A Vision for future of town centre
MORE housing and shops may be on the cards for Maidstone, under plans being rolled out by the council. With the possibility of an increase to the
stated figure of 14,800 more homes needed by 2031, Maidstone Council offi- cers have widened their scope for new housing in the urban area. Initial ideas include building houses on the site currently occupied by car dealers
MAIDSTONE’S Mall shopping centre is growing tired and outdated – but it could be another 10 years before anything is done about it.
Maidstone Council’s Vision report says
theMall, built in 1976 as the Stoneborough Centre and later renamed the Chequers, is nowoutdatedand outofstepwithmore modern shopping centres in places such as TunbridgeWells, Canterbury and Ashford. Surveys have revealed more shops will be needed in Maidstone as the town continues to grow and expand in the coming years, but officers say work on The Mall is un- likely to take place before 2021 – although the council will try to bring it forward. The report warns: “The Mall is the town centre’smain indoor shopping centre and is currently well occupied as one of the key anchor locations in the town centre. “The building is, however, becoming
dated with its layout and internal environ- ment is less suited to modern retailers' re- quirements, compared with both Fremlin
Out-of-town stores limit
Haynes in Ashford Road and pursuing a long-awaited shopping development at Maidstone East station. Revamping The Mall shopping centre is also an aspiration to improve the town centre’s retail offer. The first phase of proposals for the re-
vised local plan has now been put before members, who will decide a final strategy before putting it out to public consulta- tion.
Walk and competing centres further afield. “Without positive and significant inter- vention, there is a considerable risk that the commercial attractiveness of the centre will decline over the plan period, to the detri- ment of the town centre as a whole. “The longer-term redevelopment of the
area centred on The Mall is considered to represent an opportunity to both upgrade this key shopping centre and to provide ad- ditional floorspace for which therewill be a need.”
Maidstone also suffers from having a sur-
plus of poorer quality office accommoda- tion in the town centre, and the council is looking at ways of reducing this to attract more modern developments. The report says: “The poorer quality stock
is generally located in older premises, which are inflexible to adjust tomeet evolv- ing business needs and have limited or no dedicated car parking.” The council would like to keep the better quality stock in the town centre where pos-
sible,while allowing for the redevelopment of the poorer premises for alternative uses, such as housing. The council will look at the demand for
more town centre apartments as part of its future strategy and wants to introduce, for the first time, a town centre “boundary” where “town centre uses” (retail, offices, leisure and entertainment as well as arts, culture and tourism) are currently concen- trated and where new provision should be focused. Two years ago, the boundary was drawn
to include the Springfield area, with the thinking that it could be developed for of- fices and possibly an educational campus. However, councillors are now being recom- mended to bring the boundary closer to the town, as officers believe the Springfield area would be better used for housing.
Homes at Haynes Continued from page one
borough council had allowed a “policy vacuum” to develop, which was why developers were trying to push through huge commercial and residen- tial schemes all over the bor- ough. He said: “This policy suggests the borough council and officers are getting cold feet about the ‘growth at any cost’ environment that has de- veloped and its impact on the high street,which should be a priority for development. “I’m concerned that Maid-
stone has not really looked or delivered on national policy, which sets out to develop town centres first ... and now its finding things are starting to run away with it. “We are seeing runaway greenfield development, the likes and scale of which Maid- stone has never seen, and po- litical leaders and officers are now wondering how they’ve allowed this to happen, even though many councillors have been shouting from the rooftops that amoremeasured approach is needed. “We have got the economic growth, but there needs to be protection for our surround- ings and our quality of life.” The policy change proposal
was due to be considered by the borough’s planning, overview and scrutiny com- mittee on December 2.
DESPITE its prominentpositionononeof Maidstone’s major through routes, the Haynes site(pictured left) isnot currently classed as being in a “towncentre use”, being in a “more peripheral location, re- movedfromthe coreof the towncentre”. Subject to the council’s approval, offi-
cers would like to see the site officially designated for housing and placed out- side the proposed new town centre boundary.
Station area could be new ‘anchor’
AMAJOR regeneration of land close to Maidstone East railway station could bring new housing and jobs to a tired part of the town, according to a re- cent report. Rumours have been rife for years about super- markets allegedly vying for space at this critical gateway to the northern end ofMaidstone. Nowthe council has given its blessing to amajor
retail development – but also wants to see more than 200 homes incorporated into plans – under its town centre Vision document. The council believes the site, which now incor- porates the former Royal Mail sorting office, of- fers an opportunity for developers to regenerate this part of the town centre and provide a better visual aspect around County Hall. Facing a challenge to providemore new homes
in the borough, town planners believe 210 homes can be incorporated into a redevelopment scheme, either in separate blocks or above a su- perstore. The council would also like to see the station improved, with better access, more parking for commuters and a prominent entrance fronting Week Street. The proposals, which form the first part of the council’s revised local plan, will be discussed by members and put out as part of a public consul- tation process, before the plan is finalised in 2015.
Maidstone East station could be at the centre of a new development
This site can help to deliver a new modern shopping destination, creating a further “anchor” shopping location in the town centre alongside FremlinWalk and The Mall, according to officers. “This could help to address the identified lack
of larger,moremodern units available in the town centre which are important in attracting new op- erators into the town,” they say. Officers hope the area will benefit from better transport links, including improved pick-up and drop-off facilities between buses, trains and taxis.
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