News
Town slips down ‘shopping league’
A TOWN centre programme man- ager is to be appointed to recapture Maidstone’s reputation as a shop- ping destination. The town is facing a number of challenges, not least its decline in re- tail popularity. Maidstone Council’s cabinet heard that there were more empty shop units compared with competing centres and a lack of large units and sites to attract anchor re- tailers. The town slipped in its retail posi-
tion from 33rd out of 2,500 towns in the country in 2007 to 52nd in 2013, chiefly due to a lack of investment, the cabinet heard – although the peak position of 33 followed the opening of FremlinWalk. Despite a number of restaurants
opening in the town, there was still an under-representation in the mid to high-end restaurant market and a lack of integration between the town centre and retail outlets on the other side of the River Medway. Traffic congestion continued to be
a problem and there were limited opportunities for office space in the town centre, fuelled by the attraction of out-of-town business parks. The council has set aside £100,000
for the appointment of a programme manager who will work with busi- nesses, landowners and stakehold- ers for two years to deliver a five-point action plan: town centre living; employment and retail; cul- ture and leisure; transport; and pub- lic realm and connectivity.
Homes agreed on rural site
PLANNING permission was granted to redevelop a commercial site in South Lane, Sutton Valence to create two homes. The scheme for South Belringham will see a barn converted to create one
home, with the other a new-build structure replacing industrial units. Sutton Valence Parish Council objected because it felt the applicant had
not proved that the business was not viable. However, Maidstone Coun- cil felt the scheme would use previously developed land for housing.
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24 Maidstone South January 2014
Maidstone and Malling’s No.1 Free newspaper
downsmail.co.uk Royal date for stonemason
MAIDSTONE stonemason Gordon Newton has had his latest work un- veiled – by Her Majesty the Queen. Mr Newton, from Downswood, who owns The Stone Shop at East Far-
leigh, has a long association with the National Memorial to the Few at Capel-le-Ferne and was invited to make the plaque for The Wing, the Bat- tle of Britain Memorial Trust’s new visitor and edu- cation centre. He was invited to the official opening, car- ried out by the Queen, who was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. The £3.5m education cen-
tre, designed in the shape of the wings of a Spitfire, pro- vides interactive displays of what it was like to fly in a dogfight above Kent. Mr Newton said: “I was de-
lighted to be asked to make the plaque and honoured to be invited to the opening. Half a dozen or so members of ‘The Few’ – as Churchill named them – were able to be present and introduced to the Queen, so it was a proud moment.” The Stone Shop has been associated with the national memorial for
more than 15 years and, in 2010, Mr Newton designed and built the Fox- ley-Norris MemorialWall that lists the names of 2,938 aircrew who fought in the battle as a lasting tribute to them all. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain so the an-
nual Veterans’ Day in July is expected to be particularly poignant. Each year prior to Veterans Day, the stonework at the memorial, in- cluding the “Seated Airman” looking out across the Channel, is cleaned and maintained by The Stone Shop.
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