Continued from page one in a 20mph area rather than 40mph in a 30mph area. He also wondered about the possibility of digital signs that would dis- play limits at certain times of day only - the start and end of school. Cllr Colin Parr (Lib Dem) said he "objected
Anger as police reject idea of enforcing 20mph limits Lenham's county councillor Jenny Whit-
totally" to the police's "blanket" statement and that every case should be treated on merit.
tle (Con) accused the police of "riding roughshod over public opinion" and called on the JTB to "robustly challenge" their statement. She added that locals had vol- unteered to monitor speeds and work with the police. Cllr Bob Hinder (Con) said the message
the police were giving to the public - that they would do nothing if Joe Bloggs drove
over a 20mph speed limit – worried him "immensely". Lib Dem Cllr Clive English was concerned
about future enforcement of all speed lim- its. "If we don't address this issue I can see a slippery slope with the police washing their hands of the whole thing." Chairman Gary Cooke (Con) said he would arrange a meeting with the police to convey the JTB's strong feelings.
Campaign is threat to jobs, say bosses
A COUPLE who have run a business in Hollingbourne for 20 years are angry about "scaremonger" tactics threatening the jobs of up to 15 people. Kevin and Angela Rotherham say efforts
to drive their firm forward are being thwarted by neighbours, for reasons they do not understand. They also claim a photo, submitted to the Downs Mail, showing a dozen people with placards saying “No mini-KIG” and “No heavy industrial estate” gave the impression they were all locals. But the couple say only neighbours Paul and Angela Dixon are nearby residents. The company, Sheds and Shelters, has
been trading in the village since 1990, ini- tially in a residential area next to the Dirty Habit pub in Upper Street. After about 10 years, they moved their
timber manufacturing operations up the hill to Hollingbourne Farm, but retained the sales base in the village. Mrs Rotherham admitted to a "mistake"
when their lease expired on that site in 2005 and they decided to combine everything at the farm. "We'd already moved to part of the farm,
since about 2000, so we had two sites at that point.We thought it would be a good idea to move them together – but we did not con- sider the planning side of things. It was not intentional, just an error.” She added: “Paul Dixon spoke to the council about it and we were faced with an
enforcement order. Since August 2010 we have been discussing it with Maidstone Council.” The couple say they have made every ef-
fort to meet the council's requests, includ- ing three separate noise assessments, each costing £2,000. A revised application was due to be heard by the planning com- mittee on February 3, after the Downs Mail went to press. Contrary to the impres-
sion given by campaigners – who claim the farm could become a major distribu- tion centre – Mrs Rother- ham said there are fewer vehicles coming to the site now as more business is done via the internet. Mrs Rotherham says Mr Dixon, whose home backs onto their site, had bor- rowed their forklift truck and other equipment to do work on his property, yet he is now leading a cam- paign against Sheds and Shelters. "He has implied that the site will become
a mini-KIG. That's a complete nonsense and it would seem he is scaremongering." Mrs Rotherham is worried that 10-15 jobs
may be lost because of the campaign. Mr Rotherham, pictured with his wife in
Continued from page one promoting the land for employment for Maid- stone Council’s deliberations on the LDF. Once the land has a status for employment use, the market will then decide if there is a demand.” In January last year, the council listed more
than 500 commercial units that were empty, mainly in the town itself. Mr Yandle says large companies prefer out-of-
town locations. He added: “Businesses on a larger scale don’t like the constraints of being in the town centre because business is generally about communication and movement. “If you have an employment site with a rea- sonable number of people on it, you need it to be easily accessible for staff and visitors. The idea of the town centre is a lovely one, but try to get in and out of Maidstone in the mornings and evenings. The poor train service does not help connectivity and mobility.” Gallagher is working with the Rochester Bridge Trust on the proposal, which is being
More over 60s needed
THE Weavering Over 60s group is looking for new members. The group meets at Weavering Village Hall, in Weavering Street behind the Fox and Goose pub, on the first Monday of every month, between 2pm and 4pm. Each session, which costs £1, is run by pupils
from Invicta Grammar School, who hold raffles, arrange singers and serve tea and biscuits. Info from treasurer Gerald Sinfiel: 01622 736008.
24 East
their office, said: "We think everything has been addressed. The planners are making recommendations that, subject to us getting permission, we will have to carry out at great expense." John Boyd owns Hollingbourne Farm, where the Rotherhams are tenants. They say he has planted hedgerows and hundreds of trees to relace those previously ripped out by notorious farmer Hughie Batchelor. They say this contradicts the protes- tors' "Protect our AONB" placard that implies the Area of Outstanding Natu- ral Beauty is under threat from activities at the farm. Local councillor Daphne Parvin is backing the Rotherhams' fight. "This family-run business em- ploys local people able to walk to work and that does not happen often. They have been in the village since 1990, I believe with-
out complaint until recently. "When this farm was in full-time agricul-
ture use tractors, combine harvesters and farm food lorries all travelled through the village. This business's deliveries mostly come from Sittingbourne not through the village from the A20."
Plan for massive business park is revealed Mum battles to keep son at school
promoted by David Hicken Associates (DHA) Planning, whose website talks of a high-quality business park. It adds: “DHA and the landown- ers are also working closely with Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council to explore ways of ensuring that the long-awaited South Maidstone Strategic Link is delivered at the earliest possible opportunity.” However, KCC leader Cllr Chris Carter told a
recent neighbourhood forum meeting that “the likelihood of funding [the new road] is mini- mal”. Mr Yandle added: “We have acknowledged
there has to be a zone allowing that road to be built as and when funding is in place.” Cllr Mike Bedwell, chairman of Holling- bourne Parish Council, said: “Gallaghers are probably testing the water to see what response they get. Having fought to stop the Kent Inter- national Gateway development, maybe they are thinking that people won’t have the fight to con- test it.”
Blessings for charity
MIXED Blessings will sing for the NSPCC in memory of Sheila Humphrey on Saturday, March 5, in Holy Cross Church, Bearsted. The programme will include a variety of
songs in four parts and will start at 7pm. Posh nibbles and a glass of wine will be in- cluded in the ticket price of £8. For tickets, phone Loretta Rogers 01622 737751 and for other inquiries Tikki Gulland 01622 737471.
Contnued from page one from KCC's Transport and Primary Admission section she was, never- theless, told: "To consider travel as- sistance on medical grounds, the pupil has to be attending the near- est school to the home address. As Teddy is not attending his nearest school - this being Lenham - travel assistance cannot be granted." Mrs Ostler said she chose to send
Teddy to Platts Heath rather than Lenham because at the time she was advised that the latter might be oversubscribed. Though that later proved not to
be the case - and she has been told there is a guaranteed place for Teddy now - she would still prefer him to continue at Platts Heath and has enlisted the help of local politi- cians.
County councillor Jenny Whittle,
who is backing an appeal by Mrs Ostler, said: "Teddy is happy and settled at Platts Heath and I will urge the appeals panel to bear in mind the impact that removing him from this school would have on his education and wellbeing at a time when his mother is also experienc- ing serious ill health."
Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735
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