Survey wait goes on Continued from page one
contributed £2,000, told a meeting of Maidstone's Joint Trans- portation Board (JTB) that Jacobs – agents acting for Kent Highway Services - had not surveyed what they were asked to. "They have not taken the data from the points agreed. It does not
give us the information it was supposed to glean," she added. Later, Cllr Brown told the Downs Mail: "They have done the sur-
veys, but not the way I wanted them to be done." She added: "I was not pleased that, at the JTB meeting, someone
who knew nothing about this was trying to tell members and got his facts wrong anyway." The whole issue has had a chequered history. Last year, the sur-
veys had to be postponed twice due to roadworks, before they could finally be done in November. A spokeswoman for Jacobs said: "We have carried out the survey
as our Kent clients instructed us to." She added that if a parish had complained it would be a matter between them and the highways officer in charge.
Playscheme fun at Yalding
Latest gypsy developments in the borough Site could house seven caravans
A GYPSY site in Staplehurst could be more than doubled. JohanneWarren, who says she
has been living in Whiteacres, Marden Road, for 30 years, has applied to site an additional four caravans on the site, making seven in total. Shewrote in a supporting doc-
Meadows may be
further expanded ANOTHER proposal has been submitted to expand the large gypsy site to the rear of The Meadows, Lenham Road, Head- corn.
Gilbert and Chevone Smith
ument: “I am applying for four mobile home licences for my grandchildren, who have lived on this land since they were born and would like to continue to live here and stay as a family. “This would stop us looking
for more land in the surround- ing area for them to live.”
want to add another four touring caravans to live in with their six children. Permission was earlier this year granted, on appeal, for 29 caravans to accommodate 56 people on two sites along Lenham Road. An application is already pending from Rita Price, who wants a mobile home, utility room and two caravans on plot 13.
Stables allowed A PLAN to erect five stables, hay store, mess room and tack room on a gypsy site in Linton has been granted. The land, which is adjacent to the A229 in Stilebridge Lane, was earlier this year given planning per- mission for gypsy use.
Annexe could be answer for farmer’s barn ‘conversion’
THE editor of Ulcombe’s vil- lage newsletter was blocked in his attempt to convert a barn into a home at Boy Court Farm House, Boy Court Lane, near Headcorn. But disabled Philip Easton
YALDING youngsters enjoyed threeweeks of fun at the village's an- nual playscheme. Held at St Peter and St Paul's Primary School, it has seen 36 chil-
dren enjoy a vast range of activities including water fights, junk modelling, chalk art and knitting. The five to 13-year-olds have en- joyed handling rats, cockroaches and snakes brought in by Zoolab and dressed up as pandas for a cinema-themed colouring competi- tion. Pictured are the winners of an Olympic-style sports day.
Caravan can’t Hockey club’s plea
stay for good MARK Ansell has been blocked in his attempt to get consent for a touring caravan at the rear gar- den of a home in Hunton Road, Marden, to remain there perma- nently. In August 2009, permission
was granted on appeal to allow a touring caravan to stay at The Sty for a two-year temporary pe- riod. Aplanning statement support-
ing Mr Ansell’s planning appli- cation says: “The Sty has three bedrooms, including a small box room. Mr Ansell and his wife have four children, including an adult son and daughter. “The mobile home provides additional living and bedroom accommodation for the appli- cant’s eldest daughter. There is sufficient space within the rear garden of The Sty to accommo- date the mobile home. It is ben- eficial to all concerned to leave things as they are.” But Maidstone Council de-
cided it was an “unjustified and unsustainable form of develop- ment”.
12 South
for women to join SUTTON Valence Hockey Club is on the lookout for newmem- bers - women in particular. "We lost a generation to hav-
ing children," said spokesman Chris Johnson. "We have six men's sides and,
until two years ago, two women's teams but now we're down to one. "We cater for all ages and abil-
ities," he added. The club, which runs a veter-
ans’ side with ages up to 75, welcomes youngsters too. "We have Sunday morning training at the main pitch, for seven- year-olds and upwards, run by qualified coaches." More information can be
found at
www.suttonvalence-
hockey.co.uk or email secretary Tom Willson at tomw@cap-
group.com
Supported living A PLAN has been granted to convert a dwelling in Dalkeith, Maidstone Road, Staplehurst, into two flats for supported liv- ing accommodation.
(70), was told that he stood a better chance if a fresh appli- cation described it as a con- version into an annexe. Livestock farmer Mr Easton wantstomoveintoawheel- chair-friendly barn conver- sion, enabling his son Andrew to operate the business from the main house. Maidstone Council’s plan-
ning committee refused the scheme because it has a policy of no new homes in the coun- tryside unless there are excep- tional circumstances. But Cllr Clive English said:
Councillor runs again JOHN Wilson is putting council duties to one side to prepare for this weekend's Great North Run. The councillor from East Far-
leigh is doing the half-marathon again to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Re- search into blood cancers. His wife Brenda is now seven years in remission. John, who last year raised £2,000, said: "My aim is to raise the same again or better." To donate, go to http://origi-
nal.justgiving.com/johnwilson3
SUSAN Rutter has applied to remove a condition restricting the occupant of a bungalow at Longend Farm, Claygate, to an agricultural worker. Her planning statement says:
“This is a substantial country house that has never supported a viable agricultural of horticul-
“If we had an application for an annexe we might have been able to condition it in away to ensure that it would not be a new dwelling in the country- side.
“While we can have sympa-
thy for the individual circum- stances, planning law is about the land use.” Development control man-
ager Rob Jarman told the ap- plicant: “You heard what councillors have had to say. We are not saying that the principle of any kind of devel- opment is unacceptable. “I would advise you to put
in a planning application for an annexe.” As Downs Mail went to
press, Mr Easton had submit- ted an application to convert the barn into an annexe.
CllrWilson with wife Barbara after last year’s run
Agricultural occupancy request
tural operation. “The value of the property
will be beyond the financial reach of themajority of genuine agricultural workers. “The planning condition now
serves no valid agricultural pur- pose. It is redundant and should be removed.”
Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735
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