Maidstone Cabinet Approves Concept Design to Turn Earl Street Into a Pedestrianised 'Restaurant Quarter'

Maidstone Borough Council's Cabinet has approved a concept design for overhauling Earl Street, the town centre's restaurant and bar strip, with a timed pedestrian zone, new public squares and heritage-inspired paving - the next milestone in a scheme first backed by Cabinet in January and now moving towards detailed design and a construction contractor.

The concept design, approved by Cabinet on 21 October, centres on a timed pedestrian zone running from the top of Earl Street to the Royal Star Arcade car park entrance, protected by a physical traffic barrier in a new style and location. Linear paving bands, taking their cue from the street's historic plot lines and the Hazlitt Theatre's stage curtains, converge on a new Theatre Square outside the Hazlitt - described in the council's own report as the "heart" of the redesign - before dispersing towards Week Street and Pudding Lane. A new Gateway Square at the entrance to Earl Street is planned to link into Fremlin's Walk, the Market Buildings and the Royal Star Arcade, with public art and interpretation celebrating the town's history.

The design follows a stakeholder engagement exercise between May and July, including an online survey, business one-to-ones, a walkabout and a workshop. The survey drew 834 responses, 83% from Maidstone residents and 10% from people living in the town centre itself. More greening and planting was the most popular request, backed by 82% of respondents, followed by more accessible pavements and inclusive design (77%), reduced traffic (76%), improved road safety (76%) and more outdoor seating (72%). Seventy percent said the changes would encourage them to spend more time on Earl Street, though 22% raised personal safety concerns. Camera-based traffic surveys in July also found the street's loading bays and disabled bays were frequently used for drop-offs and parking rather than their intended purpose, with actual legitimate loading making up as little as 2% of recorded stays in some bays.

The council has already committed up to £100,000 from its Capital Budget to fund concept design and development, with a further allocation set aside within the Capital Budget for delivering the scheme itself - though the council's own report does not yet put a figure on the full build cost. A Quantity Surveyor has been appointed to manage costs as the design develops. Cabinet's approval sends the project into RIBA Stage 3 detailed design, further public and business engagement, and procurement of a construction contractor, with market testing for that contract already under way. Officers flagged rising material and labour costs as a financial risk, and said it remains unclear whether Kent County Council, as highways authority, will require a "commuted sum" as part of a Section 278 agreement needed before construction can start.

Source: Maidstone Borough Council, Earl Street Public Realm Improvement Scheme Update, Cabinet 21 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.