New air ambulance to

56 Pages·2016·7.03 MB·English

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Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling February 2016 No. 226
New air ambulance to
News
No to warehouses
‘destroy quality of life’ THE Waterside Park proposals to
build an industrial estate off M20
Junction 8 have been re- (cid:2)
4
fused at the High Court.
A PROPOSAL by Kent Air Ambulance to relocate to a rural base near
Shopping boost
Yalding has been met with a tide of opposition from local residents.
WORK is to start on a major re-
The air ambulance, which has Farm,includingsevenchildren,and pital and surrounded by single- vamp of the historic Royal (cid:2)5
beenbasedinMardensince2000, many others at similar farm and track or otherwise poorly main- Star Arcade, Maidstone.
wantstoconsolidateitsoperation countrybuildingsandsomestatic tainedroads,istheidealplacefor
across Kent, Sussex and Surrey, caravanswithinashortradius. suchadayandnightflyingopera- Open space vision
with a purpose-built HQ at Old “Tostatethatthesiteisadjacent tion.
HayAirfield,offWillowLane. toa‘solarfarm’whenbetweenthe “Thequalityoflifeforusallliv- A NEW cafe and visitors centre is
Although the application falls solar farm and the proposed site ingundertheflightpathwillbese- the key part of a project to (cid:2)9
within the borough of Tunbridge thereisarablefarmland,sixhouses verelyimpactedbytheexcessnoise boost Mote Park.
Wells,residentsinWillowLaneare andasubstantialappleorchardis oflow-flyinghelicopteroperations
withinYaldingparishandpaytheir misleadingtothepointofmalevo- andtheincreasedtrafficthispro- Advert divides village
counciltaxestoMaidstone. lence.Therearealsostablesanda posedsitewillgenerate.”
Mostaffectedwillbethe21resi- riding school, which aren’t even YaldingParishCouncilhasraised TWO new signs have created a
dentsofParkFarm,inQueenStreet, mentioned.” noobjection.MaggieDrummond, split between a village (cid:2)20
whichsits800mfromtheproposed TimOrnellas,wholivesinWil- wholivesinQueenStreet,said:“I school and parish council.
helicopterpadand150mfromthe lowLane,said:“Weallfullysup- amnothappythatYaldingParish
helicopter’swesterlyflightpath. porttheexcellentworkoftheair Councilhavechosentosaynothing Obituaries (cid:2)26-27
PaulHawker,wholivesinPark ambulance,nowthatithasbecome – many families on the Yalding
POP icon David Bowie had an
FarmBarn,felttheapplicationwas part of the Sussex and Surrey air boundary will be impacted by
interesting link to Maidstone.
misleading in suggesting the site ambulance with all operations noise.Howdaretheynotofferade-
wasremoteandlittleshortofbeing mergedatonelocation,tore-locate fenceagainstallthis,afterallthe Comment (cid:2)(cid:2)3426--3437
awasteland. theirexistingbasestoWillowLane problemsthisareahasencountered
He said: “Park Farm remains a inmyviewishighlyinappropriate. inrecentyears? Crime Reports (cid:2)33
traditionalandhistoricalfarmstead. “Ifindithardtobelievethatsuch “Iwillnevermakeadona-(cid:2)6
There are 21 of us living at Park arurallocation,notclosetoahos- tiontotheairambulance
Parish Councils (cid:2)42-43
Pupils show their Young Voices Age UK faces
DOORSTEP callers claiming to be
budget cut ex-serviceman were at large in
PUPILS from Yalding and Chart Sutton; a village sign was
Laddingford schools trav- to be replaced in East Farleigh;
elled to the 02 arena in COREservicesfortheelderlyare youths switched on hockey club
London to take part in under threat,Age UK Maidstone floodlights at 2am in Marden;
Young Voices. haswarned. Southeastern was asked to install
The 16 children from St Itfollowsarequesttotheorgan- a noticeboard in Staplehurst; a
Mary’s School, isationfromKCCtocutitscostsin toilet light was to be repaired in
Laddingford, joined WestKentby£10,000nextyear. Sutton Valence; a fourth defibril-
almost 7,500 other AgeUKsaysithasnotreceiveda lator was planned for Yalding.
young voices from Britain real-termincreasefromKCCinsix
who performed at the yearsforthecoreservicesitpro-
massive arena in front of videsKent’selderlyresidentsand
a packed audience of alreadyreceiveslessperpensioner
parents and (cid:2) thananywhereelseinthecountry.
