Town’s ‘rough’ diamond shines again
MAIDSTONE’S “jewel inthe centre of town” nowshines more brightly with completion of £2.5m im- provements toMote Park.
The description was given by
MayorCllrRoddNelson-Gracie when he performed the official opening ceremony. Funding of £1.8m came from
the Heritage Lottery Fund whose chairman, Paul Hudson, has been aMaidstone resident for 40 years. He said: “It is fabulous to see the park brought back to something like its former glory of Victorian times. Ithadbecomestressed and rough around the edges.” Cabinet member for leisure and culture Cllr John Wilson thanked
friends and volunteers who put in more than 3,000 hours of work and said: “This is something to be proud of.” Guests were taken on guided
toursof the circular lakesidepaths and over the newbridge to see the restored parkland and waterfall, opened-up views of the lake, new seating areas, car park improve- ments and impressive new steps from the café to the lake. The visitor hubs at Willington
Street and School Lane have play areas and better car parks. Maidstone and the Weald MP
Helen Grant, who was among the guests at the opening, applauded the work of Maidstone Borough Council. Shesaid: “Councilmembersand
officers have worked tirelessly to ensure the improvements to Mote Park not only represent significant value for money but provide some- thing foreveryone. There isnowfar better access to the park and its many attractions, which will en- couragemuchgreater public use.” Other funds for the restoration
came from a development grant and the Big Lottery Fund's Parks for People programme.
Scouts to get
Sandling HQ KENT Scouts has been given permission to set up its head- quarters in Sandling. Maidstone Council’s plan-
ning committee granted con- sent to convert agricultural and equestrian buildings in Grange Lane into the group’s new base. The plan includes the reten-
tion of residential use of White Cottage for an on-site manager and the use of the land to the west of the site for Scouting ac- tivities such as camping. The barn and two stable blocks will be extended, and a new building will be built to house a climbing wall. Car parks and an access to the pub- lic highway will also be formed.
Club exhibition MAIDSTONE Camera Club holds its annual exhibition in The Mall, Maidstone, from Monday August 27 to Sunday, September 2. New members are always welcome and anyone interested in photography can speak to members at the exhibition or call Tony White on 01732 521121, Derek Hodge on 01622 738556 or Peter Brook on 01622 710456.
Meetings are held at Madgin-
ford Hall, Egremont Road, Bearsted, every Tuesday from 7.30pm to 10pm from Septem- ber to June. Opening times for the exhibi-
tion match those of the shop- ping centre.
30 East Above, the
new bridge. Right, picnic
benches in the seating area
overlooking
the lake, and left, new steps link
the cafe and the lakeside walks
Almshouse scheme withdrawn
A PROPOSAL to build 10 low- cost homes for the elderly has been withdrawn after Harriet- sham Parish Council raised an objection. The Cutbush and Corrall char-
ity had applied to add to the 12 almshouses it owns in East Street with a development of terraced one-bedroom homes on land to the north. But the charity has shelved
the scheme following objections from the parish council, Maid- stone Council’s conservation of- ficer and English Heritage. Members of Harrietsham
Parish Council voted against the scheme by three votes to two, in the absence of chairman Cllr Stephen Morris, who was un- able to take part in discussions as he is a trustee of the charity. Cllr Dennis Clifford, the stand-in chair, said: “We were happywith the principle of giv- ing older people in Harrietsham the opportunity to live in cheaper accommodation butwe objected as we normally do not allow any development in the conservation area.” English Heritage and the con-
Rain hits trade LOCAL businesses are feeling the effects of the poor weathr. Christopher Rudgard, of Christopher’s Village Shop, in Hollingbourne, said ice cream sales were about 80% down on last year, and number visitors at Leeds Castle were hit through April,May and June. Chief exec- utive Victoria Wallace admitted cash would be tight as a result.
servation officer felt it would lead to over-intensification of the land. Another issue that was not a planning consideration was how many local people would get to live in the properties. Blair Gulland, clerk of the Cut-
bush&Corrall Charity, said: “Pri- ority is given to people from the parish of Harrietsham. If nobody from Harrietsham wants to live there, we can allow people from Maidstone borough to live there, but it is a Harrietsham charity.” He added that a £300,000
grant from the Homes and Com- munity Agency would now be lost through withdrawing the application: “Our scheme would have been architecturally
sympathetic to the environment and of a vernacular design. It would have been occupied by elderly people who would not have been a nuisance or made much noise. “We have withdrawn the ap- plication because without local support it is likely to fail.” Local borough Cllr John Barned, who is also vice chair- man on the board of Golding Homes, said: “I thought the pro- posal would have been ideal. “We go on about how social housing is needed, but we also have plenty of older people in Harrietsham and Lenham living in larger properties whowant to downsize, and this would have been of benefit for them.”
Refurbished homes win award TWELVE almshouses in Harrietsham, which have been exten- sively refurbished by Cutbush and Corrall, have been granted a Highly Commended award. The Patron’s Award, instituted by HRH The Prince of Wales
(who is patron of the National Almshouse Association), recog- nises outstanding projects within the almshouse movement. This completes a double for the charity, who received the Highly Commended award in 2010 for their development of 18 new almshouses at their Vinters Road site in Maidstone.
Short mat sessions DETLING short mat bowls club is looking for new and experi- enced players to swell their numbers. Members meet every Monday
at Detling Village Hall, from 7.30pm to 10pm, and everyone is welcome to come along. Anyone needing more infor- mation can contact Olive Monk on 01622 736903
Ad board refused SUNRISE Day Nursery’s re- quest for an advertising board in Harrietsham was blocked. The company wanted a free- standing board between Hook Lane and West Street, but Maidstone Council’s decision notice said: “The proposed ad- vert would appear visually ob- trusive and have a negative impact upon the area.”
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