Row simmers over anti-KIG cost debate


ILL-feeling has surfaced again about the “openness and transparency” surrounding a community group that successfully fought the controversial KIG plan. The issue of how decisions were made


about funding the Joint Parishes Group is a sore point with the Bearsted & Thurnham Society. Its chairman Roger Vidler claims his parish council, Bearsted, did not minute any de- tails of its £11,500 contribution to- wards the campaign costs of the 14-parish JPG. Last year, Mr Vidler questioned


the process by which the JPG ap- pointed Luther Pendragon as con- sultants to help it prepare its case for the public inquiry. Now he has returned to the fray by raising the issue of JPG finances at a meeting of Thurnham Parish Council. The council's leading lights formed the


The original JPG – formed solely to op-


pose the proposed KIG rail-road interchange near junction 8 of the M20 – was disbanded last year after the scheme's sponsors, AXA, decided not to appeal against the Commu- nity Secretary's refusal. But moves have been made to form a “JPG Mark 2” – an al- liance of parishes that would champion other shared interests. Mean- while, Cllrs Jacques and Waite have resigned from their JPG posts. Mr Vidler said a “real


Roger Vidler: “real concern”


hub of the JPG – Cllr Richard Jacques was also JPG chairman, vice-chairman Cllr Peter Waite was also JPG vice-chairman, clerk Sherrie Babington was also JPG clerk.


VINTERS Park residents have claimed a vic- tory for common sense after Computer Sci- ences Corporation’s plan to test its equipment on Saturdays was blocked. The company, which manages the high-se-


curity data centre in Pegasus Place off Lodge Road, wanted to vary an existing condition to be allowed to undertake back-up generator testing on Saturdays, between 8am and 1pm. The applicant’s supporting statement says


that this procedure carries the risk of com- ponent failure resulting in potential loss of


concern” of his 1,000- member society is that meetings of this new JPG would not be open to the press and public – in the same way that the origi- nal JPG's meetings were


Richard Jacques: disagreed


closed affairs. He said: “The fact is they will be discussing matters of key relevance to Bearsted, Thurnham and other interested parishes. Surely, it must be right that when these discussions take place the public and


Computer equipment testing plan blocked


service, which could see it lose clients. Res- idents formed the an action group to cam- paign against continuing noise problems. Maidstone Council’s planning department


decided that, “insufficient justification” had been submitted to demonstrate that the test- ing of the equipment…is so essential as to outweigh the impact and potential harm from the operation of the equipment to the amenities that the occupiers of properties in nearby Bargrove Road could reasonably ex- pect to be able to continue to enjoy.”


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press should be admitted.” But Cllr Jacques said it was important that parish councillors had the chance to inter- act with colleagues without their names being attributed to what they had said. Their decisions, however, should be dis- cussed publicly. The intention was that JPG recommendations were subse- quently reported back to parish councils for debate. Mr Vidler said the public had an “incontrovertible” right to hear discussions on howpublic money was spent. He said that this had not happened at Bearsted Coun- cil. The first time the parish's £11,500 JPG contribution became public was last January, after the inquiry had ended, when he had raised the issue. But Cllr Jacques said if that was


the way Bearsted Council had managed its affairs it was “a matter for them, not us”. Thurnham chairman Dick Morley tried to


defuse the row, declaring: "Whatever it cost, what a bloody marvellous result we got!"


Biker’s death verdict


A VERDICT of accidental death was deliv- ered on Harrietsham motorcyclist Darren Saunders (36) after the coroner heard con- flicting evidence of his fatal road accident. Father-of-three Mr Saunders, of Polhill


Lane, lost control of his Kawasaki motor- bike and collided into a bus shelter near the Cherry Tree Inn in Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, on March 27 last year, the court heard. He died that day of multiple injuries. Full story in next month’s DownsMail.


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