10
friends. Age UK’s chief executive in
Maidstone, Paul Coles said: “We
have a good relationship with
KCC’s adult services and under-
stand it has difficult decisions to Clean-up weekend
maketobalanceitsbudget,butwe
JOIN in a long weekend of litter-
are already the poor relation to
picking activities between
othervoluntaryserviceproviders.
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2 Maidstone South February 2016
downsmail.co.uk News
Mum trained to offer Pub wins local
hero award
help to young parents THE Chequers Inn, Laddingford,
has been declared a community
hero by Enterprise Inns.
The local hostelry, run by Charles
and Tracey Leaver for the past 21
NEWmumsarereceivingthesup- “It was really important that I years, was chosen as South East re-
portofanexperienced“nanny”as hadsomeoneoutsidemyfamilyto gional winner in the pub chain’s an-
partofahealthserviceschemeto talktoandtheywerealwaysthere nual Community Heroes Awards.
preparethemforthechallengesof whenIneededthem.” As well as hosting numerous
beingaparent. Family nurse supervisor Carol fundraising events throughout the
Jordan Greenway (20), from O’Malleysaid:“Beinginvolvedin year, the pub is the hub of the vil-
Allington, is the first of 35 such thisprogrammeisaserious,long- lage. It holds a fun fruit and flower
youngmumsfromMaidstoneand termcommitmentandallthosetak- show each summer to support the
TunbridgeWellstograduatefrom ing part have shown how village school, hosts the school’s
theFamilyNursePartnershippro- dedicated they are to improving Christmas fair and holds Christmas
grammeinWestKent. theirlivesandbeingthebestmums quizzes to raise funds for the Hos-
Thescheme–anAmericanidea– theycanbetotheirchildren.” pice in the Weald.
isbeingrunbytheKentCommu- ColleagueCathieBurtonsaysthe The Chequers Racers cycle team
nity Health NHS Foundation, of- programmes are important as a set themselves an annual sporting
fering the advice and support of wayofgettingsupportandguid- European challenge, raising funds
specially-trainedfamilynursesfor ancetoyoungfamiliesearlyon. for the Kent Cancer Trust – this
two-and-a-half years to first-time Sheadded:“Weknowearlyin- year they tackled a route through
mumsundertheageof20. tervention leads to much better Asturias in Northern Spain.
Jordan, mum to two-year-old outcomesforourchildren,devel- Tracey said: “We have always
Kayden,said:“Itwasahugeshock opmentally and socially, so it’s a been firm believers in supporting
whenIfellpregnant.Iwasn’tpre- realpleasuretoseethisworkingso all aspects of the community and
paredtobeamum–Ihadnoexpe- wellinpractice.” hope that we have been able to con-
riencewithbabiesandwasworried Theprogrammeisbeingoffered tribute to the village and the parish.
Imightbreakhim! mationonthethingstowatchout inMaidstoneandMalling. “However, without the support
“My family nurses, Pippa and for,howtokeepKaydensafeand Expectantmumscanbereferred and help of so many people this
Helen, were amazing. They gave alsoplacesIcouldtakehimandthe totheservicebytheirschool,mid- would not have been possible. We
mesomuchconfidenceandinfor- thingswecoulddotogether. wifeorGP. would like to thank everyone who
helps and supports us, which has
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ReadourarchivededitionsFREEonlineat made winning this award possi-
ble.”
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Maidstone South February 2016 3
News downsmail.co.uk
Waterside Park
Lunch date with Friends
FRIENDS of the Sutton Va-
appeal rejected lence branch of the Royal
BritishLegionenjoyedalunch
and good company at the
Plough,Langley.
Some 25 members at-
tendedtheevent,despitethe
THEHighCourthasthrownout upholds it, it shows that coura-
coldwinterweather.
proposals to build an industrial geousdecisionscanwintheday.”
Chairman Mike FitzGerald
estate on land south of the M20 In his summing up, the judge
said: “Itwasgreattoseeso
nearJunction8. mentionedthelargeamountofop-
many young and not so
Afterlastyear’spublicinquiry,in positiontotheapplications.
youngpeoplesharingamost
which planning inspector Katie MrsRichardssaid:“Theinspec-
enjoyable lunch served by
PeerlessupheldMaidstoneCoun- torhearingtheKentInternational
friendlycommittedstaff.”
cil’s decisions to reject Gallagher Gatewayappealseveralyearsago
A free raffle was held – a
Properties’twoWatersideParkap- alsocommentedonthevolumeof
most welcome addition, he
plications,thecompanyappealed. public opposition, so it is clearly
said.
