Additional reporting by Sofia Akin

A business expert says a council has “destroyed” a town centre by allowing planning permission for a retail park.

Tim Hance previously helped plan and secure well-known brands such as Zara for Fremlin Walk in Maidstone before it opened to the public.

The accusation comes after the global fashion brand closed its branch in the outdoor shopping centre and department store House of Fraser announced a six-month refit following a “closing down sale”.

Fremlin Walk opened in 2005 and was seen as a major move towards the county town reclaiming its status as a shoppers' paradise.

At the time Tim worked for the property development company Centros Miller. It took his team 10 years for the designs to be approved and finalised.

But now the 57-year-old believes Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is responsible for allowing the outdoor shopping centre to go into decline.

He said: “They have scored an own goal by giving planning permission for Marks and Spencer to move out of town into an ill-conceived location.

“You've ripped two of your major anchor stores for the town centre out of town. There's free car parking, but the car park is almost impossible to get to.

“Don't get me wrong, paid car parking is also an issue. Fremlin Walk is expensive, so I don't think that's helped itself either.”

Planning permission for the M&S in Eclipse Park next to the A249 was granted by councillors back in August 2018

The approval came after Next opened a store on the site in 2014. Both companies had two major branches each in the town centre.

He added: “If a retailer can move out of town, and they are anchor stores because that's why they're attracting them out of town, into a cheaper box, their costs go down, why wouldn't you do that as a retailer?

“But the council should never have allowed this to have planning permission. They've destroyed their own town centre by giving planning permission.

“It galls me to think they could not control that through the planning model, because they have shot themselves in the foot.”

However, MBC leader Cllr David Burton (Con) has hit back, saying: “There are many factors impacting upon our town centre retail areas.

“The biggest by far is the shift to online shopping which most of us choose over ‘a trip into town’.

“Traditional shopping streets are under pressure and we anticipate further consolidation of these areas.

“Out-of-town areas such as Eclipse are another factor and whilst we would perhaps have preferred the two retailers there to have remained in the town centre, we have to acknowledge their business model is designed to meet their customers’ needs and is different.

“It is regretted that the tacit understanding that one of them would also maintain a town centre preference was not sustainable.

“This is the same picture that we see all across the whole country. Maidstone is, in fact, doing much much better than most.

“This is why we are taking so much effort to develop a town centre strategy for Maidstone which aims not just to address the here and now but takes into account trends over the coming decade.

“A plan which sets out clearly the new opportunities that change will bring. To give confidence to businesses as they invest in the future.

“Town centres have always been evolving. Just as the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker gave way to the supermarket and the fashion store, so we will see new reasons to visit.

“Towns centres are not finished but they are changing to deliver new consumer experiences and MBC will be at the forefront of shaping the future.”

We looked into what was next for town centres and how Maidstone could pull back Bluewater shoppers. Click here to read the report.

Fremlin Walk has had a number of well-known brands come and go over the years.

We waved goodbye to Topshop, which went into administration in November 2020 – closing all branches across the UK.

However, the unit was quickly replaced by gift and gadget retailer Menkind.

The most recent closure was in December when fashion retailer Zara shut unexpectedly. It was a massive blow to the town centre during the festive period.

Other mentions include Laura Ashley, which closed during winter 2020 as well as the Early Learning Centre and Thomas Cook store, which shut in 2019.

One owner who has noticed a lot of changes is Kris Van Haeften, who has been selling fresh fruit and vegetables for nearly 30 years.

He believes a recent development in shopping habits will impact the future of his business.

“People are using Amazon and just not coming out as much,” he said.

“If they do, a lot of it is for the social experience rather than a shopping experience.

“I thought this would definitely see me out of this job, but it does make you wonder now because I've been struggling since Covid.”

He says although the town looks busy, most residents are window shopping and will actually end up buying what they want online.

“Even at Christmas, you could see lots and lots of people having a look, but not that many bags,” he added.

“It is getting harder and harder for all the shops as the expenses are bigger.

“Don't get me wrong, there are still people shopping – but not like it used to be. Hopefully the high street can survive.”

KentOnline took to the streets to see what shoppers thought of the changes to the area.

“It's gone to pieces in the last few years, as all the decent shops have gone,” says resident Bill Bynorth.

“I don't even come to town anymore to shop if I want anything, I buy online now.

“I think it was heading that way, regardless of the pandemic. We are definitely going to have a cashless society at some point – I think it'll be quite soon.”

Mum Erica Towner feels businesses may are “concerned” due to the move to online shopping.

“I love the high street, as a kid I used to be here all the time,” she said.

“If you've not got enough people buying from the shops, the shops then dwindle, then they have to close.

“It’s horrible when you walk past places like Dorothy Perkins and it’s all shut up.

“It seems to be more vape shops than anything now in Maidstone, which is not very good really for the younger generation.”

Despite the doom and gloom, some shoppers still believe the county town lives up to their expectations.

Viktor Akaeze moved to Maidstone just over a year ago, and says that Fremlin Walk is “lovely and very active”.

He said: “I want to use the word active because compared to other places I've seen, some high streets, like in Chatham, are going down a little bit.

“But they've maintained their place since I came here and are improving it even.

“I shopped very often in Zara and it’s a little bit sad that they shut down. Maybe they had their reasons though.

“I wish other major shops could come to the high street – it's lovely.”

Department store House of Fraser will be closing in March to make way for a major refit, which will last around six months.

In August 2018, the company announced its intention to call in administrators.

Entrepreneur Mike Ashley, who owns Sports Direct, immediately struck a deal to buy the brand and its stock for £90 million.

The company will be changing the name to “Frasers” – which aims to be a “dynamic” retail destination.

A spokeswoman added: “Following the group’s success in opening over eight Frasers stores to date, the group continues to invest in Frasers’ concept store model and will open a 65,000 sq ft. Frasers in this space, featuring a Sports Direct.”

Other stores that may be added include fashion brand USC, Evans Cycles and Game.

The Sports Direct branch in The Mall, Maidstone, will close as a result of the refit.

Shoppers can also look forward to Flannels, a designer clothing store also owned by Mr Ashley.

Planning documents reveal designs which would convert the four units at the end of Fremlin Walk, by House of Fraser, into a two-story branch.

Tim Hance now works as a partner at HRH Retail and leads the high street and shopping centre team.

The 57-year-old is currently overseeing the closed Côte Brasserie in Earl Street and is struggling to get a demand from buyers.

“It's not the location. It's not the terms. It's literally that they've lost confidence in the town,” he explained.

“I think that's the big thing. You go down there today – the discounters have moved in where there weren't discounters.

“We’ve lost the fashion core. It looks very tired.”