Vision needs a concert hall
I read your double page article (Messenger comment, August 1) with interest.
While I totally agree about moving the courtrooms, police station and such to a less picturesque area so more could be made of our lovely river and the potential of its banks and walkways, I was so disappointed nowhere was there mentioned a concert hall.
We really need one. The Hazlitt theatre is lovely and has some great performances; I go there a lot. But it is small, with no parking, a bar that finds it difficult to cope, toilets that find it even more difficult to cope, a tiny stage, and few audience seats. Orchestral and choral concerts are regularly held in All Saints church (no toilet; prohibitively uncomfortable seats), and Maidstone Leisure Centre (air conditioning that is so noisy, it can’t be used, so concerts are typically so hot and stuffy as to be uncomfortable for performers and audience alike).
Extending the KM’s vision, why not have a beautiful concert hall in the place of the courtroom?
This would benefit people of all ages because it could accommodate everything from theatre to orchestra to choirs, to dance, to modern bands. There could be a restaurant overlooking the river and an art gallery in the foyer. This would certainly draw
people to Maidstone. There is a lot of culture here but it never seems to extend to the town planners and people in charge of the wellbeing of the town. A great pity, because to non-Maidstone people, the town is seen as shabby and low-grade, which it most certainly is not. Also, regarding the suggested floating market….a romantic idea maybe, and certainly “The Old Boat” floating cafe is delightful. But steps would need to be taken to ensure that the proposed development doesn’t become an eyesore like that grotesque barge which already ruins the view of the Archbishops Palace, with its white hoarding.