LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


again the police seem reluctant to commit any resources to such enforcement. The council cannot be regarded as com- pletely blameless, as its policy of creating lots of movement, in the belief that this will help to keep the traffic flowing, in fact has the opposite effect. This is one of the reasons such a policy was abandoned a long time ago in London and the traffic flows much better as a result. Christopher Hudson-Gool, by email


No water for extra homes Dear Sir – Firstly congratulations on pro- ducing a great little informativemagazine. My reason for putting pen to paper is, in


your March edition the headline read 5,000-home village plan, then went on to say estimates of housing needs are closer to 16,000 units, with a further 4,500 re- quired by 2030. It would appear to me that somewhere, someone has suddenly discovered a new supply of water. The last two summers we have been threatened with a hosepipe ban. Several years ago, on April 1, I put a no-


tice on a billboard outside my shop at Pe- nenden Heath, which caused several smiles, saying that the water shortage was over, because the water board had found a way to dilute the water. Maybe they have just done that. Another thought – where are these extra people going to find employment and where are they coming from, not to men- tion who is going to pay the rent? At this time, people are being made re- dundant , shops are closing down etc. I sincerely hope that things will work out, now and for the next generation. C C PWilliams, Faraday Road, Penenden Heath


Another parking ‘rip-off’ Dear Sir – Like your reader, Peter Packham of Bearsted, I was also “ripped off” with a parking fine in exactly the same place at Lockmeadow. If only I had read his article first! I had a choice of spaces, but on close in- spection of the markings in that spot, I de- cided it was a valid space with a smudged T shape, indicating a parking space on ei- ther side of the T. A few years ago I used to park frequently


at Lockmeadow, when I went to the local gym, and I can’t say I have ever seen peo- ple turn in that spot. It is more normal to reverse out backwards if there are no spaces at the rear of the car park. I have written to KCC suggesting they re-


paint their markings more effectively and clearly indicate that it is a turning spot. If they don’t, I will.


Teresa Ewence, Loose


Give us back proper library Dear Sir – The new library is more like a


OPEN space at Penhurst Close, Grove Green is to become even more urbanised after planning permission was granted to build four retail units at its north-west side. Last February, Maidstone Council gave


Ward Homes permission for seven homes on the land, after its open space designation was overturned at a previous appeal. Now a retail schemewest of the Tesco car


park has also been agreed, despite objec- tions by Boxley Parish Council and 10 resi- dents. However, the strength of feeling had


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


combination of a computer games centre and toddlers’ nursery than anything else. Is that what “state of the art” means? Perhaps Maidstone Council can provide


us with a proper library again? There is a vacant property in St Faith’s Street just right for the job. George Whitney, Anglesea Avenue, Loose


Move on gangs of youths Dear Sir–Iwas in The Mall shoppingcen- tre in Maidstone recently andwas horrified to see a number of girls congregating around the photo booth. As I had my grandchildren with me we


were unable to use the facilites, but I was amazed when a security guard strolled past. He never even spoke or moved them on. Surely he could see the problem they were causing? This has caused me to stop shopping in


the Mall at weekends, as the groups were very intimidating. I would like to know if any other readers have had this problem?


C. Smith, by email


Jobs went with factories Dear Sir – Regarding Dennis Fowle’s com- ments on Maidstone’s “attractive river- side”, I’m sorry, but I must disagree with your views regarding the buildings along the river. To me, they are a sad loss of employment


to Maidstone’s unemployed. Maybe you have lived in a different “class” to me. When I came to this area for my late fa- ther’s work as a gardener, we lived in an old farm worker’s cottage until he died.We were then evicted, and I bought my pres- ent house. I must then be called a long- term resident and a lover of Kent. I well remember all the paper mills in


Tovil and Aylesford – all gone now.Where do we get our paper now? Then, we also had Tilling Stevens – such


a busy factory – giving work to school leavers when they followed their father looking for a safe job . The girls went to Sharpe’s Toffees or Fos-


ter Clark Custard, mostly coming from our growing council estates and all working, instead of the many benefits they all get as the unemployed now.We still have the un- educated school leavers, who will be un- able to work in the fast-growing computer world today. Maybe I’m too sentimental for today’s world. But I will always say I had the best childhood. We have online shopping and supermarkets delivering food – soon we will have no employment for shop work- ers. I hate the self-checkouts now in the stores. I loved the trolley buses and the shops all down the High Street. No longer the smiling “Can I help you” from any shop staff you find. So like me, those old


dissipated after a hot food takeaway, which had been earmarked for one of the units, was withdrawn. Cllr Bob Hinder, representing Boxley Parish Council, said the retail units would cause a loss of amenity for neighbours and a shortfall in parking. There were also con- cerns about anti-social behaviour. Mr Atkinson, representing applicant


Wright Holdings, said customers would be expected to use the Tesco car park. Opening hours would be between 8am and 10pm


factories and work buildings are past their best, but they all gave our young people work and a pride to work for their money, instead of the constant benefits now. As for the tourist information centre moving to the museum, I complained to the councillors and the town centre man- agement, stating it must be in the busy cen- tre for all the visitors, and not in the side street away from tourists. I was told it was a good move, making sure, I expect, that the museum got visitors. In the end I gave up – the council and


town management all thought they knew best. I used it before themove, but not now. It’s too far to walk forme, and I expect oth- ers too.


Gladys Tompsett, Holtye Crescent


Venetian-style elegance Dear Sir – I very much agree with Dennis Fowle that efforts so far to re-develop the old industrial embankment of the Medway have failed to exploit fully Maidstone's po- tential as a riverside town. In my view, however, the main failing has


been not in the nature of the developments along thewest bank, but in the failure to ad- dress the fact that it is the massive traffic barrier of the A229 that prevents the full achievement of that potential by isolating town centre shoppers from the east bank. I assume there is no realistic way of re- moving or burying that traffic, but I have often wondered whether inspiration could be taken from Venice’s Rialto Bridge to cre- ate an architecturally-beautiful covered foot crossing with integral boutiques leading up and across from Earl Street orWaterside (or perhaps even straight across from House of Fraser’s already elevated car park) and down to many more such characterful out- lets built above tidal height along the east bank.


Such an imaginative approach could transform the town centre, adding signifi- cantly to its size, making it more attractive as a mooring place for boats and as a loca- tion for small specialist outlets serving them, and greatly improving its appeal to tourists and to shoppers. David Cocketham, Bearsted


Now we need Bus Watch Dear Sir – I drive an ambulance in the South East, and I often use country lanes. I came across some signs for LorryWatch, which I feel is a good idea, as we allwant to keep our children safe and the damage to the lanes at a level of safety. So why are double-decker buses allowed to travel down these lanes? Last week, while going down a lane which was big enough for the ambulance, a double-decker bus came the other way, blocking the road for more than 15 minutes. Trevor Oldfield, by email


Shops plan for open space beats objections


Mondays to Saturdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Cllr Tony Harwood, a planning commit-


tee member who also sits on Boxley Parish Council, said: “I have fought for decades against development on this site but I know when to throw in the towel as I would not want to see a decision to refuse overturned at appeal and all that hard-fought negotia- tion lost.” Eleven committee members voted in favour of the scheme, with two abstentions.


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