Lib-Dems warn of ‘missing 975 homes’


LIBERAL Democrat councillors in west Maidstone have been wlaking their patch to spread the message about the prospect of nearly 1,000 new houses in the area. The three ward members covering Alling-


ton - Cllrs Malcolm and Cynthia Robertson and Dan Daley - and their supporters are hand-deliver- ing letters to 3,200 addresses. They want to make residents


aware of a "missing figure" in the draft Core Strategy documents, on which the borough council is cur- rently consulting. Cllr Mr Robertson said: "The map associated with February's Cabinet meeting, which showed 975 houses in the Allington and Barm- ing area, has failed to make it into


THE start of work on a £78m pri- vate hospital on the edge of Maidstone has been put back six months. No reason has been given for


the hold-up but the Kent Insti- tute of Medicine & Surgery (KIMS) still aims to admit its first patients in 2013. "The current programme tar-


gets an October opening date," said James Dickmann, develop- ment director of KIMS. The groundworks at the Newn-


ham Court site, off Bearsted Road,were originally scheduled to begin this summer but Mr Dickmann told the Downs Mail


the documents." The simplifiedmap merely has a large star illustrating the area of proposed develop- ment. But Cllr Robertson added: "Developers


THE Core Strategy has a target of 10,080 homes for the period 2026-2026. The homes will be distributed between Maidstone, Harriet- sham, Lenham, Marden, Staple- hurst and Headcorn. A new strategic employment location is proposed in the vicinity ofM20 junction 8 and a medical hub is proposed around the approved private hospital


Hospital start date delayed


last week: "The ground has yet to be broken, though we are hope- ful to do so by Christmas." The hospital is expected to provide specialised procedures and care in areas such as cardi- ology and neurology for both pri- vately insured andNHSpatients. KIMS will offer services for


which patients would otherwise have to travel to London. Maidstone Council's economic development manager John Fos- ter said the scheme would bring "huge investment and high-qual- ity jobs with the potential for other businesses to cluster round it".


have the map with the numbers on and are rubbing their hands in glee. "People only looking at the verbiage need


near junction 7 (see below left). The Core Strategy proposes to regenerate older buildings within a newly defined town centre. It also proposes a green and


to be alert to the fact they are planning to build 1,000 houses up here." Residents have until midnight, Friday, October 14, to comment online at http://maidstone-con- sult.limehouse.co.uk/portal or at:


 Town Hall weekdays, 10am- 4pm, until October 14


blue infrastructure network that links open spaces with rivers and streams; and introduces protected green wedges that bring the countryside into the heart ofMaidstone.


Oaken Wood inquiry


date announced ADATE has been set for the public in- quiry into plans to extend a quarry into OakenWood, near Barming. It will start on February 7 at Oak-


wood House hotel in Oakwood Park, Maidstone. The proposals by Gallagher Aggre-


gates, of Aylesford, were approved by KCC's planning committee earlier this year but were called in by the Communities Secretary following protests by local residents, parish councils and national bodies such as theWoodland Trust. Local MP Helen Grant recently de- scribed Oaken Wood as a "historic rural treasure".


Maidstone Disability Forum, Community Support Centre, Fri- day, September 30, 10am-12pm


Mote Park Café, Friday, Sep- tember 30, 12pm-3.30pm


Switch Youth Café, Tuesday, October 4, 3.30pm-5.30pm


Tiny the cat


finds a home TINY the black cat, who was left homeless when his owner died, has found a new home fol- lowing an appeal in the DownsMail. Maureen Mills, of Maidstone, thanked us for our help in re-homing her late friend’s pet. Four readers contacted


her after we published Tiny’s story last month. Their detailswere passed to the RSPCA centre at Leybourne where he was being looked after.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk


Town 9


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