Falling into the second division MailMarks


DO we in Maidstone now live


in part of a first-world, second- world or third-world country? These thoughts surfaced after two weeks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, supporting England’s cricket team. I have observed the world order changing – now I have seen it at first hand. I always thought we played in the first di- vision. NowI thinkweare somewhere in the second division – and falling. It is a tough judgement. And what forms


themain evidence? The weight of factors will change between us as individuals – but the economy and financial prospects have to be about top of any list.Moneymakes the world go around. In much of Europe foolish politi- cians, including ourownGordonBrown and his colleagues, have spent us in to interna- tional poverty. We now see the great pain and wonder if


there will ever be a gain. Fifty years ago Abu Dhabi and Dubai would have been in world division three – most of the population were Bedouins in the desert. Discovery of oil has meant they have risen at speed to division one.Manyotherna- tions are rising quickly, notably China and India with their vast populations. The Arab worldhas a verymixed record on


using its oil wealth but Abu Dhabi seems to be getting things about right and Dubai may have done enough to secure the future before its oil runs dry. Both Emirates have developed an infra- structure of modern, wide roads and bridges to servedevelopments that are vast, attractive


DENNIS FOWLE - President Kent Campaigning Journalist of the Year 2001 email: dfowle2011@aol.com


and exciting. Not all will be to everyone’s taste – but there are certainly talking points. The Metro infrastructure in Dubai is magnif- icent, tourists flood in – and I think this sec- tor will grow enormously. Much of the work has to be carried out by imported labour – largely from Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines. These, to- gether with tourists and other visitors, make Dubai andAbuDhabi themost cosmopolitan of places I have ever visited. All know they must observe the Islamic


rules and disciplines (especially on alcohol, drugs andmodest behaviour). It seems towork wonderfully well. The races mix easily; they seem very relaxed and happy, creating a very safe society with little crime. I was so often won over by the charm of so many people. Most Emiratees now seem to be financially comfortable and this has bred a great confi- dence in the natives. Apart from the prob- lems always associated with construction work, they live in a remarkably clean, sparkling environment. There is just about no litter and staff were always swabbing floors clean. Any of our hospitals would envy the cleanliness of the Metro system. I never found a toilet anything but spotless. English is the international language spo-


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Not right place for homes Dear Sir – With regard to your article re- garding East Farleigh Green (South, Febru- ary), I regret that your informant gave you many inaccurate facts: The parish council does not own the land. The villagers do not necessarily want the village unchanged, but prime agricultural land adjacent to the conservation area is not right for development. The owner of the land will not sell unless a substantial number of homes are built. The “six” houses were not to fund im- provements in other parts of the village but the village green itself. A proposed new traffic layout will not prevent lorries from going over the bridge. It will be easier for even more unsuitable “gi- ants” to make the attempt.


Mollie Richford, Lower Road, East Farleigh


Gypsy plan is long overdue Dear Sir – In your Maidstone South edition (February), you report on a planning in- spector allowing more travellers’ sites in Boughton Monchelsea because of the failure of Maidstone Borough Council, over a long period, to plan for them. Aclear duty was placed on local planning authorities in 2006 to provide travellers sites, but the need was there long before that. Who cares? Not, it seems, do members of Maidstone Council’s planning commit- tee. In the same edition you report how, when yet more travellers’ sites in Boughton Monchelsea came before the committee, many of them did not take the trouble to vote one way or the other. And they are showing no urgency about preparing a development plan. The primary


30 South


ken well by the majority of Emiratees and foreign employees in the service industries. I saw no obvious signs of poverty – but many signs of comfort and wealth. So much is provided for entertainment, interest and health. A visit to Dubai’s largestmall in the world is so much more than a shop- ping experience – the vast aquarium,


ice rink, restaurants, cinemas etc. I believe AbuDhabi andDubai have got somuch right and invested their great wealth well for the future. We have still somuchto cherish in our part


of Britain – our magnificent heritage, beauti- ful countryside etc. Much goes in to estab- lishing a standard of life, but economic black clouds cast huge shadows. That is why I fear we shall slip back even further. It is unpalatable and hurtsmypride. As al-


ways it is the needy and poor who will feel the pain most and alreadywe see that. It will need a very skilled Government, and perhaps some good fortune, to lift us again. I fear the road ahead is very tough.





Wonderful Mote Park ONa brighter note, I always look on Mote


Park as forming part of my standard of local living and I am delighted with the current improvements. I planned to use the newly-surfaced car


park on a recent Sunday morning visit and was astounded byhowthat and nearby park- ing spaceswere full. I enjoy the new path around the lake and


look forward to completion of the otherwork. What awonderful local asset.


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


task of local planning authorities is to pre- pare a plan and keep it up to date: a perma- nent, constant task. Last autumn, the borough council asked residents what they thought of the borough council’s performance in carrying out its functions, but the primary function of a planning authority was not included in the survey.


Already the updating of the development


plan for Maidstone has been in hand for over six years. This is a plan that should be constantly monitored, ready for representa- tion at any time. Meanwhile, the quality of the town and country in Maidstone contin- ues to worsen. Who cares? David Sayers, Church Hill, Boughton Monchelsea


Thanks for friendly care Dear Sir - I was recently taken ill in Wilkin- sons, Maidstone, and would like to thank a lady in a white and black checked coat who first came to my help. Also, there were three members of staff, one of whom had medical knowledge and suspected I had a heart attack and called for an ambulance. The ambulance crew were very friendly and professional, as was the paramedic. I was taken to Maidstone A&E and immediately given all tests in a very efficient, professional and caring friendlyway with checks well into the night. I was allowed home during Saturday after-


noon,with more checks scheduled as an out- patient for possible angina. I would like to say thank you to all the people who attended to me and for the few tasty meals I had. I am very grateful for being taken to Maid-


stone Hospital, which is within easy walking distance from home, rather than Pembury, which is not. Nameand address supplied


Trolleyed off by Sainsbury’s Dear Sir - Are all those without cars now to be treated as ‘chavs’? Our local Sainsbury’s supermarket, close to Maidstone’s poor excuse for a bus station, is gradually adding to the difficulties for car-less shoppers. The rot set in a few years ago when the store


closed the entrance/exit door nearest the bus station, yet left all the shopping trolleys at the farthest point away, at the car park end. This door closure, an official claimed, was for se- curity purposes. We the elderly, and the disabled, accepted


this explanation and proceeded to help each other with many a smile and “thank you” by wheeling our shopping-laden trolleys along to near the steep and narrow iron steps leading down to the buses. This enabled those carry- ing other goods to use these trolleys on their way to the far entrance, near the car park. Granted, the odd trolley would need to be collected, but with young men employed in trolley collection from car park locations dur- ing opening hours, this would surely cause lit- tle problem. The predominance of middle-aged and eld-


erly customers at this grocery store, would seem to merit extra care for such loyal cus- tomers. Not a bit of it. After introducing self- service check-out tills – little-used andcausing longer queues (and longer dole queues?) – the store has now introduced, as elsewhere, a £1 trolley fee while keeping the trolley point far- thest from the bus station. We now have to return the trolleys to this


point, or forego the £1 return if we need the little help we formerly enjoyed. A sign of worse to come?


AudreyDGardner, Willington Street, Maidstone Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735


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