News
New hotel gets final go-ahead
PLANNING permission has been confirmed for a new 150-bedroom hotel at Eclipse Park, off M20 Junction 7.
Full planning permission for the hotel was granted to Gallagher Prop- erties, part of the Maidstone-based quarrying, aggre- gates, construction and property devel- oper Gallagher Group, after all the outstanding mat- ters from an earlier outline permission, accepted in 2010, were agreed. The final decision was taken by planning officers, under their dele- gated powers. The Gallagher Group says it is talking to compa- nies keen to establish a hotel on the land, which is next to the Sitting- bourne Road park and ride site. Chief executive Nick Yandle said:
“We can now enter into serious ne- gotiations with a number of opera- tors who have already expressed interest in developing a hotel of this size in Maidstone.”
MAIDSTONE is one of the league leaders at delivering affordable new homes. The borough has provided
1,050 affordable properties since April 2010 – either to rent or buy through shared ownership – put- ting it on a par with many of the London boroughs and cities such as Bradford, Coventry and Liver- pool.
Nationally, nearly 200,000 new affordable homes have been de- livered in the past four years, of which more than 32,000 are in the South East. Maidstone has seen 1,050 new
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affordable homes delivered, with a further 1,060 in neighbouring Medway. Two thirds of the homes planned through the affordable homes programme, in which the Government is investing £19.5 bil- lion.
Housebuilding is now at its highest level since 2007 and the affordable homes programme, which includes social rented homes, affordable rented homes and affordable homeownership schemes, is a key part of the Gov- ernment’s long-term economic plan.
Post office upgrade complete
The company believes the site’s proximity to the recently opened Kent Institute of Medicine and Sur- gery makes it an attractive proposi- tion. Mr Yandle added: “The planning officers were particularly im- pressed with the quality of the pro- posed design andwe look forward to delivering a hotel that supports Maidstone’s business and visitor economy.” The plan also includes a restaurant and conference facilities. The hotelwould be clearly visible from the M20.
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A MULTI-million pound invest- ment programme at Maidstone’s main Post Office is now complete. The town centre office, in Bank
Street, now has open-plan counters and a dedicated counter to accept mail.
Three self-service kiosks have
also been introduced, giving cus- tomers sending letters and parcels more options as to how they access Post Office services, and reducing queue times. Regional manager Andrew Thompson said: “This modernisa- tion programme is ensuring cus-
tomers are served in a modern re- tail space, and the changes mean increased convenience and greater service options. The dedicated mails counter means customers sending multiple packages or let- ters can drop these off for a quicker service, while our self-service kiosks offer an expanded range of mails services and retail products.” The Post Office is making a multi-million pound investment programme across the UK. More than 2,000 branches have already been modernised,with many offer- ing extended opening hours.
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