‘Medical excellence’ on our doorstep


PLANS that would see Maidstone become a cen- tre for medicine have been unveiled to the pub- lic at an exhibition held at the Hilton Hotel. The first phase of the £90m Kent Institute of Medicine and Surgery (KIMS) is due to open in April next year. Once operational, the seven-acre KIMS site near junction 7 of the M20 will put specialist services including cardiac surgery, or- thopaedics, neurosurgery and surgical oncology, on the doorstep of people living in Maidstone. KIMS director Andrew Frost said 350 medics would offer clinical excellence to both private and NHS patients. In total 25% of resources will be devoted to NHS patients. Leading medics such as Professor Richard Un- derwood, a specialist in nuclear medicine at Lon- don’s Royal Brompton, and cardiologist John Deanfield, of Great Ormond Street Hospital, will be among the experts employed at KIMS. Mr Frost said the development represented a unique partnership between business and the medicalworld,with doctors being consulted over the design of the institute and involved in its man- agement.He said the institute was created “by cli- nicians, for clinicians” and would also offer unrivalled educational opportunities formedics.


Also on displaywere ambitious plans for a pro-


jected second phase – the Maidstone Medical Campus – to include a women and children’s hospital and a neuro-rehabilitation village, as well as centres formedical training, research and development, pathology and accommodation for medical staff.Acommunity woodland is also en- visaged. The £350m project is earmarked for land next


to Newnham Court Shopping Village and would bring 3,800 new jobs. An application for outline planning permission is due to be submitted to Maidstone Borough Council within the next few weeks, with the aim of opening the first facilities mid year in 2015.


Local Tory role for MP’s husband


THE husband of MP Helen Grant has been elected to a lead- ing role within the local Con- servative Association. Lawyer Simon Grant is now deputy chairman of the Maid- stone and Weald Conservative Association (membership and finance), following its annual meeting in April. Mr Grant serves alongside Maidstone Cllr Stephen Paine, who is deputy chairman (poli- tics) and beneath new chairman Cllr JohnWilson. The appointment coincides


with Mrs Grant’s decision to give up her London apartment, renting instead the property in Marden she held during her


Families get fit


in the park A FUN fitness morning for par- ents with children in prams will be held at Mote Park, Maidstone on Sunday, June 23, with personal trainer Emma Goodman. Parents and Prams starts at


10am in aid of the Heart of Kent Hospice. Bring a picnic and relax afterwards while your chil- dren join in with music and fun provided by Musical Playtime. Adonation of £10 is required. For details


go to


www.hokh.org , email fundrais- ing@hokh.co.uk or call 01622 790195.


Calling all knitters THE HEART of Kent Hospice will be starting a knitting group at its shop in King Street. The group will run from 3- 4.30pm on the third Thursday of everymonth, starting on June 20. The cost is a £1 donation to the Aylesford-based hospice. For details call 01622 790195.


28 South


election campaign in 2010. Former aide Tony Williams,


who revealed his sick pay had been slashed following changes to his contract by Mr Grant, has now been declared fit to return to work – but has now been


placed on ‘garden leave’ by the MP. She has restructured her of- fice since being elected Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Jus- tice and forWomen’s and Equal- ities issues.


Helen and family back in Kent home HELEN Grant, the ToryMPfor Maidstone and TheWeald, and her husband Simon, have returned to their former constituency home. They are again renting the cottage in Albion Road, Marden, where they lived until 2011. TheMP, now aminister in two government departments, told the Downs Mail: “We discovered our cottage in Marden was available again and it was an easy decision to return to the village. Everyone we know here has been very welcoming. I work in London most of the week, but it’s great coming home to Kent on Fridays.” Mr and Mrs Grant’s house in Surrey has been on the market since October 2010.


Cricketers cycle for pavilion fund


LOCAL cricketers are swapping their whites for Lycra as they embark on afund-raisingbikeride that takes in landmarksassociatedwith thesport – including St Mary's Church at Thurnham where Victorian hero Alfred Mynn is buried. Peter Erlam, pictured next to


Mr Mynn's gravestone, is among those setting offonJune27from their club at Teston and heading for Newenden – near the Sussex border–on the first of three legs of a 100-mile round trip. After an overnight stop in the


villagewhichboasts the first literary mentionof cricket in the1300s, the cyclists head for Canterbury - the home of Kent CC since 1847. The last section takesthemalong the PilgrimsWay via Thurnham, final


resting placeofMrMynn- aka the ‘Lion ofKent’ - andontoWestMalling, setting for thematch between AllMuggleton and DingleyDell in Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers that featured on £10 notes until 2003. Organiser Peter (60), of White Rock Court,Maidstone, explained that


Teston's pavilion isnolonger fit forpurpose andurgently needs replacing, otherwise the club - founded in 1895 and always associated with the vil- lage's Reader cricket ball factory - will cease to exist in a fewyears. “We need to plan for the future now- or therewon't be a future for us,


andTeston’shistoric linkwith cricket willbelost forever,nowthat thefac- tory has closed. Thatwould be tragic.” Even if the club’s application for a SportEngland grant is successful, a


lot more money will still be needed for the pavilion project. To sponsor the 100-mile ‘Ton for Teston’ appeal, go to www.localgiv- ing.com/testoncc and press the ‘Make a donation’ link.


Traffic fears CONCERNS over increased traffic congestion are being looked into by developers at DHA Planning. Jason Lewis, of DHA in Eclipse Park, says the firm has yet to complete the findings of a full-scale traffic analysis, but that he anticipates junction modifications will need to be made at three roundabouts – Notcutts, Bearstead Road and at Junction 7 of the M20. Mr Lewis said that the inten-


tionwould be to neutralise any negative effects from in- creased traffic.


Have your say FOR information on KIMS and the Maidstone Medical Cam- pus and to have your say on the development visit www.maid- stone-medical.co.uk


Barclays plans to relocate to


modern store BARCLAYS Bank is looking to close its two High Street branches and move into Frem- linWalk, Maidstone. The bank wants to relocate to


No 13, currently occupied by Clinton Cards,who wouldmove to a smaller retail unit at 8 Frem- lin Walk, should Maidstone Council grant planning permis- sion for the Barclays move. A supporting statement said


both High Street branches were considered “off pitch”, as they are “situated outside the main retail core area of Maidstone town centre”. It added: “Barclays seeks to relocate from existing premises at 5/6 High Street and 40/46 High Street, as the current branches do not meet the mod- ern banking requirements that are expected by its customers. “Furthermore, the current ex- teriors do not fit with Barclays’ modern and contemporary re- tail banking profile and appear- ance.


“Through an investment of £2million, a new Barclays branch at 13 FremlinWalk will include a high quality glazed frontage and entrance, to as- similate with the existing retail frontages, presenting an open view of activity within the branch from the street.” The High Street branches em-


ploy a combined 27 full time members of staff. The company says the pro-


posed Fremlin Walk branch would employ 30 full time members of staff in total, with existing employees relocated where possible. Maidstone Council will de- termine the planning applica- tion.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk


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