Town Talk
Local news for Snodland and Halling Bashing the trash at Nevill Park
MORE than 30 bags of rubbish, a toilet, sun lounger and wheel- barrow were collected in a bash the trash event at Nevill Park, Snodland. Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, joined the
Friends of Nevill Park and children who are part of the Russet Homes Junior Warden Scheme for a New Year clean up of the park.
Organised by the Snodland Goes Cleaner group and Ton- bridge andMalling Borough Council. All the litter picking equip- ment was provided and goody bags were given to the young volunteers. Anne Moloney, chairman of Snodland Town Council, said:
MP Tracey Crouch, Town council chairman Anne Moloney and helpers
“Apart from the unusual items, disgusting items found included dirty nappies and a whole load of filled dog bags that had been thrown into the bushes. “Many thanks to all those who came along to help to make the park a more pleasant place for all residents.”
End of an era for family’s florist business
THE longest-serving retailers in Snodland have closed their shop and retired – almost! Frank and Stella Wallis, along with their
son Kevin, who has worked in the business since 1989, closed the door of Estelle’s in the High Street due to falling trade. Cus- tomers are invited to telephone 07966 152975 on Thursdays to receive a Saturday home delivery of fresh local vegetables, honey and eggs from their farm in Lower Halling. The couple are both aged 87. Snodland-
born Frank, served with the Fleet Air Arm in the Pacific. He trained as a carpenter and joiner after he was demobbed and met Stella when he was staying in digs close to where she lived in Wallington, Surrey. Unable to find work, “because of a short-
age of timber”, he returned to Snodland and, together with his parents, opened two shops, one in Holborough Road (now Trios Hair Studio and Specialised Angling Centre) and the other at the bottom end of the High Street. Frank married Stella in 1952 and she moved to Snodland two years later and started work in the business. They traded in various parts of Snodland before moving to Estelle’s in 1980. “I remember when there were five butch-
ers and 18 different shops selling fruit and vegetables and we all made a living,” said Frank. “The supermarkets, with their free parking, have caused the loss of trade and the florist department has declined because, due to the state of the country, people have stopped buying flowers.” Stella added that they used to sell 400
Kevin Wallis, with parents Frank and Stella, plans to offer a local produce home delivery service
Estelle’s Florists on Snodland’s High Street (below) will be a name of the past
Replacement cash point THE cash point ripped out of the wall in a botched raid at the NatWest bank in High Street, Snodland, in November should be replaced by the end of March. Nearby residents were woken in the early
pumpkins at Halloween – last year they sold just 12. Kevin (53), joined his parents after work-
ing for Radio Medway (now Radio Kent) as a station assistant and they expanded with shops in Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Lark- field and Sandhole Farm, Snodland. Over the years these have been sold or closed. Planning permission has been granted to convert the upstairs of the shop into a flat but they have not decided whether they will sell the property or let the shop.
hours when a JCB demolished the bank wall. The police arrived immediately and the gang fled leaving the ATM in the bucket of the digger, which had been stolen from the nearby Berkeley Homes site. Since then the only ATM available in the
town is at the Co-Op store in the High Street. A spokesperson for NatWest bank told
Town Talk that it will be replaced “as soon as possible but hopefully by the end of March”.
Original shop front must be restored
A VICTORIAN shop front which was split in half without planning permission must be restored. The former Heart of Kent Hospice shop in Snodland High
Street is now the home of the Insurance Shop andWessex Jewellery and Pawnbroker. Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Snodland
The Snod- land High Street shop fronts that will have to be restored to the for- mer Victo- rian style of the origi- nal
Town Council both voted against the retrospective plan- ning application from the Sevenoaks-based Markerstudy Group and an enforcement notice was served. The com- pany appealed against the decision but a Government in- spector has confirmed the notice. A spokesperson for the borough council told Town Talk:
“The period for compliance with the enforcement notice is three months, which means that under the terms of the no- tice the remedial works must be done by April 23.” Anne Moloney, chairman of the town council, com- mented: “It is very important that individuals and busi- nesses apply for planning permission. No one should act outside the law. “This shop is in the conservation area and while it is not possible to put back what has been destroyed, I hope that it will be possible to reach an agreement on a shop front that is much more in keeping with the original Victorian frontage.”
4 Town Talk
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