Maidstone sorting office redevelopment approved

Maidstone Borough Council planning committee has approved plans for five blocks of flats, ranging from three to nine storeys next to Maidstone East railway station.

The former Royal Mail sorting office on Sandling Road was bought by Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council together in 2016 with a view to turning it into new council offices. It has since been taken over by the borough council for housing development.

The development will include 180 apartments, plus 1,863 sq m of commercial space and around an acre of town centre park.

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) leader Stuart Jeffery, a Green Party councillor, said: “This redevelopment will form part of the council’s ambitious housebuilding programme. These are very exciting times for the council and the town itself. We believe the project will be transformational to that area of Maidstone, bringing genuinely excellent new homes to the town centre. I am also pleased to see a large new open green space included in the design, it will play an important role in the wellbeing of the new residents and businesses.”

Cllr Simon Wales, cabinet member for housing and homelessness, added: “MBC will be acting as lead developer on the site and has already secured £2.1m of brownfield land release fund monies from the [Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government], which has helped fund some of the remedial works to prepare it for redevelopment.

“Now that the planning permission is in place, the council can approach Homes England as to the availability of social housing grant monies to help fund much needed affordable housing on the site. We are also discussing the inclusion of a health facility with the local NHS.”

He continued: “The next steps are to procure a contractor for the works, and to refine and finalise the tenure mix for the project, with a view to the build getting under way in around 12 months.”

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