However,HighCourtJudgeJus- worthwhileforthecommunityto
TheirnexteventisacoffeemorningonFridayFebruary19inChartSut-
ticeCollinsupheldthecouncil’sde- make its views known in large tonVillageHallandallarewelcome.
cisions. Craig Howell-Williams, numbersinsituationsofthiskind.”
representngGallagher,saidbeing ThejudgeorderedGallaghersto
Guides’ plea for volunteers
nearthemotorwaymadethesite pay£9,290costs.Thecompanyhad
suitable for warehouses, despite 21 days to decide if it wished to
oneoftheprospectiveoccupants, issueafurtherappeal. HEADCORNguideshaveissueda on her own because of the rules
ADL,findingalternativepremises Mid Kent MP Helen Whately final plea for volunteers to help aroundloneworking.
foritsrelocationfromMarden. said:“Ihaveopposedthisdevelop- keeptheunitopen. Shesaid:“Ionlyneedoneperson
Bearsted and Thurnham Soci- mentsinceIwaselected[inMay The guides meet at Headcorn onapermanentbasisorarotaof
ety’sMaryRichardssaid:“Itispar- 2015]– speakingagainstitwasmy Methodist Church Hall from 7- volunteers.”
ticularly heartening to see that firstofficialengagement. 8.30pmonThursdays.Theunitre- She said: “It would be such a
when MBC councillors have the “Weneedsuccessfulbusinesses formedinNovember2013aftera shametoseetheunitcloseduetoa
couragetorejectplanningapplica- andjobsinKent,butJunction8–so lapseofsomeyearsbutisinjeop- shortageofadulthelp.”
tionsthattheirofficerswishthem closetoLeedsCastleandtheKent ardyduetoashortageofhelpers. Ifyouareover18andcanspare
togrant,andwhenthatdecisionis DownsAreaofOutstandingNatu- Leader Jess King said: “We are 90minutesaweek–orevenevery
appealed, the planning inspec- ralBeauty–isnottherightplace. desperateforsomeonetocomefor- otherweek–onaThursday,Jess
toratesupportsit. “DevelopmentaroundJunction8 wardifwewanttocontinue.” would like to hear from you on
“Whenthatdecisionissubjectto willaffectthelandscapeandpar- Thereare10girlsintheunitbut 07772390273orsendanemailto
judicialreviewandtheHighCourt ticularlytheAONB.” Jessisnotallowedtoruntheunit [email protected]
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downsmail.co.uk News
Arcade to get
major revamp
MAIDSTONEisabouttoundergo caseandredevelopmentofthecen-
someseriousretailtherapy. tralrotunda.
Workistostartonamajorrevamp MrLeBeausaid:“Initsplacewe
oftheRoyalStarArcade,whichitis willhavealargecoveredareathat
hopedwillbreathenewlifeintothe willprovideamplediningspace,as
HighStreet. wellastheopportunityforseasonal
Thearcade,whichstandsonthe eventsthataresimplynotpossible
siteoftheoldRoyalStarHotel,has anywhereelseinMaidstoneatthe
enjoyedmixedfortunes,despiteat- moment.”
tractingtopdesignernamesbecause TheoriginalStarHotelwasapop-
ofitsprestigiouslocation. ularovernightstopforthosetravel-
Created as a shopping mall in ling between London and
1989,itretainsmuchofthearchitec- Folkestone.The19thcenturysawthe
turalsplendourofthe16th-century hotelgettheroyalsealofapproval,
coaching inn. Manager Daniel Le andthe‘royal’prefix,afteravisitby
Beausaid:“Thearcadewillbetrans- ayoungQueenVictoria.
formedintoabeautiful,classically- ItishometotheDisraeliBalcony,
styled shopping experience whereBenjaminDisraelimadehis
unmatched in the area, with the parliamentary acceptance speech
atrium,givenitsundoubtedbeauty, afterbeingelectedMPforMaidstone
itscrowningglory.Weplantofocus in1837.MrLeBeausaidthescheme
onahighqualityblendofindepend- woulddrawoninspirationfromthe
entandnicheretailersandcomple- BurlingtonArcadeinLondonand
mentarybusinessesforthosewho theRoyalArcadeinNorwich.
enjoyalittlebitofluxury.” (cid:3)An announcement is expected
Thearcadehastwolevels,provid- soononplansforlandatMaidstone
ing28retailunitsincludingacafe, Eastrailwaystation.Thecouncilhas
health food shop and other niche longbeenkeentoseeasupermarket
outlets.Therefurbishmentincludes and housing on the site but there
theremovalofthebandstandstair- havesofarbeennotakers.
