Pre-school
group launch A COMMUNITY group is offer- ing a pre-school style play and learning environment for chil- dren and their parents in Tovil. Not-for-profit Monster Play
‘n’ Learn, at the Parish Centre, Church Road, opens from 9.45 to 11.45am on Mondays and 12.30 to 3pm on Thursdays. British Sign Language sign-
along sessions, an arts and craft corner, imaginative play zone and sensory area are just some of the things on offer for the under-fives. The group was set up by pre- school music group Monster Music and Holly’s Hands, which teaches sign language to pre-school children, and is sup- ported by charity M4S, which supports families with disabled children and teenagers. Sessions cost £2 or £1 for sib-
lings. For details call Monster Music on 07946 704181 or Holly’sHands on 01622 685302 or 07889 821136.
Surgery extension MAIDSTONE Council has granted planning permission for a side extension at Grove Park Surgery, 116 Sutton Road, Maidstone. The applicant’s supporting statement says the extension will provide 13sqm of addi- tional floor area to aid file stor- age and administration.
FREE copy of the
Your April DownsMail
Edition of the
will also be available to pick up from:-
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If you live in the following postcodes: ME15-9, ME14-1 or ME15-6
Pick up YOUR copy from Wednesday 27th March
24 Town
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You can e-mail the Downs Mail —
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Council row over flagpoles
THE flagpoles on Jubilee Square have been criticised by Maid- stone Council’s own planning committee. The council was forced to
apply for retrospective planning permission for the three flag- poles at the High Street and two flagpoles outside the museum in St Faith’s Street after it emerged that the authority had erected them without proper consent. Committee member, Cllr Mar-
tin Cox felt they were out of keeping with the new-look Ju- bilee Square. He said: “The bases of these are absolutely horrible. If they are temporary flagpoles there is a marvellous thing called a hole that we could put these in
GARDENERS from the Black- thorn Trust have started work on a neglected patch of land close to Maidstone bus station. The grassland, which once housed Shorn the Sheep in Romney Place, has been left to grow wild since Shorn moved on to pastures new. But following talks between
the Town Centre Management and the Blackthorn Trust, a project has been put together which will both give the team a challenge and help make Maid- stone a prettier place. Co-workers from the trust,
The High Street flag poles
and then take them out when they are not being used. “I don’t think the design has
been thought through. We should hide the flags away when they are not in use and not give skateboarders another thing to grind against.” Cllr Richard Ash said: “Maybe
there could have been granite bases to go with the surface, but
Trust gardeners’ new project
which helps people suffering from long-term physical or mental illness learn new skills and build their confidence and self-esteem, have pulled out all the weeds and put in new shrubs, plants and flowers. Bulbs and hedgerows have
been put in place and there are plans to add some hops, as a tribute to Kent’s heritage as the hop-growing region of England. The volunteers normally
work at the Blackthorn Garden in Barming, but welcomed the chance to transfer their skills to the town centre setting.
o
maybe it cost a lot of money. I rather like them myself.” Members were split on whether to grant the flagpoles retrospective permission, with four votes for, four votes against and two abstentions. Cllr Richard Lusty used his chairman’s casting vote to grant the scheme planning permission, but hit out at the council’s initial decision to erect the flagpoles without the necessary consent. He said: “I really think that Maidstone Council should have got their act together. I am very disturbed that this is retrospec- tive. We will refer this to the chief executive and relevant portfolio holder on the cabinet.”
Bungalow plan STEVEN Cooper has applied to replace a garage with a two- bedroom bungalow in Saltash, Oakwood Road,Maidstone. In pre-application discus-
sions with Maidstone Council case officer Geoff Brown wrote in a letter: “the design of the new building is attractive”. However, he advised the ap- plicant to “limit the hardstand- ing to the minimum level of space required for the number of cars expected”. The applica- tion, which will be determined by the council, includes a new access for Saltash.
