Town February 2014

News | Town Centre Management

downsmail.co.uk Shock at shopping village size

THE redevelopment of Newnham Court near M20 Junction 7 could see a retail centre the size of Hempstead Valley built on the outskirts of Maidstone. The scale of the plan came as a

shock to members of Maidstone Town Centre Management’s marketing group, which is already vehemently opposed to the scheme. Developer Land Securities claims

73% of those who responded to the consultation are in favour of the £85m scheme. Town Centre Manager Bill Moss predicted the scheme would not get planning permission from the bor- ough council, andwould go to appeal and a full-blown planning inquiry. Mr Moss said the proposed Deben-

hams store would be comparable in size to the House of Fraser, andWait- rose would be slightly smaller than the town centre’s Sainsbury’s. The re- maining 17 shopping units, while of varying size, were, on average, the same size as Boots in King Street. He said: “It is bound to have a sig- nificant impact on the town centre.

New bus plan

KENT Police is looking to launch a second Urban Blue Bus –UB2 –which would be available for use through- out the county. Following on from the success of

the Maidstone pilot, the force plans to purchase the vehicle but Maidstone’s experienced Town Centre Manage- ment will manage its operation. Urban Blue has already been used

in Canterbury andDartford when not in use inMaidstone onWednesday or Friday evenings, but the new bus would be available to hire from whichever local authority got their re- quest in first.

Festival back

MAIDSTONE’S successful summer festival is to get a re-run in 2014. The six Saturdays of activity, en- compassing everything from pop music and jazz to theatre and knit- ting, drew such crowds to Jubilee Square an additional five sessions were added. The Town Centre Management meeting heard that it was planned to repeat the exercise after its success last summer.

Sharing notes

PUBS and clubs in Maidstone have recently introduced another tool in their fight against crime and disorder. The MaidsafeWatch List is a folder

with photos and details of people known to have caused trouble, crimi- nal damage, acts of violence or who have been found taking or dealing in drugs. Once denied access to one club,

word will be broadcast to others who will operate a similar policy.

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park? The new hospital? Vinters Park? Grove Green?” He said he believed Land Securities

should take a look at the Maidstone East site, which had ample room for a development which would enhance the town centre. Boots manager Andrew Simms

Maidstone East – a site for potential development

Figures so far indicate that by 2018 Newnham Court and Next will have an adverse impact on the town of 3.9%.Howmany independent traders wouldwe have left in the town?” If the plans are approved by Maid-

stone Council, developers hope to start work on the site this autumn, with new facilities for the existing shops ready by autumn 2015 and the

new retail units a year later. Mr Moss said: “Whilst 1,000 new

jobs are always welcome, this is the only positive thing.” Land Securities is proposing to cre-

ate 901 car parking spaces. Hemp- stead Valley has 2,150 – and is still frequently full at Christmas and busy periods. Mr Moss said: “Where will people

Ann’s TVtour of town

THE county’s police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes spent a night with police in Maidstone as part of a C4 documentary. Mrs Barnes experi-

enced a Saturday evening with patrol of- ficers, members of the Maidstone Town Cen- tre Management and volunteers on the Urban Blue Bus, as well as Paul Alcock, man- ager of The Mall and a trustee of the Urban Blue Bus. Starting out at StrawberryMoons in Gabriels Hill, the commissioner then vis-

ited The Brenchley, Muggleton Inn, Mu Mus and The Source Bar. She was joined by a camera crew making a Cutting Edge documentary on her

role. Town Centre Manager Bill Moss said: “Hopefully this is a good opportu- nity to show the town in a good light.” The Urban Blue community bus is staffed by volunteers, who offer medical

and emotional support to people in need in the town centre at night,. In the past 12 months they have helped over 600 people and saved an ambulance being called over 400 times. Mrs Barnes said: “Management at the venues I visited couldn’t speak highly enough of their local police.”

Future is looking healthy

MAIDSTONE has been identified as one of the UK’s most promising and healthy economies. The UK Vitality Index, published

by Lambert Smith Hampton, tracks the progress of the country’s prime towns and cities in a variety of cate- gories. Every large town and city outside London is assessed and Maidstone was named as the 25th healthiest economy in the nation. Therewere no other Kent towns in the top 25. Maidstone’s highest ranking came in fastest-growing town category.

Maidstone Town February 2014

Itwas identified as the 14th fastest- growing settlement in the UK, based on its growth in economic output and commercial property rental during the past 10 years. A promising performance was recorded in the most productive cate- gory, with Maidstone finishing 19th. The research concluded that Maid-

stone was the 17th most entrepre- neurial destination, 25th in the greenest section and made the top 20 in the most affluent category, which looked at house prices, weekly pay and demographics.

said: “Taken in isolation, this is a very good and very attractive scheme, quite incredible in fact. It has been verywell considered. “The key thing is that there are

other options, which could expand and build on what we already have, rather than detract from it. “It also shows a lack of considera-

tion for the communities that live around there. “If built, there is no question that it

will be popular, but there will be huge traffic movementswhen you take into consideration the new hospital, staff, visitors and patients.”

Keeping track of shoppers

AN electronic footfall counter will soon be able to tell number crunchers how many people are passing along the pavements of Maidstone. Town Centre Manager Bill Moss

has used his own formula for a num- ber of years – using statistics pro- vided by The Mall and FremlinWalk. However, by his own admission, statisticianswould “drive a coach and horses” through the figures – al- though he has compared like with like over a number of years. The footfall counter, leased for a pe-

riod of three years at a cost of about £8,000, will monitor pedestrians pass- ing through the junction of Week Street and the High Street.

Leading way

TREE-lined Royal TunbridgeWells is hoping to take a leaf out of Maid- stone’s book when it comes to keep- ing the town centre safe at night. Town Centre Manager Bill Moss

and Paul Alcock, trustee of the Urban Blue Bus, were invited to spend a night working with police in Tun- bridgeWells to give them some ideas and tips on successful partnerships. “Other people see how well-man-

aged our night time economy is and want to know howwe do it,” said Mr Moss.

Saint’s Day

PREPARE for patriotism and fire- breathing beasts. Town Centre Management is plan-

ning a spectacular St George’s Day celebration on April 26 in Jubilee Square. More details will follow.

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