Maidstone & Malling’s No 1 - 88,000 copies - 4 editions Maidstone South Edition August 2012 No.184 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 puttingpeopleinahigherband basedontheir “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.


Beetle threat to our trees


RESIDENTS in the parishes south of Maidstone are being asked to keep an eye out for a pesky predator which is threatening to blight Kent’s rural landscape. There was an outbreak of the Asian longhorn bee-


tle in and around Paddock Wood earlier this year, since which time the ForestryCommission and FERA, the Food and Environment Research Agency, have beenworking hard to contain the outbreak. The beetle, a native of China, kills trees by its larvae


boring into the tree trunks and branches. The adult beetles are shiny and black and can be 20-40mm long, with antennae as long as their body. The beetles are recognisable from their distinctive white markings. The insect was first spotted in the Paddock Wood


area in 2009, and is believed to have arrived in wood packaging from China, used to import stones


A MAIDSTONE borough coun- cillor has launched a campaign to prevent the council’s pro- posal to extend the town south- eastwards. The draft Core Strategy iden-


tifies greenfield land east of Park Wood for around 1,000 new homes. It earmarks large- scale development at Langley Park, land to the north of Sutton Road and BicknorWood. Cllr Gordon Newton, who represents Downswood and


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An area of trees near the Hop Farm in Beltring has been felled after signs of the beetlewere found


Campaign to prevent south-eastern sprawl


Otham, said: “I am totally against it and it is my intention to see that it doesn’t happen,” he said. “There is a big area around


the back of Downswood, right up to Sutton Road that is ear- marked for development. My mandate from Downswood and Otham Parish Councils is to fight any development. This is a rural area; there are woods and trees that are protected by TPOs. I will fight hammer and


GREENFIELDsites in rural areas could be built on as part of Maidstone’s bigger plan for the future. The draft Core Strategy has set a target of 1,130


new homes to be built in five main rural centres – Harrietsham, Headcorn, Lenham, Marden and Sta- plehurst. The council believes there is adequate land avail-


able, but, given the need for neighbourhood plans to tie in with development strategies, the council has set targets for each of the villages. Marden and


nail for it to stay that way.” Instead of having a large de- velopment on greenfield land, Cllr Newton prefers a more dis- persed approach. “Sites become available around the borough, and we don’t need them put in the same place,” he added. “We already have problems


with schools in Downswood and the local KCC members say there is no money available for infrastructure. It is absolutely ridiculous.”


Hundreds of new homes would swell villages


Harrietsham would get the lion’s share of the new development – 320 and 315 houses respectively – with 195 earmarked for Staplehurst, 190 for Head- corn and 110 for Lenham. According to council planners, the site capacities have been examined in detail using recognised planning principles. Residents will have a second chance to air their


viewswhen the document goes out for public con- sultation later in August before it goes back for rati- fication by the full council.


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


Hamlet visited in search for


new gypsy site COUNCIL chiefs have turned their attention to the sleepy hamlet of Laddingford in their quest to find more permanent pitches for the borough’s gypsy community. Officials have visited the site


of the former Teiseside Nursery, in Lees Road, as part of their search for a new public site for 15 pitches, to be funded by a £1.36m grant from the Homes and Communities agency, which is responsible for homes and regeneration in England. Roger Edmonds, who owns


the 6.9-acre site, confirmed he had also been approached by an individual from the travel- ling community, who was keen to buy the land. Although Mr Edmonds de-


cided against proceeding with an application to put 16 quality homes on the site several years ago, after being advised it was on a flood plain, the council says the site could now accom- modate between 25 and 30 gypsy families. However, the fact that it re-


mains on a flood plain – albeit a site that has never flooded – re- mains of concern to the council and will almost certainly mean the site is excluded from its shortlist of preferred sites. Mr Edmonds, who said the


land had been in his family for more than 50 years, said: “We have done nothing with it for a number of years, apart from using it for quad biking. Obviously, I would be happy to sell P8


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 P23


Doctors vote to hold NHS budget


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