Report style

working group 1: river

Actions

Who needs to be involved

Priority

Time-scale

 Estimated costs and potential funding sources

Progress to date

Programme of enhancements and improvements to make the river more accessible and appealing to visitors:

·         signing and entrance points to the river from the town centre

·         footpath investment – signing to include distances to key points, accessibility for cyclists

·         investment in moorings

·         parking for river visitors

 

Kent County Council – cycle routes and infrastructure

Maidstone Borough Council

Environment Agency

Town Centre Management

High

M-L

£2m of Single Local Growth Funding has been allocated to create a cycle path along the river from Allington to East Farleigh.  MBC £500,000 subject to final decision on funding.

MBC Funding has been confirmed. KCC currently writing brief for detailed design. DMP group will be kept updated with opportunity for input.

 

 

 

 

Signage as part of the Bridges Gyratory scheme is for vehicular signage only. Potential for pedestrian signage as part of cycle route project.

Focus on strengthening visitor hubs on the river:

·         Improve access, facilities, activities and interpretation

·         Explore opportunities for more camping cabins/pods (luxury camping huts – alternative to camping in the open)  to enable long distance walking, canoeing etc

Priority hubs :

·         Church of All Saints/amphitheatre  

·         Cobtree by Kent Life

·         Lockmeadow

Attractions and businesses e.g. Kentish Lady River Cruises, boat restaurant, All Saints Church, Museum of Kent Life, Lockmeadow

Maidstone Borough Council

Visit Kent

Environment Agency

Medway River Users Association, Rowing Club

Kent County Council

Medium

M-L

Arts Council – Grants for the Arts

Formation of ‘Friends of Maidstone River Park’ Group to improve promotion of the river, current facilities and attractions. More people visiting and aware of the ‘River Park’ will make future events more attractive to event organisers.

Opportunities for event organisers need to be better promoted. This could be done through the River Park Website (see below)

 

Opportunities for camping, etc. will follow from this work.

Create river-based events & activities that will appeal to visitors, animate the river, provide a reason to come today, contribute to extending the visitor day into the early evening.  Opportunities could include –  dragon boat racing, rowing events, festival of lights, regattas etc

   

Maidstone Borough Council

Business owners

Medway Valley County Partnership

Maidstone Town Team

Town Centre Management

Invicta Rowing Club and other river user groups

 

Medium

S-M

Sponsorship

Town Centre Management, Town Team, Arts Council – Grants for the Arts

River Park website has been produced by Ian Tucker. This will be a single place to identify all of the attractions and events along the river to be promoted. This will be aimed at both residents and visitors.

 

Future events will then be more attractive to event organisers.

 

Potential events and organisers to be identified.

 

Build up marketing activity over time linking to countryside theme. Develop marketing collateral – maps, trails, leaflets

 

 

Maidstone Borough Council

Visit Kent

Business owners

Explore Kent

Kent Downs AONB Unit

Low

S-M- ongoing

Maidstone Borough Council

Businesses involvement in campaigns/advertising in leaflets etc

Leaflets of canoe trail being shared on websites, and websites now linking to each other.

Prioritise river management – litter, dredging, landscaping, lighting, policing, anti-social behaviour, mooring, illegal camping

Police

Environment Agency – dredging, water litter picks

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council – Highways

Town Centre Management and Maidstone Town Team

High

S-M and ongoing

Volunteering e.g. for litter picks with Environment Agency, prioritisation of existing maintenance budgets 

Ian Tucker has been nominated to Chair a ‘Friends of Maidstone River Park’. This organisation (once formalised) will undertake to identify ‘grot spots’ and help co-ordinate clean-ups etc. EA has offered use of boats to assist in litter and vegetation clearance.

Develop Riverside Walking and Cycling Path from Allington to East Farleigh with connections to the wider Maidstone area. Potential to expand this up to Aylesford Bridge

 

Kent County Council

Maidstone Borough Council

High

M-L

£2m of Single Local Growth Funding has been allocated to create a cycle path along the river from Allington to East Farleigh.  MBC £500,000. Funding from Tunbridge and Malling is in doubt and the project may need re-scoping as a result.

