The fond days of post haste MailMarks
post arrive now? At our rural home in East Farleigh, it used to be a race a year or two back between the newspapers and post arriving first at around 7am. Then the post fell back to
SO what time does your
about 9am. In more recent months it has been about lunchtime. Now we are starting to see deliveries closer to 5pm. To accommodate the vast
size of modern newspapers and safeguard staff when we had a lively dog we attached a letterbox to the garden gate. We are well used now to
many cold, mystery walks to that gate! We will leave the box there.
The way things are going it will save being awakened in the middle of the night after the next change in Royal Mail schedules! Just as well almost every-
thing urgent now arrives by email.
DENNIS FOWLE - President Kent Campaigning Journalist of the Year 2001 email:
dfowle2011@aol.com
Business is tough I MUCH admire the small
shopkeepers who put in long hours to provide a smiling, ef- ficient service to make a liv- ing.
But then Ilike going in to the
new Tesco Express shops which offer much the same va- riety as large supermarkets and simple, modern shopping. In the Maidstone area, Tesco
keeps growing. Another at the foot of Loose Road could be the 10th outlet – and probably not the last. Small shops are rightly worried. Business life is so often very
tough – and Isee only one winner here.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail:
info@downsmail.co.uk
Bring back trams Dear Sir -Now, surely, is the op- portune moment before any more millions of pounds are squandered on cosmetic parc- tices, in these desperate times of chronic petrol shortages and overcrowded motorways, to bring back electric trams to Maidstone. Apart from the obvious eco- nomic and environmental ad- vantages that would result, a huge tourist attraction would be created, uplifting the town and highlighting the amenities of our river. Whereas a wide spacious mil- lion-pound arena at the bottom of our High Street would be ir- resistable to skateboarders and the like.
Iwholeheartedly endorse
Leslie Oppitz’s concluding re- marks in his ‘Lost Tramways of Kent’. An alternative transport system is fast becoming impera- tive.
James Bailey’s vision (Town,
April) of Maidstone’s riverside being transformed into a plat- form for local artists is also a splendid idea and can only be a further additional tourist attrac- tion. Let’s bring back some real
character to the town with these exciting ideas, to replace so much of what has already been lost forever, even if it means turning the clock back.We have already gone too fast forward. Irene Betts
Sutton Road, Maidstone
28 Town
Museum eyesore Dear Sir - With reference to your article in the April edi- tion concerning the latest ex- tension to the Maidstone Museum, you report that the Heritage Lottery Fund has con- tributed £2m and efforts are being made to raise additional funds. Can Isuggest that rather than burden the local taxpayers with yet further costs for this monstrous eyesore (sorry, landmark), the fundraisers contact a certain self-storage company for a contribution from their advertising budget. After all, the new extension
looks like a box and it's coloured yellow. May Ialso use this letter to warn fellow residents of Grove Green that I am thinking of having an ex- tension to my own house. Pink and tower are currently in my thoughts. It is obvious that planning control in Maidstone means nothing and maybe Iwill even get a lottery grant. Ijust need an architect with a big enough ego to come up with a design that is equally as hideous as the yellow box!
Richard Baker Grove Green
All in 13 minutes Dear Sir - Ihave just seen the "Agenda and decisions and draft minutes" of the cabinet meeting of Maidstone Bor- ough Council on Wednesday March 9, 2011 (available on- line
at
Support traders SO is Government really
going to strangle much crazy legislation which throttles and
discourages small businesses? Iwrote recently that no one
should become an MP without working for six months in a small business after Iheard of proposed changes in maternity and paternity leave. It seems the Government now
really is listening and would like to encourage enterprising and risk-taking businesses. But let’s wait and see!With all that’s happening in our economy just now, they are by far our best hope for a brighter future.
.
http://moderngov.maidstone.
gov.uk/ieAgenda.aspx?M=721 &AI=0)
Iskimmed through them, reading some bits and skip- ping others. On reaching the end of the document Iwas surprised and shocked to re- alise Ihad spent far longer reading about the meeting than it actually took. During the course of this meeting: Eleven decisions were
taken relating to the High Street improvement project, committing the council to spending millions of pounds. A report of the director of regeneration and communi- ties was considered and a recommendation to full coun- cil was agreed to disband the Strategic Housing Advisory Committee and replace it with a Housing Consultative Board with new terms of reference. Four decisions relating to
the updating of the Corporate Improvement Plan were taken. The report of the leader on
the Forward Plan was consid- ered and three amendments were agreed. An oral report on Execu-
tive Procedural Rules by the head of democratic services was considered, that resulted in two recommendations being made. All this took only 13 min-
utes, starting at 6.30pm and ending at 6.43pm. Iwas under the impression
that democracy, although re- garded as the best system, was imperfect because it worked so slowly. There are ques- tions we must ask: Is the ruling party of Maid-
stone Borough Council giving sufficient consideration to the
To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330
important decisions it is tak- ing? Are too many decisions
being taken behind closed doors out of the public gaze and then being rubber stamped at formal cabinet meetings? Is this how we want our democracy to work? Many a dictator would look
with envy at the brutal effi- ciency of the decision making process at that meeting. Jim Grogan
The Landway, Bearsted
Tree removal is good Dear Sir - Having seen the arti- cle in your current edition (Town, April) about tree re- moval at Mote Park, Ihave to say that we totally disagree with the view that it is a bad thing. We both think the clearance
of trees and a lot of unattractive scrub has opened up vistas over the beautiful Mote lake and will be a great enhance- ment.
Before criticising, wait to see
what planting will be carried out as it develops over the year and how it matures. Yes, it’s a bit of a shock, but
it’s been carried out with ap- proval from KentWildlife Trust – who do exactly what their title suggests! If you look at a lot of the stumps that are left, they most certainly do not look healthy, and those trees needed to be removed. People generally don’t like change, but we personally both consider this a great opportu- nity for renewal and enhance- ment. It is a fact that you have to be a bit ‘over-drastic’ to start with, but you will see how it all springs back to life with Spring! All for the better and much needed. It is unfortunate that it is al-
ways the negative points that get aired. We are fully in sup- port and are going to enjoy our walks round Mote Park all the more while observing the re- generation.
Denise &
Brandon Broadbent Grove Green
Unsuitablehomes Dear Sir - Having lived in and around Maidstone most of my life, Iknow the Fant Lane area very well. It would be ludicrous to con-
template building any houses in this area, given all the ac- cess roads to and from this site are already congested. One can just imagine the
chaos that would ensue with all the lorries going to and from the site as the houses are being built, and all the cars from 300 proposed housing units.
Ithink just a little common
sense here would see that any development is unsuitable. Brian Coates, Maidstone
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