Maidstone News
The latest Maidstone news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Park Wood Pride in Place: Board Named, £20m Plan Due 30 Nov
The 13-member board deciding how up to £20m is spent in Park Wood, Senacre, Shepway and Mangravet is named. Its 10-year plan goes to government by 30 November.
More stories
Housing
Maidstone Council Housing: HRA Reopens After 22 Years
Maidstone has a council housing account again, first time since 2004: 56 to 103 homes in it, rents assumed at £148 a week, and how far off 1,000 homes it is.
Crime
Fremlin Walk Moped Thefts: 4 Teenagers Arrested, Appeal Open
Four boys aged 15 to 17 were arrested after two mopeds were wheeled out of Fremlin Walk car park. Mopeds and an e-bike were recovered; police want witnesses.
Crime
Nettlestead Raid: Police Seek Owner of Seized Chainsaws
Chainsaws, a hedge cutter and a leaf blower seized in Nettlestead have no known owner. Kent Police has published photos; quote 46/147648/26 if they are yours.
Environment
Maidstone Pocket Parks Open on 3 Town Centre Streets
Three pocket parks with trees, planting and rain gardens are open on St Faith's Street, Brewer Street and Union Street. What changed, and why the council built them.
Housing
Maidstone Council to Vote on Housebuilding Halt Over Water
Councillors vote on Wednesday on asking ministers for a housebuilding moratorium until water firms guarantee supply. Residents can put questions until Monday.
Planning
Maidstone Planning Call-In Ends 31 October: Who Decides Now
Parish and councillor call-in to Maidstone's Planning Committee ends on 31 October. Two people will decide in private which applications get a public hearing.
Crime
Maidstone Town Centre: 13 Shops Shut Over Illicit Tobacco
Kent Police says 13 Maidstone town centre businesses were closed or evicted in six months, with nine arrests and cocaine, cannabis and cash seized in the raids.
Council
InfoZone Maidstone Family Hub Faces Closure: Say by 17 Nov
Kent County Council wants to shut the InfoZone Family Hub at 3 Palace Avenue, citing £450,000 of repairs and signs of subsidence. Comments close 17 November.
Planning
Loose Neighbourhood Plan: 51 Green Spaces, Comment by 23 Oct
Loose Parish Council's draft plan to 2038 protects 51 green spaces and 18 views and sets terms for 300 homes at Pested Bars. Comments close 23 October.
M20
M20 Fatal Crash Near Junction 9: Kent Police Witness Appeal
One person died when a black VW Polo left the coastbound M20 between junctions 8 and 9 at 5.56am on Wednesday 23 September. Kent Police want dashcam footage.
Housing
Maidstone Springfield Library Flats: £37m Deal, £219m Notice
Hill's contract for 103 council flats on Maidstone's Springfield library site was £37.45m in February. A notice filed on 22 September puts stage one at £219m.
Environment
Maidstone Potholes Filled With Recycled Clothes: 5 Repaired
Two potholes in Mote Park and three at Penenden Heath have been filled with a material made from old clothes. Kent County Council roads are not in the trial.
Council
Maidstone Dog Rules Renewed, £100 Fine Cap Removed
Dog rules run on from 20 October, but the £100 cap on fixed penalties has gone from the new order. Maidstone town centre had no begging order for three weeks.
Planning
Invicta House Maidstone: Flats Need Permission From 30 Oct
The Article 4 direction on five town centre office sites is signed. From 30 October, turning any into flats needs planning permission. Comments close then.
Maidstone
False Chinch Bugs, Maidstone: Harmless, and No Treatment
Maidstone Borough Council says the insects swarming homes in Fant do not bite, spread disease or damage buildings, and that it has no way to treat or enforce.
Planning
Heathlands: Updated 5,000-Home Plans Shown 9 and 10 October
Homes England will show the revised Heathlands masterplan at three drop-ins on 9 and 10 October, then a webinar on 12 October, before the planning bid lands.
Lockmeadow
Lockmeadow Market: Cabinet Re-Approves Plan to End It
Scrutiny asked Cabinet to spare the Tuesday and Saturday markets. On 16 September it approved the same plan again. The consultation closes 19 October.
Data
Maidstone Claimant Count: 3,980, Highest Since Oct 2021
Maidstone's claimant count reached 3,980 in August, the highest since October 2021. The borough added 380 in a year, more than anywhere else in Kent.
House Prices
Maidstone House Prices July 2026: Average Down £256
Maidstone's average home lost £256 in the year to July, one of only two Kent districts to fall. Detached fell 0.4% and flats 2.8%, while semis rose.
Shepway
Maidstone House Fire: E-Bike Battery Blamed, Four Out
An e-bike battery caused the Northumberland Road fire in Shepway, Kent Fire says. Six engines went; two adults and two children were rescued on Monday.
