Council opposes waste site plan


TONBRIDGE and Malling Council has added its weight to those opposing the ex- tension of a waste treatment site near Kings Hill.


Applicant New Earth Solutions (NES)


wants to build an anaerobic digestion processor at Blaise Farm Quarry, off the A228 near Kings Hill, but residents and Offham Parish Council have objected, due to concerns over an increase in malodour. The borough council has sent its formal objection to KCC, who will determine the scheme. Tonbridge and Malling believes KCC needs to take measures – such as en- suring all food waste deliveries take place in sealed vehicles – to limit unwelcome smells currently experienced by neighbours before it can consider granting planning permission. It also called for improvements in high-


way safety, noise mitigation, ground water run-off and a reduction in the number of


Residents join


tree planting MORE than 30 residents joined forces to start a Big Tree Plant in Snodland, which will see 4,000 trees planted around the town. Allotment holders, Beavers, councilmembersand staff joined other residents atPotyns Field at the north east end of the field ex- tension. Apart from 100 trees given by


the Woodland Trust, the remain- der have been given by Ground- work Kent and Medway, whose staff will complete the planting.


Battle against


benefit fraud MORE than 30 cases of benefit fraud have been passed on by Tonbridge and Malling Council for criminal investigation during the current financial year. Finance director Sharon Shel-


ton reported a high number of referrals made to the council’s benefits investigation with 215 cases up to December 2012. Of these, 38 were opened as in- vestigation cases, 38 were passed for council and Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) com- pliance visits and 31 were sent for criminal investigation. Five prosecutions were con- cluded, five cautions issued, six penalties accepted and four warning letters issued. Ten prosecutions are still pending. Currently, 62 investigations


are under way, mainly housing and council tax benefits with some tenancy fraud cases.


Drink driver banned ALEXANDRA Lawrence (35), of Church Fields,West Malling, was banned from driving for 24 months and fined £300 by Mid Kent Magistrates. She admitted drink driving in


West Malling, when a breath test showed 94 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath. She was also ordered to pay £85 costs.


Volunteers brave the weather for the Big Tree Plant


Pass helps canoeists and fish to travel through lock


MIGRATING fish are being given a helping hand by the En- vironment Agency, with the building of a new “fish pass” at Teston Lock. The lock chamber is being re- furbished and, as with a recent project at Allington, the agency is using the closure to construct the fish pass, which will also benefit canoeists. Similar passes at Porter’s Lock


and Eldridges Lock, near Ton- bridge, allow canoeists to navi- gate the river from Tonbridge to Yalding. Concrete channels 1.5 metres


wide and 600mm deep allow canoeists – and fish – tomigrate from upstream to downstream, with the help of artificial reeds known as fish brushes. The brushes allow canoes to pass over them safely without


Driver faces court MICHAEL Campbell, of King- fisher Road, Aylesford, was sentenced to 140 days in jail, suspended for 12 months, for driving while disqualified. Campbell (26), admitted the charge and was banned for a year by Mid Kent Magistrates. He must pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.


any damage whilst being rigid enough to withstand water pres- sures and provide back-currents to enable fish to climb the pass. They were the first two of


their kind to be built in the UK, based on an idea which origi- nated from the University of Kassel in Germany. The Teston works began in October and are due to be com- pleted by March. The stretch of river below the


lock at Teston boasts one of the highest levels of fish stocks on the Medway, with pike, chubb, barbel. roach, perch and bream all in plentiful supply. The improvement works are


part of a major scheme being undertaken by the Environment Agency to allow migratory and freshwater fish free passage along the river.


Shoplifter jailed REECE Day (33), of Birling Road, Snodland, was jailed for seven days by Mid Kent Magistrates after admitting shoplifting and using threatening behaviour. He stole alcohol worth £9.98


from a supermarket in Maid- stone, and used threatening be- haviour in Saltings Road, Snodland.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


HGV movements. Offham Parish Council says the odour, at


times, “has been truly awful”. The site,which opened in 2008, has plan-


ning permission to treat another 50,000 tonnes, but NES says the new equipment is required to deal with the increased propor- tion of food waste being collected. The proposal includes a 1,178 sq m food


waste processing building and a cluster of digestate storage cylindrical tanks. The company has recycling contractswith several councils in Kent, including Ton- bridge andMalling and Maidstone. For the first 18 months of the site’s opera-


tion, there were virtually no problems, but complaints grew as the plant mixed food and green waste. Objector Elizabeth Bligh, who lives amile


north of the site, wrote: “We have made complaints on at least 40 occasions since April 2010. Sometimes it has been so un-


pleasant that remaining out of doors was impossible. “The malodour is mainly attributable to


the compost stored on the site awaiting mat- uration. The facility is substantially open to the elements and the operation has failed to contain the malodrous emissions satisfacto- rily.”


Fellow objector Sarah Cowpe said the


odour “has made me and my guests feel nauseous, and it has been necessary to keep all windows and doors closed even on warm days to stop the noxious smell per- meating the house”. The applicant’s supporting statement


said: “The proposed technologies are en- tirely complementary to the established fully enclosed composting facility, but their introduction would ensure that source sep- arated green, card and food waste is treated efficiently with minimal environmental or amenity impacts.”


Council CEO


is appointed THE new chief executive offi- cer of Snodland Town Council is Karen Sowten, formerly as- sistant bursar of Wrotham School. Karen, pic-


tured, suc- ceeds Shirley Hunter, who joined the council as town clerk in January 2003. Anne Moloney, council chairman, ex- plained the new position is a more strategic role to that of clerk and requires a significant expertise in finance and IT. “The role also includes the overall management of town council assets and the ability to develop an improved market- ing strategy for the town,” she said.


“Snodland is growing signifi- cantly and facing new chal- lenges that offer opportunities not envisaged before. The rap- idly changing legislation relat- ing to local government is also a factor that must be carefully managed.”


Temporary post


office consent PLANNING permission has been granted for a temporary re- placement of the post office and stores in Teston. Maidstone Council has al-


lowed the parish council’s pro- posal for two portable buildings in the grounds of the village hall in Church Street. The village was left without a


post office after sub-postmaster John Zygmant (66) lost his bat- tle with cancer in October last year. The building is now up for sale. The parish council says the temporary facilities are re- quired for 12 to 18 months while a more permanent solu- tion is provided.


Malling 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40