Age UK set for cut
Continuedfrompageone UKfillsalargenumberofgapsin
some services or more costs theserviceprovisionfortheeld-
being passed to our clients – erlyinWestKentandthesetalks
willneedtolookatwhatKCC
neitherofwhichwewant.”
wantsandwhatwecan offer.
MrColessaidnegotiationsare
“Ifthereisnoflexibilityinthe
continuingwithKCC,withade-
budgetwewillnotbeabletopro-
cision expected in the coming
videthesamelevelofservice.”
weeks.
Hesaidtheorganisationwas
However,itisclearthatthere
beingforcedtoabsorbthecostof
willbenofundingafterJuly2016
settingupstaffpensionsandthe
tocontinueAgeUK’sbefriend-
implicationsofthelivingwage.
ing service that was started in
KCC part funds voluntary
WestKentwithMaidstoneMind.
groupstohelpinareassuchas
MrColessaid:“Thisattracteda
adultsocialcareservices,which
coupleofhundredvolunteersto
hasa£9.5mbudget.Aspokesman
befriend or accompany elderly
said: “Due to well-publicised
people and those with mental
cuts to local authority budgets,
healthissuesintheirhomeoron
wehavehadtolookagainathow
daytrips.Unfortunately,thesuc-
muchwefundvoluntaryorgani-
cessofthispilotisnottheissue
sationsandasaresulthavewrit-
here,butthecountycouncil’sre-
tentoall98,includingAgeUK.
sourcestocontinuefundingit.”
“Wehaveaskediftheycould
Hesaideffortswerecontinuing
reduce the amount of funding
tofundtheprojectfromoutside
they require, and many have
sources. Mr Coles added: “Age
agreedtodothis.”
Maidstone South February 2016 5
News downsmail.co.uk
Homes scheme Parish ambulance criticism
‘may cost us’
THE planning committee has ambeingunreasonableyetIaman
turned down a proposal for six electedmember.Itisalrightforan
homesinMarden–despitebeing officertoattackusbutwecan’tsay
warned it could cost Maidstone anythingtohim.Mypositionisex- Continuedfrompageone “Ifwearesuccessfulinthisplan-
Councilmoney. actlythesameasbefore.” serviceagain.” ning application, we will see the
JamesBailey,developmentman- Councillorsarguedthatmoreaf- Maidstone borough councillor charity firmly established in the
agerforthecouncil,toldmembers fordable housing in Marden was forMardenandYaldingward,Cllr heartoftheregionwithallitskey
thatrefusingaschemeforsixaf- unnecessary,giventhatinthepre- Annabelle Blackmore said there services closely co-located. This
fordablehousesonlandadjacentto viousfewyearsthecouncilhadal- weremanypeopleinMardenwho willunderpinandensurethelong-
Highfield House in Maidstone readygrantedpermissionsfor202 wanted the air ambulance to re- termresilienceandsustainabilityof
Road would put the council at a suchhomes. maininPattendenLane. theservice…andallowustoplan
“verystrongriskofbeingliablefor CllrTonyHarwoodsaid:“There Sheassured:“Iliveontheflight- aneconomicallyviableservice.
costs”. isanissueofprinciple.Maidstone pathfortheairambulanceandcan “Ifweareunsuccessfulinthisap-
Hesaidthat,duetoaplanning Councilhasnotalloweddevelop- confirmthatthenoiseisnoworse plication,thelong-termviabilityof
inspectorbackingtheprincipleof mentsnorthoftherailwaylinein thanpassingcars.Inadditionitis thisservicewillbecompromised.”
development on the land in July allWealdenvillagesandbecauseof my understanding that the night YaldingParishCouncilhascon-
lastyear,losinganappealwasnot thatithasmaintainedtheWealden flightstakeplacefromtheBlueBell firmedthatitsusualpracticeisto
onlyhighlylikelybutwouldbeac- feelofonlysporadicdevelopments, Hillarea. makenocommentonapplications
companiedbyarulingof“unrea- andweshouldstickwiththat “I would prefer the air ambu- towhichitdoesnotwishtoobject.
