Town February 2015

downsmail.co.uk

News Mall hope as 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 TheMall 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 needsDebenhams – 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. “InOctoberwe submitted a plan-

ning application for the first phase of our vision which will see the cen- tremodernised and refurbished and we are now working to submit a second planning application for wider improvements to The Mall and its surroundings in 2015.

FIFTY young musicians staged a con- cert in Maidstone inspired by a view of the world froma different angle. Performing their own pieces,

“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- hamsmake 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 4,000 new jobs for the county town.” Land Securitieswas 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.

Musicians’ own work has new view of life on earth Project manager Sue Marlow said:

prompted by the historic “Pale Blue Dot” photograph of Earth taken by Voyager 1, the showwas the culmina- tion of the Orchestra One Project 9. Leading the 18-year-old musicians

from across Kent was singer, instru- mentalist and composer Ayanna Wit- ter-Johnson.

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“Creativity is highly-valued and every- one has a way of expressing them- selves through music.” The projectwas held by Kent Music

over four days at the New Line Learn- ing and Cornwallis academies in Maidstone, with backing from KCC, Golding Vision and Rhythmix. Those taking part had the chance

of gaining a nationally-recognised Arts Award.

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Maidstone Town February 2015 25 Some of the teenage musicians

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