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 mar- keting group, which is already ve- hemently 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 schemewould not get planning permission from the bor- ough council, and would go to ap- peal and a planning inquiry. Mr Moss said the proposed Debenhams storewould be compa- rable in size to the House of Fraser in Fremlin Walk and Waitrose, would be slightly smaller than the town centre’s Sainsbury’s. The re- maining 17 shopping units, while of varying sizes,were, on average, the same size as Boots in King Street. He said: “It is bound to have a


New bus plan


KENT Police is looking to launch a second Urban Blue Bus – UB2 – which would be available for use throughout the county. After the success of the Maid-


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


used in Canterbury and Dartford when not in use in Maidstone on Wednesday or Friday evenings, but the new bus would be available to hire from whichever local authority gets its request 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 suc- cess last summer.


Sharing notes


PUBS and clubs in Maidstone have introduced another tool in their fight against crime and disorder. TheMaidsafeWatch List contains photos and details of people known to have caused trouble, criminal 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.


24 Malling February 2014


ties should take a look at the Maid- stone East site, which had ample room for a development andwould enhance the town centre. Boots manager Andrew Simms


Maidstone East – a site for potential development


significant impact on the town cen- tre. Figures so far indicate that by 2018 Newnham Court and Next will have an adverse impact on the town of 3.9%. How many inde- pendent traderswouldwe have left in the town?” If the plans are approved by Maidstone Council, the developer hopes to start work on the site this autumn, with new facilities for the


existing shops ready by autumn 2015 and the retail units a year later. Mr Moss said: “Whilst 1,000 new


jobs are alwayswelcome, this is the only positive thing.” Land Securities is proposing to


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


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 officers, members of the Maidstone Town Centre Management and volunteers on the Urban Blue Bus, as well as Paul Alcock, manager of The Mall and a trustee of the Urban Blue Bus. Starting out at Strawberry Moons in Gabriels Hill, the commissioner then


visited The Brenchley, Muggleton Inn, Mu Mus and The Source Bar. She was joined by a camera crewmaking a Cutting Edge documentary


on her role. Town centremanager Bill Moss said: “Hopefully this is a good opportunity to show the town in a good light.” The Urban Blue community bus is staffed by volunteers, who offer med-


ical 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. TheUKVitality Index, published


by Lambert Smith Hampton, tracks the progress of the country’s prime towns and cities in a variety of cat- egories. Every large town and city outside London is assessed and Maidstone was named as the UK’s 25th health- iest economy. There were no other Kent towns in the top 25. Maidstone’s highest ranking came in fastest-growing town cate-


gory. It was identified as the 14th fastest-growing settlement in the UK, based on its growth in eco- nomic output and commercial property rental over 10 years. A promising performance was recorded in the most productive category, with Maidstone 19th. The research ranked Maidstone


as the 17th most entrepreneurial 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 whatwe already have, rather than detract from it. “It also shows a lack of consider-


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


it will be popular, but there will be huge traffic movements when you consider the new hospital, staff, vis- itors and patients.”


Keeping track


of shoppers AN electronic footfall counter will soon be able to tell number crunch- ers how many people are passing along the pavements of Maidstone. Town centre manager Bill Moss


has used his own formula for a number of years, based on statistics provided by The Mall and Fremlin Walk. However, by his own admis- sion, statisticians would “drive a coach and horses” through the fig- ures – although he has compared like with like over several years. The footfall counter, leased for a


period of three years at a cost of about £8,000, will monitor pedestri- ans passing 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 work with police in Tunbridge Wells to give them tips on success- ful partnerships. “Other people see how well- managed our night time economy is andwant to know howwe do it,” said Mr Moss.


Saint’s Day


PREPARE for patriotism and fire- breathing beasts. Town Centre Management is planning a spectacular St George’s Day celebration on April 26 in Ju- bilee Square. Details will follow.


ple park? The new hospital?Vinters Park? Grove Green?” He said he believed Land Securi-


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