Village school may double in size


THE proposed introduction of 106 new homes in Harrietsham could pave the way for the vil- lage primary school to double in size. Bovis Homes has submitted a planning application to build the homes in Tongs Meadow, which is located between the railway station, primary school and the Baldwins Close resi- dential development. With Crest Nicholson cur-


rently in the process of build- ing 80 homes on land bounded by Hook Lane, West Street and Ashford Road, and another 80 homes touted for Bell Farm, Church Road, increased de- mand for places has led to the primary school having a higher pupil intake from this month. The school previously catered for a total of 143 pupils, with 20 admitted into reception each year. This figure is rising to 30 from September, thus tak- ing seven years for the school to fill to its new capacity of 210 pupils and becoming an estab- lished one-form entry. Now the parish council is ne- gotiating a land swap with Bovis Homes that could see the school eventually swell to offer a two-form entry of 60 pupils per year. The parish council would


give the developer ownership of playing fields to the north of the school in exchange for the fields east of the school cur- rently owned by Bovis. This


New homes in garden would


Objections to new scheme


Harrietsham Primary


School, and


right, some of the homes


already being build on Hook Lane.


would help the school expand in the future. The company’s supporting statement said: “The existing school playing fields that form part of the land swap are sloped, not ideal for playing fa- cilities but would serve well as residential. “The land swap would allow


the school playing fields to be located on a single school site, ie the playing fields are not sep-


Extension plan A PLANNING application has been submitted to extend the primary school inWest Street. KCC wants to establish two


new planning preparation and assessment rooms by adding a rendered cube next to the hall.


arated from the school by a public right of way. “The parish council and KCC education have informally in- dicated that as they believe the local needs for affordable hous- ing have been achieved by the Crest development, there may be scope to omit or reduce the standard 40% affordable dwelling requirement for the site, in lieu of further contribu- tions towards the construction of the two-form entry school.” The proposed homes would comprise 12 two-bed flats, 26 two-bed houses, 23 three-bed houses, 27 four-bed houses and 18 five-bed houses. There would be 162 parking spaces and 72 garages. Maidstone Council will de- termine the application.


CONCERNS have been raised about a proposal for 80 homes on land either side of Church Road, south of theA20in Harri- etsham. DHA planning consultants


have been consulting residents on the plans. TheHarrietsham villageweb-


site issuedastatementcriticis- ing the idea. It said: “The site to the west of Church Road has been included for “modest de- velopment” within the neigh- bourhood plan. This is not a “modest development”andwill have an overwhelming detri- mental impact on the commu- nity especially East Street. “There is insufficient green


space, green buffer zones and open space provision in this sensitive area.” Other complaints included


fearsover the proposed closure of Church Road, which would have an adverse impact on the ability of residents to move around “our already frag- mented village”, and the issue of visibility fromEastStreetand Sandway. The statement added: “When


the application comes forward, weshall beworking together to organise a petition, and letters of objection toMaidstone Bor- ough Council.”


Inspectors’ praise for hospital care


‘enhance area’ ROGER Tong and Carol Wheeler have applied to build three homes on garden land near 1 West Street, Harriet- sham. A supporting statement for


the scheme, which would also introduce new garages to serve the existing houses, said: “His- torically, there were five cot- tages on the site and two were demolished approximately 50- 55 years ago. “Cottages 3 and 5West Street


were converted into one dwelling approximately 25 years ago and are known as just 3 West Street. It is now pro- posed to put the site back to five cottages. “The existing gardens are landscaped and comprise lawned areas,


shrubs,


flowerbeds and parking area. “There is very low ecological


value of the site and the pro- posed development will en- hance the ecological value of the site with appropriate tree and shrub planting.” Maidstone Council will de- termine the planning applica- tion.


8 East


AN independent hospital for people with mental health diffi- culties in Maidstone has re- ceived a glowing report from the CQC (Care Quality Commis- sion).


Glenhurst Lodge, in Vinters


Road, Vinters Park, part of The Glen Care Group, provides care and treatment for patients with mental health needs, learning disabilities and problems with substance misuse. The hospital provides accom- modation with nursing and per- sonal care, treatment and diagnostic services for people with mental health difficulties undergoing rehabilitation in a


A FORMER chef who has shared his culinary talents with diners around the world has been appointed the new vice- principal of MidKent College. The aptly-named Simon Cook


will join the college in Septem- ber from his current position as head of retail and service in- dustries at Cornwall College. His appointment coincides


with the beginning of a new era at MidKent under the leader-


locked setting. Inspectors found that each per-


son had an individual set of care plans in place and their care needswere reviewed eachweek. In addition, patients were in- volved in making decisions about their care and could speak to healthcare professionals when they needed to. A number of patients were


asked about their experiences at Glenhurst Lodge and comments included “the staff here are won- derful”, “I’ve really made progress since I’ve been here”, and “we are able to make choices about what we do each day”.


ship of its first female principal, Sue McLeod. Mr Cook studied as an appren- tice chef at Suffolk Col- lege before landing a job at London’s In- terContinental hotel. He worked


there for two years before moving to Ger-


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330 Vanessa Ling, registered man-


ager at Glenhurst Lodge, said: “This report is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team at Glenhust Lodge. “We have always worked openly with the CQC and other regulatory and commissioning authorities to ensure service user experiences within our organisa- tion are positive. To have inde- pendent endorsement of this is very rewarding.” Glen Care is a specialist provider of low secure hospitals, locked rehabilitation hospitals, enhanced residential services and supported living for de- tained and informal patients.


Former chef is college vice-principal


many, where he worked in the very best Michelin-starred restaurants for five years before taking up a position at the Grand Roche Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. He eventually returned to the


UK and secured his first educa- tional role with Aylesbury Col- lege in 2001. He joined Somerset College in 2004 before moving to Cornwall College in 2011.


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