Hip-hop hooray for NLL Rockets NEWLine Learning Academy’s cheerleading troupe scooped third place at the BCA (British Cheerleading Association) International Championships. The New Line Rockets competed against a number of squads


New Line Rockets with coaches Leanne Chapman (left) and Nicky Ansell (right)


Town tourism gets


more app-ealing MAIDSTONE is the first des- tination in the South East to have a visitor guide applica- tion for smartphones. The app provides an inter-


active guide to the town and surrounding areas. You can search for: What’s on –morethan


200 events at any time, regu- larly updated Food and drink –more


than 200 restaurants, pubs, tearooms and takeaways Places to visit – from cas-


tles and gardens, to boat trips and walks Where to stay –more


than 65 hotels, B&Bs, self- catering and camping. The app will be available


for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Search for ‘Maidstone’ on iTunes or the App Store. Cllr Malcolm Greer, Cabi-


net member for transport and economic development, said: “This app has rich content and high resolution images that provide opening times, prices and grading of accom- modation. “It will provide directions


from your current location using your iPhone’s GPS and Google maps. You can save places of interest and build your own itinerary.” In 2009, Maidstone at- tracted more than 3.3 mil- lion day trips and over 417,000 overnight trips, ac- cording to a study into the economic impact of tourism. Visitor Economy Business


Unit leader Laura Dickson said: “The app uses the same data information sys- tem that fulfils the content of our website – www.visit- maidstone.com. This is part of the strategy to provide in- destination visitor informa- tion.”  To find out more, or to


get your business an en- hanced profile on the app and website, contact the unit on 01622 602748 or email tourism@maidstone.gov.uk.


Bike rack theft A SILVER and blue Claud But- ler bike was stolen from the cycle rack at Maidstone Gram- mar School, Barton Road.


from across the country at the Telford International Centre, from 22-24 July. The all-girl squad entered the cheer-dance division in the hip-hop category and had to perform in front of two panels of international judges from USA and Europe. The school’s head of dance, Nicky Ansell, said: “The team only formed last year and have been working tirelessly on their rou- tine after school since the end of March. “So to hear we came third in our category was a wonderful achievement, and fully deserved.”


Charges to be made for home name changes


WANT to change the name of your property or add a name to your house number? From now on it will cost you £25. Unlike most councils in Kent, Maidstone had not previously charged for the service. But with pressure on council budgets, any new income stream is welcome. The council believes the cost to individuals is “modest”, with higher rates for property developers – £75 for a single new home or £40 per flat, for example. A council report estimated that, if the charges had been in place during the past two years, about £24,500 and £30,000 of income would have been generated annually, mainly from new flats. It concluded that the post of street naming and numbering officer should become self-funding by 2013-14.


Car park sell-off ‘not a problem’


PLANS to sell an under-used town car park will not create a problem for motorists, Maid- stone Council claims. In recent years, average oc- cupancy of the 66-bay Brunswick Street pay-and- display plot has been below 60% during the day and just 40% in the evening. Thecombinedeffectofthe economic downturn and alter- native long-stay parking closer to the town centre are the rea- sons given in a report. It adds: “It is not considered


that loss of the car park will significantly impact on local parking availability nor will it affect localised congestion as average on-street occupancy level in the “South 2” resident parking bays is 74% during the day and 79% during the evening.” The report also notes that a development proposed by a prospective purchaser of the Brunswick Street land offers parking that may be used by residents during periods of high on-street demand.


Crackdown on town’s


litter louts a success MORE than 4,000 people were handed fines for littering inMaidstone during the past 12 months. The borough council’s zero tolerance policy has


been costly for those who drop litter – but the streets are cleaner. Cllr Marion Ring, the Cabinet’s environment member, said: “We have been tackling the issue head on. “Every year, millions of pounds are spent on


street cleansing and clearing our roads of rubbish, such as cigarette butts, chewing gum, sweet wrap- pers and fast food containers. “That’s a lot of money to keep our borough


clean and looking great. My message is – please don’t drop litter, but if you do, you are likely to get a fixed penalty notice.” Money from each fine is ploughed back into the service to pay for extra bins plus campaigns to combat litter and other environmental issues. Those caught flouting the law are offered the chance to pay a £75 fine within 14 days. If they fail to pay, they will be taken to court and risk a fine of up to £2,500, costs, and a criminal record. Maidstone has four dedicated litter enforcement


Cabinet member Cllr Marion Ring with enforce- ment officers


officers working in the borough. They have all re- cently been equipped with body-worn video cam- eras. Cllr Ring said: “The camera equipment will record the conversations between the patrollers and the people who they talk to about dropping litter.


“Thiswas a bold but important approach to the


work because it allows us to monitor the service to ensure safety and fairness for all concerned.”  You can report a litter hotspot on 01622 602162.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk Town 37 Not just the


right to vote… COMMUNITY canvassers will be visitingMaidstone residents who have not returned their voter registration forms by Sep- tember 1. The borough council sent


out 67,730 forms and by early August less than 25,000 house- holds had responded. Anyone not registered may


find it difficult to open a bank account or get credit as agen- cies use the electoral register to verify addresses of applicants.


Congestion review MORE residents driving elec- tric cars will not solve Maid- stone’s traffic congestion. But greater use of car-sharing


and public transport is a route worth exploring. That is the view ofMaidstone Council as it embarks on a major review of the town’s grid- lock problems. Cllr David Burton, chairman


of the regeneration committee, said: “This is your opportunity to give us your opinions, com- ments and feedback on conges- tion as it will form part of the review and its outcomes. “We are seeing what other councils are doing. It’s about lessons to be learnt.” Email christinachemsi@maid- stone.gov.ukwith your views or call 01622 602463.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48