Caravan site to replace racetrack


THE International Grasstrack CircuitinCollierStreetisto close and become a 30-pitch touring caravan site. Owner Kevin Still had twice


been refused to build a zero-car- bon property on the site of the motorcycle track in Longend Lane, but members of Maid- stone Council’s planning com- mittee said the caravan scheme would help tourism and com- ply with planning policy. There will be no static cara-


vans on the land – all caravans will be temporary and towed by


A PROPOSAL for a two-bed- room detached home next to the Albion Inn pub in Church Street, Boughton Monchelsea, has been refused. Maidstone Council’s decision notice said: “The proposals would result in a cramped and poorly designed development that would be out of character with the surrounding develop- ment.” Thedecisionwasablowfor applicant Joe Bains, whose sup- porting statement said: “The public house will be upgraded, with a toilet area and side ex- tension to allow for seating and access to a re-vamped garden.


for repairs KENT County Council has an- nounced three road schemes which will affect drivers in the Maidstone area. The A229 Staplehurst Road/ Maidstone Road atMardenwill have a temporary 30mph speed restriction between its junc- tionswith Stilebridge Lane and Chart Hill Road, from Septem- ber 3 until September 17. Laceys Lane, Linton, will be closed from its junction with Barnes Road to Redwall Lane, from September 10 to Septem- ber 24, with a diversion in place via Barnes Lane, Wheelers Lane and the A229, Linton Hill. Finally, a stretch of Bocking-


ford Lane, Tovil, from Hayle Mill Lane to Straw Mill Hill, will be closed on August 27 and 28. The restrictions are being put


in place in order to allow KCC to carry out carriageway patch- ing and pothole repairs.


Church fete date ST PETER and St Paul’s Church at East Sutton is holding a fete on Saturday,August 25, to raise money for its church fabric fund. The fete, at East Sutton Park,


will have various stalls, cream teas, a dog show, pig racing and a raffle. There will also be a bar and barbecue. The fun starts at 2pm, entrance costs £1, and is free for children.


Roads closed


the tourist – and the site will have to close between January 10 andMarch 10 every year. Dissenting residents were concerned about traffic in- creases and the potential for flooding. Kent Highway Serv- ices were happy with the appli- cant’s proposed improvements, which include hedge-trimming to aid visibility; modified ac- cess to encourage vehicles to exit and enter from the west rather than east; signs at the junction of Longend Lane and Green Lane and passing bays.


Despite KHS’s estimation that


a large grasstrack event generated up to 8,000 visitors, objector Mr Barham said the new holiday site would lead to a 350%increase in traffic. He added: “Grasstrack events are on Sundays,while the tourist sitewould increase traffic all day.”


However, committee member


Cllr Tony Harwood said: “This type of use complies with the national policy framework. We are also custodians of the coun- tryside and the wider land- scape, and losing the race track


OAST Investments has made a renewed attempt to build eight homes for people aged over 55 behind the former Lady Jane pub in Church Green,Marden. In September last year, Maid-


“The public house will be up-


dated to form a focal point to the village and to develop the community life. We hope that by echoing the existing street el- evation style and the existing fabric and form, the building will blend in harmoniously with the existing vernacular.”


stone Council refused a similar scheme, claiming a nearby abat- toir would distress new resi- dents. The council also felt the ear-


lier application was lacking in detail and would be likely to adversely affect a nearby horse chestnut tree. But the applicant believes the


new scheme addresses these is- sues. The supporting statement said: “The layout allows for all


use and moving over to a more environmentally-sensitive land use brings an end gain to the borough.” In terms of flooding and trans-


port concerns, he added: “Since November 2000 there has been a transformation in terms of planning and response to flood- ing. Kent Highway Services has not raised an objection so we can’t refuse on that basis.” Local ward councillor Steve McLoughlin, a reserve commit- tee member, was the only per- son to vote against the scheme.


Planners turn down pub scheme Revised homes plan on the agenda


vents and opening windows to face away from the abattoir, which itself has no openings on the west side facing the site. “It is likely that the adjacent railway noise would be greater than any emanating from the abattoir. There are existing dwellings within the vicinity – South Lodge and Old Station House, for example – which would be more impacted by nuisance than those proposed.” The site was most recently


used as parking for the former pub, which is now an Indian restaurant. Maidstone Council will again determine the application.


Volunteers walk


the wall for goats TWO volunteers have raised £5,600 to- wards an extension at Buttercups Goat Sanctuary in Boughton Monchelsea. Linda Newberry and Jennifer Farrow,


both from Loose, raised the money by walking87miles along Hadrian’sWall. It will pay for a concrete base for the ex- tension, with another £1,000 needed for a roof. The sanctuary cares for 150 abused, neglected and needy goats. For informa- tion on donations, go to www.butter- cups.org.uk/donate.html. The sanctuary is open to the public every Sunday until October 7.


Roman ‘curse’ scroll found in dig


THE names of 14 people who may have lived in East Farleigh nearly 2,000 years ago have been deciphered on a lead scroll found during Maidstone Area Archaeological Group’s dig on the site of a Roman farm- stead in a field off Lower Road. The scroll, which measures


60 mm by 100 mm and is just onemillimetre thick, is likely to be a “curse tablet”. Used by the Romans to cast


spells on people accused of theft and other misdeeds, the tablets were rolled up to con- ceal their inscriptions and then hidden in places considered to be close to the underworld, such as graves, springs or wells. Funded by a Kent Archaeo- logical Society grant, Dana


Goodburn-Brown of Sitting- bourne-based Conservation Sci- ence Investigations (CSI) is conserving the scroll. ‘It’s very fragile,’ said Dana.


“We had to unroll the scroll and I enlarged some of the letters under an electron microscope.” Dana hopes further conserva-


tion and cleaning work will re- sult in more letters becoming visible. Visitors to CSI will be able to seework in progress dur- ing open days between Septem- ber and December. It may be possible to put the scroll on pub- lic display at the end of this year. The last time a Roman lead


scroll was found in Kent was more than 40 years ago, in 1970, at the site of a Roman villa at Eccles.


Temporary


storage agreed WEST Kent PCT has been given temporary permission for- portable building to store healthcare furniture andmobil- ity equipment at Heathside House, Heath Road, Coxheath. Maidstone Council granted permission on condition that the building is removed from the land by July 2014. The decision notice said:


“The building, by virtue of its design/construction, is not con- sidered appropriate for perma- nent retention, in the interests of visual amenity.” The scheme will add 29 sq m


of storage capacity and new lighting to the site, which is used as a one-stop shop for children’s services.


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