FAST food giant McDonald’s has been rebuffed in its aspira- tion for a drive-through restau- rant in central Maidstone. The burger chain had applied


McDonald’s ‘not wanted’ 1 in 4 children “This is likely to cause gen-


to set up a 130-seater restaurant on the corner of The Broadway and Barker Road, on the site of a former Renault dealership that has been empty for more than a year. But Maidstone Council re-


fused the planning application on a number of grounds, in- cluding concerns about the im- pact of unrestricted vehicle movements between 6am and midnight


Fatal crash dad


over drink limit A FATHER-of-three was more than twice over the legal alco- hol limit for driving when he died after a motorcycle crash in the centre of Snodland. Jason Randall (39), of Mary


Last Court, Snodland, had started to drink heavily after the death of his father, his wife Nicola told an inquest at Maid- stone. The bereavement was fol-


lowed by the suicide of his em- ployer, Michael Foster (73), of Lambert and Foster auctioneers in Paddock Wood. It was Mr Randall who found his boss dead from a shotgun wound to the head at his Boxley home. Mr Randall died from multi-


ple injuries on Saturday, July 14, last year after his bike hit a stationary Vauxhall Corsa in Malling Road. Coroner Patricia Harding


heard the motorcycle had no defects which could have con- tributed to the crash. However, the road was damp, which could have made the wheels lock up.


Recording a verdict of acci- dental death, Mrs Harding said that the stationary Corsa ahead was letting other cars across. As the bike braked, it appeared locked up and hit the rear of the Corsa with Mr Randall’s body impacting on the side. She said there was no evi-


dence he intended to take his own life.


A GROUND-level car park in King Street could be an added boon to disabled drivers in Maid- stone.


Following the granting of plan-


ning permission, the King Street multi-storey car park has now been permanently closed by the council, along with the superstore below it. Demolition is due to commence shortly, after which the site will be levelled and turned into a landscaped, surface level car park with spaces for bikes. However, as well as four


34 East Ladies knit up boost for charity


CREATING colourful blankets was a labour of love for these ladies at Hollingbourne WI who took part in a knit-in for charity. As part of theWest Kent Federation ofWomen’s Institutes, which is celebrating its 95th birthday this year, Hollingbourne WI is helping to mark the occasion by taking part in activities around the number 95. Membersknitted95squares, combining theirwork tomakeablanket


forChildren and YoungPeople’s Services (chYps). The blanket, together with others produced by theWI will be auctioned off to raise funds for chYps. To offer support to chYps call Marion on01322221315or email mar- ion.smith@chyps.org


Dairy conversion blocked


MAIDSTONE Council has blocked a scheme to convert a former dairy into a home in Hollingbourne. Mr Nugent’s planning application for Old Grove Mill Dairy, Eyhorne Street, also involved the erection of a single storey ex- tension. But Maidstone Council’s decision notice said: “The building is not considered to be of sufficient architectural or his- toric merit to justify its retention and conversion to residential use.


“In addition, the design of the proposed conversion, by rea-


son of its overly domestic treatment of windows and the exten- sion, would fail to preserve the original character and simple form of the building.” The council also said that no evidence had been provided to demonstrate that a commercial re-use of the building had been thoroughly investigated. The notice further said that the devel- opment would contain an “unacceptable” level of outdoor amenity space.


Disabled to benefit from demolition


dedicated spaces for blue badge holders, the remaining 61 spaces will be available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, but with free parking for up to four hours for any other blue badge holders. A council spokesman said:


“The decision to permit the dem- olition of the car park followed careful consideration of the costs involved in necessary car park improvements, ongoing mainte- nance, overheads and customer usage levels. “The new car park facility


planned for this site will provide good level access to the town cen- tre for disabled users.” The council hopes the new car


park will be ready for use by the autumn. In the meantime, the nearest alternative long stay car parks are in Sittingbourne Road, Union Street and Lucerne Street. The nearest alternative short


stay car parks are in Wheeler Street, Brewer Street and Med- way Street. Season tickets are valid in any of the council’s long stay car parks.


eral noise and disturbance, in- cluding car lights shining into habitable rooms, having a sig- nificant adverse impact on the amenity of the occupants of the residential flats at 19 The Broadway and 25, 27 and 29 Hart Street,” said the decision notice. The council also said the drive-thru would have a “sig- nificant adverse effect” on local air quality, cause unacceptable noise, odours and fumes for nearby residents and would compromise highway safety. The proposal was further re-


fused for its poor design and layout, and harming the charac- ter, appearance and setting of grade II Listed buildings at 19- 21 The Broadway. The £4million restaurant would have created 75 jobs, ac- cording to the planning appli- cation.


Cabinetmember for planning, transport and development, Cllr Stephen Paine wrote on his website that the location was wrong for a McDonald’s restau- rant and felt a concert hall, other entertainment or leisure facilities or housing would be better suited to the site.


‘in poverty’ UP TO 24% of children in the Maidstone area are living in poverty – with a household in- come of less than £26,500 – ac- cording to the Campaign to End Child Poverty. While the area covered by Maidstone Council has a 17% child poverty rate, some of the constituencies whose bound- aries fall within the Maidstone area are much higher. The Chatham and Aylesford con- stituency has a 24% child poverty rate while 23% of chil- dren in the Faversham andMid Kent constituency are below the poverty line. Maidstone and the Weald has


a 15% child poverty rate, while 14% of children in Tonbridge and Malling are in poverty. Na- tionally, the figure is just over 20%.


Enver Solomon, chair of the campaign, said: “We’re calling on authorities to prioritise low income families in the deci- sions they make about local welfare spending. The Govern- ment must also closely examine its current strategy for reducing poverty and consider what more it could do to ensure mil- lions of children’s lives are not blighted by poverty.”


Chance to run in city THE Heart of Kent Hospice, based in Aylesford, has some places available in the British 10k London run through the heart of the capital on July 14. Starting in Piccadilly outside


The Guards and Calvary Club, runners will pass the new WW2bomber command memo- rial which was unveiled by the Queen in June 2012, with Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner forming the backdrop to the start. Contact 01622 790195 or visit


www.hokh.org to register.Min- imum sponsorship £150.


Nightclub opens THE Gallery Nightclub has now opened in the former Loder & Payne building in Bank Street, Maidstone. The grade II-listed building


has three rooms over two levels and a huge chandelier hangs above the dance floor. Other features include a grand stair- case and carved stone pillars. An application for a sex en- tertainment licence at the venue was rejected last year.


Burglar sentenced SAMUAL Lee Willicombe-Bar- den (23), of St Catherine’s Road, Maidstone, was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work by Mid Kent Magistrates Court after being convicted of burglary. He denied entering a building in Hart Street, Maid- stone, as a trespasser on June 18 last year with intent to steal.He was ordered to pay £50 costs and £12 compensation.


Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735


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