Double delight for day nursery


LANGLEY-based Sunrise Day Nursery had two reasons to cel- ebrate after gaining a good Of- sted rating and opening a new branch in Harrietsham. The nursery was in such high demand, having looked after children at The School House, Sutton Road, since 1993, that it decided to expand and addi- tionally operate from former of- fices at Station House, next to Harrietsham rail station. Deputy manager Helen Cole


has taken over at Harrietsham and the site will be run exactly as it is in Langley. It has 10,000 sq ft of outdoor space, which will be developed to include an all-weather play surface, staff and parent parking. It can cater


Museum delay could be costly


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we are considering our expo- sure to that. “It was supposed to be fin-


ished in April. But there was a problem with the survey and an extension of 11 weeks was given by the administrator. The official date for the con- tract completion was then July 5.” Therehavebeenfourele-


ments to the further hold-up – connection of power, ducting, the lift and a number of design issues. Cllr Garland said: “The con- tractor says there should be an extension of time and our ar- chitects, who are also the con- tract administrators, want to see evidence to support that.” He added: “We have pulled


in additional officers to make sure the contract is com- pleted.” The council, which has con- tributed £400,000 to the scheme, secured a £1.7m Her- itage Lottery Fund grant for the project but has struggled to at- tract further monies during the recession. Major efforts have been made


to woo Japanese culture and fi- nance bodies to part-sponsor the project because of the mu- seum's high-quality Japanese collection.


for 26 children. Ms Cole said: “Langley was


full and there was a longwaiting list, so we decided to get some- where else. Parents travel from as far away as Charing because there are not many places that offer care between 7.30am and 6.30pm all year, rather than just in term times. “At Harrietsham we will use


the same ethos – of being here totally for the children – as we developed at Langley.” Ofsted inspector Claire Parnell reported that Sunrise was out- standing in engaging with par- ents/carers, and in the extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles and make positive con- tributions. Shewrote: “Staff pro-


Staff and children at the newly opened Harrietsham nursery


mote children’s welfare effec- tively and they demonstrate a strong commitment to making improvements that benefit the outcomes for children.” To get an overall outstanding


U-turn on council dog bins scheme


MAIDSTONE Council has come up with alternatives to scrapping its dog waste bin service. Public pressure forced the ruling Tories to rethink their original proposals to save £33,000 by removing dog bins across the borough. Now they have decided to make the cutsmainly from a couple of


staff posts “with minimal impact on service delivery”. An officer’s report also said it “became clear through feedback


from residents and parishes that the removal of the dog waste bins would be unpopular, require a significant change in dog walking habits and posed a risk of increasing incidents of dog fouling or lit- tering of bagged dog waste”. Cabinet member for the environment Cllr Marion Ring received several objections and asked officers to look at other ways of mak- ing budget savings. The cleaning firm, which was previously given notice that the dog


bin contract would terminate, has been asked to continue until July 30 next year. It was also agreed that the number of waste bins should not be in- creased and that decisions about replacing damaged bins would be based on suitability of location and the proximity to alternative dog waste and standard litter bins. Since 2008, a change in classification means that bagged dog


waste can be treated as litter for disposal, not special waste. Last year, the council’s ‘foul play’ campaign promoted the use of the bor- ough’s 1,300 litter bins as suitable for bagged dog waste.


Golf extension gains consent


THE Ridge Golf Club in East Sutton, has been given planning per- mission to erect extensions for a beer store and two sun rooms. A design statement says: “The sun room is required to provide additional seating in an area benefiting from the views onto the course, and to let additional light into the interior of the build- ing.” The successful application comes a year after a proposed side extension for the relocation and expansion of a health club was refused by Maidstone Council, who felt it would cause harm to the character and appearance of the open countryside.


Forum for rural matters


PARISH councillors and clerks, community groups and others from Maidstone’s rural communities can consider and discuss important issues affecting villages in the bor- ough on Saturday, October 22. All are welcome to attend the parish conference from 9.30am until 1pm at Headcorn Community Centre, which will start with a welcome from Cllr John Wilson, Maid- stone’s cabinet member for community services. He said it would be a chance for parish councils and others to get to- gether with the council to talk about issues such as budget planning, youth matters, planning policy and enforcement, and volunteering in Maidstone.” Council leader Cllr Chris Garland will give his overview


of the issues affecting Maidstone Council and the rural community. Kent Association of Parish Councils’ chair, Geraldine Brown,will give the parish council perspective. The day will finish with a question and answer session.


AN informal planning hearing took place in Oakwood House to hear the merits of the large concrete crushing plant plan for StrawMill Hill, Tovil. SBS Recycling’s appeal against


KCC’s decision to convert a disused paper recycling centre into a facility that would


annually


process 90,000 tonnes of building waste was heard at the John Wigan Room. KCC and Maidstone Council, objecting to the application, were joined by local council-


rating, she added that the nurs- ery needs to extend planning systems for each child and boost communication so all staff are aware of new ideas to improve practice.


New Wild Duck


plan submitted A REVAMPED application has been submitted to convert The Wild Duck pub near Staple- hurst into two homes. Maidstone Council refused


Alter Image Property Ltd’s pre- vious application for the vacant pub, in Pagehurst Road be- tweenMarden and Staplehurst, due to the nature of the roof de- sign and the ridge length of the proposed rear extension. In response to this feedback,


agent DHA Property said in its supporting statement of the new application: “It is consid- ered that the deletion of the dormers on the front roof slope together with the reduction in the length of the rear additions significantly reduces any per- ceived visual impact of the ad- dition in the streetscene and causes no harm to the character of the area.” The roof height will not be re- duced. Maidstone Council will again rule on the application.


Takeaway boost THE Swan pub at 437 Loose Road, Maidstone, has been given permission to add take- away food to its offering. Maidstone Council’s plan-


ning department said food could be served between 10am and 12.30am Mondays to Sat- urdays, and midday to mid- night on Sundays.


Appeal hears SBS opinions


lors, representatives from local vol- untary organisations, CPRE Maid- stone and agents for the owner of the adjoining land in defending the orig- inal decision. Results of appeals normally take around two months.


 ABOUT 60 people attended an appeal againstMaidstone Council’s indicated refusal to convert the former Papermakers Arms pub at 509 Loose Road into five houses and six flats. Brookheath took the case to appeal over non-determination. The council joined Kent Highways Services, North Loose Residents Association and Cllr Ian Chittenden in telling the planning inspector of its opposition to the plan.


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