MBC Funding has been confirmed. KCC currently writing brief for detailed design. DMP group will be kept updated with opportunity for input. Tonbridge and Malling BC are not contributing to the scheme. However they may be some scope to extend a footpath up to Aylesford.

 


 

WORKING GROUP 3: EVENTS

Actions

Who needs to be involved

Priority

Time-scale

Estimated costs and potential funding sources

Progress to date

Create an Events Experts Group that brings together senior decision makers from the main venues & MBC to “join the dots” when it comes to planning & infrastructure, programming & marketing

 

Main venues

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council

Safety Advisory Group

High

S

Members of the group

First meeting took place November 2015. Events Working groups comprises required decision makers and will invite others as they become apparent.

 

Carry out an Audit & Gap Analysis – looking at infrastructure & resources (physical & people), including venue capacities, transport links, traffic management, parking, signing, policing & crowd management. Must take into account potential negative impact on local communities & environment.  Should include analysis of processes (licensing, highways, planning etc) too.  Gap Analysis will then identify if new infrastructure/processes needed - & specific actions should then be developed.  

 

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council

Emergency services

Venues

Event organisers

High

M

 To be explored

List of questions for venue audit to be prepared by Jo and Barbara form an event organisers perspective and Natalie from a venue perspective.

Now been circulated to group members for comment. Survey questionnaire being prepared to go out early January.

 

Additional questions added and questionnaire sent to group for approval. To be sent out once countryside survey returned .

 

Develop an Event Organisers’ Toolkit – to make it easier to hold an event in the borough.   (We understand this is already under way – but it will need to be updated once the above Audit & Gap Analysis is completed)

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council

Venues, Event organisers

Emergency services, Safety Advisory Group

Medium

S

Maidstone Borough Council

Once audit complete this will be done. Work is not underway as per the action comment.

Set up a “No Clash Diary” – for venues to enter information on provisional as well as firm bookings. This is an “internal” tool for venues, organisers, accommodation providers and public agencies within the Borough (and neighbouring areas) to use – to help them avoid clashes, to spread events across the year, and also facilitate identification of potential “clusters” for joint development & marketing (see next action). 

 

Main venues

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council

Visit Kent

Culture Kent

 

High

S

Venues

Maidstone Borough Council

This has been set up using google calendar and is being tested by the group before making available to external organisers. It sits on DMP pages on visitmaidstone.com/dmp

 

It has been tested. No needs to have more explanation added and then send to event organisers, SAG administration and our venues to ask organisers to add to. They must email activation request to add on events.

Develop themed seasons/festivals, inspired by the Shared Story and by major events.  May need a DMP Group sub-group – an “Events Development Taskforce”. Members of the Taskforce to be selected for their specific skills (marketing, events management, programming, fundraising).

 

Venues

Locally-based organisers

Maidstone Borough Council

 

Medium

M

Taskforce members

Sponsors

TCM leading. Group looking at themes form 2016 onwards i.e. sporting, comedy and come with idea for next meeting.

 

Food fair already being organised by Barbara

Develop a consumer-facing “Events for Visitors Calendar” – comprising an online realtime database of confirmed events for consumer marketing (website content, emarketing, social media & traditional media relations work), linked to the Culture Kent data pool.  Evolution of current online events calendar on Visit Maidstone.   Related to “No Clash Diary” – but serves different purpose. Drives events information on Visit Maidstone & Visit Kent websites, but also for tourism industry’s own marketing (could incorporate a “widget” for tourism providers to use on their own websites, providing a live feed).  Will need to be promoted to visitor-facing businesses as well as consumers. Needs tight criteria & market focus so only features events with clear visitor-appeal, and presents them in a way that motivates visits (e.g. clustering them, using Shared Story themes etc). 

