LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Wanton tree vandalism at Mote Park Dear Sir – The recent tree felling in the Church Landway car park is wanton vandalism and inept arboriculture to boot. Large trees have been felled to literally desecrate the whole


environment in and around this village space. It is now totally barren, with absolutely no surrounding tree growth at all to fos- ter micro-climate. Given that the large trees themselves provided both a huge


'carbon soak' for car emissions in this location, the loss of habi- tat for birdlife and the wildlife food chain is devastating. The whole eco-system of that location has been raped. And


right under the noses of theWoodland Trust I can understand the need for judicious tree management (the reduction of self-sown seedlings, correct reduction-pruning of the mature tree surfaces, but total felling is frankly stupid after so many years of establishment. If tree disease or danger to property is offered as justification,


then I would question the widespread dressing of nearby plant beds with the supposedly infective chipped bark and tree stems. The remaining tree stumps (also a hallmark of poor workmanship) show no visible signs of internal diseased tissue This project is a parish council 'blooper' of the highest order.


The least they could do isnowplant some suitable trees for the next generation


MalcolmWithnall, RHS Master of Horticulture


Website madness Dear Sir - I read you from cover to cover when you drop through my letterbox. All this, and free too! Anyway, I see that Lenham Parish Council is again toying


with paying for a website - youwouldhave thought they would have learnt their lesson from the problems up the road in Lan- gley about paying for a website when KCC offers a perfectly good and free site, and when there is already a free web pres- ence for Lenham Google it, and see; oops, hang on, shouldn't the PC have


taken this rather obvious step before considering "the possibil- ity of a website to advertise attractions andfacilities", for which, no doubt, we council taxpayers will get charged? Could it be that somebody's relative in IT (one of the many)


is yet again looking for a share of public money to up their in- come? Or have I become cynical in my old age. Please will councillors start living in the 21st century and ac-


tually use the internet before offering my tax money to their chums to do the same thing over and over again? Lesley Whittle, The Duke ofWellington Woodside Green, Lenham


Storage is safe Dear Sir – I live on the perimiter of the Lenham Storage car park and write regarding your article about fence break-ins (April East). Lenham Storage has 24/7 security


and cameras. I doubt very much any break-ins have been notified to the local police.


Barbara Browning Lenham


Worthy motorbikes Dear Sir – With regard to the motorbike track [near Lenham] mentioned in the latest edition. I feel that despite the opinion


of some, this practice track could be a real asset to our community. It gives all ages a chance to experience the thrills of off- road motorbikes in a safe envi- ronment without endangering other members of the public or breaking any laws. The by-product of noise a


few days a week is unfortunate but nothing compared to the good that this facility gives to our community.


James Tank Bearsted


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


Save bus service about says it all.


Dear Sir – I, and many others, note with horror your very small article on page three of the March Edition of Downs Mail, the proposed cutting of the service 19 bus route. Do you realise this is the only bus


we in Bearsted have now? The num- ber 8 only covers Madginford and Downswood, but not Bearsted. We used to have two buses an hour


when we first moved here 20 years ago. Now we only have one with nothing after 6 pm or on Sundays or Bank Holidays. This service is a lifeline for those without a car, the elderly, disabled and those with small children who live in the village. It is well used, es- pecially by school children. It would be better used if the serv-


ice were actually reliable, but we only get a bus if Arriva has enough drivers and roadworthy buses. I have been campaigning for the


last three years to just get the service we are supposed to have, but, in the words of their Maidstone representa- tive, Inspector Murison, "Arriva is not here to provide a service, we are here to make a profit". Which just


Please help us in our bid to retain


what is only a very limited service at present. The Conservative and Lib- eral Democrat coalition both nation- ally and locally exhort us that we are all in this together, but, yet again, it is the least able who are having to bear the brunt of the cuts. Perhaps if our local elected repre- sentatives (Richard Ash, Jenny Whit- tle, Paul Carter, etc) actually used the bus they might appreciate just how vital this service is to us. I also note, withmuchamusement,


the article on page 28 regarding the hardstanding at The Oak on the Green pub. Planning inspector Alan Woolnough also clearly does not know that we have no public trans- port after 6pm, when most of the Oak’s customers arrive. Driving is the only way to visit the


pub unless, like us, you are fortunate enough to live close by and can walk. Jeanne Gibson Birling Avenue Bearsted


Editor: Arriva has announced that service 19 will remain, and run ad- ditionally on Saturdays. See pages one and six for more details.


Maidstone Museum plans are an eyesore Dear Sir -With reference to your article in the April edition concerning the lat- est extension to the Maidstone Museum, you report that the Heritage Lottery Fund has contributed £2m and efforts are being made to raise additional funds. Can I suggest 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 ad budget. After all, the new extension looks like a box and it's coloured yellow. May


I alsowarn fellowresidents of Grove Green that Iamthinking 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


I will even get a lottery grant. I just 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


Scooters with dogs Dear Sir – As many of us dis- abled people can now be seen on route toMote Park, Bearsted Woodland Trust or shops with our dogs under control and walking obediently alongside ourmobility scooters, can some- body explain to me why a lady car driver has stopped me on several occasions to accuse me of being cruel tomy dog?


Community focused Dear Sir – Followingmyresignation from the parish council, I would like to thank those councillors and members of our communitywho have supportedmeover the past five years. The parish has seen some improve-


ment in the recent past and the parish council is now, in my opinion, much more community focused than before. With the local elections in May, I


would like to know the public's opinion on councillors standing for election to more than one council. Is democracy best served by a council-


lor sitting on bothKCCandMBC,orMBC and parish? If so, where do their loyalties lie, or are the public better served by councillors sitting on just one council? The election is a chance to have your say. Kevin Street, Bearsted


To remain healthy, all dogs


need and enjoy their daily out- ings, and to deprive them of that and confine them to a central- heated home would be cruel. We travel at a lesser pace to


the average dog walker and, for the benefit of anyone who may think to the contrary,wepickup our dog’s mess – as I have wit- nessed my fellow disabled doing so.


My scooter displays the logo:


“Don’t let your best friend spoil our streets”. Since Maidstone Council discontinued issuing doggy bags, there has been an increase in dog fouling, so I carry a supply ofdoggy bags and will continue to provide one to any dog walkerwhomay ask. John Sayers


Greystones Road Bearsted


Bring back trams to make town great Dear Sir -Now, surely, is the opportunemoment before any more millions of pounds are squandered on cosmetic parctices, in these desperate times of chronic petrol shortages and over- crowded motorways, to bring back electric trams to Maidstone. Apart from the obvious economic and environmental advan-


tages, a huge tourist attraction would be created, uplifting the town and highlighting the amenities of our river. Whereas, a wide spacious million-pound arena at the bottom


of our High Street would be irresistable to skateboarders etc. I wholeheartedly endorse Leslie Oppitz’s concluding remarks


in his ‘Lost Tramways of Kent’. An alternative transport system is fast becoming imperative. James Bailey’s vision (East, April) of Maidstone’s riverside


being transformed into a platform for local artists is also a splen- did idea and can only be a further additional tourist attraction. Let’s bring back some real character to the town with these ex-


citing ideas, to replace somuchof what has already been lost for- ever, even if it means turning the clock back.We have already gone too fast forward.


Irene Betts, Sutton Road, Maidstone You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk East 37


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