LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
‘Chuggers’ a menace Dear Sir – Thank you for addressing the issue of “chuggers” in Maidstone. It’s a sad but true fact that these charity collectors are indeed invasive and aggressive. The charities which they represent are all commendable ones, but people often do NOT want to be stopped in the street, or even run after, with the chuggers stepping into their path and their personal space to bully them into signing up to a direct debit scheme to bleed them every month. When people want to make efforts with a charity of choice they do so. If I am alone, the remarks to my back just glance off. If I am out with my children, however, then the mark is overstepped and I feel my blood begin to boil at their audac- ity. I then find it necessary to confront them and explain why I will not be stopping and whyIwillnot be signingupforadirect debit scheme to the organisation which they are representing.
Stephanie Bray, by email
Pitch and pavilion plans Dear Sir – The Downs Mail has always been very supportive of our desire to improve The Mote sports ground. Maidstone’s premier cricket and rugby
clubs have agreed, for many years, we cannot improve facilities without an enabling resi- dential development, and we now have a plan winning support of many, including Maidstone Council, Kent Cricket Club and sports followers in Maidstone and Kent.We hope to achieve planning permission to start building at the end of the rugby season. Within little more than a year thereafter,
the facilities (including a new pavilion)will match the magnificence of our beautiful ground and enable us to sustain, financially, one of Maidstone’s treasures on the border of Mote Park. We even plan to increase the number of trees and native hedgerows on site, with powerful landscaping. While house building will take place on
part of the upper rugby pitch, both clubs will retain the same number of pitches (two cricket, three rugby) by careful re-allocation and design of this 24-acre site. When all changes are in place we expect membership of both clubs to increase. Some other local sports now talk of joining in this exciting Mote experience. We expect the local community to enjoy many benefits too. We are in challenging, but very excit- ing, times. Trevor Langley, chairman Maidstone Rugby Club Development
Dennis Fowle, chairman, The Mote Cricket Club Development.
Dangers finally averted Dear Sir – In the August edition of Downs Mail there is a letter from David Berry, from Weavering, about the Notcutts roundabout. I assume he is referring to the one at the junction of Bearsted Road and the A249, and not the one at the junction of New Cut and Bearsted Road. The former has just had the layout altered whilst the latter has been increased massively in size in order to ac- commodate the KIMS development. If he is referring to the former, I am in com-
plete agreement with him when hementions the dangers that were formerly there, when trying to cut across traffic in order to access the M20 London-bound slip road . When there was a public meeting before
the KIMS development, this is the point I made at that meeting which was dismissed by Kent Highways. It now seems Kent High- ways agree access to the M20 London bound
44 East
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was dangerous, so have removed the filter. It just shows that the public seem to be
more in touch with reality than the so- called experts.
Ian Stuart,Weavering
Cannon back to black Dear Sir – I amglad to hear that the historic cannon captured at Sebastopol is to be re- sited in the High Street. I have one request though. Could it please
be painted black? For some strange reason it was painted battleship grey last time. I have never seen a cannon painted grey be- fore, so let's put it back to black. DaveWoodcock,Willington Street, Maidstone
Get in line at roundabout Dear Sir - In view of the fact that the police will soon be empowered to levy on-the-spot fines for ‘careless driving’ offences, includ- ing ‘using the wrong lane at a roundabout’, this might be a good time to paint in some lanes on the re-designed roundabout be- tween the Hilton hotel and Notcutts garden centre near J7 of the M20 (and also, the en- larged hospital one at the top of New Cut Road).
