A £6,000 study has branded Maidstone a ‘bland cultural desert’ where creative people are very isolated and key attractions are not presented in the best way.

The seven-page document, produced by creative consultancy firm Nick Ewbank Associates for Maidstone Borough Council (MBC), included comments from councillors, who did not give their names, and other officials.

The firm was appointed by MBC in February.

Mr Ewbank consulted leading artistic institutions in the town about the cultural scene, including Dalia Halpern-Matthews of Nucleus Arts, which closed its gallery on Saturday, October 3 after a dispute with the council over its £100,000 business rate bill.

The review states that the County Town hides its cultural offering and places four lanes of busy traffic between visitors and the River Medway – a spot that should be a key attraction.

The report states: “A visitor to the town can spend all day shopping in Maidstone, or can enjoy the town’s celebrated nightlife without necessarily becoming aware of the rich cultural heritage all around them.”

The report makes several recommendations on how to improve Maidstone’s offering.

These include the creation of a town centre and riverfront heritage zone or relocating or expanding the carriage museum.

More investment too must be made in developing the creative economy, which employed 2,700 people in the town in 2012.

The report will be incorporated in a future strategy.

The meeting comes as the authority seeks to make Maidstone more able to compete with other similarly sized towns in Kent and Medway.

Over the summer the council produced a ‘destination management plan’ to help effectively market what the County Town and its surrounding countryside has to offer.

The review comes after Maidstone and north Kent was ranked among the worst places to live and work by thinktank Demos and accounting firm PwC.