Joan sees
torch...again AN 86-year-old Harrietsham pensioner has seen the Olympic flame passing through her village for the sec- ond time in her life. Joan Reeves, who is pictured with her daughter
Maidstone & Malling’s No 1 - 88,000 copies - 4 editions Maidstone East Edition August 2012 No.184 Paedophile
Diane Gibson, watched the 2012 procession from Chegworth Lane, near the very spot in the village where she sawthe torch in 1948. Then aged 22, Joan livednearher currenthomeinHolmMill Lane,andwit- nessed “about 10 people come out for the occasion”. Back then, the torch went on foot non-stop in two-
mile intervals from Dover to the Olympic Stadium in Wembley. Itwent via Harrietsham on itsway toMaid- stone from Charing. “Thiswas only a tiny village back then,” she said. “I thought Iwould be turningmy toes up before seeing a second torch going through Harrietsham.” See page 33 for a full report on the torch relay.
Foster a child, get a home
A NEW system of choice-based lettings in Maid- stone is encouraging residents to join the armed forces, get stuck into some voluntary work or fos- ter a child. The council is looking at scrapping the points-
based scheme for the allocation of social housing and replacing it with a new bandings system. But the proposals are causing controversy among memberswho believe the system will be abused by families fighting to get to the top of the list. A borough council report discussed by the housing consultative board has recommended putting people in a higher band based on their “community contribution”. This would be a broad category that would in- clude: employment, volunteer/charity work, membership of the Armed Forces (within the last five years), and providing foster care.
PEOPLE power may yet win the day in determining the future of a contentious part ofMaidstone. Mass opposition to warehous-
ing at Woodcut Farm, north of the A20 Ashford Road near Crismill Lane, Thurnham, could cause the council to re- consider its core strategy. At a heated meeting of the Re- generation and Economic Devel- opment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, councillors from all political parties condemned an officer’s draft to press ahead with industrial units, manufacturing
A draft document, outlining the proposed allo-
cation scheme changes, compiled by the council’s Andrew Paterson, states: “The intricacy of the present scheme increases the risk of it being ap- plied inconsistently and/or inequitably.” Although there are a number of social housing providers in the borough, the council is still re- sponsible for managing the housing register. Points are awarded to individuals or families, based on their level of need and circumstances. The new scheme seeks to streamline the regis-
ter, and plans to house homeless people in the private sector are designed to free up social hous- ing for other applicants, while reducing the like- lihood of people claiming to be homeless in order to obtain a house or flat. The current scheme has led to “points chasing”,
says the report, with applicants deliberately P4 KIG land could be saved for a second time
and warehousing on a 25-hectare site, not long since rejected as forming part of the 112-hectare Kent International Gateway freight depot. Increased traffic, desecration
near an area of outstanding nat- ural beauty and the availability of alternative sites were all ar- guments against the proposal. After a debate lasting almost
four hours, Cllr Paulina Stock- ell proposed an amendment to the council’s draft core strategy document that the proposal for Woodcut Farm to be a strategic
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development site be dropped. She said: “A lot of people put a lot of time and money into pro- tecting that land.” Councillors backed this by
five votes to one, with two ab- stentions. The decision was due to be ratified at cabinet as Downs Mail went to press. Despite a groundswell of public opposition from bor- ough councillors, parish coun- cils, CPRE Kent, Joint Parishes Group and the Bearsted & Thurnham Society, the report argued: “J8 is the best location for a critical mass of employ- ment uses, including premier office development, industry and warehouse uses, which will provide for a qualitative scheme in a parkland setting to help mitigate the impact of de- velopment on the landscape. “Junction 8 has transport ca- pacity, and studies
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Traditional slow dough bread, sausage rolls, pastries and cakes Find us in the Royal Star Arcade every Friday and Saturday To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330
dies on moped A CONVICTED teenage sex abuser who committedmany of his crimes on his farm in Detling has died in a road traf- fic accident in PaddockWood. William Stevenson was jailed
for five years in January 2009 for 23 counts of gross indecency and of skipping bail, having fled abroad. He was riding a red moped when he died in a collision with a black lorry on the Tonbridge-bound carriageway of the A228, be- tween B2015 Maidstone Road and Branbridges Road, near Beltring, on Tuesday,May 29. Police are investigating. It is thought Stevenson, who was in his mid-70s, had been released from prison just two months be- fore the crash. His body was cre- mated at Vinters Park in July. Stevenson, a former owner of Colwin Motorcycles in Sitting- bourne, molested five boys at Barngarth Farm in Detling or at his holiday home in Spain over a period of about three years. He had been sentenced in his absence on May 27, 2005, after Maidstone Crown Court heard he befriended boys and let them ride his motorbikes and quad bikes on the farm. The court also heard that he plied the boys with alcohol and cannabis and in- cited them to commit acts of in- decency on him and each other. He was flown back to Britain
from Croatia inJanuary 2009, and was re-sentenced that month.
Borough growing THE population of Maidstone borough rose to 155,200 (up from 139,100 in 2001) accord- ing to the 2011 census, a growth of 11.6%. It is the largest in Kent after theunitary authority of Medway (263,900). The population of the county of Kent increased by9%- to 1,727,800. The pop- ulation of Tonbridge and Malling is 120,800 (up 12.1%).
Stones return home after 11 years P20
P10
Doctors vote to hold NHS budget
PJ’S
Farm Shop 07984 623424
East 1 P24
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