Maurice Alexander, Fitzwilliam Road, Bearsted
Use Next cash on roads Dear Sir – On June 6, the Conservatives on Maidstone Council’s planning committee passed the application by Next for a store on Eclipse Park, against officers’ advice They also refused to listen to legal advice
on the night to defer a decision to allow ne- gotiations of conditions and S106 money, which could be used locally to lessen the impact of the store on the local environment and local roads. The failure to listen has resulted in Next dictatingwhat planning conditions it would accept, and only offering £140,000 to alle- viate local problems, compared with the S106 or CIL figure for theNext store in High Wycombe of £1.34m. We, it seems, are left to pick up the crumbs. At the planning meeting on August 8, a
paper was put forward, although subse- quently withdrawn due to failure to give reasonable notice to residents. It recom- mended all the S106 money should go to the town centre, and none to deal with the impact on local residents. It seems a good case for supporting local environmental improvements is to be ig- nored, as well as any improvements to local road safety or to deal with the inherent parking problems locally resulting from the lack of staff parking. Next claim there will be 180 new jobs, but have only allowed 4 parking spaces for staff. Traffic generated locally, using the Sit- tingbourne Road, Hampton Road on Vinters Park, and the Bearsted Road, will increase substantially. Unfortunately, the main stretch of Hampton Road through Vinters Park, for about 400 metres, has no pave- ment, requiring people to walk on the grass or the main road. Also, in recent years, there have been
more than 20 recorded crashes (where in- juries have occurred) along the Sitting- bourne Road and 11 crashes along the Bearsted Road, including three since the road alteration works have been carried out. I have written to the planning officers ask-
ing that S106 money be obtained to improve road safety on the Sittingbourne Road and Hampton Road, but this seems to have been ignored in the report. Should we fail to bring Next in line at this
stage to help counter the problems that local residents will have to deal with, then why would other retail developers, who in- evitably will now apply to put other retail stores on the Eclipse Park, feel they need to bother? Ian Chittenden – County councillor for Maidstone North East Division
No petition on junction Dear Sir –In your article “Discussion over plan for A249 junction” you say Cllr Jenny Whittle said she had received a 150-signature petition from Detling residents asking for the A249 entrance into the village to be shut to stop vehicles cutting through the village. No such petition exists. There is a petition supporting action against some through traf- fic in the village, and some residents have asked for the closure of the junction. The idea of closing the junction has di-
vided opinion in the village as it is believed by some that closing the junction would in- convenience locals and visitors. There are ongoing discussions involving
the Highways Agency and Kent County Council.
C.Woodcock, Detling
Who cares about buildings? Dear Sir – I congratulate you on your article headed “Lime trees remain protected”. Thank goodness the local authority has protected these 25-year-old trees. Those buildings in Lenham mentioned in
your article are old anyway (600 years old). Your photography shows how the lime
trees hide those horrible old buildings. Mr King proposed replanting the trees in
root barriers, but this would be a waste of money because nobody cares anyway. Name and address withheld.
Kent is place for airport Dear Sir – North Kent should be the area to benefit from the new London airport. Heathrow is an environmental cancer blighting the lives of millions. If London did not have an airport, Heathrow would be the last place to plant it. The prevailingwind comes from the west blowing airport pollution and car- cinogenous diesel fumes over London. Tests show tens of thousands of children are ad- versely affected: 13-year-old youths in bor- oughs around Heathrow are, on average, two years behind children in other parts of the capital because of the noise and filth. A new London airport should be in the
east, where pollution would blow out across the Channel. For health reasons, Heathrow should shrink not expand – ask the doctors at Ashford Hospital,Middlesex. An airport for London will continue to be
a problem that should have been resolved in the 1970s. The various solutions pro- posed have been ducked by our gutless, spineless MPs. Heath had it in his grasp to build an airport
at or around Cliffe. The solution was foiled by the RSPB and eco-freaks. I suggest that dicky-birds should have no influence on de- ciding where a London airport should be. Birdsmigrate, bring disease, foul the land
and cost a fortune to control, very much like our useless MPs; for both these pests, the fewer the better. We don’t need a new island, we need a decision within a year and a good plan to drain some or part of the many marshlands already available in the Thames estuary. A new airport could be operational by
2020, but sadly this will never happen, not with this load of parliamentary invertebrates. Anthony Lang, Sandling, Maidstone
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