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Garden loos feel the squeeze!


THE public toilets in Brenchley Gardens are to be improved – by being made smaller. A council report on the scheme, costing almost £50,000, said: “The proposal is not only to refurbish the toilets but also to greatly reduce their size, which will stop groups and in- dividuals loitering.” It is all part of Maidstone Council’s plans to make the area more attractive. The number of visitors to the


gardens has increased since im- provements there, and is likely to rise even more with the open- ing of the nearby museum’s East Wing extension. Most of the revamp will be funded with £30,000 from the developer of land at Waterside, Fairmeadow – a so-called S106 contribution. The report by parks manager


Jason Taylor said reshaping the WC block would free up space to store seating used during the


PLANS to renovate one of Maidstone’s most iconic buildings – The Tabernacle at The Mote cricket ground (pictured) – have taken a blow now the local 36 Engineer Regiment duties are growing in Afghanistan. The soldiers had drawn up detailed


plans to help with much of the restoration – but now their manpower is needed


Revamp and downsizing for public toilets in Brenchley Gardens


band season, previously kept in an “unsightly” shipping con- tainer. Themessroomwillalsobe


around the world they have withdrawn.. This has left the cricket club at least £10,000 short on the budget to bring the historic derelict building back into sport- ing use. It was built 100 years ago by the 1st Lord Bearsted, who lived in Mote House, Mote Park, as his private changing roomwhen he played cricket. It included a shower, toilet and even a fireplacewith chimney. He also built the main cricket club pavilion, used by everyone else. Lord Bearsted’s wealth camemainly from


the oil company Shell which he founded late in the 19th century. He was the first chairman, followed by his son, the 2nd Lord Bearsted. The family sold Mote Park to Maidstone Council and he left the cricket ground in trust to The Mote CC. In recent years The Tabernacle has dete-


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extended as a base for the town centre team, to provide a greater council presence in the gar- dens, addedMr Taylor.


Blow to Tabernacle project as 36 Engineers take on extra duties overseas


riorated due to lack of funds but now the club is on a campaign to lift the whole site. Separate grants of £10,000 have been


made by the Cobtree Charity Trust and KCC Capital Sport and thismoney has been used to renew the roof and work has started on the walls. But the club will now need an- other £10,000 to complete the interior. Dennis Fowle, chairman of the club’s de- velopment committee, said: “Once restora- tion is complete we plan to use The Tabernacle as a centre for youth sport and coaching. It will have a youth changing area, changing room for match officials and youth teams and a meeting room. “It will also be used as the Kent Cricket


Club office during county matches. “We hope the walls of the main room


will commemorate the wonderful history of the building and of Lord Bearsted.”


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   


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  


  


 


 10 Town Support YOUR local paper — and we can support YOU - advertise on 01622 630330


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