FAMILIES who have extended their back gardens into a former orchard will have to stop culti- vating their plots after falling foul of planning rules. Tonbridge andMalling coun- cillors heard that four residents of houses on London Road, Ryarsh, had leased land behind their homes from the owner of The Old Pear Orchard. But he had been refused planning permission for the change of use of the site from


Bitter harvest for gardeners


agricultural to private gardens. As a result, the fences and


play equipment that have been placed there will have to re- moved and the site returned to an agricultural condition. Members approved an en- forcement notice, requiring the work to be done within three months.


Cultivation of the garden ex- tensions included new trees


and vegetables and a children’s climbing frame and slide. Cllr Matthew Balfour said: “I


find this rather unfortunate but we still have to protect agricul- ture as best as we can in this very restricted area and when it is currently under such pres- sure. “I can quite see the attrac-


tions to the residents of an extra bit of ground for their gar-


dens,” he added. He suggested the officers


could advise the residents on how best they might use the land sensibly without running up against planning laws. One resident wrote in sup-


port of the planning applica- tion: “We have already had it written into a legal document that we are not allowed perma- nent structures so there is ab- solutely no intention to further develop this land.”


Bags of fun at community clean-up


MORE than 80 volunteers took to the streets of Larkfield to litter pick the area as part of the ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign. A huge amount of rubbish was collected in- cluding the front of an old car, a television, hanging basket, metal wheel, leather jacket, assorted bottles, cans and wrappers, as well as a dead mouse and a pair of large under- pants.


Members of several groups and organisa-


tions took part in the successful clean up, which was organised by Sarah M’Grady and Sarah Cole, whose children attend Lunsford Primary School. Deputy head teacher Teresa Ewence joined pupils at the event. She said: “This litter pick is an excellent example of the sort of things that the children can easily get involved in and is just the kind of community event the school will be encouraging in future.” Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch


was among the first to set to work with vol- unteers from groups including 4th Larkfield Guides, Holy Trinity Church, Larkfield Com- munity Church and Larkfield Football Club . Russet Homes donated money towards re- freshments and B&Q Larkfield gave trowels and bulbs for the children to plant blooms for next spring. Bulbs were also donated to Lunsford School to celebrate its 40th anniver- sary and the Love Where You Live campaign. The organisers said: “Our aim to get young-


Roof appeal victory RESIDENTS have won their planning bat- tle to create a pitched roof above a pair of semi-detached houses in Sandown Road, West Malling. A planning inspector allowed an appeal


by David Clayton and Arthur Chamberlain against Tonbridge andMalling Council’s re- fusal of planning permission for the scheme at Nos 28 and 30 which were flat-roofed. The proposals included additional accom- modation at No 28. The inspector said the new roof styles would not be out of character with the area but would reflect themix of property types on the estate. There would be no significant loss of light or overbearing impact on nearby occupiers.


Volunteers take a break from litter picking and (right) 4th Larkfield Guides help with the clean up


sters involvedwas to teach them that ifwe all look after our area, we won’t have to tidy it up in future. But they seemed to have worked that out for themselves. “This really was a community occasion


where everyone pulled together and one that will be repeated on a regular basis now we know how successful this one was.”


Match day parkers fall foul of villagers


AYLESFORD Parish Council is seeking po- lice advice on a solution to the problem of pavement parking at Eccles during week- end football matches. The village’s Neighbourhood Watch co- ordinator William Hadley and Bull Lane resident Ray Sturgeon reported continuing problems on both sides of the road, espe- cially on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings during the soccer fixtures. On recent occasions, cars had completely blocked the path by parking all four wheels on the pavement, forcing pedestrians in- cluding small children, mothers with pushchairs, and mobility vehicles to walk in the road. PCSO Rose Sparrowhawk said she had attended after receiving phone complaints


Arrests after cable haul uncovered TWOmenwere arrested after 300 metres of BT telephone cablewas stolen in Aylesford. The haul of cable, which was around 2-3 tonnes in weight and thought to be worth around £10,000, was seized by police after being discovered by a dog walker yesterday morning in Bull Lane, Eccles. The wire had been cut up and made ready to transport. Later that day officers carried out a search of the area with assistance from the police helicopter and de- tained two men. Two men, both 38-years-old, were questioned on suspicion of theft at Tonbridge police station.


8 Malling


and had got some vehicles moved. The police would continue to attend


when resources allow. Borough traffic war- dens were not available at weekends. Mr Sturgeon suggested temporary park-


ing facilities being made available for football matches and more formal spacing in the old Walnut Tree layby to increase capacity. The council was writing to the police


and had contacted Eccles Football Club who had agreed to open the field for park- ing when ground conditions allow. Cllr Gill Hurley said the majority of Ec-


cles residents would be against double yel- low lining the area as it would push more vehicles into The Square and reduce park- ing spaces even further.


Club bowled over by trophy success DITTON Bowls Club has even more to celebrate in its 25th an- niversary year after being singled out for a national trophy. The club has been named Drakes Pride Bowls England Club of


Random solar panels


RICHARD Walton has ap- plied to erect 15 solar panels at the rear garden of Random Cottage, MallingRoad,Teston.


2011, following its achievement in 2010 when it was the first out- door club in Kent and only the second in England to be awarded Sport England Clubmark accreditation. Coach John Ranger said: “These achievements are due to the hard work of a small group of members who have built upon the initial work by the founder members of the club, some of whom are still very much involved with its everyday running.” The latest success recognises the club’s efforts to recruit children, disabled people and adults into the sport of bowls. Visit www.dittonbowlsclub.co.uk or e-mail ditton- bowls@talktalk.net


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


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