TALL ORDER
Conversion bid for town offices
Too many town centre offices are being converted into flats, says a worker who is facing eviction.
Roger Fox is the building manager of Miller House in Lower Stone Street – which could be turned into homes.
He is so concerned by the loss of employment premises he has written to business secretary Vince Cable and Prime Minister David Cameron.
In the last six months, Maidstone council received 17 applications for office conversions in the town centre, including his workplace.
The surge of applications has been prompted by a relaxation of planning rules introduced by the government in May 2013.
To ease the perceived housing shortage, communities secretary Eric Pickles announced a three-year window during which offices could be changed to hous- ing as a “permitted development right” with planning authorities having little say.
Mr Fox said: “If the offices go from the town centre, the shops will lose trade and this could turn Maidstone into a ghost town.”
He argued the relaxation of planning regulations was in danger of running out of control and feels it should be amended so that councils could refuse permission on the grounds of an imbalance between residential and working space.
Several large office blocks are within the 17 planning applications. They include Globe House and Star House in Pudding Lane and Kent House in Romney Place which overlooks the back of the Mall Chequers car park.
Concorde House in London Road is currently undergoing work to create flats.
Six workplaces in Albion Place could be lost and flats could also be created at Link House in Knightrider Street, plus at sites in Bishops Way, Bank Street, Union Street, Hedley Street and Queen Anne Road.
The application to convert Miller House, which has 64,000 sq ft of space over 10 floors, has been submitted by mortgage holders Lloyds Bank.
Mr Fox added: “The owners, BMP Associates, had always met their mortgage payments, but a condition of Lloyds’ mortgage required long-term tenancies.
“The national economic uncertainty has caused companies to only want short-term arrangements.”
When one substantial longterm tenant had pulled out, BMP sub-divided six floors and offered space to start-ups and small businesses.
Mr Fox added: “We had already attracted 14 new firms employing 70 people.
“I appreciate there is a shortage of housing, but there is also a shortage of jobs.
“It’s no good if people have somewhere to live, but nowhere to work.”