Agenda item

Twilight Economy Review

Interview with Dawn Hudd, Head of Economic and Commercial Development, and Laura Case, Cultural Services Manager.

Minutes:

The Chairman invited Dawn Hudd, Head of Economic and Commercial Development, Laura Case, Cultural Services Manager, and John Barnes, Manager of Wonderland Nightclub to speak on item 9: Twilight Economy Review.

 

The Chairman relayed to the committee information that had been gathered from Bill Moss, Town Centre Manager, in a meeting earlier in the day. The main points raised by Mr Moss were:

·  There seemed to be little demand from consumers for late night shopping, other than at Christmas time;

·  Maidstone was very strong in terms of the choice of restaurants, especially on and around Earl Street. On a typical Saturday, 3500 meals would be served at 81 venues across the town centre;

·  Lack of free parking didn’t seem to be an issue, as it doesn’t cost much to park in the town centre in the evening (£1.50 in council car parks);

·  Using public assets in the evening may be helpful- for example opening the museum up later in the evening; and

·  Mr Moss felt that Maidstone should concentrate on improving on its strength in the restaurant sector.

 

Dawn Hudd gave evidence to the committee on the Twilight Economy and made the following points:

·  The problem of the town centre being quiet in the early part of the Twilight Economy period was common to many towns;

·  Canterbury have made efforts in this area, however it could still be a struggle to attract people to stay in the town centre after shops and businesses closed;

·  What was needed to improve on any success in the Twilight Economy was a ‘champion’  who was a business owner or operator from this sector of the economy;

·  There were two key pieces of work that would feed in to the future of the Twilight Economy that were in their early stages:

o  Town Centre Vision- this was a piece of work that was being carried out as part of the local plan process. This piece of work would set out the future of the Town Centre, including where various activities would take place.

o  Destination Management Plan- this piece of work would develop how the council wanted Maidstone to look as a destination. It would focus on telling the story of Maidstone and would involve local stakeholders, including from the private sector.

 

Laura Case outlined some of the initiatives to help the Twilight Economy from her business area, which included:

·  Museum Lates- opening the museum in the evening for one Thursday a month; and

·  Jazz at the Museum in the evening.

 

Mrs Case also suggested to the committee that cross promoting events that were happening around the Town Centre could go some way to improving the Twilight Economy.

 

John Barnes gave evidence to the committee and focused on the following topics:

·  The car park for the Lockmeadow complex was not being used to its full potential. Mr Barnes suggested that events such as a Drive in Cinema or a Winter Wonderland might be a success there, and these would help improve the Twilight Economy;

·  The customers for the Night Time Economy and the Twilight Economy were from different demographics;

·  Maidstone should capitalise on seasonal events to improve the Twilight Economy. Mr Barnes gave the example of bonfire night, where a series of events could be put on throughout the evening using this theme to draw people into the town centre;

·  Street lighting was an issue for the Twilight Economy in the winter. Mr Barnes felt that the river could be better lit up to make it more inviting;

·  Jubilee Square would be an ideal location for restaurants, as this is the sort of area other towns would locate their restaurants. Mr Barnes was surprised there were currently no restaurants located in Jubilee Square.

 

The committee asked the witnesses whether they felt the geography of the town, especially how spread out many activities critical to the Twilight Economy are, was a problem for the Twilight Economy.

 

Mrs Hudd responded that this was a potential problem. However this problem would be addressed through the Town Centre Vision and the Destination Management Plan. Local businesses would be involved in drafting these documents.

 

The committee felt that Maidstone, as the County Town of Kent, had lots of unique selling points that could be capitalised on. One particular idea that the committee felt would be helpful to promote was that Maidstone was the ‘musical capital of Kent’. The committee felt this could help improve the Twilight Economy. Mr Barnes agreed with this assertion, stating that those who frequent the Night Time Economy in Maidstone expected very high standards for the music in clubs.

 

The committee felt it was important to include culture and heritage in any plans for improving the Twilight Economy.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1)  A visit be organised by the Research and Performance Officer, before the next committee meeting, to Canterbury to see what twilight economy initiatives had been successful there; and

2)  A visit be organised by the Research and Performance Officer, before the next committee meeting, to Earl Street to see the current state of the Twilight Economy in Maidstone.

 

Supporting documents: