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Residents act Village protest over Co-op


over rat-run RESIDENTS at Detling are getting increasingly fed up with drivers using the village as a rat run. They say the problem is getting worse by the day and have collected a petition, so far with 74 signatures, seek- ing action by Kent Highways. Villagers have organised a


traffic count and the parish council is to set a date for a special meeting in November to discuss the issue. Meanwhile residents have


been parking their cars in a “staggered” way on Hockers Lane to create chicanes in a bid to slow the traffic down. There have also been reports


that people from the village have been shouted at and abusedwhen they have waved at vehicles in The Street to ask them to slow down. Parish councillor Jan Ken-


nard said: “We are asking Kent Highways to look into the rat-run problem. It’s a long-standing issue but it is getting worse. Drivers are coming into the village and doing a loop, to cut out part of the A249. “One of the rat runs goes


down Hockers Lane and peo- ple are parking on either side to make a zig-zag to slow traf- fic down.”


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proposal was signed by 550 people, with 90 signing at the bakery and 40 at the butcher’s. Matthew said: “We would


lose a third of our trade if Co-op came here. Within three to five years we would have to close completely. “It would also badly affect the butcher, bakery and even the post office, as the Co-op would sell stamps. In 10 years there would not be any independent shops in The Square. It would be like a ghost town. “The village already has everything you need and the Co-op is not adding anything. It will not bring more people in, but just take from other shops. We would want something that brings more people into the vil- lage, such as the ironmongers. “Lenham gets a lot of tourists because it is one of the few working villages left.” Matthew has joined forces


with other village businessmen and town crier Gez Clark to come up with a solution that would involve buying the iron- mongers building through a land-owning trust. The consor- tium has apparently been pledged over £500,000 already, and would redevelop the fire- ravaged building to allow the return of Lenham Ironmongers, along with the possible intro-


Village store


manager Matthew Cockell and town crier Gez Clark


duction of residential units. The ironmongers has been forced to become an internet- only busines, due to a stand-off between landlord Ramac Hold- ings and its insurers. Matthew said: “A few of us


have said we will use our own money and a lot of money has been promised for it.We would rebuild it and, because we would be a trust, could offer less than the market rate for the res- idential units. “But the landowners will not


talk to us about this, yet they are happy to talk to the Co-op. Ifwe were able to establish some dia- logue and find out if it is for sale, we would be able to hope- fully outbid the Co-op, but at the moment everything is vague.” The Co-operative has under-


taken a marketing survey and arranged a public presentation


in conjunction with the parish council, but this was postponed when it emerged that a protest was to take place. Ted Merdler, head of brand


and communications, said: “Ramac is developing the site and if this proceeds we are see- ing if therewould be space for a small convenience store. “It is extremely likely that, if


not suitable for us, the site will be taken by a larger convenience retailer.” Town crier Gez Clark said: “A


new Co-op would kill the indi- viduality of the village.” Simon Fisher of Barton Will-


more, planning consultant for Ramac, confirmed Co-op was in- terested in the site, and said: “Some of the locals may have struggled to get hold of Ramac because the proposal is in its very early stages.”


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