Planning
Archbishop's Palace Maidstone: 250 Weddings a Year Plan
Maidstone's Grade I palace would host up to 250 weddings a year and 180 guests under a council plan, with 59 Mill Street car park spaces reserved.
Crime
Maidstone Farms Among Nine Hit in £170,000 GPS Thefts
Kent Police say Maidstone farms were among nine hit for GPS units worth over £170,000. Two men charged, in Crown Court today.
Planning
Maidstone Padel: 13 Courts Approved, 3 More Await a Ruling
Sport England objects again to padel courts replacing the YMCA astro pitch used by 16 football teams. Every padel scheme in the borough, counted.
Crime
Maidstone Murder Charge After Knightrider Street Stabbing
Kent Police have charged a 26-year-old with murder after a man in his 40s died of stab wounds at a property in Knightrider Street, Maidstone, on 7 September.
Transport
Bower Mount Road 20mph Zone Proposed for 14 Maidstone Roads
Kent County Council proposes a 20mph zone on 14 roads around Bower Mount Road. Objections close at noon on 5 October. The full list, and how to respond.
Housing
Maidstone Affordable Homes: 43 New Flats Handed to Council
Maidstone Borough Council has taken 43 new affordable-rent flats at Wilberforce House and Len Martin Court. Where they are, what they offer, what comes next.
Maidstone
Lockmeadow Consultation: 5 Drop-ins, Closes 19 October
Maidstone council wants views on Lockmeadow's future, and the survey closes on 19 October. Five drop-in sessions run from 23 September, with dates and times.
Maidstone
Maidstone Call for Sites: 183 Sites, 153 of Them Housing
Landowners put 183 sites to Maidstone council by 23 August. We read all 184 published records: 153 name housing, and the largest is 100 hectares at Leeds.
Maidstone
Maidstone Food Hubs: £8.50 Bags and No Referral Needed
Four Maidstone food hubs need no referral and no means test. Joining is free, a family order costs £8.50, and here are the days, addresses and how to sign up.
Business
Maidstone's Acorn Groundwork in Liquidation After 27 Years
Acorn Groundwork, a Hermitage Lane contractor employing 10 people, went into liquidation on 21 August, five weeks after filing accounts showing £14,121 left.
Community
Nepal Floods: Maidstone's Gurkha Link and Where to Give
Maidstone is home to both of the Army's Gurkha field squadrons. The Gurkha Welfare Trust says over 1,250 have died and its teams are going out to 43 pensioners.
Planning
Chart Sutton Plan: Council Says 2 Policies Fail the Test
Maidstone says nine of the 11 policies in Chart Sutton's plan pass the test, but its tree and community rules are too restrictive. Comments close 21 September.
Planning
Swale's 17,024 Homes: Maidstone Calls the Plan Unsound
Swale wants 17,024 homes by 2042. Maidstone says the plan is unsound because no fix is modelled for M20 Junction 7. Comments close 21 September.
Maidstone
Maidstone Council Scorecard: 761 Homes, 47% Recycled
The council's own 2025/26 report: 761 new homes against a 1,000 target, recycling at 47.09%, and a 514-day average wait for a one-bed council home.
Council
Maidstone Budget: £13.9m of Building Work Slips to 2027
Maidstone expects to leave £13.9m of its £45.5m capital budget unspent. Archbishop's Palace, Earl Street and the leisure centre works all slip to 2027/28.
Food hygiene
Maidstone Hygiene Ratings August: 43 of 49 Rated 5, One 1
43 of the 49 Maidstone food hygiene ratings dated August scored 5. Late entries ended the clean sweep: a Sandling Road shop rated 1, a Hart Street takeaway 3.
Community
Maidstone Arts Grants: £500 to £2,000, Closing 29 November
Maidstone's arts grants reopened on 1 September with £15,000 to give away, closing 29 November. For the first time the money covers the whole borough.
Planning
Marley Works Lenham: Kent Downs Objects to 18m Warehouses
The Kent Downs National Landscape says Panattoni's plan for the former Marley Works fails national policy. Comments close 3 October. Reference 26/502880/EIHYB.
Planning
Heathlands 5,000 Homes: Council Demands No-Station Plan
Maidstone's scoping opinion of 28 August orders the Heathlands team to model what happens if the promised new railway station is delayed or never built.
Health
Maidstone Hospital Robot Helps Trust Pass 1,000 Operations
MTW's first surgical robot arrived at Maidstone Hospital in September 2024. Surgeons have now passed 1,000 robot-assisted operations across both hospitals.
Housing
Maidstone Council Housing Returns: 56 Homes, 1 October
Maidstone will be a council landlord again from 1 October, 22 years after it handed its housing stock to what is now Golding Homes. It starts with 56 homes.
