News Town centre
downsmail.co.uk Vision for town centre’s future
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 fig- ure of 14,800 more homes needed by 2031,Maidstone Council has widened their
MAIDSTONE’S Mall shopping centre is growing tired and outdated – but it could be another 10 years before any- thing is done about it. Maidstone Council’s Vision report
says the Mall, built in 1976 as the Stoneborough Centre and later re- named the Chequers, is now outdated and out of step with more modern shopping centres in places such as Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury and Ashford.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 unlikely to take place before 2021 – although the council will try to bring it forward.
Government ‘calls shots on housing’
Continued from page one growth on the population. But Dennis Collins, Maidstone Council’s planning committee chairman, said: “The borough can set its own figure – but that figure has to be evidence-based on Gov- ernment data, so essentially it is the Government which is calling the shots.” Rob Jarman, head of planning at
the council, said: “Meeting the needs of older people will be amat- ter of considerable scale in the bor- ough due to the projected growth in the over 65 population who will need specialist and extra care hous- ing. There will also be a need for more smaller properties as older households downsize.” Of the 190 sites submitted for po-
tential housing use during a call for sites earlier in the year, only 60 are being recommended for develop- ment. The council says its priority will
be to use previously developed sites first. It is also looking at loca- tions for development in the town centre. In the past two years, 3,706
homes have been built – or have planning permission to be built – in the borough. So far sites have been identified for an additional 8,241 dwellings, all of which will be con- sulted on in the spring.
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scope for new housing in the urban area. Initial ideas include building houses on the site currently occupied by car dealers Haynes in Ashford Road and pursuing a long- awaited shopping devel- opment at Maidstone East station. Revamping The
The report warns: “The Mall is the
town centre’s main indoor shopping centre and is currently well occupied as one of the key anchor locations in the town centre. “The building is, however, becom-
ing dated with its layout and internal environment is less suited to modern retailers' requirements, compared with both FremlinWalk and compet- ing centres further afield. “Without positive and significant
intervention, there is a considerable risk that the commercial attractive- ness of the centrewill decline over the plan period, to the detriment of the town centre as a whole. “The longer-term redevelopment of the area centred on TheMall is con-
Mall shopping centre is also an aspiration to im- prove the town centre’s re- tail offer. The first phase of pro- posals for the revised local plan have been agreed by members and will be put out for public consulta- tion.
sidered to represent an opportunity to upgrade this key shopping centre and provide additional floorspace.” Maidstone also suffers from having
a surplus of poorer quality office ac- commodation in the town centre, and the council is looking at ways of re- ducing this to attract more modern developments. The report says: “The poorer qual-
ity stock is generally located in older premises, which are inflexible to ad- just to meet evolving business needs and have limited or no car parking.” The council would like to keep the
better quality stock in the town centre where possible, allowing for the re- development 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 cen- tre uses” (retail, offices, leisure and entertainment aswell as arts, culture and tourism) are concentrated and where provision should be focused. Two years ago, the boundary was
drawn to include the Springfield area, with the thinking that it could be de- veloped for offices and possibly an educational campus. However, coun- cillors are now being recommended to bring the boundary closer to the town, as officers believe the Spring- field area would be better used for housing.
Homes plan for
Haynes site DESPITE its prominent position on one of Maidstone’s major through routes, the Haynes site (pictured left) is not currently classed as being in a “town centre use”, being in a “more periph- eral location, removed fromthe core of the town centre”. Subject to the council’s approval, of-
ficers would like to see the site offi- cially designated for housing and placed outside the proposed new town centre boundary.
Station could be new ‘anchor’
AMAJORregeneration of land close to Maidstone East railway station could bring new housing and jobs to a tired part of the town, according to a recent report. Rumours have been rife for years
about supermarkets allegedly vying for space at this critical gateway to the northern end of Maidstone. Nowthe council has given its bless-
ing to a major retail development – but also wants to see more than 200 homes incorporated into plans – under its town centre Vision docu- ment. The council believes the site, which
now incorporates the former Royal Mail sorting office, offers an opportu- nity for developers to regenerate this part of the town centre and provide a better visual aspect around County Hall.
Facing a challenge to provide more Maidstone East Edition January 2014
Maidstone East station could be at the centre of a new development
new homes in the borough, town planners believe 210 homes can be in- corporated into a redevelopment scheme, either in separate blocks or above a superstore. The council would also like to see
the station improved, with better ac- cess, 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 consulta- tion process, before the plan is fi- nalised in 2015. This site can help to deliver a new modern shopping destination, creat- ing a further “anchor” shopping loca- tion in the town centre alongside Fremlin Walk and The Mall, accord- ing to officers. “This could help to address the identified lack of larger, more modern units available in the town centre which are important in attracting new operators into the town,” they say. Officers hope the area will benefit
from better transport links, including improved pick-up and drop-off facil- ities between buses, trains and taxis.
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