LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


be encouraged. A positive approach to this project by both KCC and Maidstone Borough Council, instead of the current seemingly wilful refusal to contemplate it in the near future, would bring benefits to residents, commerce andMaidstone as awhole, aswell as forming an essential part of the Core Strat- egy.


These are frequently stated issues and I can


only hope that those responsible will listen and act to improve matters within an ac- ceptable time scale.


Charles Lucas,Willington Street, Maidstone


Threat to our rural roads Dear Sir – Any developments byMBC under its Core Strategy, either at junction 8 of the M20 or along the Sutton Road at Langley, Otham or Boughton Monchelsea, are pie in the sky with the present infrastructure. The B2163 between Leeds Castle and The Plough at Langley is not fit for purpose.Will- ington Street also suffers from excessive traf- fic, which is beginning to spill on to the lanes in Otham, between the Langley road (A274) and the A20. Living on the B2163 means putting up


with overweight lorries which damage the infrastructure (broken water mains, sewers, gas pipe fractures, manhole covers broken), force oncoming traffic up on to pavements and shake old buildings. The police have done little to deal with overweight vehicles, and it should be remembered that lorries ig- noring the weight signs invalidate their in- surance.


Speeding in Leeds is the norm for most motorists, especially in Upper Street. Yet amazingly, the police objected to a build-out at the top of Penfold Hill on “safety grounds”. In November, a pilot LorryWatch scheme was due to start, which would see lorry details taken and reported to the police. This has, in fact, been going on for years, but the police are very selective about who they prosecute. If you asked most people who drive through Leeds whether they would like a by- pass, strategic link or relief road,most would say yes, as would those who live on the road, people in Willington Street, people on the lanes in Otham etc, and even the KCC and MBC, because with a strategic link between junction 8 and the A274 they could replace a pre-medieval drovers’ road with a road fit for the 21st century.


T JWilliams,Milners, Upper Street, Leeds


Wrong road for measures Dear Sir – I object strongly to excessive money being spent on the speed reductions in Boxley Road/Beechen Bank Road. A number of roads in the parish have no footpaths and no major junctions, with a worrying amount of traffic. However, the parish council sees fit only to have speed re- ductions along this stretch of road – what about other parts of the parish? Walderslade Woods Road is a dangerous


road. The speed limit is 60mph. A footpath and cycle path run alongside the road, with no barrier between speeding traffic and pedestrians, many of whom are children, walking to Tunbury School. There are sev- eral busy junctions, one ofwhich is on a bus route (unlike Boxley Road, and serves a lot of traffic to the hospital. Turning right into and out of these junc-


tions is dangerous and particularly difficult because of the amount of traffic travelling alongWaldersladeWoods Road, and because of the speed at which they travel. There have been some serious accidents along this road, particularly at junctions,


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: info@downsmail.co.uk


which have resulted in Walderslade Woods Road being shut for a period of time – unlike Boxley Road.


Sarah Pettit, by email


Mrs Grant’s contract row Dear Sir – I write to express how annoyed I am at the treatment of the Parliamentary aide, TonyWilliams, by MP Helen Grant. I have a question regarding the stories that


have been broadcast on the television, radio and press. Mrs Grant’s husband has been identified as a constituency employee – did his contract have the same conditions asMr Williams’? Mrs Grant is not only the MP for the local area, she has recently been ad- vanced into theMinistry of Justice, where is the justice in that? Leslie Roberts, Huntsman Lane, Vinters Park


Thoughtless dog owners Dear Sir–Althoughitisgoodtoreadmore money is to be spent on Cobtree Manor Park, please can something be done about the dog mess left there by thoughtless dog owners? Without fail, when our family visit, our


boots are covered in mess, and every time I say “never again”. I don’t want to spoil our and our grandaughter’s enjoyment of the park, but don’twant a boot cleaning exercise yet again. On our visit last week, I did see one owner carrying dog mess bags. Come on dog own- ers, please clean up after your dogs. B C Taylor, AllingtonWay, Maidstone


Common sense prevails Dear Sir –What a delight to read the article on the birthing unit and to know midwives are being recognised for their rightful role in childbirth. Perhaps now natural childbirth and breast feeding will take the rightful place common sense demands. Surely Flo Panel-Coates must be highly commended for her part in this process of raisingmorale. All we need now is the undoubted talents of Rose Gibb and Andrew Lansley to bear on obtaining a real reduction in the ob- scene PPI repayments required from the hos- pital. At 83 I have had to use the hospital serv-


ices a number of times and I would like to pay tribute to all the staff, nurses, consult- ants, admin staff and ancilliary staff for their courtesy and efficiency.


