Moving a war memorial to free up traffic and demolishing a “monstrous” hotel are both parts of a vision for the future of Kent's County Town.

The proposal for Maidstone also includes re-routing the A229, tackling litter and basic repairs, adding more trees and plants, building a new transport hub, creating extra parking, a business and educational campus, replacing The Mall shopping centre with more historic-looking buildings, and easier access to the drive-thru McDonald’s, among other ideas.

But the suggestions have been set out not by the Conservative council, but by the opposition Lib Dem group.

The Tory administration at Maidstone council has been working on a new Town Centre Strategy for much of the past year, but it's not known when it will be published.

Fed up with delays and deferments, the opposition Lib Dem group has now published a draft Town Centre Strategy of its own. The object is to set out the group’s ambition for how the town should evolve up to 2050.

It includes plans to make access to Lockmeadow and McDonald’s drive-thru easier with a new gyratory, and a long-term ambition of improving the town’s river frontage by getting rid of existing retail warehouse units and the Travelodge hotel.

Lib Dem leader Clive English said: “The borough’s strategy should have been published by now and moving forward to adoption. Instead, we learn this may not happen until late 2024.

“We are frustrated by this delay, but we appreciate the complexity of such a strategy and the need to get it right.

“It is urgent that we address the actions needed to ensure that Maidstone’s town centre can thrive.

“Therefore, we have prepared our own Town Centre Vision to speed the process along.”

He added: “We would welcome comments and feedback on our proposals.”

The 45-page document, labelled Maidstone’s Alternative Town Centre Vision, can be viewed here.

It begins with what the Americans call a “broken window” approach.

The Lib Dems say: “Maidstone deserves a town centre strategy that is not only visionary but is also built on solid foundations.

“The town needs to be cherished and the first step in that is to get the basics of maintenance and repair done correctly.

“The town should be a pleasure in which to live, work, visit and enjoy leisure hours, and that starts with the basics.

“Streets should be free of litter, chewing gum and dog mess.

“Broken paving slabs and half-finished repairs with ugly patches of Tarmac should be a thing of the past.

“Litter bins should not be overflowing and tired. They should be clean and repaired.

“Our unique Maidstone blue paintwork on utilities, litter bins, lamp-posts and railings should be kept clean and in good order.

“The centre should not be a concrete jungle. There should be trees and other vegetation throughout.

“People should feel they are safe to enjoy the town centre. Fast food wrappers should not litter the pavements.

“Respect for the town starts with the cleanliness of the town.

“Existing litter encourages more litter and fly-tipping.”

To counter the decay, the plan proposes more litter bins, more public toilets, an enforcement crackdown, improved greenery and reduced permitted time limits for temporary surfaces after utility repairs.

It also sets out ideas to promote green areas and public walkways, and a “cultural quarter,” instead of the advance of housing.

The vision is that no-one in the town centre should be more than 50 metres from a green space.

Part of the ambition is to open up the River Len as a green walkway connecting the town centre to Mote Park.

There would also be an additional foot and cycle bridge over the River Medway.

The Carriage Museum would be reunited with the Archbishop’s Place in a heritage quarter by re-routing the A229 to go behind the museum.

Many town centre streets – including Earl Street, High Street, King Street and Pudding Lane – would be dual-purposed for both traffic and pedestrians, but with pedestrians having priority.

More would also be made of Lockmeadow entertainment centre as a leisure destination, acknowledging at present this is hampered by a traffic bottleneck at Barker Road and The Broadway.

The plan suggests a new gyratory on Rocky Hill that could only be achieved by moving the War Memorial, which it says would become the crowning centrepiece of a new St Peter’s Square.

Describing Maidstone’s “murderous traffic” as “the garrote that is strangling the lifeblood of the town centre,” the plan sets out a number of measures to reduce traffic.

They include building a new transport hub at the site of the old Maidstone East sorting office alongside the railway station, with a three-storey car park and a frequent hop-on, hop-off bus service connecting all the key points.

To encourage a modal shift, there would be four new cycle paths through the town centre with additional secure bicycle storage places.

Extra parking would also be provided behind a redeveloped Broadway Centre.

The plan condemns the current state of the River Medway as “a sterile concrete canal through the centre”.

It would aim to tackle that in the short-term with additional landscaping, but in the longer term, the Lib Dems want to see the removal of the warehouse retail outlets and the demolition of “the monstrosity that is the Travelodge hotel”.

The Army is set to quit Invicta Park Barracks in a few years, and the site is in the draft Local Plan Review for housing. But the Lib Dems say that a better use would be as a business and educational campus that “provides a green and pleasant place to work, live, and study while surrounded by nature".

The Lib Dem alternative plan also foresees the end of The Mall Shopping Centre.

Asserting that “soulless shopping malls are slowly dying out”, the plan envisages the Mall be replaced in the style of the white-stuccoed Market Buildings and small independent retailers, which would have the added advantage of further opening up the River Len. The area would be called The Len Creative Quarter.

Cllr Richard Conyard is one of the authors of the report.

He said. “The town centre is an important resource for residents, businesses and visitors, and key to prosperity and pride across the borough and, as the County Town, hopefully all of Kent.

“It is important that we all have a say in what we want from our town centre and that we are listened to as we plan up until 2050.

“I am in no doubt that there will be popular and unpopular ideas in what we have prepared, but I do hope that it will be a useful step in making Maidstone town centre the jewel in the heart of Kent.”

He added: "This is not a comment on the company in general, but everyone thinks the Travelodge in Maidstone is a monstrosity."

Feedback to the plan can be given here.

Cllr English said: “Our strategy will form a major part of our plan for running the council for the next four years should we be leading a non-Conservative council after the next elections in May.

“After people go to the polls in just five months’ time, we will hopefully be able to implement a radically different plan for the future of Maidstone.

“But we don’t want this to be something that is simply imposed on the public from above. We want the people of Maidstone to be genuinely involved in creating the future at every step of the way.”

Cllr David Burton is the Conservative group leader and leader of Maidstone council. He said: “There is a difference between a vision document and a deliverable strategic document.

“It would be easy to rush through a voter-appealing glossy version with an eye on the May elections, but I have taken the stance that what we put forward through this process will have major impact on the future of Maidstone town centre and that it is right to take time to develop it properly.

“I do contest that there has been no feedback to contributors.

“I personally have been in meetings with fellow group leaders to give just that, in a most open and candid way. I am confused that some of the contributions by others are now completely contradicted in this ’alternative’ plan.

“The challenges are complex and ideas need to be tested. This means working with all stakeholders and interested parties.

“There is little point in having a high aspiration for development of river culture if the landowners do not intend to make their land available.

“Of course, if the proposition has the right viability then a proposition can develop.”

Cllr Burton said: “This is part of the evidence-based development that underpins the formation of our strategy. I have not seen any evidence that supports the ‘alternative’ suggestions; such as by 2050 the Mall shopping centre will be falling down or how its metamorphosis into a riverside park could possibly be funded.

“I am not in the business of setting undeliverable expectations. That’s what gives politicians the worst of reputations.

“Glib aspirations for a mass of boutique retail when the changing demands of consumer preference seem not to support what we already have need to be challenged.

“I have asked for a much deeper dive into the predictions for retail capacity need. This further work will take longer.

“There are many good parts in the alternative – as I read them there is a strong sense of déjà vu probably because they are already in our drafting of the Town Centre Strategy.”

The council’s overview of its strategy so far can be found here

Cllr Burton said: “The timetable was set out in public at a recent Cabinet meeting.”