Cabins plea MARY Hamilton has applied to retain two portable cabins on the site of the former Esso Garage in Sutton Road, Maid- stone, for another three years. Under the terms of a 2009 planning decision, the build- ings have to be removed by September, but the applicant says the cabins,which are used for offices, storage and toilet fa- cilities, would help attract new tenants to the vacant site. The supporting statement


said: “My client is looking for a new tenant but no tenant will sign any lease unless there is a reasonable period of time left on the temporary approval for the use of the cabins.” Maidstone Council will de- cide on the application.


Shop conversion DUNCAN Smyth has applied to convert a former shop and store at 29 Old Tovil Road, Maid- stone, into a self-contained flat. The home would be accessed


from a side door on to Rawdon Road. The existing first floor flat would have its own dedi- cated entrance door in the front elevation.


Restyle for barbers PLANNING permission has been granted to convert a re- dundant barbers’ shop at 101 Milton Street, Fant, into a resi- dential unit as part of an at- tached property.


Lap dance club objections


THE board of Maidstone Town Centre Management is among objectors to a lap dancing club opening in the town. Century Building (Rochester)


Ltd of London has submitted an application to Maidstone Bor- ough Council for a licence to run the club on the first floor of the former Loder and Payne store in Bank Street. But the board, which com-


prises management from some of the town’s major retailers, is among objectors to the proposal in that particular location. Town centre manager Bill


Moss said: “The board decided this was an inappropriate place


Continued from front page altering their circumstances to get more points. The new system would mean


the council and housing providers setting quotas on how many homes can be bid on by applicants, categorised by their housing need. However, the definition of “community contribution” has been questioned by some mem- ber of the council. Cllr Sue Grigg (LibDem), vice


chair of the committee, said: “Whilst the fostering of chil- dren is very laudable, it should


not somewhere that young peo- ple will be exposed to this type of adult entertainment.” Owners of the shop have ap-


plied for it to become a lap dancing, pole dancing and striptease club, open from noon until 6am, seven days a week. They want to hold lap danc-


for this type of club. The former Loder and Payne store is right in the centre of town, close to the new Jubilee Square. “We want Bank Street to be a family-friendly area, with shops, restaurants and cafes,


not be a criteria for accessing so- cial housing. “KCC might argue that society


is creating dysfunctional adults out of children who are brought up in children’s homes, rather than with a family – but what kind of dysfunctional adults are we going to create by putting children with people who could potentially view them as a meanstoanend? “I would find that practice ex- tremely worrying. It is not a proper incentive to dangle in front of people hoping for a house.” There are more than 4,000


ing, pole dancing and strip tease shows upstairs, including private booths.. The letter of objection from


the TCM says: “Our night time economy is the envy of many, partly because of the solid mix of restaurant, theatre, club and pub available but also because of the secure environment.”


Fostering child ‘a means to an end’


households currently on Maid- stone’s housing list yet an aver- age of just 400 properties become free each year. The list is “cumbersome, ex- pensive to maintain and does not adequately reflect housing need within the borough” ac- cording to the report. Less than 50% of those on the list actually bid for properties. The council is currently un- dertaking a review of its entire waiting list and housing appli- cants will be asked to complete a new form between now and September.


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