Museum wing wins top design award


THE controversial £3m East Wing addition to Maidstone Museum has won its first offi- cial plaudit. The museum’s east wing is


one of two locations in Maid- stone and only five in Kent to have been granted the RIBA Downland Award for architec- tural excellence. Cllr Malcolm Greer, Maid-


stone’s cabinet member for eco- nomic and commercial development, said he was de- lighted with the news, which confirmed his belief in the building as an asset to the town. He said: “It is never easy to combine an old building with something new, but the RIBA award confirms our view that the architects came up with something special. “The real thrust of the build-


ing is to be found internally, but the copper-clad exterior has cer- tainly been a talking point and brought visitors to the town.” The diamond-patterned walls added to the Grade II listed building in St Faith’s Street raised more than an eyebrow when it was opened earlier this year. Cllr Richard Lusty, chairman


of planning, was one of the de- sign’s critics. His comment that the exterior


of the east wing would be “more appropriate on the GoldenMile


A FLURRY of minor road works causing closures around the bor- ough has sparked outrage among councillors and transport opera- tors.


KCC has announced plans to


close Farleigh Lane andNewCut, East Farleigh, fromAugust 24 for up to two days, Vicarage Road, Yalding, for up to four days from August 28, Church Road, Chart Sutton, for up to four days from August 28 and Bearsted Road, Weavering (between New Cut Road and Gidds Pond Cottages), from August 13 for up to three weeks, despite an earlier pledge that peripheral road closures


Visitor figures soar FIGURES just out reveal that for the first three months trading this year (April – June), the museum had almost 20,000 vis- itors and Junewas the best-ever month for the number of visits. Museums and heritage manager Simon


Lace said: “I am expecting a total of 21,000 for the first quarter and we are on target to get around 85-90,000 in 2012/13. “In terms of visitor numbers, April’s fig-


ures were the best ever, May’s the third best and June will certainly be the best June ever.” The figures are 33% up on last year and


150% up on six years ago. Turnover in the shop is about 500% up on last year and room hire over 1,000% up on last year.


in Blackpool” was even pub- lished in Private Eye! However, according to RIBA,


the museumwas in terminal de- cline and in danger of closure and, with 13 changes in level, it did not comply with current regulations. On learning of the RIBA award from the Downs Mail, Cllr Lusty said: “Having been concerned at the outset, I am now extremely proud of it. It has turned out very satisfacto- rily. Maidstone has made great strides in recent years and much of the credit is due to the planning department under the leadership of Rob Jarman.”


would not be allowed while the Maidstone town centre gas re- placementworks were going on. Cllr Ian Chittenden said: “We


were assured there would be no closures which would affect the town’s main circulatory roads during the gas works, but the clo- sure of Bearsted Road will have a huge impact on New Cut. Last time it happened, it caused chaos.” In Hunton, residents face being


left without a bus service within days of a two-week road closure. Norman Kemp, director and company secretary ofNu-Venture coaches, which operates the serv-


A spokesman for RIBA said:


“The client and architects have tackled all these problems with enthusiasm and verve. The new ‘gold-clad’wings have provided substantial additional exhibi- tion space and a ‘window on the park’, advertising the mu- seum to passers-by in Brenchley Gardens.” Maidstone’smuseum and her-


itage manager Simon Lace and Cllr Greer, along with architects Hugh Broughton, received the award at a presentation dinner in Swindon last month. The museum is one of four


town projects which have been entered for the Kent Design


Fury over plans to close roads for repairs


ice between Yalding and Maid- stone, said he was amazed at yet another road closure being granted in Vicarage Lane, which would result in the loss of the bus service fromYalding via Hunton, within such a short space of time. He said: “This severs the life-


line to rural communities and has a long-term effect on the sta- bility of the transport system. Passengers lose faith in the serv- ice, which either runs late or has to be cancelled and they blame the bus company.” KCC used to fund alternative transport but the special funding has been axed.


Friends unveil bench in memory of Heather A BENCH has been placed on Bearsted Green in memory of Heather Langley who lived in Bearsted all her life and worked formany local causes. A former treasurer


and chairman of the Bearsted and Thurn- hamSociety, shewas also active in the StopKIG campaign. Heather (52), who lived in the same house all her life, died last year from cancer, not long


after being elected as a Conservative to the borough council. Agroupofher friends raised£1,300and the benchwas unveiledbyGrahamNorton, Ursula Gilmore and Vernon Finch. Mr Finchwas Heather’s headteacher when she attended Bearsted Primary School, nowthe library. Mr Norton, a former chairman of Bearsted and Thurnham Society and


Bearsted Parish Council, hopes the money left over will pay for environ- mental improvements including painting the finger post next to the bench and placing some slabs for people viewing the newJubilee monument.


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


Awards, the winners of which will be announced in the au- tumn. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and its members. The RIBA Downland Awards


are the RIBA regional awards made in the RIBA South region (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Ox- fordshire) and in the RIBA South East region (Kent, Surrey, East andWest Sussex). The Turner Contemporary in Margate was one of 58 RIBA Award winners.


Pizza manager


impresses boss A PIZZA franchise owner thought he had taken on a new worker, only to find he was em- ploying the company boss. Mansour Gholami, who has


run the Pizza GoGo takeaway in Tonbridge Road,Maidstone, for five years, had no idea he was featuring in Channel 4’s Under- cover Boss programme. But company owner Fouad Haghighat was so impressed with the hard-workingMr Gho- lami and his son, Mohammed, that he sent the family on a hol- iday and arranged for Mr Gho- lami to work as an ambassador for the company. Mr Gholami said he was shocked to discover he had been employing the company owner, but that business had been booming since the pro- gramme was aired.


Grant for tower THE Church of St Mary Magda- lene at Stockbury, has been awarded a grant of £40,000 to help repair its tower. The Grade I listed Early Eng-


lish building on the North Downs is among 30 sites to benefit from £546,000 from the National Churches Trust. The building features work


from the 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th centuries and the yew tree in front of the church is said to be over 1,000 years old.


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