LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Rethink housing scheme Dear Sir –With regard to the sites to be con- sidered for housing under the Core Strategy – Bridge Nursery, Oakapple Lane, East and West Hermitage Lane – I attended ameeting some 20 years ago when development of the Oakwood Hospital site was discussed. It was agreed that Maidstone first needed


a third bridge. This massive amount of housing went ahead without the agreed in- frastructure. Since then, St Simon Stock School has


been increased in Queen’s Road. Traffic comes to a standstill at 8.30am and 3.30pm. Hermitage Lane is so congested that key workers are finding it impossible to enter or leave the hospital. I wonder how ambu- lances would be affected if all of the above development took place? Chris Garland, Cllr Stephen Paine, and


RobJarman,Isuggest yougobacktothe drawing board. S Law, Shaftesbury Drive, Maidstone


Will MP keep up her claims? I READ in the April edition of Downs Mail that the deputy chairman of the Maidstone and the Weald Conservative Association, Stephen Paine, is keen to “quash grumbling by political rivals” about Helen Grant’s ex- pense claims and chooses to blame “vindic- tive elements of the local press”, for the situation in which she finds herself. However, in this case, they have only re- ported the facts and have left readers to judge for themselves. WhileMsGrant may not have done anything technicallywrong with regard to her expense claims, I and many others re- gard it as morally wrong and certainly not in the spirit of legitimate expenses, which I be- lieve was the proposal emerging from the en- quiry by Sir Thomas Legg for claims byMPs. The IPSAwebsite,whereMsGrant’s claims


can be viewed, states that non-London area MPswho own properties in both London and their constituency may claim for one of those properties. I believe Ms Grant’s own home is deemed


to be in London, where even her own MP cannot claim for a second home, that she does not own a property in the constituency, but she also rents another property even closer to Parliament, whilst also claiming some train fares to Maidstone. In addition, Ms Grant, along with allMPs,


has just received a 1%rise in her salary and expense limit, whilst I, along with many of her very hard-working constituents, have not received a pay rise for three years, but have had to accept a reduction in my pay to allow for increased NI and pension contributions. Is it, therefore, right thatMsGrant has taken


full advantage of every penny (her rental claim really is down to the very odd last penny) she can get from the taxpayer, whilst


KINGSWOODPre-School Group received a glowing Ofsted report. The pre-school in Gravelly Bottom Road is managed by a parent committee and was awarded a good rating. Inspector Linda Coccia said children interacted well with staff, enjoyed a healthy lifestyle, were well-behaved and bene- fited from the range of interest- ing play activities on offer. The report said: “Children are happy and eager to attend the setting each day. The staff help


34 South


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


expecting no right of reply from those pro- viding her with such generous remuneration? Mr Paine, I stand ready to be quashed, but perhaps before you do, you could answer me this; in the event thatMs Grant is re-elected, does she intend to follow the same course of action for her future expenses? Steve Gibson, Birling Avenue, Bearsted


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 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, The Street Ulcombe


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,


children settle quickly by pro- viding a well resourced, wel- coming environment.” Children are assigned to a key worker who gains a clear un- derstanding of them, staff are well qualified and safeguarding procedures thorough. The pre- school also provides good care for children with special needs. Parents are happy with the pre-school, although some said they didn’t know enough about the policies and how changes were communicated to them.


and an influx of new dogwalkers hasmeant 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


Risks of whistle-blowing Dear Sir – In light of the current problems in the health service, I know from experience that whistle-blowing is dangerous. If legiti- mate concerns are raised in the workplace this puts managers in a difficult position. This often has the result of the whistle- blower being “performance-managed” out of the system. Other potential whistleblow- ers keep quiet because they have mortgages and dependent families. Unfortunately, workplace bullying is en-


demic and perhapswe need a rethink of our attitudes to work. It does seem those caus- ing these problems earn higher salaries than the “coalface workers”. Dare I quote our friend Rose Gibb again?


John Ireland, Lenham Pre-school praised by inspectors Pub homes plan goes to appeal


RASPBERRY Homes has lost patience in Maidstone Coun- cil’s deliberations over its pro- posed redevelopment of The Pride of Kent pub, Staplehurst. In October the developer ap-


plied to build three homes be- hind the High Street pub and to convert its first floor into a flat. After five months without a de- cision, Raspberry Homes has decided to appeal on the grounds of non-determination. The council’s subsequent de- cision notice said it would have


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


been refused due to being “a cramped, over-intensive, inap- propriate and over-dominant form of development which, by reason of its massing, form, poor design and use of materi- als, would appear out of keep- ing with its surroundings.” The decision notice said high close-boarded fencing would give the homes an “unattrac- tive, shut-in appearance”. The developer was given law-


ful development rights to re- place the pub with a café.


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  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48