Council to get tough over landslip
MEMBERS of Maidstone Council’s plan- ning committee have called for action to be taken over the condition of an embankment in Bearsted. The borough council could take legal ac-
tion against a developer after an earth slip led to the destruction of two sweet chestnut trees, subject to a preservation order, bor- dering a housing site behindWare Street, off Hog Hill. Planning permission was originally granted for a three-home development in
Plaque marks the end of KIG fight
A PLAQUE on Bearsted Green has been unveiled to mark the defeat of KIG. The memorial, in the Queen Victo-
ria golden jubilee shelter next to the WhiteHorse pub, pays tribute to 9,300 campaigners who fought the proposed road/rail freight interchange. StopKIG has now been ‘signed off’
as an organisation, though it will keep a copy of the registered supporter database in case it is ever needed again.
Otham village fete fun THE annual fete on Otham’s village green on Saturday, June 18 will have something for everyone, from game and book stalls to cream teas and Morris dancing. The fun starts at 1.30pm, and will include
the popular ‘We Are The Champions’ com- petition, as well as a tug of war.
Assault conviction nets order MICHAEL Blake (27), of Cornwall Close, Maidstone, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in an incident onMarch 20. Magistrates sentenced him to 120 hours’ unpaid
work to be carried out within the next 12 months and ordered him to pay £250 compensation.
July 2009 but, following the land collapse last year, amended details were necessary to validate the erection of a gabion and ma- sonry wall to stabilise the remaining trees. Maidstone Council’s building control of-
ficer said the retainingwalls were only “ad- equately” safe, which unsettled the committee. However, members could only object on the visual impact of the walls, rather than the structural integrity, as this was not considered a planning considera- tion.
Cllr FranWilson said: “I understand per-
fectly well on what grounds we have to look at this application, but we also have to think about our moral position and I am worried about the health and safety of these walls. “You can’t have a paper saying something
is adequate. How does that prove something is safe? I have a complete dilemma here. I can’t vote for this on moral grounds, but on planning grounds I can’t vote against it. If I were to abstain it would feel like a cop-out. “I would never forgive myself if we ap-
proved something here and it went wrong.” These concerns were shared
by most other committee mem- bers, but the legal advice was that they had to decide on the planning grounds only. As a result, it was agreed to
grant planning permission for the amended plans, but to sep- arately mark the condition of the walls for the Health and Safety Executive to investigate. The council was also explor-
ing its legal options over the two trees that had been de- stroyed.
New home approved MAIDSTONE Council has granted planning permission for a five-bedroom home at Sandy View, Ware Street, Weavering. The application will involve
the demolition of a current dwelling and creation of a de- tached garage.
26 East
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