John Ireland, Lenham


Co-op a welcome addition Dear Sir – I refer to your article in the No- vember edition of the Maidstone East Downs Mail, oncerning the proposed Co-op store in Lenham. I would like to redress the balance and neg- ativity against this proposal. Having con- ducted my own “straw poll”, I amheartened that like me many villagers and inhabitants of surrounding villages actually welcome such a proposal. Like me, they view it as a positive asset which would increase the at- traction to the village as well as bringing em- ployment and financial benefit. The Co-op chain is ethically-run and has a presence in many small villages and towns all over the UK, where they are a vital part of village infrastructure and in some cases act as a lifeline for residents without transport, by providing a broad range of products, thereby saving fuel costs and the time it takes to travel to large supermarkets. As a local resident, I support all the inde- pendent shops in Lenham whenever I can, but they do not and we can not expect them


to stock every item I would like to purchase on a day-to-day basis. Yet it is possible for the local shops to stay afloat if they are will- ing to diversify and cater for the changing market.


Lenham, with its history and natural beauty, is becoming more of a tourist stop- off, which is a welcome opportunity for its local economy, as I’m sure the local cafes and other service businesses are discovering. We should not, in my opinion, adopt a blinkered attitude to progress and change. New proposals and development should be viewed as a vote of confidence in a thriving future for our picturesque village, thereby making it an attractive location for the next generation.


Olly Tolhurst (Mrs), by email


Health and safety nightmare Dear Sir – Yesterday when trying to find the bus stop for the park and ride bus at the end of Week Street, I fell off the kerb. I looked down to see black paint covering the yellow paint. The yellow park and ride sign that I was looking for is inside the bus shelter (there being two to choose from). I also noticed that we have lost the signs at the end of the shel- ters indicating when the next bus is due. Some improvement. What has happened to “health and safety”?


Mary Baker, by email


TV giving thieves ideas Dear Sir – I justwanted to express my disap- pointment after watching the BBC morning show the other day where they showed a bike being stolen in broad daylight. This probably gave ideas to the thieves out


there, as my husband’s bike was then stolen from the back of the shop where heworks in Bearsted. It was his only way of getting to work.


Elena Van Boolen, RutlandWay, Shepway


New bins a waste of money Dear Sir – So Maidstone Council is to change our garden waste bins from green to brown (Downs Mail Maidstone edition No. 187). Why? I have had a green (garden) wheelie


bin almost since they were introduced. At one point, a yellow band was stuck around these bins to diffferentiate them from the re- cycling green bins, although they have dif- ferent coloured lids and I doubt if any of the collectors are shorter than the bins and can consequently see the tops. Why this unnecessary expense? If the council wishes to introduce brown bins for gardens, they can retain the green ones and use up those they probably have in stock first. In the meantime, they plan to do away with the (heavily-overpriced) compostable bags.


Although we have a garden bin, we still


need the bags during the summer/autumn months, when there is a great deal of hedg- ing, weeding and mowing to be done. The al- ternative is a trip to Tovil tip with the overflow, since we are not allowed bonfires in our part of our estate and we have nowhere to compost all the stuff on site. I assume that by paying another £30 a year,


we would be allowed a second garden bin, but where on earth does the normal semi keep all these items? And don’t get me started on gypsy families moving in without planning permission. It seems the council will wheel, weave and duck the issue until the end of time. One disappointed Kent dweller (or should


I sign myself like the one-time Disgusted of TunbridgeWells?)


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


AudreyWilkinson, by email East 39


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