Town ready to host torch


THE OLYMPIC Torch will be welcomed to Maidstone during an evening of celebrations link- ing Leeds Castle with Mote Park on Thursday, July 19. Entertainment from 5-7.30pm


will include a 20-minute set by hip hop group Rizzle Kicks, street entertainment, and music acts provided by the main spon- sors – Coca Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung. Either side of the torch arriv- ing at Leeds Castle for the caul-


Go-ahead for


war tribute PLANNING permission has been granted for a memorial in Church Street, Maidstone, in memory of a Maidstone- based soldier who died in the CrimeanWar in 1854. The ragstone and granite


statue will be built by plan- ning committee member Cllr Gordon Newton, who owns The Stone Shop in East Far- leigh. He left the Town Hall chamber and took no part in discussions on the applica- tion. The statue, of Captain Lewis Nolan, funded by Section 106 money, will be placed on the forecourt of the former Kent County Opthalmic and Aural Hospital to mark its associa- tion with the war. Captain Nolan was the commander and riding mas- ter at the Maidstone Cavalry Depot and died, aged 36, while in the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. Cllr Newton (pictured),


who was awarded the con- tract prior to his election in May 2011, hoped it would be ready to mark the anniver- sary of Captain Nolan’s death in October.


Mote Colts bag


a great grant YOUNG cricketers have re- ceived a £500 boost from sales of Sainsbury’s “bags for life”. The Larkfield supermarket presented Mote Colts Cricket Club with a community grant to enable them to buy new equip- ment. Store manager Paul Posner


said: “Customers buying a bag for life are not only doing great things for the environment, but also making a contribution to their local community.” Last year, the community


grants scheme provided dona- tions totalling £135,000 to groups nominated by managers and colleagues from stores na- tionwide.


Deli to dental A PLAN has been accepted to convert former Mid Kent Shop- ping Centre deli Olivers into a dental practice.


24 Town


dron-lighting ceremony, there will be a musical production telling the story of Maidstone. “The river runs through”, which has been commissioned by Maidstone and Kent County Councils, will be performed by local children and adults. Residents were given prefer-


ence for the tickets, with 80% earmarked for people with a Maidstone borough postcode. Free tickets, with a single trans- action cost of £2.50, were of-


fered by ballot, which closed on June 8. The Leeds Castle event will be screened live to Mote Park where there will be a community event from 7.30pm until 10.30pm. It will include performances by choirs, the finals of “Maidstone’s Got Talent”, and actor Shaun Williamson (alias Barry from “EastEnders”) and 70s rock star Alvin Stardust. The Mote Park event will fin- ish with a firework spectacular.


It’s a goal as kids sign for Palace


TWO Maidstone boys have been given a two-year contract to train at Crystal Palace FC. MatthewFunnel (12), from Langley and Matthew Hathway (12), from Kings Hill, are both pupils at Oakwood Park Grammar School. Both boys started playing with local teams – Fun-


nel with Bearsted and Hathway with Aylesford – as well as trainingwith Lenham-based Soccer Elite. The pairwent for a trial at Crystal Palace in Janu-


ary 2011 and both joined at the end of the previous season. Now, they have formally signed a two-year contract, which could be the start of a spectacular football career. The boys have to turn up for training at Selhurst


Park four times aweek – twice after school and twice at theweekend – butmumClaire Funnel said: “It’s hugely exciting for all the family.We love going up to see them train.” She admitted: “It’s quite a commitment, as the


boys don’t get to have sleepovers or go out with their mates. But it’s every boy’s dream to be a foot- baller and they have already met some of the play-


GRAHAM Hatfield has applied to replace three homes in Loose Road, Maidstone, with 11 de- tached four-bedroom dwellings. The applicationwould see the demolition of Nos 466, 468 and 470, 70m north of the junction of Anglesey Avenue, and also includes the creation of a new access road. Each home would have two private parking spaces. A supporting statement said


the homes “have all been indi- vidually designed to reflect the character of Loose Road with two fronting the road, but hav- ing access directly off a new road.


“Eight different house types


have been proposed to add vari- ety to the development, while adopting a consistent design ap-


CONTRACTORS replacing the gas main in Maidstone town centre have hit a problem – less than six weeks into the 12- month project. Plans to tunnel under the junc-


tion of Lower Stone Street and Knightrider Street have been abandoned after workmen dis- covered an unstable layer of run- ning sand beneath the sewers. Southern Gas Networks have doubled the workforce to make up for lost time and will put a new gas pipe inside the old one.


Harry Lacey,Matt Funnel and Matt Hathway


ers aswell as playing against teams from top clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal,West Ham and Spurs.” MatthewFunnel plays in goal, while the other Matthew, along with Harry Lacey (12), from Folke- stone, plays inmidfield. The boys recently returned from Soccer Elite’s trip


to the European Youth tournament in Valencia, Spain, where theywere crowned Best Academy.


Loose Road homes plan to feature wildlife haven


proach. The two large copper beech trees on the Loose Road frontage will be retained and be given ample protection both during and after construction. “Other trees, of lesser impor-


tance, will be removed and re- placed as appropriate, including a small leafed lime. A small open area will be retained with the dual purpose of pro- viding a wildlife haven and to


allow some breathing space in proximity to the dense devel- opment immediately to the north. “The amenities of the occu-


piers of neighbouring proper- ties have been taken into consideration with the pro- posed layout.” Maidstone Borough Council


will determine the planning ap- plication.


Homes on filling station site still on agenda ASCHEME to erect 14 homes on land to the rear of the former BP filling station at 531 Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, is still an aspi- ration.


Maidstone Council granted planning permission for the devel- opment three years ago, but Nordic Construction has resubmitted an application, as work had not yet begun, rendering the consent extant. Maidstone Council will decide on the application to renew permission.


Gas works bring double trouble Team manager John Adsley


said: “This is disappointing and a serious setback. “The ground at this depthwas


found to be running sand and it is neither practical or safe to tunnel through this type of ma- terial without very time con- suming and expensive special measures to stabilise the mate- rial to be excavated.” Although work in Knightrider


Street has gone according to plan and is on schedule, this new dis- covery means there will be


changes to the planned traffic flows through the town centre. Lower Stone Street will be re-


duced to one lane after Romney Place and access to Mote Road will vary at differing stages of the work. As with the earlier phases, warning signs will be put out before the changes take effect to give local traffic the opportu- nity to find another route. The extra lane restrictions are expected to be in place for about two weeks.


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