 

Maidstone Borough Council

 - Visit Maidstone

Venues

Event organisers

Visit Kent

Culture Kent

Kent County Council

 

High

M

Visit Maidstone

Venues

Event organisers

Consumer events calendar available on visit Maidstone.com/whats-on. List and images can be enhanced and linked to social media.

Event organiser can add their events on directly.

 

Widget to pool information for other providers is being investigated.

 

 


 

WORKING GROUP 2: COUNTY TOWN

 

Actions

Who needs to be involved

Priority

Time-scales

Estimated costs and potential funding sources

Progress to date

Develop local markets and fairs – food (including a farmer’s market), arts & crafts etc:

·         Review existing provision

·         Develop and deliver new markets in different town centre locations and develop a calendar of markets throughout the year

·         Use County Town Market Charter and history as part of the positioning for street markets

·         Introduce street food

·         Develop local market management plan – litter/cleaning, selection of stall traders, access

 

Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Town Team

Land Securities (Fremlin Walk)

Produced in Kent (food events and link to Kent programming and promotion)

National Association of British Markets

Stall holders

Town Centre Management

High

S-M-ongoing

Kent Business Rates Pool, Town Team, Private Sector

·         MBC progressing with fortnightly Farmers Market on Jubilee Square.

·         Other locations considered for other markets are Brenchley gardens and in front of County Hall. However issues with space/access and low footfall.

·         Work with PinK to investigate Street Food

 

Use themed trails and quarters to help make the town more legible for visitors and encourage exploration: 

·         Identify trail themes and quarters

·         Develop a programme of animation and interpretation including:

·         Making use of green spaces

·         Pavement trails/digital trails using app

·         Distinctive lighting

·         Mark the quarters e.g. with sculpture, distinctive street sign branding, lighting etc.

Maidstone Borough Council – planning department

Local businesses

Town Teams

Town centre Management

Medium

S-M

Section 106 planning

 

·         Town Team already looking at themed trails for schools. Need to be mindful DMP relates to visitors – how can the Town Team’s trail be modified for tourists?

·         Town Team installed lighting on Town Hall with a view to establishing it in policy to be expanded elsewhere. Need to identify which buildings could be lit, and funding.

Shopfront improvements including:

·          Shop front design and window displays (produce toolkit) 

·         Maintenance to frontages e.g. redecoration, brand signs

Maidstone Borough Council – including Planning Department

Building owners

MEDIUM

S-M

Building owners, shops and eating places,

Matched funding for shopfront upgrades from  Kent Business Rates Pool and 

Section 106

·         Ken Scott and volunteers have done audit of shop fronts in North end of Week Street. Need to discuss next steps, and funding.

Strengthen town’s association with the countryside through celebrating and promoting local food

·          Encourage local restaurants to source local produce and promote  it

·         Explore potential for a new local produce centre

Produced in Kent

Local restaurants and cafes

Maidstone Borough Council 

Medium

S-M

L – for local produce centre

To be explored

·         What is PinK already doing re promoting local food in restaurants? How can Maidstone promote?

·         Need to identify suitable location for possible local produce centre, and funding

 

Agree a strategy for improved access by car and coach into the town centre and support with:

·         Clear uncluttered road signing

·         Signing to car parks/coach park

·         Visitor orientation in the car/coach parks

·         Pedestrian signing from car parks to the town centre and main attractions.

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council Highways Department

Car park companies

Coach operators

Medium

M-L

Kent Business Rates Pool

·         How can signage into town be improved?

·         Need an audit of pedestrian signing from car parks into town – is it logical to visitors who are unfamiliar with town?

·         Integrated transport strategy will address some of these issues.

Review coach parking provision – volume, location and facilities – to reflect needs of international coach parties for shopping, and take account of potential growth

Maidstone Borough Council

Coach operators

Businesses welcoming coach groups e.g. House of Fraser, Museum

Medium

M

To be explored

·         Coach park currently at Sittingbourne Road – not ideal location. Maidstone East possible alternative.

