Poor weather inspires solar farm


A WELL known farmer has spo- ken to Downs Mail about why he agreed to let a company put 112,008 solar panels on his land. William Day, branch chair-


man of the National Farmers’ Union and owner of Alfred Day and Son at Great Tong Farm, ac- cepts the panels will be less at- tractive than fields full of animals or crops but says the move is necessary for the future of his business and our planet. He is working with Solar Secu-


rities, which has submitted a screening opinion to Maidstone Council indicating it wishes to build a solar farm over 12 of his fields, a combined area of 63.4ha, almost a mile north of Headcorn between the A274 Maidstone Road and Stickfast Lane.


A solar park in Aylesford MrDay,whohas run the family


farm for 30 years, said: “There is bound to be some visual impact and I understand people’s con- cerns – a solar farm will never be as pretty as the fields are now – but Ihave todowhat’s best for the planet and my business. Things are very bad at the moment, par- ticularly because of the weather, and we are actually producing food at a loss.”


A PROPOSAL to build a solar farm near Staple- hurst has been met with fierce objections. Around 15 residents living close to the planned 21-hectare development at Great Pagehurst Farm attended a Staplehurst Parish Council meeting to register their concerns. Vogt Solar UK has lodged a screening opinion


applicationtositeaseriesof2mhighground- mounted PV panels in long arrays on arable land bordered by Park Road to the west, Marden Road to the north and Pagehurst Road to the south. City insurance worker Charles Foulkes (52),


who lives at Great Pagehurst Farm Cottages, said he only learnt of the solar scheme after a neigh- bour knocked on his door and told him about it. The father of two, whose home is one of the clos-


est to the development, believes that Vogt Solar UK is not being accurate by stating in its outline scheme that hedgerowswill screen the development. He said: “I’m not convinced that the hedges will


act as a screen, some of them are too low, and they will not shield the view from my upstairs win-


LADIES are being invited to take their lives in their hands by taking tea with the notorious King Henry VIII. The women of Yalding Wom-


ens’ Institute have decided to celebrate their three score years and ten by inviting the gigolo Tudor ruler to tea at the village hall on Tuesday June 11. The six-times wed King, por- trayed by actor Tony Harris, is renowned for his entertaining antics and anecdotes and has promised to amuse any ladies whowanttocomealong and share in the WI’s 70th birthday


A DOWNSIZED reception and shop may be built at the Tanner Farm Caravan Park, Goudhurst Road,Marden. The proposed multi-use building, which would also in- clude a store, kitchen area and tractor/implement store, is smaller than a scheme that has already been approved by Maidstone Council. The latest planning applica-


tion is for a building that meas- ures 20m by 8m. The previously


18 South Great Tong Farm, which is 120


years old, currently grows cider apples, pears and other crops and rears sheep. Although Mr Day would give up part of his oilseed rape fields to make way for the solar farm, his sheep would con- tinue to graze around the panels. “The panels will actually ben-


efit a lot of wildlife. With a big fence around the fields to keep badgers and foxes out, more bees will start to make their nests there and birds such as plovers will hopefully return,” he added. Retired parish council chair-


man Tim Thomas said that as a resident of Brooklands, Headcorn, he would be happy for a solar farm to be built as long as it was not an eyesore.He said: “Itwould be a shame to take agricultural


Concern over ‘unsuitable’ panels


dows. The views we have now are exceptional with beautiful sunsets across the land.” He added that he was concerned about the po- tential impact onwildlife: “We have skylarks and hares running through the field and I don’t know what will happen to them. There are plenty of brownfield sites that are more appropriate and this one will take up good quality arable land.” Staplehurst councilors stressed that Vogt Solar


UK had not made a full planning application, but the firm has since been told that it will not be re- quired to carry out an environmental impact as- sessment. Vogt Solar UK plans to share the land with live-


stock, which would graze during the solar farm’s 25-year lifespan. “As a consequence, the landwill have a high nutrient content and excellent soil structure, giving high yields if it then reverts to arable production,” a supporting statement said. The firm says there will be no associatedpollution


or noise and states “the number of dwellings from which the solar farm would be visible is small”.


WI celebrates with Tudor theme


celebrations. The evening starts at 7.30pm


and a limited number of tickets are available, priced £3, to in- clude refreshments. The WI recently elected two


new joint presidents. Thelma Nye and Viv Peters,


both new recruits to the committee, were elected joint presidents following the retire- ment of past president Linda Martin. The WI meets on the second


Tuesday of each month and new members are always wel- come.


Reception and shop plans are downsized


accepted proposal measures 25m by 15m. A supporting statement by applicant S Man- nington & Son said: “It was pro- posed to construct a steel frame building of 375sqm. “This is now deemed to be


too large and we are seeking a smaller building togetherwith a revised design to be more in keeping with the rural sur- roundings.” Maidstone Council will determine the revamped building proposal.


WACKY racers took to thewaves of the River Beult in Yalding in a fund-raising raft race for the local scouts.


But organisers have hit out at


thepranksterswhothreweggs at competitors–andwarnedany re- peat incidents will result in of- fenders being arrested.


Organised by Scout leader


PeterCamrass,12teamspooled their creativetalents to whipupafrenzy of floaters which bobbed, bubbled and – in some cases – sank, much to the amusement of onlookers.


But the local shop found eggswere suddenly in great demand as kill-joys


sought easy ammunition to fire at the sailorspaddlingbeneath thebridge. Therewere four prizes: best fancy dresswent to Bananas in Pyjamas –


the team from the Environment Agency, captained by Jason Adams; best raft construction went to The Chequers Floaters (the Chequers Inn, Laddingford), captained by Ian Moore; the fastest time of 7m 58s was achievedbyTop2Bottom(pictured),captainedbyMarkHambly;best youth team was the Avengers Assembled (Yalding Scouts), captained by Jack Wakeford.Theevent raisedover£1,000 for the Scoutgroup andMrCam- rass said: “Thanks to all who participated and supported this event and thanks also to all those who helped make it happen. Once again, there was a fantastic team spirit in evidence.


“Apart fromafewdrops of rain, theweatherwaskindandalarge crowd


of spectators enjoyed an excellent day. The level of support is much ap- preciated.”


Competitors inthe pasthavefound themselvesdoused inflour,but this


year’s egg assaultwas one step too far according to Mr Camrass. Speaking after the event, he said: “Not only is this dangerous it is also


a criminal offence. To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


land out of use but this is part of trying to answer a global issue and I understand why Mr Day would make this decision from a business point of view.Tong Farm is quite environmentally friendly as an organisation so I don’t think they woulddo something like this unless they believed it was right.” Mr Day stressed that the solar


farm would be a temporary arrangement and could be com- pletely removed at the end of its expected 25-year life or before. He said it would produce enough electricity annually to supply Headcorn and Staple- hurst. He concluded: “Solar energy


is promoted by the Government as being sustainable and it is supported by the Green Party. I’m saving the planet!”


‘Warm relationships’ OFSTED inspectors who visited DonnaLuttschwager, ofTheCock- pit, Marden, found that she built warm relationships with the chil- dren in her care. As a result, they felt a strong sense of security. The children had regular op- portunities to go to local tod- dler groups, parks and the library, enabling them to learn about their community. The childminder had a good understanding of her responsi- bilities with regard to child pro- tection. Her homewas safe, and she took appropriate steps to reduce dangers. Her care was judged to be


good, and could be raised to outstanding if children were given more opportunity to ex- plore their own creative ideas.


Egg throwers mar wacky racing


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