News


downsmail.co.uk Tower block scheme for town


THIS 14-storey building is one ofMaidstone Borough Council's sites which could bring at least 1,000 homes into the already-congested county town. The Liberal Democrat-run au-


thority has released initial propos- als for 283 flats in amassive tower block on the site of the Broadway ShoppingCentre, 650 flats along St Peter’s Street, and hundredsmore on other town centre sites. MBC's recent announcement is


its latest foray into property devel- opment, originally revealed by Savills in a glossy brochure which cost the public purse £60,000. This caused outrage at the time


as the plans had received virtually unanimous, cross-party rejection from councillors on the ground at MBC. They wrote to the council’s seniormanagement to object. But despite their protestations,


five “opportunity sites” have come back into contention, including a theGala bingo hall andLenHouse, currently a car showroom. The tower block would replace the Broadway shopping centre,


home to Matalan and Lidl, and would house almost 300 flats. BridgewardConservative coun-


cillor Jonathan Purle said: “This is going to create another eyesore completely out of character with the area. “The riverside in Maidstone


could be somuchmore.We need a positive andbalancedregeneration


Addict stoleDVDs


A HEROIN addict stole DVDs worth nearly £80 from HMV in Maidstone. MaxBailey (30), ofHigh Street,


stole three Marvel boxsets amounting to £79.97 from the FremlinWalk store on June 10. The court heard Bailey “does-


n’t do anything all day except watch TV” as his addiction pre- vents himfromworking. Prosecuting,Neil Sweeney told


Maidstone Magistrates Court that Bailey was seen on CCTV taking the items and making no attempts to pay. The discs were never recovered. Probation officer,LaurenPack-


hamsaid: “Mr Bailey tellsme he reallydoesn’tdo anything allday except watch TV. He still uses heroinandhasdone since hewas 17 years old. He is also currently on post-sentence supervision as he was released from prison in September last year. “Growing up he was very un-


settled. His mother was in a do- mestically abusive relationship, and although he was never in- volved in the violence he suf- fered a great deal of emotional trauma. He suffers fromanti-so- cial personality disorder and de- pression.


32 Public funds for flats


COUNCIL officials are poised to take a “risk”with taxpayers’ cash in a bid to regenerate a rundown part of town. In a move that wrong-footed its


“He can’t work due to his de-


pendency on drugs. His addic- tion prevents him from doing things and he feels he doesn’t have a purpose.“ Defending himself, Bailey told


the court: “It was just a spur of themomentdecision, Ideeply re- gret it now. I am seeking em- ployment and I’m currently on medication for depression.” Chairman of the bench,Dennis


Fuller said: “You have an oppor- tunity, so use it. We know how hard drug rehabilitation can be.” Bailey pleaded guilty to theft


and was given a 12-month com- munity order and a £130 fine plus costs toHMV.


Maidstone East October 2019


own councillors, the borough went public on its “top secret” plans to re- vitalise the site of the old mail depot and adjacent car parks near Maidstone East Station. MBC trumpeted the potential


creation of “400 new homes” in conjunction with the county coun- cil, aswell as possible shops, offices and amedical centre. Head of regeneration and eco-


nomic development, John Foster, was quoted as saying the next step is to do “a dealwithNetworkRail to secure the car park behind the sort- ing office”. But he stopped short of giving


the anticipated costs of a deal. Downs Mail, however, under-


stands there is concern within the council that taxpayers will be ex- posed to a “considerable financial risk” in excess of £10 million if this approach goes ahead, because MBC would be the “main devel- oper” for the project. Insiders say the 400 “modestly


sized” flatswould need to sell at an “optimistic price”, if the authority stands any chance of clawing its in- vestment back. The council may, however, try to offset the risk by ap- plying for grants from the likes of Homes England. If an optimistic price can be


achieved for the flats, itwould push theminto a bracketmore suited to commuterswith jobs in London. The council refused to be drawn


on costs when approached by Downs Mail, on the grounds they are “commercially sensitive infor- mation”.


of the area so that it works for ex- isting residents. “But buildingmore flats for com-


muters tomove infromLondon, or smaller flats forLondon boroughs’ housing overspill,misses themark and does nothing to deliver three- bed semis for local families. “The council has never been for- given for inflicting the Travelodge


on us andwill certainly not be for- given if they now get this wrong. These plans need a re-think.” AnMBC statement said: “Town


centres are changing. Therefore, it is right thatMBCtakes apro-active approach to place-shaping, engag- ingwith landowners and develop- ers to give clarity as to what development it would be open to, rather than simply responding to developer-led proposals. “The planning guidelines docu-


ments for the five town centre sites contain illustrative ideas as to how these locations couldbedeveloped over the short, medium or longer term.The council believes these lo- cations are suitable for mixed-use residential-led development. “They will have the potential to


maximise some of the town’s un- tapped assets ... whilst providing infrastructure, business spaces and homes.”


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