The Future of Maidstone Special supplement, October 2020


Tackling jams on our roads


TRAFFIC congestion and air pollution are driving Maidstone Borough Council to look for solutions in the Local Plan Review, being considered by the council for submission late next year. Work has begun on developing


a new Integrated Transport Strat- egy and transport modelling pro- gresses. This follows: l An officer workshop involving Kent County Council, Maidstone Borough Council and Highways England highlighting issues, op- portunities and collaborations; l An external stakeholder work- shop (Southeastern Rail, Arriva, Nu-Venture, Kent Police, NHS, Kent Community Rail Partnership);


l A series of council member workshops reporting on transport modelling progress to date and looking ahead. The council is considering four different approaches and is look- ing at expanding current strategies in the Local Plan: to add significant new highways infrastructure (such as the Leeds/Langley bypass); to include major new public trans- port infrastructure investment as part of town centre renaissance;


make more use of the existing net- work to include new park-and- ride (subject to sustainability) and public transport interchanges with prioritisation measures.


A further consideration is re- ducing transport impact on the network by creating quality large developments (such as garden vil- lages) with high level of sustain- ability and internal journeys. Measures are also being consid- ered to reduce need to travel by


increasing levels of walking, cy- cling and public transport use. A local cycling and walking infras- tructure plan envisages an en- hanced network, ideally over a 10-year period.


The council says transport pol-


icy needs to take account of jobs and housing growth and recog- nise that the population of the urban area and dispersed villages bring different challenges and so- lutions.


‘Middle market’ town Population of 200,000


MAIDSTONE wants to retain its town centre position as a major re- tail centre second only to Bluewa- ter.


It is classified as “middle mar- ket”, not competing with “upper- middle” locations like Bluewater, Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells. More retail floor space will be re- quired, fuelled by population growth, and choices must be made where this will be allocated, at least for the next 10 years. But development will be slower as the market recovers from con- cerns about Covid-19 and Brexit, and the pandemic may reduce tra- ditional retail demand.


Sustaining the town centre is seen as a priority – “to protect it from systemic change it most likely will have to become more diverse”. The council considers there is ad- equate land across the borough to meet retail needs, including town centre sites, Maidstone East (in- cluding other uses) and former Royal Mail site, King Street car


MAIDSTONE population is forecast to rise from 170,924 in 2019 to 195,249 in 2037, an increase of 14.2%, based on the current Govern- ment target for new housing. Another national forecast in the same report predicts a population 201,691 by 2037. Population growth in the borough is largely driven by net immigra-


tion, especially people moving from other parts of the UK. There is an appreciable level of international migration. Typically, there are more modest levels of natural change (births minus deaths).


Workforce set to grow


park area, the Powerhub buildings and Baltic Wharf lining the river – stretching to Newnham Park and perhaps to new garden villages. A “healthcheck” in 2019 con-


cluded “residents have good access to local shops and services which is supplemented by Maidstone town centre and other smaller cen- tres and parades. There is no sug- gestion any centres require radical changes.”


THE number of people in economically active employment in Maidstone is expected to grow from about 92,000 now to 116,500 by 2037. The greatest increase is expected in the 60-69 age group linked largely to changes in the pensionable age and general reductions in pension pro- vision.


For your leisure needs


THE plan will not identify land for new leisure activities, but will be flex- ible to respond to emerging opportunities as they arise. Developing a leisure/entertainment complex (either new or re-purposing) might be a potential strategy. A survey did reveal a theoretical capacity for a medium-sized cinema


over the Local Plan period. “Alternatively there is scope for additional screens at Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre.”


Providing a full range of legal services to Maidstone’s business community from our offices in Mill Street for over 100 years.


www.gullands.com 7


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