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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Sort out gypsy policy Dear Sir – In yourMaidstone South Decem- ber edition you report on more caravan de- velopments at Chart Sutton and Kingswood. You also report on a panel of government members being questioned about the non- availability of policies to guide these devel- opments. The answer was that there were years of work still ahead. I understand that Maidstone Borough Council is working on adopting a plan for 2015, having apparently been working on it since before 2007. That is eight years in the making. Do you see the absurdity of these two po- sitions? What is the value of a plan in four more years time when life is now? Every edition of your newspaper speaks of new travellers’ sites somewhere in the borough. Within a two-mile radius of where I am writing there are 17 such sites scattered over the land. They are beginning to be a main characteristic of the area. None of them arrived with planning permission. Maidstone Borough Council has been a planning authority since 1974. Thirty-seven years is surely time enough to have in place information and management systems to enable them to readily update a develop- ment plan for the borough. Central government may change the wrapping (the last time, I think, was in 2004) but the nature of the basic substance of a plan is always the same. There is no mystique about achieving it, just good or- ganised work. To be spending eight-plus years on it shows Maidstone Council is simply not up to it. It is not fit for purpose. The borough deserves better. David Sayers, Church Hill, Boughton Monchelsea


Refused extension was fine Dear Sir–Iamwriting in response to your article (December, South) that stated plan- ning permission for a rear extension at 92 The Quarries, Boughton Monchelsea, was refused to protect the listed home at No 88. If this were not so serious it would be a


joke, and if the planning department of Maidstone Council expects to be applauded for its so-called protection of a listed build- ing it can think again. My husband and I are the owner/occu-


piers of the said listed property and made no objection to the application because it could only enhance the appearance of this run-down house and garden, which we have had to live with and overlook since we moved to this address 10 years ago. But every application that these people put in has been refused and the home now


Village homes plan A PLAN has been submitted to erect a pair of detached four- bedroom houses on land next to the Albion Inn, Green Lane, Boughton Monchelsea. According to applicant Joe Bains’ supporting statement: “The land had been set aside for use by the public house, but has been little used and is now overgrown and redundant. “The village has a need for


new housing and we have added this pair of dwellings, finished in a simple construc- tion style to blend in with the basic street vernacular.” Maidstone Council will de- cide on the scheme.


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: info@downsmail.co.uk


stands in a worse state than before, with work half completed and the garden a mess. Yet opposite our property, at No 85, per- mission was recently given to demolish a bungalow and build two houses.Maidstone Council completely dismissed our objec- tions in this case, even though we had the full support of our parish council. These two houses are completely out of keeping with the local area and cause a serious breach of visual impact to our property.We are now overlooked and the impact caused during the construction of these houses is devastating. The proposal at No 92 was blocked as it would “erode the visually important spatial relationship” with our home. But now we are faced with two houses immediately op- posite and facing our listed building, which seriously intrude upon and irreparably af- fect the setting of our listed building. No officer from Maidstone Council has


ever contacted us to ascertain the devastat- ing effect this permission, or the refusal to improve the run-down property behind us, has had on us.We are offered the chance to object but it seems that decisions are al- ready made – with complete and utter dis- regard of care for the people whose lives they affect. J Chapman, The Quarries, Boughton Monchelsea


Successful shop on green Dear Sir - Many thanks for your front page about businesses in the middle of Chart Sut- ton (South, November): the new business in the Buffalo Pub and our Shop on the Green. We wish Carole Filby and her partners


well with their new business, giving a new lease of life to the old pub, and improving its looks. We are awaiting the outcome of our plan-


ning application to move the shop onto the Green itself. The Shop on the Green is a real commu-


nity venture now, entirely run by around 20 volunteers, and providing a convenience store not just for village people, but lots of others who drop in for those items they sud- denly need, plus staples like papers, milk, bread, vegetables and fruit and eggs. We value the support we get from every-


one, including commercial businesses, and look forward tomore partnerships in the fu- ture.


Bill Forrester, manager, Shop on the Green, Chart Sutton


Working hard on churchyard Dear Sir – I was saddened to read in your Boughton Monchelsea Parish Council re- port (South,November) that members of the


(L to r) Ceri Taylor, Karen Filmer (Group Scout Leader), Han- nah Johnson, Phoebe Cox, Jasmine John- son and Sunny Ardley


Scouts’ photo competition BOUGHTON Monchelsea Scout Group ran a photo competition for its members and the best photos are included in a calendar for 2012. The calendar, priced £5, is available from Robin


Fuller on 01622 609973 or Karen Filmer on 01622 744292. Profits will be shared between group funds and the group’s charity for the year,Maidstone Mencap.


council were unhappy with the wildflow- ers that are allowed to grow in our church- yard. I have lived in the village for 38 years and


feel privileged to have such a beautiful and well-kept churchyard with fantastic views. People come from all parts of the world to admire our wonderful church and church- yard. I give thanks to God for the marvel of his creation. Most of the work in the churchyard is


done by volunteers. If any family members are unhappy with the wildflowers, they are able to look after their own family grave. Ann Cornelius, Haste Hill Road, Boughton Monchelsea


J8 sandstone quarry concern Dear Sir - In your December 2011 edition you have an article about the proposed develop- ment at M20 J8 by Gallagher, who plans to develop a large warehousing complex in the area.


Part of the text says: “Gallagher plans to re-


duce the elevated area of farmland by up to 40ft so that the development is not visible from theA20 and Bearsted area”. Is this state- ment just a euphemism for “we want to ex- tract the sandstone in the area and create a sandstone quarry, which will later be turned into an industrial storage depot.”? At the junction of Old Mill Road and the


A20 you have what used to be the Caves Café (in the 1950s) and behind this is a small sand- stone quarry that, in the 1960s, was used as a lorry park for some company vehicles. In the sandstone behind the café you had a system of caves that covered quite an area. When they start extracting the sandstone it


will be interesting to find out the extent of the caves and if any interesting artefacts turn up. It is hoped they don’t extract too much sand- stone or the site could be flooded by the River Len, which borders the southern side of the site.


RGLuck, Fernhill Road, Fant


Use our town shops Dear Sir - As ever, your wonderfully inform- ative publication (South, December) has just dropped through my letterbox, and I have to a comment to make about the article on page 16, "Christmas on your doorstep". It is all verywell the Town Centre Manage-


ment quote from Bill Moss extolling the virtues of Maidstone. I happen to agree with him, in the most part. However, I recall that some time ago Cllr Richard Ash admitting that he and his wife always travelled to TunbridgeWells to shop as Maidstone had nothing to offer them.How can we take a pride in our town when our elected (and paid) representatives cannot bring themselves to so do? Jeanne Gibson, Birling Avenue, Bearsted


Outbuilding conversion A PROPOSAL has been submitted to con- vert an outbuilding into a home to the rear of The George pub, in Yalding. The pub, in Benover Road, was built in


1546 and enlarged in Georgian times. A supporting statement said: “The ap- pearance of The George has not been changed to a great extent over the years and the new proposed conversion of the out- buildings will be kept in keeping with the existing building. “It will offer a positive contribution to


Yalding, providing outstanding and attrac- tive accommodation while establishing a sustainable use of the outbuildings. It is an opportunity to both preserve and enhance this well-used part of the village.” Maidstone Council will rule on the appli- cation.


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