Road closed ‘to ease traffic’


KNIGHTRIDER Street in Maid- stone is to stay closed until Octo- ber to ease traffic flow. Southern Gas Networks have


Kevin Holliday, with Switch representatives Harriet Coomber, Hannah Patton, and Kyle Davies


Cash to ‘Switch on the Music’


THE Switch Youth Café project has received a £2,500 boost from its first corporate sponsor, Maidstone-based Civil Service Insurance Society (CSIS). The Switch Youth Café proj-


ect is designed to make Maid- stone a better place for young people and help them lead more positive and healthy lives. Some of the money will go towards a new IT system, and the rest will go to “Switch on theMusic”, a youth-oriented festival promoting music and the arts in September. Kevin Holliday, chief execu-


tive of CSIS, presented the cheque to the Switch team and said: “We are proud to be able to support such an important community project in the heart of Maidstone.” Project manager Roy Laming,


said: “Our young people and project team are very grateful for the support from CSIS.”


Mobile home request LISA Paintain has applied to live in a mobile home on land opposite Stable Cottages, off Forge Lane, East Farleigh. She said: “The reason I want


to live there is because of secu- rity for the horses; I also have to keep poultry there. I amunable to insure anything because I am not living there.” The council will determine the planning application.


The boys from Sutton Valence School arrive at Land’s End


Pupils complete bike challenge THIRTEEN cyclists from Sutton Valence School, along with one member of staff and a parent, braved the rain to spend six days cy- cling 466 miles fromNorth Foreland toLand’sEnd, raising £10,000 for Blind Veterans UK. The boys, who are all in the school’s sixth form, spent three months training and fundraising before the ride. Organiser Jamie Walsh said: “Despite feeling sore and the sometimes awful weather, the boys’ good humour and determi- nation got them through the highs and lows.”


now moved their gas main re- placement project into Lower Stone Street but have decided to keep Knightrider Street closed. John Adsley, team manager for Southern Gas Networks, said: “Extension of the closure will allow traffic lights at Lower Stone Street and Mill Street to give pri- ority to through traffic. We will add signs to reinforce themessage


A SCHEME to ensure roadworks are completed in the fastest possi- ble time is being piloted by KCC, following the gas works upheaval in Maidstone town centre. The council wants to offer con-


tractors a cash incentive to make sure future works are kept to an absoluteminimum. Under the Kent Lane Rental


Scheme, charges would apply at certain times of day and, when ap-


that businesses in Knightrider Street are open as usual.” The company also intends to address the problem of traffic using Campbell Road instead of thediversion route. The old metal gas mains in the Stone Street area are being replaced with polyeth- ylene pipe in a £350,000 project to ensure a continued safe and re- liable gas supply to the local area. Work is currently on schedule. The junction of Romney Place


and Lower Stone Street, will start on August 13 for approximately


propriate, to tourist areas or school-sensitive routes. The suggestion is for road clo-


sures to be charged at up to £2,000 a day, with lane closures costing between £300 and £800, depending on the level of disrup- tion and disturbance. Kent already uses the latest leg- islation, with its Kent Permit Scheme, to co-ordinate roadworks and reduce inconvenience.


sixweeks.Traffic will be diverted via Mote Road and Padsole Lane and part of PalaceAvenue will be reduced to one lane on the ap- proach to the works. MrAdsley said: “Iwould like to apologise for any inconvenience. We understand people can get frustrated by road works. “However, the new pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years, so when the work is complete, peo- ple will enjoy the benefits of a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.”


Cash carrot aims to reduce roadwork delays However, the gas main replace-


ment inMaidstone town centre is predicted to take the best part of a year, affecting traffic flows and business economy in the area. Roadworks and enforcement of-


ficer David Latham told the town’s Joint Transportation Board the clo- sure of Knightrider Street had helped improve the traffic flows, but a permanent closure would have a negative impact on trade.


Scout hut plan PLANNING permission has been granted to demolish 1st Headcorn Scout Group’s former hut in Ulcombe Road and re- place it with a pair of three-bed- room semi-detached houses. Maidstone Council granted consent on condition that a first floor bathroom window has ob- scure glazing. Alfred Day & Son’s supporting statement said the hut was vacant after the Scout group relocated to a new building on the north east side of Ulcombe Road.


Solar panels allowed AN application has been granted by Maidstone Council for 16 solar photovoltaic panels in a paddock next to Hunton Court Farm, West Street, Hunton.


New green bin for garden waste on its way


HOUSEHOLDERS in Maidstone borough are being encouraged to take on a third wheelie bin. Under a review of its waste and recycling services, the council wants to scrap the sale of green garden sacks to households who have space for a garden bin from September next year – which will increase most households’ number of “big” bins from two to three. Most houses in the borough al-


ready have one wheelie bin for paper, plastic and metal, a sec- ond bin for general household waste and a third, smaller bin, for weekly food recycling. Some use a third, green, garden


bin, for garden refuse while oth- ers prefer to use garden sacks. Exceptions aremade for blocks


of flats built before recycling ini- tiatives were thought of, al-


24 South


though new developments are obliged to provide adequate waste recycling facilities and pay the council for the provision of wheelie bins. Under the latest proposals, householders who still receive a black sack collection are to be provided with food waste collec- tion bins in line with the rest of the borough. However, sales of compostable


sacks would be limited to house- holds unable to accommodate a garden bin. Thosewho remain on sack col- lection will be required to regis- ter for an annual subscription, currently £30 – the same price as homeowners who have garden refuse bins. Brown wheelie bins will be gradually phased in to replace existing garden bins, with


smaller bins being offered at a 10% discount. Cllr Marion Ring, cabinetmem-


ber for the environment, said: “Although the proposalswill save the taxpayer money, it is not just about cost. It’s about working smarter and complying with the Government and European direc- tives on waste disposal.” Cllr Ring said the current sys-


tem, whereby garden rubbish was collected fortnightly, was less than satisfactory, as those collecting the rubbish had no record of who had bins and who used sacks. “By getting people to register,


we will have a database of who is eligible for collection. People who don’t pay their £30 and reg- ister, won’t get their garden bins emptied or their refuse sacks col- lected.”


Cllr Ring said there would be a


bigmarketing campaign to high- light the benefits of the new sys- tem and she hoped that people with smaller gardens would opt to share a garden waste bin with a neighbour. She said: “Each property will


be treated on its own merits, but we are trying to encourage more people to use the bins.” Maidstone recently joined


forces with Ashford and Swale councils to streamline its waste and recycling services, and the contract is due to be awarded for next year in October. Prior to that, the public are being asked for their views. If agreed by the council, a mar-


keting plan will be put in place to promote the switchover and new subscribers will be offered the first two months free.


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