Maidstone & Malling’s No 1 - over 83,000 copies - 4 editions Maidstone South Edition December 2012 No.188 Transport plan scrapped
DISTRICT and county council- lors have unanimously rejected plans for the future of Maid- stone’s transport system. The town’s Joint Transporta-
tion Board condemned a 612- page dossier, the integrated transport strategy compiled by officers, as “unworkable” and “not fit for purpose”. Ideas included a one-way gy-
ratory system into Maidstone, a new bus lane along Sutton Road, the opening of the St Andrew’s Road cul-de-sac to form a one- way system in Tonbridge Road, and an increase in charges at council-owned car parks. Members now want Maid-
stone Council to look again at proposals for its Core Strategy, which they say cannot be deliv- ered from a transport infrastruc- ture point of view.
Homes backed MAIDSTONE Council’s vision of 600 new homes in Langley Park has been backed by a plan- ning application. The borough council’s emerg-
ing Core Strategy earmarks land either side of Sutton Road for about 1,075 new homes to meet growth targets by 2026. Although this document is
yet to be formalised, landowner TaylorWimpey has made a for- mal notification that it is pre- pared to meet one of the council’s targets – 600 homes on land at Langley Park. The proposal also includes a
local centre with shops and a pub, a two-form entry primary school and community hall, and parkland. Alex Anderson, from agent Pegasus Group, said there would likely be provision for 40% affordable housing. There are no other details as the scheme is only at a “screening opinion” stage. Maidstone Council will deliver its feed- back prior to a formal applica- tion from the developer.
Village school Kent Test triumph
PUPILS and staff at St Peter and St Paul CE Primary School, Yalding, were celebrating as the 2012 Kent Test resultswere released. The school was the top performer in theMaidstone borough, with a
pass rate of 50%. Twelve of the 22 pupils in Year 6 took the test, formerly known as the
11-plus, and 11 passed. Pupils atSuttonValence primary school also didwell, with43%of the
year groupbeing successful,while another rural school,EastFar- leigh,was close behind with 42%.
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Cranbrook Office P29
Woman ‘adopts’ gypsy lifestyle
Stones attendances rise by 300%
LocalMP defiant in sick pay row
BIG IN OAK
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P20 Chairing the meeting, Cllr
Gary Cooke said predictions were for the number of vehicle trips to increase by 41% by 2026 and for journey times to increase by an average of 20% throughout the day. “Atpeaktimes,onbusy routes, this will be significantly higher, and we will have major problems developing,” he said. Cllr Cooke produced themin-
utes from October 2011 relating to the same transport strategy, and queried why several major recommendations had not been included – such as a review of the bridge gyratory system over the river, consideration of the South East Maidstone strategic link and the creation of a trans- port interchange at Maidstone East, which was considered es- sential just a year ago.
Tim Read, KCC’s head of transportation, and co-author of the report, said with 10,000 new jobs and 10,000 new homes, the levels of congestion would in- evitably rise. Maidstone planning chief Rob Jarman said the strategywas de- signed to cope with the in- creased jobs and housing targets, but Cllr Cooke said there was no evidence to show Maidstone needed 10,000 jobs and said he believed housing should be dispersed more into the rural areas, not concentrated in the urban “sprawl”. He said: “We have to decide
what price we are prepared to pay. We can either accept this, amend it, or kick it back to the officers as not acceptable as a fit-for-purpose document for Maidstone, neither for
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Support for Sainsbury’s, but not Tesco
MAIDSTONE Council planning officers were urging members to accept the Sainsbury’s plan for Staplehurst as Downs Mail went to press. But the planning committee
was also advised to refuse the Tesco scheme on land nearby. Sainsbury’s proposal for a 19,000 sq ft supermarket on land bounded by Station Ap- proach and Lodge Road would see the demolition of a building owned by diamond manufac- turer DK Holdings, who would get a larger 28,000 sq ft factory elsewhere on the site. An officer’s report said: “The provision of a new foodstore at this location is acknowledged to be likely to result in more sustainable shopping patterns, and will also provide greater choice for residents.” The Tesco scheme is for a 28,000 sq ft supermarket on the opposite side of Station Ap- proach, nearer the train station. An officer recommended re- fusal due to the creation of a car park on the other side of the train line. The officer’s report said: “The proposed car park would result in the loss of a significant amount of open countryside through the provision of hard- standing, and other associated paraphernalia, to the detriment of the character and appearance of the site, located on a primary arterial route into Staplehurst.” The committee was due to de-
cide on the proposals at ameet- ing on November 22.
Parish petition A PETITION opposing changes to the funding of rural parishes is ready to roll, after organisers obtained more than 3,500 sig- natures. Rural residents flocked to
post offices or went online to sign the petition, launched by Geraldine Brown, chairman of KALC – the Kent Association of Local Councils. She said: “This is all about
being charged twice for the services provided in the non- parished areas; if this grant is removed, this means paying twice or going without.” Cllr Brown, who
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