Social housing scheme on hold


SOCIAL housing landlord Orbit Housing Group will have to make amendments be- fore it can erect 24 affordable homes in Tovil Green. Maidstone Council’s planning committee deferred the application due to it not meet- ing sustainability targets. The borough or- dered the developer to come back with a scheme that would reach level four of the code for sustainable homes. The development would consist of four blocks of two and three-storey terraced houses, comprising 12 two bedroom and 12 three bedroom houses for affordable rent, together with private amenity space and 30 parking spaces. Objectors raised concerns at the traffic im-


Help shape our


health services by Dennis Fowle


LOCAL residents have a chance to help GPs shape their future health services. They are being encouraged to comment on a prospectus of priorities recently published by the new West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which can be found on www.westkentccg.nhs.uk. Dr Bob Bowes, chairman of


the CCG, said: “We want West Kent to be a healthy place and the prospectus will help resi- dents understand how we plan to achieve this.” The prospectus explains how


the CCG will use the £471mil- lion budget to buy most health services for the 500,000 popu- lation ofWest Kent (Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling and part of Sevenoaks). The CCG is made up of the


area’s 62 GP practices and they are responsible for planning and funding everything from emergency hospital care to dis- trict nurses. “Listening to residents and


acting on that is the key to our role,” said Dr Bowes. The public can join an online health network or a patient par- ticipation group at their GP sur- gery. The CCG can be emailed on westkent@nhs.net or by phone on 01732 375200.


Basketball success A MAIDSTONE basketball team has become only the sec- ondinKenttoplayinthe Na- tional League. Maidstone Warriors Basket-


ball Team, who play their home games at the YMCA Centre, have been accepted into the Vcars.co.uk EBL National LeagueMen’s Division Four for the 2013/2014 season. The acceptance comes just


one year after the merger with the Maidstone Panthers Men's and Maidstone Rebels wheel- chair team. The season starts in October


and season tickets are available at a discount until the end of July. Email waynewright@maid- stonewarriors.co.uk.


pact on residents of Tovil Green Court and Pine Court, which have extra care apartments for the elderly and people with learning dif- ficulties. A 22-name petition from residents of Tovil Green Court highlighted the issues. Cllr Derek Mortimer, a local borough and parish councillor, said: “This will impact and harm the pleasant environment cur- rently enjoyed by residents in the specialist care setting. There could be up to 106 new residents living in the new development, which would obviously cause a significant impact on the whole area. “One of my main concerns is for the safety


of pedestrians in Burial Ground Lane.Many residents currently walk to Tesco and Lidl in Farleigh Hill, and have to dodge traffic


on a daily basis due to the lack of footpaths in Burial Ground Lane. “Tovil already has a high level of afford-


able housing, and this development will add to the pressures in the community.” Cllr Mike Hogg, another local ward coun-


cillor and also a member of the planning committee, proposed refusal due to poor road safety, not enough parking and inade- quate footpath provision. However, because KCC had not objected, the committee was advised that those grounds would not stand up on appeal. Instead, Cllr Tony Harwood’s sustainabil-


ity concernswere cited by the committee to defer the application, which was agreed by 11 votes to one.


Grammar school marks 125 years


MAIDSTONE Grammar School for Girls is inviting past students and staff to an open afternoon to cele- brate the school’s 125th anniver- sary and 75 years at its current site. Theschool is alsokeen fordo- nations of old photographs, uni- forms or documents to add to an exhibition at the event. Head teacher Mary Smith said:


“All past students and staff are in- vited to the celebratory afternoon. There will be a chance to walk around the old building, investi- gate the new building, meet up with old friends and members of staff and reminisce about old times. There will also be fascinat- ingarchivematerialondisplayand the school would be interested to receive any photos prior to the event.” The school became the first


girls’ school in Maidstone when it opened in Albion Place, Sitting- bourne Road, in 1888. It broke with tradition by allowing young ladies to learn “boys’” subjects such as maths, chemistry and PE. The girls did PE, or drill as it was known, for20minutes eachmorn- ing under the direction of a staff sergeant from Maidstone Bar- racks. The school had just 50 pupils,


five classrooms, three teachers and no uniform when it first opened compared withmorethan 1,260 pupils today, including 60 boys in the sixth form. In 1938, theschoolmovedintoa


new building on the site of Great Buckland,a17th century mansion


Maidstone Gang Show at the Hazlitt Theatre


Maidstone Girls’


Grammar School today (above), and left, the first school picture in the 1890s


house once owned by the Earl of Aylesford, which had been de- stroyed by fire. The following year, when war broke out, the girls shared their new school site with pupils from Kings Warren School in Plumstead,whohad been evac- uated toMaidstone. Trenches or tunnelswere dug in


the school grounds to serve as air raid shelters where the girls took shelter when the Battle of Britain was raging. One pupil recalled a particular episode in the trenches: “The lights had fused and although therewere torches at eachcorner, itwas very dark in the middle.We had to grope our way along what seemed miles of trench between girls, so that we were continually tripping.We finallycameupon our form,who greeted us with cheers. If it was possible, we continued the lesson; if not,we sang.”


The same girl remembered div-


ing under desks when a bell rang towarn of an approaching doodle- bug, which, she recalled, always seemed to occur in the middle of dinner. Ms Smith added: “We are de-


lightedthe school hasplayedsuch a distinguished part in the story of Maidstone. Many things have changed in that time, but the core values remain the same.Whenthe Buckland site building was opened in 1938, the head teacher Miss Bartels looked back over the first 50 years and said: ‘We have changed in outward form but not, I think, in spirit’. I think that is probably still essentially true. ”  The open afternoon takes place from 1-5pm on Saturday, June 29. Email central@mggs.org if you wish to attend and see www.mggs.org formore details.


Meet the gang, ’cause the Scouts are here JOHN


ALL the ingredients of a gang show were there - lots of wog- gles, lots of fun, lots of music and lots of singing. There seemed to be a cast of thousands inMaidstone Scouts Gang Show, but then I realised that was the costume changing and clever shuffling of who was in the front row. Richard Flood directed this enjoyable extravaganza and he had done an excellent job,


MUNSON SHOW TIME


helped by a huge backstage production team. The tummy ache sketch was well done, and I loved the hand clap rou- tine. It wasn’t possible from the programme to identify anyone by name, but the leader of the hand clap was brilliant. The


young magician was also out- standing, with his white and red hankies. Do they have a magic badge in the Scouts? “In at the Deep End” was also


a slickly performed sketch and there was a feast of enthusias- tic dance and songs. The Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, Network Scouts and leaders who took part showed us how genera- tions can all work together and enjoy themselves. Thank you, Hazlitt, for mak- ing it possible.


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