LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Cars messing up footpaths Dear Sir – We regularly walk our dog around Impton Lane Estate. There are only footpaths some of the way round, with the rest being unkempt muddy tracks, forcing you to walk in the road in the path of on- coming traffic. There is also a breed of selfish peoplewho


think it is ok for them to park on the paths and verges, making what’s left impassable with either vehicles across them, or thick mud.


Double yellow lines have been painted


near the hospital, but this just forces the traffic further around the lane. These lines should have been continued the full length of the road. There is no excuse for parking in Impton Lane as all of the houses have off- road parking. I have written to my parish council on several occasions, only to be told that the paths are sufficient, or that there is no money in the pot for new paths. The lack of money argument holds no grounds, as the parish has just assistedwith the building of five traffic islands, one at each junction onWaldersladeWoods Road. The argument for this is that traffic-calming and a reduction of speed is needed on this dangerous road, despite the Highways Agency carrying out numerous surveys over the years and each time deeming this road safe enough for a 60mph speed limit. I do not know how much this must have


cost, but I am sure with a little extra thought, ie removing all of the right turns (there is a roundabout at each end), this money could have been spent more where it is needed. I suppose it will take someone being hit


by a car before the parish council members take their heads out of the sand and look at the bigger picture. Paul Clarke,WaldersladeWoods


Shops plan news to us! Dear Sir – As chairman of the Grove Green Community Association, which owns and manages the Grove Green community hall in Penhurst Close, I was very surprised to read in the April edition of the Downs Mail about the proposed development of the area next but one to our site. This, we now understand, has planning permission for four shop units. My com- mittee and I are not happy that we never re- ceived any notification of this project. If we had, then we would have objected. My concerns are firstly, users parking in


the hall car park (which is a private car park only for visitors to the hall) and secondly using the footpath across our land to get to the shops if they park in the Tesco car park. The site was originally intended for com- munity use. When that permission lapsed, permission was refused for housing, yet housingwould have been far more desirable than shop units. Placing shops here will also have an effect


on the adjacent Jubilee orchard and leisure facilities. Thank you, Downs Mail, for bringing this


to our attention. It is a pity that Maidstone Council did not deem it necessary to tell us. Monty Knight-Olds, Blacksmith Drive, Grove Green,Maidstone


Pub survey doesn’t ring true Dear Sir – Your feature on the Harrow pub in Ulcombe made me laugh! I would like to know who conducted the


recent survey on the pub. We were not in- cluded, and neither were any of our imme- diate neighbours, which renders the survey


52 East


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useless – and casts doubt on the honesty of whoever conducted it. When the present owners took over, there


was limited support for them. My husband and I ate there twice a week, and we could count on our fingers the number of families who supported the restaurant. The foodwas excellent, and reasonably priced, but there was almost no support for them. Every planning application they put for-


ward was objected to, and it became unvi- able. I suspect the mythical survey was conducted by people who want the pub to stay open for the occasional meal, and the occasional pint – but weren’t regulars when the pubWAS open. No business, be it shop or pub, can remain open in the rural areas unless the locals support it. If Phillipe and Karen invest in changes to


The Harrow, they have no guarantee that they will see a return on their investment for many years – if at all. In the current economic climate, the first


thing people cut down on is eating out – it is quite ridiculous for the council to suggest that the proposed changes will make it a going concern. Pam O’Brien, Piglets, The Street, Ulcombe


Speed limit had no point Dear Sir – Two 30mph signs on bright new poles have recently been erected in Shirley Way, Bearsted. How strange, when this road is clearly


well within an established residential area – even stranger, when one considers the road is no more than some 180 yards long, link- ing Spot Lane and Cavendish Way, with a very tight roundabout halfway down. As a result, it is virtually impossible to achieve a speed of 30mph without the ne- cessity to immediately do an emergency stop or hit the roundabout. In short, this is an unnecessary sign and


an unacceptable use of KCC Highways Au- thority budget at any time, but particularly in an area surrounded by potholes. I must question why these signs were erected at all, who pushed for them, who authorised them, how much they cost, and whether this onemore example of a depart- ment frantic to use up its allocation of funds before the year end – a practice which should have been abolished years ago. Why should money not be carried over,


rather than wasted on expenditure simply to justify departmental need? TMTurner,Madginford Road, Bearsted


Cyclist ignored red light Dear Sir – I recently followed a cyclist along the Ashford Road, from the direction of New Cut. As we approached the narrow uphill sec-


tion at Turkey Mill he slowed to a dodgy wobble, finally arriving at the red lights at the Square Hill junction, which he rode straight through. As the vast majority of cyclists do not use


the cycle path from New Cut into the town, can I assume there will be no protest if the cycle path is removed? As for the red light, did I forget the law change, allowing cy- clists to not stop at red traffic lights? Leslie Roberts, Huntsman Lane, Maidstone


Park should be kept simple Dear Sir – Cobtree Manor Park used to be a beautiful place where you could get away from the crowds and see many species of wildlife. It was always neat and tidy, and well maintained. It was special because it had retained its natural unspoilt beauty – a fitting tribute to


Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake – and you could get a cup of tea for a reasonable price. Sadly, MBC now hold the purse strings for


the Cobtree Trust, and are developing the park beyond recognition. They say this is to attract more users, but it had an abundance of users who cherished the park. Now the floodgates have opened to peo-


ple who visit for a totally different reason and have no affinity with the park. The grass area has been desecrated by the erec- tion of the children’s play area. There is lit- ter strewn throughout the park and woods, and an influx of new dogwalkers has meant horrendous amounts of dog mess lying around or, if it is cleaned up, the bags are thrown into the trees and bushes. Branches are snapped off trees, logs strewn across pathways, sticks put down rabbit holes.We never had this kind of dis- regard for the park and nature until now. The woodland is neglected and the café prices are exorbitant, compared to what they were. There is no loyalty to the people who have used the park for many years. We are told no charge is anticipated for


use of the facilities or to park in Cobtree once the car park is refurbished. We shall wait and see in that respect. Many people who are constantly looking at


ways to entertain their young familieswill no doubt think the park is a great idea, but at what expense? There are also many people who avoid parks and venues where there are families and children, for obvious reasons. Cobtree met the criteria for such people,


and they should have been considered prior to the development. There are numerous other parks purpose-made for entertaining families – could we not have just had one preserved for the minority? Since the new structures have been as- sembled, the wildlife of the park has been depleted. I think this would be a subject of great sadness to Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake, who loved animals and wildlife. Oh and lest we forget, Cobtree Manor Park


is named on at least three websites as a renowned meeting place for doggers. Men indulging in this practice still frequent the park, skulking off into secluded areas, wit- nessed by most of the park users. Everything in this article will be met with


total indifference by many, especially by those involved in the development at MBC, who see this only as a project. Gone is a park of distinction loved bymany people who en- joyed its simplicity. Mr G Judge, Snowdon Avenue, Maidstone


New road layout a puzzle Dear Sir – Is it me, or have our road plan- ners completely lost the plot? I refer to the new, under construction,


road layout at the A249 “Notcutts” round- about. It appears that the useful slip road to the M20 has been removed, in favour of a large deep verge, which is totally useless. The dual carriageway leading towards the ChilternHundreds has had a “gap opening” to allow vehicles to cross the dual carriage- way and enter the business park. This road is already a busy route and will become evenmore congested when the hospital and retail outlets are completed. I believe that these alterations will make a bad situation far worse. I cannot comprehend why this “dog’s breakfast” has been given approval and would invite whoever was responsible to explain the reasoning behind it. I would also like to know how much this


has cost, and who is picking up the tab. Ken Goodchild, by email


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