Stoves by Edmed


Maidstone’s Bigger Society


MAIDSTONE Council has set aside £100,000 of government funding to help empower com- munities as part of its plan for the Bigger Society. The cash could be used to


help community groups, chari- ties and social enterprises work together in a way that benefits the local neighbourhood and does away with much of the present local government bu- reaucracy and “red tape”. A neighbourhood action plan


has already been produced in Park Wood as part of a pilot scheme, which has identified several improvements that resi- dents would like to see, and a similar exercise is about to get underway in Shepway. The council will now be


asked to decide which actions should be carried out and how the community can be enabled


to complete the remainder. The borough is already work-


ing on ideas for a website for Maidstone’s Bigger Society, which will pull together advice and links for community groups and individuals. It is also to set up a panel to consider applica- tions for funding. Budgetary cutsmeanMaidstone Council has had to prioritise its services and some, considered crucial to local communities, have hadtobereduced. Part of the Big Society plan is


to allow local people to have more control over public fi- nance, deciding how public money is both raised and spent. A community does not neces-


sarily have to be geographical – it could be a group of people with a common need, such as the elderly or those living in re- mote rural areas.


Approval sought for ‘tree’ home MAIDSTONE planners are to decide if a futuristic eco-friendly house should be built in Yalding. Architect Matthew Hey-


wood wants to build a de- tached six-bedroom house on land in Vicarage Road. He bought the land, to


Warming homes throughout Kent since 1917


Specialist in limestone mantelpieces, granite and slate hearth. Suppliers of stoves, multi fuel and wood burner


Visit our showroom in Sittingbourne or click on to www.edmedcoal.co.uk


01622 260514


Solid fuel available for collection & delivery


Prices now available on-line at www.edmedcoal.co.uk


EDMED STOVES - COAL - CHIMNEY SWEEPING 8 South


the rear ofWolverley, lastOctober. He said: “I want to create a con- temporary home that reflects the character of this beautiful village. I would not have designed this house anywhere else.” Mr Heywood said the structure and style of the house would be wooden and representative of tree trunks and branches, while the glazing would represent the gaps between the trees. Parish councillors had previously expressed concern at the de-


sign and the height of the flat roof and said they would prefer a pitched roof. But Mr Heywood said altering the design would “backfire and end up being more imposing and dramatic than at present”. Instead, he has reduced the height of the roof by 14.5 ins, which he believed would make it less intrusive. Several neighbours have already raised objections to the proposal


andMr Heywood said: “I do not want to design a house that every- one hates.” He pointed out that Vicarage Road contained a wide range of properties of differing designs and said: “Yalding deserves something ‘of note’ and I feel that this does that”. Cllr Mike Newman said he sympathised with the ecological ele-


ment of the design but felt it was the kind of property Prince Charles would have described as “a carbuncle”. Members agreed to make no comment on the application and leave the decision to Maidstone Borough Council.


Poor broadband blamed for business move THE owner of a publishing business wants to move from PaddockWood because of poor internet speeds. Jean Ang cites this as a key reason for requesting that her current office at The Stables, Willow Lane, is converted into residential use. Her change of use planning application states: “Despite having three broadband lines in the building we can only achieve a maximum speed of around 1MB. “We are too far from the ex- change to receive a fast broad- band service.” But Yalding Parish Council


said the imminent arrival of high-speed broadband meant her case no longer held water. They were also puzzled by her reference to “regular power out- ages” and difficulty in attracting staff to an isolated rural area.


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330 In her application,Mrs Ang ar-


gued she had been unable to fill two job vacancies in more than six months. But Cllr Andy Sanders said: “It is only a mile and a half from PaddockWood!” Members were concerned that


it was less than a year since the property was given permission to extend and make alterations to the parking area and thought it would be more sensible to let the premises to another business rather than seek a change of use. Mrs Ang says she wants to convert the existing office into an annex for hermother, who is looking to move from her cur- rent home in Hove to be closer to her family.Meanwhile, she is looking for new offices in the Maidstone area. Yalding Parish Council de-


cided to object to the change of use and Maidstone Council will now consider the application.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32