Relief over planning guidance


MAIDSTONE Council has re- acted with relief to the release of the Government’s National Plan- ning Policy Framework (NPPF). Last autumn, planning offi-


cers and borough councillors were horrified that the draft document proposed that all councils should be willing to allow a 20% increase in new homes above existing targets. In what was described as a “developers’ charter” and a doc- ument “not fit for purpose”, the council was also concerned that only the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) would be protected, and that large amounts of un- designated countryside else- where in the borough would be vulnerable to development. But the Government’s pub-


lished document, which has re- duced 1,300 pages of guidance to just 59, has allayed these fears:  Brownfield land: The draft document encouraged building


Locks come off


after 999 crisis APADLOCK that could prevent emergency vehicles getting to Bearsted’s Church Landway has been temporarily removed. The parish council listened to protests from the tennis club that the padlock, on the Ash- ford Road gate, could lead to loss of life if someone was taken ill at the club, or at the nearby Scout or bowls club HQ. One member said an ambu-


lance had to be called to the tennis club recently after a player collapsed on the court. Although each organisation


held a key, tennis club mem- bers pointed out the problems which could arise if one person had to leave another, injured or ill, to open the gate. The padlock was added to prevent parking problems and speeding vehicles along the lane, but residents felt other op- tions needed to be explored. Cllr Richard Ash offered to li-


aise with the various groups in Church Landway to find a bet- ter solution to the problem of traffic.


Fears for character of countryside THE one downside, according to the council, is that it may be easier to build large houses in the countryside, providing some kind of development already exists. Developers will have a better chance of bringing disused agri- cultural buildings into residential use. The council’s head of planning, Rob Jarman, said: “One can


argue that one of the great charms about the countryside is that you don’t just have pristine neo-Georgian properties. You have ramshackle properties as well. It is a nice mixture. “There are an awful lot of disused buildings in the countryside


and I think it is a shame that a lot of these could be converted into modern housing.”


on greenfield land, but the pub- lished guidance emphasises that brownfield land remains the first priority for new devel- opments. Undesignated open country- side:Will be protected in a sim- ilar way as it is now. The draft document presumed in favour of sustainable development without defining sustainability.  Designated countryside:. AONBs and National Park will


HOLLINGBOURNE Primary is a good school that is well led by a dedicatedheadteacher, according to its latest Ofsted report. The 101-pupil school in Ey-


horne Street has a strong team of staff working extremely well to ensure teaching is good, and pupils enjoy learning, achieve well and make good progress. Inspector Wendy Simmons


said pupils attained above aver- age marks in English and maths by the end of year six and did


Fire-hit pub closed THE Oak on the Green in Bearsted Green will be closed until Friday, June 1, after a fire swept through the kitchen of the 17th century pub. Almost 30 firefighters tackled


the blaze andmanaged to con- tain it to that one area of the building. The pub, run by Vil- lage Green Restaurants, will be given a facelift and refitted kitchen prior to its re-opening. Owner Mark Bensley said:


“The fire was caused by apiece of apparatus that keeps plates hot. Over the years it had dried the floor out, well below the


safety flooring. and it started to smoulder and then ignited at about 5 am. “We had a major redecoration coming up anyway, so we have just brought this forward, and have kept all our staff busy at our other branches.”


MP gives her support to town farmers’ market


MAIDSTONE and the Weald MP HelenGrantmetwith local farmers and sampled theirwareswhenshe visited the farmers’ market in the RoyalStarShopping Arcade,Maid- stone. At the invitation of theRoyalStar Arcade, local farmers promoted the first farmers’market tobeheld in the shopping centre for many years. Stalls throughout the centre


were selling local fresh fruit and vegetables, preserves, cheeses, bread, plants and much more. The RoyalStarArcadeFarmers’Market


will operate every month from 10.30am to 2pm, with the next event planned for Friday, April 20. MrsGrant said:“Ihaveagreat


loveandhuge respect for our beau- tiful countryside and it was really great to see agriculture and retail working together. “This type of initiative and posi-


tive action is crucial for our eco- nomic recovery,andIamthrilled to see Maidstone taking a lead.” Mrs Grant is pictured with Maid-


stone Town Centre manager Bill MossandClaireEdwardsof Wither- den Farm,Headcorn.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


be protected, and there will be better protection for ancient woodland, according to Cllr Clive English, who believes that developments such as the Ash- ford Drive affordable housing scheme in Kingswood, which was contentiously accepted three years ago, would not get the go-ahead under the new guidance.  20% “contingency” for new homes: Has now been removed.


outstandingly well in developing their reading skills. However, pupils’ skills and progress in writing remain a pri- ority in the drive to lift achieve- ment from good to outstanding. The inspection team, who vis-


ited in February, considered pupils’ behaviour was satisfac- tory overall and all parents who returned the questionnaire agreed their children were safe. Nonetheless, pupils and a few parents raised issues about bully-


Local authorities will define housing targets in local plans.  Gypsy provision: In a sepa- rate document released on the same day as the NPPF, greater weight was given to protecting the countryside over the needs of travellers. Previously, gypsies had been given favour under Circular 01/06. However, this change will only apply if the local authority has its own gypsy policy. The earliest time Maidstone Council anticipates having a gypsy policy is 2015 when the Development Plan Document (DPD) is published. Cllr English said: “I am a lot happier with this guidance than when we had the draft.” However, the speed in which


the council can adopt a new DPD is crucial to protect the borough against unwanted de- velopments. He added: “Anything not cov-


ered by the NPPF requires the council to fill in the gaps.”


Dedicated staff help pupils make good progress


ing. The report said staff take these issues seriously, but pupils were not sufficiently aware about different kinds of bullying and how to manage them. Although health and safety is


an important focus at the school, pupils said they were unhappy about toilet facilities because of a lack of privacy and cleanliness. Plans had been explored to im- prove the toilets buthad yet to be actioned. To improve further, the school


must continue to focus on im- proving teaching and achieve- ment to become outstanding by February, 2013. It should also improve behav-


iour and safety so they are at least good by raising awareness of bul- lying, and improve toilet facili- ties.


Choir in France MEMBERS of Bearsted Choral Society were firmly in tune with four French choirs on a day trip to northern France. About 36 members of the soci-


ety joined the choirs of Chorale des Deux Caps, Crescendo de Dunkerque, Chants-Joie de Boulogne-sur-Mer and the Chorale Saint Joseph deCalais in a varied programme of music at the Eglise St Joseph at Aud- inghen, near Boulogne.


Fremlin revamp MAIDSTONE Council has ap- proved the first phase of im- provements at FremlinWalk. This includes a roofed area to


host events to the west end of the shopping area, near House of Fraser, with an LED screen showing centre events, the Olympics, and advertising. The council will also decide


to replace the conical roof and stairs at the St Faith’s Street en- trance with two restaurant/café units and a civic square.


East 21


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