There’s been speculation over the future of a town centre’s £25million outdoor shopping centre since it was put up for sale a few weeks ago.

As the rumour mill began to spin, as well as an offer from a billionaire businessman, questions were asked over what lay ahead for Fremlin Walk.

The multi-million-pound shopping centre opened in Maidstone in March 2005 and is home to big names such as H&M, Pandora, and Boots as well as the giant House of Fraser which is currently being refurbished to welcome Sports Directs, Flannels and Frasers.

Now, nearly 20 years after it was first opened, it’s been put on the market and has already had interest from Frasers Group owner Mike Ashley – who used to own Newcastle United Football Club – who reportedly made a bid for the 350,000 sq ft site.

Tunbridge-Wells based estate agent Knight Frank described it as Maidstone’s “prime shopping centre and focal point”.

A brochure revealed it occupies six acres of the town centre and benefits from a gross income of £4,298,835 per annum and a net income of £2,771,209 after deductions of landlord shortfalls.

It continued: “Maidstone is an attractive Kent town, featuring a mix of independent shops, major retail chains and a variety of bars and restaurants to cater to its residents.

“It is ranked 54th nationally and is one of the top 15 retail locations in the South East.

“The majority of the retail provision is located in or centred around two main shopping centres, Fremlin Walk and The Mall. Fremlin Walk is the focus for multi-facia retail occupiers including H&M, Boots and Frasers (opening later this year) and provides a number of regular-shaped large and medium sized units.”

In recent years, with the closure of some shops like Zara, Laura Ashley and the Thomas Cook store, the centre’s reputation has taken a bit of a bashing – with one KentOnline reader even referring to it as “Gremlin Walk”.

Tim Hance, a retail property expert from HRH retail, worked on bringing in big names for Fremlin Walk two decades ago. But with so many already gone, he believes the “damage is done” for the shopping centre.

He said: “Maidstone council shot itself in the foot and head when it approved planning permission for M&S and Next at Eclipse retail park.

“I’m afraid the horse has left the stable in terms of saving Fremlin Walk. The council needed to buy it and develop it as it’s an integral part of the town centre.”

Mr Hance said when they designed the shopping centre one of its main goals was bringing the regular Bluewater shopper to Maidstone.

“Our pick of tenants was the envy of others,” he added. “Now when you go to town it’s depressing vacant shop after vacant shop. Covid and a change in shopping habits is partly to blame for that.”

Speaking about Mike Ashley’s offer to buy the complex, Mr Hance said: “Whatever people think of Flannels, adding Sports Direct to House of Fraser dumbs down the shopping centre.

“Sports Direct isn’t an anchor store and is just dumbing down the shopping centre to appeal to the mass market rather than the mid to upper market it was designed for.”

Council leaders who will hear about any future plans and have a final say have offered mixed approaches on what could become of the 350,000 sq ft complex, but most agree things need to change for it to succeed.

While it may seem like a prime spot for developers, with hundreds of flats popping up in recent years, the council has moved to reassure people this is unlikely to happen.

Liberal Democrat councillor and deputy leader of the council Clive English said: “The cabinet would still see this area as key to the town’s retail offer and would seek to support moves both to strengthen and diversify the retail offer, with probably space for some leisure offer.

“It is clear the town centre will need to change and offer a broader offer than at present, but we would anticipate Fremlin Walk remaining a key retail area, with subsidiary leisure uses.

“It is unlikely to be considered for housing development in any foreseeable situation.”

Leader of the council Stuart Jeffrey doesn’t think the sale will change things all that much.

The Green councillor said: “Personally, I would love Fremlin Walk to start to fill with locally owned businesses and switch away from the corporate and consumerist driven chains. However, I suspect that it will simply change ownership and there will be very little impact or change as a result.

“It is where the majority of the town’s anchor stores are and given its fairly recent construction I doubt that there will be any economic benefit for the new owner to change too much.”

In January, ahead of the local elections, the Lib Dems released a 45-page document with their vision of how the town centre should look, including 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.

They also proposed to replace The Mall shopping centre with more historic-looking buildings, and easier access to the drive-thru McDonald’s, among other ideas.

Plans were released by the opposition party after they became tired of waiting for the Tory council to release their own Town Centre Strategy – which is still yet to be released.

Plans also include better 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.

As for the people living in Maidstone, it appears anything will be an improvement to the current offering.

Linda Pomorski commented: “Horrible place, dirty, no decent shops, not a safe place and costs the earth to park. Whole place needs knocking down and start again. Go to Bluewater or Lakeside which has free parking, is clean and lots more shops. Maidstone is a disgrace.”

While Shauney O’Shea said: “My partner and I renamed it ‘Gremlin Walk’ because it’s just full of wrongens and weirdos and is not a nice place to be. We avoid it like the plague and go Bluewater instead.”

Sara Lees added: “Maidstone shopping centre, if you can call it shopping centre, is absolute rubbish. The town has gone so down hill with cheap nasty shops and it’s dirty. It’s meant to be the county town of Kent.”

Resident Tom Housden said the news was “disappointing” and blamed “greedy landlords” for a rise in closing shops.

While Lesley Barrington called the town centre “disjointed”, before adding: “Shops here there and everywhere. Takes too long to get from one place to another and parking.

“It needs a complete redesign. From Aylesford, Allington to Maidstone there are shop all over the place. No decent shops, No joined up thinking, No joined up planning. An utter mess.”

Maidstone and Malling MP Helen Grant waded into the argument, saying: “Fremlin Walk is an important anchor for Maidstone’s town centre and is critical for the success and sustainability of so many businesses and jobs in our county town.”

Ms Grant said with “imagination and enterprise” the town centre can “sock it” to out-of-town retail parks and shopping centres such as Eclipse and Bluewater.

She added: “It can become a model alternative town centre offering for shoppers, tourists, and the leisure and hospitality sectors.”

The Tory MP went on to say she would support local businesses in taking up any spaces in Fremlin Walk and the town centre.”

Earlier this week, plans for a new front of shop look for the House of Fraser anchor store were revealed.

It included branding for Game, which left Week Street in the town years ago, as well as USC clothing and Flannels which will be joining the shopping complex.

New signage of the Frasers brand will also be visible from St Faith’s Street and the A229 Fairmeadow.