sonablegrounds”thatwouldincur “Thegreatneedforlocalneeds lancetostaywithinMardenandit Ukulele trial
afinancialpenalty. housingstretchescredulity.” ismyunderstandingthatthereare
Butcouncillorsmaintainedthat DespitestrongwarningsfromMr aconsiderablenumberofresidents ANEW Wednesday morning
GoldingHomes’proposal,which Bailey and planning committee of Marden village who feel the ukulele session for beginners is
wasbackedbyMaidstoneCouncil, chairman Cllr Clive English, the sameasIdo.” beingtrialledatthehousemeeting
wouldsetanunwantedprecedent committeevotedtorefuse. In his report “Securing the Fu- room in Headcorn Village Hall
ofhousingdevelopmentnorthof CllrEnglishsaid:“Wecouldbe ture,” KSSAAT chief executive from10amtonoon.
the railway line and voted to re- hauledupbeforethelocalgovern- AdrianBellsaid:“Weneedtofind For information, contact Mike
fuse. Cllr John Perry said: “I am mentombudsmanformaladminis- asinglebasesolutionifweareto Larkin on 01622 891559 or visit
newonthiscommitteebutIhave tration, which could be a bigger maintainthefull24/7serviceour www.headcornukulelegroup.com
hearditallnow.IambeingtoldI costthanfortheappeal.” patientsneed.
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Maidstone South February 2016 7
News downsmail.co.uk
Local plan ‘is
Last call for housing views
APUBLICmeetingtodiscussthefutureofhousinginMaidstone
isbeingheldattheMaidstoneStudiosonThursdayFebruary11.
a step closer’ Themeeting,whichstartsat7pm,coincideswiththeRegulation
19publicconsultation,whichisthelastopportunitytocomment,
suggest,amendandmakechangestotheproposedlocalplan.
ThemeetingisbeingorganisedbyCllrPaulinaStockellonbehalf
of the Maidstone and Mid Kent MPs, Helen Grant and Helen
MAIDSTONE’S local plan has He accepted there were “some Whately,andwillrunona‘QuestionTime’formatwithapanel
movedastepclosertoreality. residualissues”withthelocalplan, androvingmicrophones.
Councillorshavedecidedthatthe chieflyconcerningtheruralsettle- CllrStockellsaid:“Residentsareveryworriedabouttheirquality
latest draft should go out for the menthierarchy–includingwhether oflifeinthefuture,withtheA274andA229approachroadsfromthe
finalpublicconsultation,knownas or not Coxheath should remain a southandsouth-eastofthetownalreadyatgridlock–evenbeforethe
Section19. largervillageorbecomearuralserv- 2,500housesproposedonbothsidesoftheSuttonRoadoutofPark-
Followingthisphaseofconsulta- icecentre,whichcouldincreasethe Woodarebuilt–letalonethenumberofhousingsitesproposedin
tion, the plan would go back to numberofhomesittakes. Headcorn,SuttonValence,StaplehurstandMardenetc.
MaidstoneCouncilinAprilandthen FormercouncilleaderCllrChris “Langleylookstobecomeswallowedupinurbansprawlandtalk
ontotheGovernment’splanningin- Garland(pictured)saidhebelieved ofaLeeds-LangleyBypassthroughfarmlandtotheM20willblight
spectorateforapproval. thelatestdrafttobe theareaandattractmoretraffic.”
Ifapproved,itwouldcomeinto “soundinitscurrent ThemeetingwillbechairedbyBBC'sJohnWarnettandwillbe
forceinearly2017,givingthecoun- format” and ready attendedbytheleaderofMaidstoneCouncilCllrFranWilson,
cil greater powers to defend itself togothroughtoS19 planningchiefRobJarman,KCC’scabinetmemberforgrowthand
against planning applications for consultation. transport Matthew Balfour, CPRE Kent and the Joint Parishes
sitesdeemedunsuitable. He said: “It is Group,MaidstoneKALCandPaulCarter,leaderofKCC.
