News
Mall refurbishment hope after retail plan dropped
SUPPORTERS of Maidstone town centre have welcomed the news that a redevelopment plan for NewnhamCourt has been shelved. Land Securities has confirmed
that the company will not be lodg- ing an appeal against the refusal of planning permission for the £85 mil- lion redevelopment of the Notcutts Garden Centre and shops off M20 Junction 7. The decision opens the door for a
major revamp of the Mall, which is already poised for a £4m shake-up this year, providing two new en- trances, new flooring and ceilings. When Mall manager Andy Davy
took up his post in May, he revealed that the centre had enough space to accommodate an anchor depart- ment store, such as Debenhams, and said: “The long-term plans for The Mall depend on what happens at J7. “If the Newnham Court redevel- opment does not go ahead,wewant to be in a position to react quickly. Maidstone needs Debenhams – it is the missing department store.” The following month, Maidstone Council’s planning committee re-
jected the Land Securities plan, but itwas only in December that the six- month appeal deadline passed. Mr Davy has kept the 57,000sqft
site vacated by T J Hughes “strate- gically empty” should Debenhams now seek an alternative site. Mark Bourgeois, executive direc-
tor for Capital&Regional, owner of the Mall, said: “We know there is a demand for further retail develop- ment in Maidstone and are cur- rently progressing our own long-term plans for The Mall. “In Octoberwe submitted a plan-
ning application for the first phase of our vision which will see the cen- tre modernised and refurbished and we are now working to submit a second planning application for wider improvements to The Mall and its surroundings in 2015. “This would see extra retail and
leisure space created, including an anchor store and bigger and better stores to house new restaurants and retailers.” Land Securities told the commit-
tee that the development would bring 1,500 jobs to the county town
and that the shops would recruit local people, having already had preliminary talks with Jobcentre Plus and Mid Kent College to dis- cuss recruitment and training op- portunities. Describing it as a “run-down site adjacent to the Next superstore”, Land Securities said: “The exciting scheme would have seen Deben- hams make its debut in Maidstone, Waitrose add its much-loved super- market brand, Notcutts garden cen- tremove into a larger, more modern site and the addition of a number of smaller high-quality stores.” Lester Hampson of Land Securi-
ties said: “This is a lost opportunity for Maidstone. Together with the Maidstone Medical Campus project on adjoining land, our two schemes would have created about 4,000new jobs for the county town.” Land Securities was proposing to
invest £6m in highways improve- ments. Another £1m would have been spent on improvements to bus links between the town centre and Newnham Court and on town cen- tre enhancements.
downsmail.co.uk Flora marks
100th birthday WATERINGBURY resident Flora Mortimore received a birthday card from the Queen to mark her 100th birthday.
Born just a couple ofweeks before the fa- mous Christ- mas truce of WWI, Flora, who now lives at Greensted care home, grew up in Cambridge
with her older sister Alice. After leaving school, Flora worked in Kodak, helping to de- velop films before working as a shop assistant for a florist and a grocer. She remembers her younger days well and recalls her first visit to a Tesco store. “I cannot remember exactly
when it opened,” said Flora, “but it was a very new and unusual idea. Itwas strange that anyone could go into a shop and pick whatever they wanted.” Flora married George in 1939 and
the couple had two sons. She en- joyed painting and gardening. Flora celebrated her birthday
with residents, staff and her family at Greensted.
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