orchard dental practice
Emergency Appointments
Free Parking
Maidstone & Malling’s No 1 - over 83,000 copies - 4 editions Maidstone Town Edition February 2013 No.190 Firms ‘coming and going’ Plans forNext
MAIDSTONE is beating its way out of the recession,with an im- pressive rise in the number of new businesses being set up. But a survey from business advice organisation Duport As- sociates Ltd reveals the town has also just emerged from one of its worst ever quarters for business closures. Nonetheless, theborough still
showed a net increase in busi- nesses of 63 between July and September 2012 – with 58 of them being in September alone – the best September since monitoring began more than 50 years ago. A hundred new companies
CELEBRATE Maidstone this year turns its attention to education and has announced that Trevor Phipps, head teacher of Bower GroveSchool, haswon the lifetime achievement award 2013. The event, which rewardsMaid-
stone’s unsung heroes, is back for a second year after successfully launching in 2012. Trevor joined Bower Grove
School in 1984 as deputy head, andwasappointedheadinJanuary 1990.Over theyearshehasguided the school through a transition froma school for pupils withmod-
were registered with Companies House, from construction and consultancy to bars, restaurants and IT services last September. Only five were recorded in Au- gust and none in July. Duport discovered 230 new
companies were formed in Maidstone in the three months between July and September 2012–a6% increase on the same period in 2011. This compares to a 3.8% in- crease in new company regis- trations across the UK as a whole, and the total falls just two short of the record year of 2003, when there were 232 businesses registered between
Teacher’s dedicationrewarded
erate learning difficulties, to a school for pupils with behaviour and learning needs and autism spectrumdisorders (ASD). Trevor has supervised several
new extensions to provide addi- tional classrooms and specialist teaching areas, as well as provid- ing specialist sports facilitieswith a sports hall and changing rooms. BowerGroveSchool is renownedin the area for serving children with special needs and their families. For many years, Trevor has
played a key role in the Tunbridge Wells Operatic & Dramatic
Morrisons set to move to town RETAIL giantMorrisons looks set tomove into the ground floor of the former Armyand Navy store inWeek Street. The companyhas applied for a liquor licence for the prem-
ises, which has been empty for a number of years since Army and Navy rebranded under the House of Fraser banner and moved into FremlinWalk. With just 8,000 sq ft of trading space, the site is smaller than
most otherMorrisons stores, butwill be in competitionwith the Tesco Express store on the opposite side of the street. Anannouncement is also expected shortly on the retail com-
pany that has been successful in securing the Maidstone East site for development. Towncentremanager BillMoss said: “It looks like at long last
some life is being breathed back into that end of the town. There are interesting times ahead.”
Waste changes MAIDSTONE Council is join- ing forces with Ashford and Swale councils in a joint waste and street cleansing contract that begins inAugust 2013. Formore details, see the council-sponsored 12-page BoroughUpdate in the central pages.
01622 750733
www.monkeyhair.co.uk 10 St Faiths Street Maidstone
‘Mybelief in Helen Grant stands firm’ - Mail Marks, p42
SALE ENDS! SUNDAY 3rd FEB The Bi g Ye l low Bui ld ing , S t Pe t e r s S t , Ma ids tone 0800 6 52 0102 www. lincolnfur ni ture .
co.uk P4 Trevor Phipps with his award
July and September. But 167 firmswent to thewall
in the same period–a25.6%in- crease on the previous year anda muchworse picture than the na- tional average of just 3.5% Maidstone’s economyis largely based around leisure and retail and the town is ranked in the top five shopping centres in the South East. It boasts 1.25mil- lion square feet of retail floor space, making it Kent’s biggest shopping destination. Restaurants and bars are key
to the area’s success, with the night-time economy being worth more than £75 million annually.
P3
‘concept store’ SHOPPERS have welcomed plans for a new out-of-town home and style superstore on the outskirts ofMaidstone. Even traders and town centre
management have given a re- luctant thumbs up to a proposal from retailer Next for a £9m home and fashion outlet on land next to the Hilton Hotel, on Bearsted Road. Some68 people visited apub-
lic exhibition at the hotelin earlyDecember, following an an- nouncement from Next that the retailer hoped to submit a plan- ning application for a “concept store” at Junction 7 of the M20 within amatter ofweeks. Almost all of the visitorswere
in favour, according to Martin Hughes, representing Next. And the TownCentre Man-
agementwas warned: “If this doesn’t cometoMaidstone, it will go toAshford or Tunbridge Wells and take tradewith it.” The store, which is expected
to create 180 jobs, would be only the third of its kind
P10
‘crash capital’ ANEW report that confirms Maidstone as the “crash capital of Kent” has led to calls for the town to become a 20mph go- slow zone. KCC’s Crash Analysis in Kent
County town
reveals that while Kent as a whole recorded a reduction in both fatalities andsevere crashes, in Maidstone there were 499 accidents in 2011, re- sulting in 651 casualties. Canterbury and Dartford – the
next most serious – lag some way behind, with 403 and 406 accidents respectively. Between 2010 and 2011,
Maidstone recorded the highest increase of car crashes in the county, with 37 more crashes and a total of 412. Seventy per cent of casualties in the district were car occupants. Maidstone also recorded
P6
Popular vicar retires after 17 years
Tabernacle set for April reopening
P3 P4
Powerhub plan to ‘revive riverside’P15
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