outlets ata timewhenthe internet is hav- ing a huge impact on shopping trends. Mr Moss told a recent meeting of the town’s business forum: “As a nation, we are over- shopped.We have too many shops and need to be more imaginative with empty retail units.” Hesaid: “This isoneof thebiggest challenges


facing all town centres – not just Maidstone.” Towncentre traders had reported tough trad-


ing times over the Christmas period, reported Mr Moss, and while it was not “desperate”, it had certainly been “tough” and shopkeepers were expecting the trend to continue in 2013. Commenting on the announcement that the


five of the shopping centre’s 81 units are empty (6%). Mr Moss said: “Obviously there were a number of Christmas lets in the figures, but let nothing be taken from the overall picture of a very healthy town centre. Good news indeed!”


Britain ‘bulging with surplus of shops’


photographic chain Jessops hadbeenplaced in administration, Pudding Lane camera shop owner IvanWhite said: “This is a great shame. Jessops bought out a lot of the small independ- ents,whichmeans their closure will leavemany towns without a camera shop.” Jessops had a shop in the lower High Street.


Mr Moss said: “When a big chain goes to thewall, the chances are it will affect us.” However, he said


hehadnodoubt that the High Street leasewould soon be snapped up, in viewof the proposed regenerationof the lowerHighStreet. “Thiswill be a very desirable location,” he said.


Proposed strip club moves upmarket


A BUILDING once planned to be a town centre strip club now looks set to be a swish upmar- ket nightclub and bar. The former Loder and Payne building in Bank Street, which has been taken over by Century Building (Rochester) Ltd, run by Essex and Medway nightclub owner Aaron Stone, was re- cently refused a licence to be- come a pole-dancing club and strip joint. Work initially stopped on the refurbishment, but it has now recommenced, with a view to


‘top drawer’ and will be a wel- come addition to the town.” The premises are licensed for


1,180 people. Mr Moss said: “It is going to be huge!” Town Centre Management


opening by early March, the town centre business forumwas told. Town centre manager Bill


Moss said: “The premises are being fitted out to the highest standard. It is going to be really


Town to party as purple flag flies TWOdays of celebrations are being planned to celebrate Maidstone being awarded the coveted purple flag, which recognises the success of its night time economy. Town Centre Management is working with the local pubs and


clubs on a series of events, including a ceremony to get the flag flying high above the town centre itself. Town centre manager Bill Moss said: “The purple flag is some-


thing we should be very proud of andwe want to tell as many peo- ple as we possibly can.”


Restaurants scheme LEGAL & General, the owner of Fremlin Walk in Maidstone, has been given planning permission to add two new restaurants and a commemorative civic square to the shop- ping centre. The restaurants will replace the “band- stand” conical roof at the St Faith’s Street entrance, while the civic square will adjoin the Royal Albion pub. A plaque will commemorate the Battle of Maidstone in 1648 during the Second Eng- lish CivilWar,when parliamentarian troops defeated royalist forces. The battle culmi- nated when the royalists retreated towards Gabriel’s Hill, thenWeek Street before their last position in St Faith’s Churchyard oppo- site the site.


Two businesses close WEST Malling was dealt a double blow at the start of the year with the loss of two well-known businesses in the High Street. Bella Bag Boutique closed on January


26, blaming soaring insurance costs after a disastrous burglary as a major factor. Two weeks later, Mackenzies Café Bar closed down after 17 years of trading. Bella’s owner Rebecca Andrews said that


the insurance premium had more than dou- bled after the raid last February. The busi- ness will continue online and via parties Mackenzies, owned by Mike Ward- Lewis, faced competition after Costa Cof- fee opened next door in 2011. The closure follows that of Mackenzies in Kings Hill and the Rose Revived in Hadlow.


was among 120 objectors to the application for a sex establish- ment licence,which was turned down by the borough council. The owner intended to have


the ground floor as a bar, with dancing, while upstairs it was planned to hold lap dancing, pole dancing and strip tease shows.


New logo for town MAIDSTONE Town Centre Management is about to unveil its new image. Work on a new look website


and logo was nearing comple- tion as the Downs Mail went to press. Town centre manager Bill Moss said: “Branding is very important.”


No prize for museum THE East Wing of Maidstone Museum and the Bentlif Art Gallery failed to make the grade in the year’s Elle Decoration British Design Awards. Although shortlisted for the coveted awards, sponsored by Elle Decoration mag- azine, the Daily Telegraph and John Lewis, the museum was beaten – perhaps not sur- prisingly – by first-place winner the Olympic velodrome and the Western Con- course at King’s Cross Station in third. Six winners were announced in all, in- cluding the Olympic torch (second place) and a crystal lightbulb, sixth. This was the 12th year of the Elle BDAs which recognise useful, beautiful and origi- nal new work by British designers.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk Malling 17


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