Planning
Oaken Wood: Maidstone Council Calls Quarry Plan Unsound
Maidstone's own planners say Kent's case for quarrying Oaken Wood misapplies national policy and is unjustified, and want the site dropped. Comments close 5 October.
Environment
Maidstone Litter Reports: Boxley Downs Tops Every Ward
The council's own table puts Boxley Downs top on 108 litter reports in a year, ahead of High Street. A £100,000 rural litter team is not being recommended.
Traffic
Maidstone Brewer Street Traffic Ban: Object by 21 September
Kent County Council wants to ban all motor vehicles from the first 35 metres of Brewer Street, off Week Street. Objections close at noon on Monday 21 September.
Environment
Maidstone Gum Litter: £19,000 Grant Won for a Second Year
Maidstone Borough Council has secured over £19,000 to scrub gum off pavements for a second year running. The 86% figure it cites is shared with Cambridge.
Planning
Oaken Wood: 41 Hectares at Risk, Deadline Now 5 October
Kent's draft minerals plan would allow quarrying on up to 49 hectares beside Hermitage Quarry, costing 41 hectares of ancient woodland. Comments now close 5 October.
Council
Maidstone Developer Money: Where the £13m Is Going
Cabinet split £13,017,345 of developer levy across eight projects on 22 July. The hospice takes £3.53m, a new town park £3.9m, and a village cricket pavilion nothing.
Council
Maidstone Women's Safety: £250,000 and Eight Resident Asks
37 residents, chosen from 109 applicants, wrote eight recommendations on violence against women and girls. Cabinet backed the resulting plan on 22 July with £250,000.
Planning
Maidstone Article 4 Direction: Five Office Blocks Named
Invicta House and four other town centre blocks would lose the right to become flats without a planning application. Cabinet agreed to proceed on 22 July.
Council
Maidstone Council to Be Abolished in April 2028
Maidstone Borough Council and KCC will be replaced by West Kent Council on 1 April 2028. Shadow elections fall on 6 May 2027. Councillors vote on 1 September.
Sport
Maidstone United Women 4-1 Hastings in Women's FA Cup
Millie Waud scored twice inside six minutes and player-manager Tori Campbell headed the third. The Stones are away to Croydon on Sunday 6 September.
Transport
Maidstone Bus Changes: 13 Routes Alter From 30 August
Arriva changes 13 Maidstone services on 30 August. The 59 goes, the 9 loses Sundays, and Saturday buses on the 4 and 9 drop to every 90 minutes.
House Prices
Maidstone House Prices: Up Just £424 in a Year to £352,191
Maidstone's average home gained £424 in the year to June, +0.1%. Kent managed 2.1% and England 1.8%. Detached homes and flats both fell in value.
Books
Maidstone Poetry Prize: Kent Writers Have Until 31 August
Maidstone LitFest's first poetry prize closes on 31 August. Entry is £3, poems up to 40 lines, open to Kent writers aged 18 and over, judged anonymously.
Planning
Marley Works Lenham: 1.04m sq ft warehouse plan filed
Panattoni has filed plans for 1.04 million sq ft of industrial space at the former Marley Works, Lenham. It is not on the council register yet.
Schools
Maidstone schools: the first Ofsted report card grades
Five Maidstone schools have new-style Ofsted report cards. Valley Invicta at East Borough took Strong standard in six areas; all five met safeguarding.
Business
Creative Venue Maidstone enters liquidation after 15 years
Wedding and event stylist Creative Venue of Park Wood went into creditors' voluntary liquidation on 7 August. What couples with bookings can do next.
Business
Designscape Bearsted wound up owing HMRC £128,393
Bearsted architecture practice Designscape Consultancy was wound up on 9 July owing HMRC £128,393. Its directors have registered a new firm at the same address.
Business
Stone Tile Warehouse Maidstone: creditors' meeting 12 August
Southern Adhesives, trading as The Stone Tile Warehouse on Sutton Road, Langley, has called a creditors' meeting for 12 August, the first step into liquidation.
Food hygiene
Maidstone food hygiene ratings, July 2026: 43 top scores in a near-perfect month, but a town centre takeaway is told to improve
45 Maidstone borough food hygiene inspections were rated in July 2026. 43 scored the top mark of 5, one ice cream van scored 4, and Wok Kitchen on Union Street was rated 2, improvement necessary.
Licensing
New Italian restaurant lined up for Pudding Lane: Bella Mia licence bid opens for comment until 28 August
Bella Mia Ristorante And Pizzeria has applied for a premises licence in Maidstone town centre and is registered as a new food business at 8 Pudding Lane. Residents can comment until 28 August.