·         If Maidstone has good facilities for drivers, more coaches will visit.

 

Improve welcome and visitor facilities at the rail stations:

·         Welcome sign and town map on board

·          Clear signing to drop-off/pick-up points

Longer term, a need to deliver new development at Maidstone East station to improve first impressions and provide additional welcome & visitor facilities.

Southeastern Trains

Maidstone Borough Council

Network Rail

High

S-M-L

Redevelopment proposals exist for Maidstone East Station and these improvements could be incorporated.  £1m of Single Local Growth Fund is available in 2016/17 for the redevelopment of the Ticket Office buildings.

·         Network Rail investing in Maidstone East – what influence can group have on welcome signs.

·         North end of Week Street due to have public realm improvements

 


 

WORKING GROUP 4: COUNTRYSIDE

Actions

Who needs to be involved

Priority

Time-scales

Estimated costs and potential funding sources

Progress to date

Product audit – map & gap current provision of trails, walks and countryside & river experiences

 

 

Explore Kent

AONB

Maidstone Borough Council

Visit Kent

Produced in Kent

Parishes

Rural stakeholders e.g. Young Farmers, WI, CPRE, National Trust, RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust, Hadlow

Pilgrims’ Way Company – Walk Awhile

 

High

S

Partner time

Commission co-ordinator

 

Survey has gone out to Parish Council at the beginning of January with 6 weeks to return it.  We have done a chase before the final day which was 14th February, but have not as yet has time to assess all information sent.  Brown sign audit from Parish Councils returned a very poor result, so we are going to have to do that in house.  Some parish councils have been keener than others to encourage visitors.

Marketing audit – understand who currently markets the countryside experiences, where and how.  Find best digital solution to make sure that online information for visitors from various sources is easily found.  Consider how best to use/work with existing brands and sub-brands e.g. Garden of England, Heart of Kent, Our Land

 

 

Maidstone Borough Council

Explore Kent

Kent Downs AONB Unit

Kent Wildlife Trust

Visit Kent

High

S

Partner time

 

 

We have had an excellent result from this and have found potential new partners to develop and market with.

Develop themed experiences and trails that use Shared Story for inspiration, include key attractions, pubs etc along trail to drive more spend

 

Develop marketing collateral – digital and offline. Rich online content.

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council

Visit Kent

Key visitor attractions

Other tourism businesses – including pubs and accommodation

Transport operators (to enable circular walks/cycle + rail/bus routes)

AONB

Explore Kent

Parishes

Medium

S-M

Leader funding

 

Audit  walks and trails selected for promotion to visitors to ensure they are easy to use and attractive  –  safe and easy to find car parks at start points, good facilities along the way, e.g. picnic sites, interpretation, benches, viewpoints etc.  Ensure the routes are consistently signed and that refreshment stops and attractions along the route provide appropriate facilities for walkers and cyclists, e.g. cycle lock ups .  Develop a plan for investment to plug gaps in provision. 

 

Maidstone Borough Council

Kent County Council

Environment Agency

AONB

Parish Councils

Southeastern

Farmers

Fishing Clubs

Medium

M

 

Still in assessment process and waiting returns.

Develop rural Visitor Information Points – “i” branded.

 

Maidstone Borough Council

Tourism South East

Local rural tourism businesses

Parish Councils

Kent County Council, Highways

 

High

M

Leader funding

Work has started on Leader funding bid and potentially there will be new electronic visitor activity data as well, possibly using Scout.

Work towards becoming Kent’s first “Walker Friendly” destination using  the Cyclist Welcome and Walkers Welcome

·         Identify key towns/villages and support Walkers Welcome accreditation (prioritise villages with direct train links into Maidstone)

·         Promotional activity  

Visit Kent

Explore Kent

Maidstone Borough Council

Tourism South East

Medium

M

Leader funding, participant fees

Going to have be the 4th Walker Friendly destination but it would seem that this could be a great place for walking without the car.  North Downs Way and Stations are working together and have potential to join in.