Head of planning Rob Jarman completely wrong
said:“Wehaveundertakensitevisits to talk about ‘con- Council tax facing bigger hike
foreverysinglesiteforhousing,em- cretingoverMaidstone’.Only0.6%
ployment and retail development. oflandintheboroughwillbedevel-
THEcostofcaringforelderlyand such as education, social services
The plan will enable us to direct opedinthenext20years.
vulnerable adults in Kent means andhighways.
growth to those areas where it is “Anyattemptstouseanecdotes,
ratepayerswillhavea4%increasein The extra 2% will raise about
mostappropriate.” hyperboleandemotionwillnotbe
theirKCCcounciltaxbillfromApril. £11m,butthecountycouncilspent
Despitechallengestothe“objec- acceptedbyaninspector.”
KCCistakingadvantageofnew almost£350monadultsocialcare
tively assessed housing need”, Cllr John Perry maintained the
legislation allowing it to increase lastyearandsaysitneedsafurther
Maidstonehassetatargetof18,560 plan was “seriously flawed” but
counciltaxby2%tomeetthecosts £42mthisyeartokeepsocialcareat
newhomesbetween2011and 2031. councilleaderCllrFranWilsonsaid:
offundingthissector. itscurrentlevels.
MrJarmantoldthepolicyandre- “Animperfectlocalplanisfar,far
That’s in addition to the 1.99% The average bill for a Band D
sourcescommittee:“Webelievethe betterthannolocalplan.”
generalincreasealreadyproposedto propertywillrisefrom£1,089.99to
boroughcanconsumethis.”
helpmeetthecostsofotherservices, £1,133.55fromApril.
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8 Maidstone South February 2016
downsmail.co.uk News
New cafe boost to Mote Park
AN“iconic”cafeandvisitorscen- forfutureevents.” Oneoptioncouldbetoinstalla
treissettobebuiltaspartofa Also included in the plan is a skateparkneartheleisurecentre.
£3.96m bid to improve Maid- £790,000 adventure zone, new Officers believe the research
stone’sMotePark. maintenancearea,newpathsand behindtheplan–entitled“Asus-
MaidstoneCouncil’spolicyand formalisedoverspillparkingareas tainable future for Mote Park” –
resourcescommitteeagreedtothe toaccommodateupto350moreve- will “maximise operational and
capital investment, which would hicles. There will be at least two commercial opportunities” at the
seethenew£2.5mcafe,managed separatetoiletblocks. park.
in-house and repositioned for However,theschemewillseethe Councillorsheardthatprogress
viewsofthelake.Theexistingcafe, Skate park is set to be removed permanent removal of the skate hadalreadybeenmadebybringing
which,aswellasthepublictoilets, containingfourtimesmorefloor- park,thoughofficersaretoinvesti- themanagementofthecafebackin
wasmostcriticisedbyarecentres- spacethantheexistingcafe. gateanalternativesiteinthepark. houseandthroughtheimpending
idents’survey,wouldberemoved. CllrAnnabelleBlackmore,leader CllrJohnPerrysaid:“Skateparks introductionofparkingcharges.
A design competition will be of the Conservative group, said: exist very happily in rural areas Aconsultanthasbeenappointed
held, with the council confident “Tohaveabrandnewiconicbuild- andareverypopular.Iwouldlike toprepareandsubmitaplanning
thatnotablearchitectswillbekeen ingforacafereallywillhelptoput tokeepaskateparksomewherebe- applicationfortheadventurezone
to create a high-quality building Maidstoneonthemap,especially causeitisawell-usedfacility.” onthecouncil’sbehalf.
Bid for flag Library plan
Firewalk to boost hospice fund
MAIDSTONE is hoping to raise the KCC PLANS to save £150,000 by
THEHeartofKentHospiceisinvitingpeopletowalkacrosshot
Purple flag for another year. reducing mobile library stops.
coalstoraisemoneyforthecharity.
The accreditation for the quality The county council wants to cut
Thehospicehas100placesforbuddingfirewalkerstotakethefive
of the twilight and night-time econ- the least-used of the 651 stops
meterstrollacrosscoalsthatcanreachupto650degreesCelsius.
omy was awarded to the town two made by the 11 mobile libraries to
ThefirewalktakesplaceinJubileeSquare,Maidstoneat7pmon
years ago. Five major pubs and reduce its £367,000 annual outlay.
FridayMarch4,andismanagedbyahighlyexperiencedteamfor
clubs have since closed, but there Analysis showed that 368 stops
whomthesafetyofthewalkersisthetoppriority.
are more restaurants. had an average of two visitors or
Maidstone Town Centre change Entryislimitedtothoseagedover18andtheentryfeeis£25,with fewer. The proposed routes will see
co-ordinator Ilsa Butler said: aminimumsponsorshiprequirementof£100. more than half the stops increasing
“There has been a growth in the To book a place, call fundraising on 01622 790195 or go to their stopping time and the service
night-time economy but it reflects www.hokh.org. moving to a Tuesday-Saturday
the change in tastes and demand.” schedule.
