Questions over ladder fall death


AN element of mystery sur- rounds the reason for an 82- year-old man falling to his death while cutting back shrubs outside his home in Loose. Retired power engineer Leslie


James cracked the back of his head after falling from his lad- der in Lancet Lane on a Sep- tember morning last year. He incurred serious brain injuries and died in Maidstone Hospital later that afternoon, an inquest heard.


Ann books trip to school


CHILDREN’s author and Kent resident Ann Bryant enthralled pupils at Sutton Valence Prep School when she spoke to them about her life as a writer – and introduced them to some of her popular characters. Ann, who led an all-school assembly before holding a num-


ber of workshops for different age groups during the day, is a prolific children’s writer and produced the Café Club series. She read from her books and introduced the children to her characters using the school’s interactive whiteboards.


Eco survey delays PV panels scheme


THE installation of solar photo- voltaicpanels in Coxheath was put on hold due to the lack of an ecological report. Planning committee member


Cllr Tony Harwood felt the pro- posal to build a unit to house the panels on rough grassland at


Orchard House, Westerhill Road, could have a negative impact on protected reptiles. The proposed PV array sys-


tem would be used by Orchard House during the week and fed into the National Grid at week- ends and when unoccupied.


Though Mr James had been standing on an 8ft-high ladder, his family believed he would only have been stood on the second or third step up because of the low height of the shrubs. Pathologist David Rouse ex-


plained that the injuries could have been incurred regardless


of the height he fell from, and pinpointed a possible underly- ing cause of the fall. He said: “The postmortem


said he had heart disease that was undiagnosed. He may not have had any real symptoms – he may have had a temporary blackout some time ago that was forgotten about. “Normally you would expect someone, if they were falling backwards, to put their hands out and reduce the force, but he appeared not to, which suggests there may have been a fainting episode caused by heart dis- ease.”


Mid-Kent coroner Roger


Sykes delivered a verdict of ac- cidental death, but could not explain with certainty the cause of the fall.


Quarries home gets appeal permission MAIDSTONE Council’s decision to block the proposed redevelop- ment of buildings in The Quarries, Boughton Monchelsea, has been overturned on appeal. Last September, the council refused planning permission for the


demolition of existing buildings and the erection of a single de- tached home at The Piggeries. Planning officers argued that there was not justification for a new dwelling, which was contrary to pol- icy.


But a Government planning inspector concluded that: “The re-


moval of the unattractive agricultural buildings, stables and pig- geries and their replacement by a well-designed dwelling will enhance the character and appearance of the surrounding country- side,” and granted planning permission.


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