Town June 2015

News | Town centre Leadingway

for spa town IT seems Maidstone can teach a thing or two to the spa town of Tun- bridgeWells. TunbridgeWells has no town cen-

tre management and officials from its borough council are coming to Maidstone to look athowthe system operates here, with a view to setting up its own scheme. Maidstone TCM has recently re-

fined the way it works with Maid- stone Council and now has a much better system of sharing data. The role of the town centre man-

ager has been re-defined and adver- tised as a town centre “change co-ordinator”. The job, which comes with a salary

of £26,000-30,000 and is offered on a temporary basis for one year, re- quires the successful candidate to “develop and implement a strategy and plan for the coordination of town centre activities”. The job will involve liaising with

all key stakeholders including the council, the police, charities, busi- nesses and churches, to come up with options for the creation of an organisation to co-ordinate and manage Maidstone town centre. The postholder will also be ex-

pected to explore whether there is a willingness to create a business im- provement district (Bid) in the town. With a closing date for applicants

at the end of May, theTCMhopes to make an appointment in June.

Empty shops

ALMOST 50 empty shop units in Maidstone are considered to be vir- tually unlettable. TheTownCentre Management re-

ported therewere 49 old empty units in the town and 23newempty units, making a total of 72. However, TCM’s Larry

Williamson said the 49were “virtu- ally unlettable”, while two others had since been occupied. This meant that just 10.7% of the town’s 651 ground floor business premises were unoccupied at the time of the count. TCM is updating its database of business addresses in the town. This is being expanded to include Albion and Clarendon Places, the town ends of Ashford Road, Sitting- bourne Road, London Road, Ton- bridge Road and Andrew BroughtonWay. It will also include premises in Barker Road, Hart Street, Broadway and St Peter Street.

A BRANCH of ASK, an Italian restaurant chain, has opened in the centre of Maidstone. Diners can enjoy breakfast, from

10am, brunch and an all-day menu, alongside an a la carte menu. The 188-cover restaurant in Earl Street also has seating for 20 outside.

36 Maidstone Town June 2015

downsmail.co.uk

Appeal for benefactor to save Shopmobility plan

MAIDSTONE Town Centre Management is hoping a benefactor might step in to save the future of its Shopmobility service. The company says the service has

been running at a loss for several years and does not receive suffi- cient demand to justify its reten- tion.

Although a suggestion that the service could be scrapped fromAu- gust 1 has come under fire, TCM says it cannot see any other way forward. The scheme has offered three mo-

bility scooters to users at The Mall Chequers and a further two at Fremlin Walk for the past five years, costing about £26,000. But the service, which costs users

a £5 membership fee and a £3 hire charge per use, loses about £3,500 a

year. A spokesman for TCM said: “Town Centre Management …is no longer able to facilitate the Maid- stone Shopmobility service due to financial considerations. “The service has been run for a number of years at a considerable loss and its only regular income… does not meet the cost of the re- quired maintenance and insur- ance.”

Demand for the service is so low

that even a reasonable increase in prices would not remedy the situa- tion, says TCM. The spokesman said: “We are keenly aware of the value of the fa-

cility to its members and with this in mindwe are seeking another or- ganisation, body or individual who may be in a position to take it over. “Regretfully, ifwe are unsuccess-

ful in this undertaking,we propose to close the service from August 1, 2015.”

Wheelchairs will continue to be

available for customer use at both The Mall and FremlinWalk and the mobility scooters would be do- nated to an appropriate organisa- tion. “We would welcome contact

from anyone who feels they may be able to help,” the spokesman added.

Town marks St George’s day Bank to open

THEREwasmuch slaying of dragons and rattling of sabres and clogs when folk singers and dancers cameto Maidstone to celebrate all things English for St George’s Day. In a four-hour extrava-

ganza ofmusic, dance and drama, Jubilee Square be- came the place to be, with performances from Kits Coty Morris, Kettle Bridge Clogs and Loose Women Morris and music from band Green Diesel and Black Lion Courtiers. Young thespians from

the Hazlitt Youth Theatre put their own particular twist on the battle be- tween St George and the dragon while there were face painting and pho- tographic opportunities for the children. The event was put together by Maidstone Town Team, in conjunction with the Town Centre Management and Maidstone Council.

Work starts on Mall centre

WORK is about to start on a £5m revamp of the Mall shopping centre in Maidstone. Owner Capital&Regional is appointing a contractor for the first phase

of the refurbishment, which will involve a redesign of the two entrances in King Street and Gabriels Hill, with lighting and flooring being in- stalled. Workwas due to start early in the year, but Capital&Regional has now confirmed it is finally appointing a contractor and work is due to start. SpokesmanAndrew Scorgie said: “The company continues to work up options to extend the centre in response to the undoubted demand for quality retail and leisure space in Maidstone.”

Restaurant opens Ukip invades St George’s Day

POLITICAL activistswere given short shrift for hijacking Maidstone’s St George’s Day festivities. As Morris dancers and folk bands entertained crowds in Jubilee Square, members of Ukip erected their own stand. However, activi- ties in Jubilee Square require a licence, which Ukip did not have. Maidstone Council is investigating the matter.

on prime site MAIDSTONE’S businesses are to get a boost with the opening of the latest bank in town. Metro Bank Ltd has acquired the

site at the junction of High Street and Week Street, recently vacated by fast food giant Burger King, along with the neighbouring premises formerly occupied by fashion retailer Pepper- mint. The bank – located chiefly in Lon-

don and the home counties – has re- cently embarked on an expansion programme and is also opening a store inTunbridgeWells. Previously, the closest branch to Maidstonewas Orpington. Planning permission has been ob-

tained for change of use and internal alterations and work is due to get underway soon. In the meantime, Burger King has

taken over the former C&H Fabrics building at the corner ofWeek Street and Union Street, where signs have already gone up. A spokesman for Maidstone

Town Centre Management said: “TCM is always supportive of new business in Maidstone and we are delighted that the town has attracted Metro Bank. “We closely monitor the changing

face of the towncentre in terms of its offer and are pleased to see that Burger King will not be leaving to accommodate this change but will be relocating to a new site further alongWeek. “It’s encouraging to see new busi-

nesses arrive, but equally important to retain our existing ones.”

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