The town was due to submit its Formorelocalnewswww.downsmail.co.uk See how stops could affect youat
application by the end of January. www.kent.gov.uk/consultations.
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Maidstone South February 2016 9
News downsmail.co.uk
Praise for prison facing closure
EASTSuttonParkcontinuestobe positive way they encourage the resultedinalowerthanaveragein-
asuccessfulandeffectivewomen’s womentomakethemostoftheir cidence of self-harming, although
prison – in spite of budget con- timeatEastSuttonPark. measureshadbeenneededtodeal
straintsandthethreatofclosure– “Inspiteofbudgetrestraints,staff withbullying.
accordingtotheprisonservice’sIn- cutsandthecontinuedthreatofclo- Therewasalsospecialmentionfor
dependentMonitoringBoard. sure,themajorityhavecontinuedto EastSuttonPark’sfarmandgardens,
The IMB’s report for 2014/15 gotheextramiletoensurethewel- which it said was a valuable re-
praisesstaffandtheopenprison’s fareofthewomenandtosupport source, providing revenue and a
practicesfor“continuingtosubstan- theircolleagues.” therapeuticopportunityforprison-
tiallyreducere-offendingrates”. tionattheprison,includingrotting There was praise for ESP’s per- ers, especially those from violent
ItfollowstheIMB’scriticismlast windowframes,theverypoorcon- sonal officer scheme and its pris- andabusivebackgrounds.
yearoftheMinisterofJusticeforthe ditionofshowersandtheprolifera- oner-ledVisionteam,whichoffers TheIMBrecommendedareview
delayinreachingaconclusionabout tionofbrokenandcrackedtiles,but help on issues such as debt and ofthoseservingtheold“indetermi-
theclosureoftheprison–proposed makesitclearthatstaffcontinueto housingtoinmatespriortorelease, natesentences”.Itfoundoneinmate
in2014–which,itsaid,wasleaving “gotheextramile”. withtherecommendationthatitbe sentencedtotwoyearshadserved
staffandinmatesinadifficultposi- Itreads:“ESPisahighlysuccess- rolledouttoallotherestablishments. nine.Italsowantstoseesecurein-
tionforplanningtheirfutures. fulandeffectiveprisonandstaffare Thereportnotedthatpoliciesand ternetaccessmadeavailabletoin-
Thelatestreportnotesdeteriora- tobecommendedforthecaringand staffandpeersupportattheprison matesinreadinessforrelease.
Caravan plan Head begins Children shine on trip to O2
PLANNING permission was ANEWheadteacherhasbeenap- Continuedfrompageone “Wehadallworkedsohardlearn-
grantedforatotaloffourcara- pointed at St Mary’s Primary Thechildrenhadlearnt20songs ingourwordsanditwastotally
vanstobesitedinNettlestead. School,Laddingford. inschool–andafewdancemoves amazing.ThefactthatIwentwith
Maidstone Council’s plan- GemmaBrainjoinedtheteamat –topreparefortheday. all of my friends was great. The
ning committee gave the go- the start of term, along with two Athree-hourrehearsalpreceded sensation of singing with thou-
ahead for two permanent new members of staff – Richard theconcert,inwhichtheaudience sands of other children was ab-
caravans and two tourers on MartinandChelseaMellish. filled the ground floor of the solutelybrilliant.”
land at Ashtree Place, Hamp- MsBraingrewupinMaidstone, venue,whilethechildrenpacked English soprano Laura Wright
steadLane. attendingBarmingPrimarySchool thetieredseatingtouniteinsong. alsoledarenditionof‘TheWorld
The parish council objected, and Maidstone Grammar School StMary’sSchoolofficemanager inUnion’.
claimingthelandwasaflood forGirls. RachelWestsaid:“Thenoiseinthe Katysaid:“Itwasbrilliantand
risk,buttherewasnoobjection She returned to the area eight stadiumwasdeafeningbutexhila- amazing. The light show was
fromtheEnvironmentAgency. yearsagoandthisisherfirsthead- rating.” lovely and the show was enter-
ship. LaddingfordpupilIsabellasaid: tainingforeveryone.”
01622 902005
10 Maidstone South February 2016