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Town centre | News Making most of ‘twilight zone’
The council is also going to look at appointing a “champion” to drive forward an initiative to boost retail and tourism business in the evening. A survey of the town found that
late night shopping – with the ex- ception of Christmas – did not work and most cafes closed when the shops did, at about 6pm. But officers believe the evening economy can be harnessed in a sim- ilar way to the town’s night-time economy, encouraging residents and visitors to make more use of the town’s activities and attractions. They have been to Canterbury to
seehowthe city makes best use of its facilities and hope to put some of the ideas to work in the county town. The council is to look at trialling
the use of park and ride bus tickets on local services in the evenings, starting with the London Road car park, which has most bus services. The idea is that the park and ride
car parks stay open in the evenings after the bus service has ended – but users hop on a local bus to get to and from the town. Extending the park and ride serv-
BRIGHTERlights and better buses could be brought in to help boostMaidstone’s “twilight economy”. Launching a Bid
ice had not proved cost effective in the past and this was seen to be a simpler solution and something which workswell in Canterbury. Cllr Jenni Paterson (left), chair of Maidstone’s economic development scrutiny com- mittee, said: “Much is in place already, for example our excellent restaurant of- fering and an early evening dining experi-
ence. “This can be built on not only by
the retail sector in the town centre, but by leisure and cultural facilities such as the Hazlitt Theatre and the museum.” She added: “The borough council
can play a critical part by making the town a welcoming and attractive place and offering a supportive and encouraging hand when requested. I believe that, given the will and a concerted effort by us all, Maidstone can have a vibrant twilight economy
Use your phone to find yourway
VISITORS couldsoonbe finding theirway around Maidstone with the use of a smart phone app. The council believes it could re-work the MyCanterbury app for
use in Maidstone, enabling users to see local promotions and offers. The app can distinguish between visitors and residents and build
up a picture of each user based on their previous purchases, allowing businesses to tailor their messages to their target audience. The council is to look at the costs and possibility of bringing this to Maidstone, with a particular focus on the twilight economy business.
Tourism figures increasing
TOURISM in Maidstone continues to thrive with more than four mil- lion visitors to the county town, ac- cording to recent figures. According to research commis-
sioned by Visit Kent, the total eco- nomic value of tourism in Maidstonewas £251,608,000 in 2013 – an increase of 4%. Overall visitor numbers rose by
9% compared to 2011, while the total number of jobs rose by 3%. A spokesman for Maidstone Council said: “It is great to see an increase in the number of people
Star spectacular
THEMaidstone Stargazing spectacular drew a staggering 3,400 visitors between 1.30pm and 9.30pm,making it the biggest event of its kind in the whole of the UK this year.
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coming to and enjoying Maidstone and the wealth of excellent attrac- tions and amenities on offer here. Tourism continues to be incredibly important to the local economy, bringing a lot of money into the borough and creating a lot of em- ployment.” Kent was the third most visited destination outside London for for- eign visitors, with overseas staying trips up by 7%. The countywas the eighth most visited in the country (excluding London) for domestic overnight trips.
Hi-tech solution
MAIDSTONE Town Centre Man- agement is working with the coun- cil to tackle the problems of vagrancy on the town’s streets. Newsoftware and input from the town’s traders – including those at Lockmeadow – is enabling officers to share information and look at the best possible options going for- ward.
that will be to the mutual benefit of everyone.”
Wonderland nightclub owner
John Barnes brought the poor street lighting to the council’s attention back inOctober.Hesaidmanylights were out and suggested the river- bank could be more attractively lit. The proposed regeneration of Earl
Street,Week Street and Gabriel’s Hill should improve the appearance of the town centre and more evening events – especially music-related – could be held in Jubilee Square. The cabinet member for economic
and commercial development Cllr Malcolm Greer has been asked to make the regeneration project a pri- ority and also liaise with the county council to ensure broken street lights in the town centre are repaired quicker than the current 28 days. He is also being asked to encour-
age businesses to invest in flood- lighting of appropriate buildings and work with the businesscommu- nity to find someonewhocould be a champion for the twilight hours. This could be the new town centre manager or a representative of the business community. Cllr David Burton, the cabinet member for planning and transport, has been asked to ensure there is ap- propriate lighting at the approaches to town centre car parks and negoti- ate for park and ride tickets to be valid on local bus routes. The cabinet accepted the report,
which will be progressed by thenew strategic planning and sustainable transport committee after the elec- tions.
for better service THE council believes the appoint- ment of a new town centre man- ager will provide an opportunity for engagement with local busi- nesses – and the chance to create a new Business Improvement Dis- trict, or Bid. A Bid is a defined area within
which businesses have to pay an additional levy to fund projects within the district’s boundaries. For a Bid to come into being, a
ballot of businesses in the area must take place. To win the ballot, more than 50% of businesses by rateable value as well as by num- ber, must be in favour. This ensures support from both independent businesses and na- tional chains. Both Canterbury and Croydon
have Bids and funds go towards things such as extra street clean- ing, floral displays, Christmas lights and street ambassadors, who liaise with levy payers and statutory authorities, help resolve issues and meet and greet visitors. The Bid also provides energy consultations to help local busi- nesses save money on their en- ergy bills. The activity is not designed to
replace the responsibilities of the local authority, but to provide ad- ditional services above and be- yond what would normally be received.
Top music acts at Fringe
THE fifth Maidstone Fringe Festival will celebrate the diversity of new and original music in Kent and the South East over the Mayday Bank Holidayweekend. From April 30 to May 4, pubs,
clubs and music venues will see per- formances from more than 100 live acts from many different genres in 14 different venues.
There will be a number of all- day events and dance
all-
nighters, as well as family enter- tainment in Ju- bilee Square and cafes and coffee shops, much of it
free to attend. Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac (above) is making a guest appearance at The Source Bar on SundayMay3, as one of the hosts of a 12-hour music and dance-athon from 6pm to 6am, while Earls is one of the first to “Make Some Noise” with a three-
band set at 8.45pm on the Thursday, headlined by One Day Elliott. Other artists already confirmed in-
clude rockabilly/rock’n’roll act The Keytones who appear at the Style& Winch on Monday,May4, alongside FunkeAnd The Two Tone Baby. UK Blues Awards winners King
Size Slim play at The Pilot on Friday, May1. The Flowerpot hosts awealth of acoustic talent including The Dev- ils Prefects, Sally Ironmonger and John Forrester. Popular virtuoso funk act Cut The Funk returns to The MusicRoomat Pizza Express on Friday, May 1 and Earls hosts a wealth of indie, rock and alternative acts over theweekend. The Maidstone Fringe Festival is organised by Clive Austen from Make Some Noise and Zoe Sparkle, who runs community events in con- junction with Maidstone Town Team and the Town Centre Man- agement. For a full programme of events,
visit
www.maidstonefringe.com or go to the festival’s facebook page.
Maidstone Town May 2015 35
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