Police chief objects over Gurkha drinking
Continued from page one
the police said, but it was "im- possible at the time due to num- bers". February 26/27 - Babylon staff
asked for police assistance as ten- sions were running very high at 3.15am. A number of men had been ejectedfrom the club andof- ficers had to wait until they had left the area. Policewere called to a "fight" at 4.15am when a crowd in the side street did not disperse until nearly 5am. But, earlier this month, Mr Ve-
lani withdrew his application and the licensing meeting was cancelled. He told the Downs Mail after-
wards it was a “bitunfair” to label Gurkhas or the Nepalesecommu- nity as a problem. He said: “In a nightclub we
have some issues - it’s the nature of the beast. In the (second) Gurkha incident, two boys had previously had a fight at school
and had not seen each other for 10 or 15 years. “Then they saw each other at
the venue and an argument en- sued in the club. All those in- volved were ejected with the help of the police and the party carried on. No one was hurt in the prem- ises. It started andfinished within minutes.” Shortly afterwards, however, a
group had chased a lad in the street in a case of mistaken iden- tity. The police dispersed the crowd and they went home, ex- plained Mr Velani. He added: “Theirs is quite a
small community and they carry a lot of these things with them.” It was only in January that the licensing committee granted Mr Velani a general extension to sell alcohol at Babylon until 4am on Thursdays, Fridays and Satur- days and to stay open till 5am, thereby allowing a cooling down period from 4am-5am.
£310K in council debts written off MAIDSTONE Council has written off non-domestic rate debts in 19 cases, including two town centre nightspots. StrawberryMoons(A Place inTime) Ltd tradedfrom 28-32 Gabriels
Hill as well as from Cafe Romba at No 33. The company ceased trad- ing and was placed in liquidation in March last year, with a total rate debt of £32,797. Meanwhile, Larrell Services Ltd, which traded as V Bar from Mid-
dle Row, was dissolved owing the council £31,000. The total amount written off by the council was £310,995.
‘Disgraceful’ benches a slight on park donor Sir Garrard’s memory’
BENCHESthatcommemorate themanwhobequeathed Cobtree Manor Park to the people of Maidstone are in a "disgraceful" condition. Bernard Crawford(pictured), ofChatham Road, Maidstone,whoreg- ularly walks his dog in the park, said: "It grievesmeevery time Iwalk past them. Itwouldn't take much to clean them up." One of a circle of five benches is dedicated to Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt- Drake, 12 times mayor of Maid- stone,wholeft his estate to the local populace. The others honour his wife and Messrs Fletcher, Bunting and Monckton - all former chairmen of the trustees. Mr Crawford, president of the
Maidstone and Mid Kent Sunday Football League, has complained to the borough council, which manages the park in Forstal Road on behalf of the trust. He said: "The benches are going to rack and ruin. I have been on to
the council but nobody seems to be doing anything about it. "Sir Garrard gave all that land yet those benches are in such a state.
It's disgraceful." Current trust chairman Richard Corben said he had passed the issue to the Cobtree officer. "I'm sure it will get sorted."
Medical centre to fill GP gap?
MAIDSTONE Council is in talks with a healthcare company that plans to build amedical centre at the town end of Tonbridge Road. Assura wants to develop land
once occupied by council offices at No 13, which have since been demolished. The council is negotiating to
dispose of the freehold. Areport said: "The proposal to develop the site for a doctor's sur-
gery, pharmacy and housing is considered to provide the coun- cilwith the best use for the land, both financially and socio-eco- nomically, and supports the council's strategic priorities." There is a perceived shortage of
GP services in that part of town. A year ago, Assura sold a ma-
jority interest in itsmedical serv- ices business to Virgin Healthcare.
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