Rail station revamp likely at last


HOPES of a major redevelopment centred on Maidstone East railway station are rising again.


There are definite signs that - after two aborted plans in recent years - a breakthrough is on the cards. Seven stations in the South East area, in- cludingMaidstone East, have been earmarked for potential redevelopment by Network Rail in conjunction with a property regeneration firm, Solum. The key is to identify an "anchor partner",


such as a retail giant, tounderpin the scheme's finances.


John Foster,Maidstone Council's economic development manager, said Solum Regenera- tion had been through a "beauty contest" process. "They have chosen who they want to work


with," he told this month's Maidstone Busi- ness Forum. Formed in July 2008, Solum is a partnership between Network Rail and Kier Property as a vehicle to regenerate South East stations. ASolum spokesman said: “We are currently appraising how the area around Maidstone East could be developed, bringing improve- ments to the station and other benefits to the


Winners and run- ners up with the Mayor, Cllr Brian Mortimer and


Sarah Hirsch from Kent Life.


area. “We are still at a very early stage.We will be revealing more about this in the future, along with howwe intend to involve the local com- munity and local council in working up de- velopment plans.” Initially,Solum identified stations atEpsom, Enfield, Guildford, Maidstone East, Twicken- ham,Walthamstow andWembley - as part of a 10-year, £500m venture. "The Solum approach is to create value through mixed-use developments providing station and environmental improvements to the travelling public," added the spokesman.


5 and under Winner:Olivia Jones (5 ) from Gravesend


Runners up: EbenyWilliamson (5) Barm- ing; MadeleineWake (5) Maidstone 6-8 years Winner: CaitlinWindless (8) Maidstone


Runners up: Madeleine Fossett (7) Senacre Wood; Robert Roe (6) Ulcombe 9-11 years Winner: Sarah Seager (9) Sutton Valence


Runner up: Rhiannon Roe (10) Sutton Va- lence (Sister of Robert who is runner up in age 6-8); Bayleigh Pride (10)SenacreWood


In the picture with pantomime winners


TICKETS to Maidstone's Christmas pantomime and family fun day tickets were among the prizes won by youngsters who entered an art competition. During the summer and autumn, children up


to the age of 11 were asked to paint or draw their favourite pantomime character. A total of


140 took part in the competition run by the Ha- zlitt Arts Centre andMaidstone Museum. The Mayor, Cllr Brian Mortimer, handed out


the prizes, including tickets for Aladdin and prizes donated by Kent Life and Leeds Castle museum goodie bags for all winners and run- ners-up.


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01622 750474 10 East WOULD YOU LIKE TO UNLOCK A NEW DOOR IN YOUR LIFE?


Here’s an offer you don’t see every day—the chance to acquire a set of keys to your local prison! We are currently looking for new volunteers to join the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) at the following prisons:


HMP Blantyre House, Goudhurst – Semi-open male resettlement prison HMP Maidstone – A prison for foreign nationals and sex offenders HMP Swaleside, The Isle of Sheppey – A prison for long term offenders HMP Cookham Wood, Rochester – A prison for young offenders aged 15-18 HMP Canterbury – A prison for male foreign nationals


Members of the Board monitor the day to day life of prisons to ensure proper standards of care and decency are maintained.


You do not need any special qualifications or experience as full training and support will be given. We welcome applications from all people aged over 18 years and from all walks of life.


It is expected that you will be able to give at least three four hour sessions a month monitoring one of the prisons, talking to prisoners and staff and attending monthly board meetings. Some of these hours are flexible and could be at weekends or early evening. The post is not paid but travel and subsistence expenses will be covered.


Please visit www.imb.gov.uk to learn more or contact one of the following IMBs to arrange a talk with existing members and to explore the opportunity further:


Blantyre House IMB eve.smitherman@hmps.gsi.gov.uk 01580 213200 Maidstone IMB lynne.archerMA@hmps.gsi.gov.uk 01622 775482 Swaleside IMB peter.judges@hmps.gsi.gov.uk 01795 804009 Cookham Wood IMB Katie.Norton@hmps.gsi.gov.uk 01634 202584 Canterbury IMB terry.scrivener@hmps.gsi.gov.uk 01227862800 Closing date for expressions of interest 30th November 2011


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Need for homes HARRIETSHAM and Lenham borough Cllr Tom Sams says he has been “inundated with hous- ing requests”. He wrote in the Harrietsham Network village magazine: “This is a sign of the times and it is re- ally upsetting to listen to families struggling to keep their homes and needing accommodation lo- cally, which is in short supply.” He urged people to inform him


of the availability of any private rentable properties in the area.


Seasonal scenes BEAUTIFUL local scenes throughout the seasons have been published in a calendar to raise funds for BredhurstWood- land Action Group. It costs £8 plus £1.50 post and packing. To order, call 07870 878907 or email jimchalmers@hotmail.com


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