Regeneration of Park Wood begins


THE demolition of ParkWood has begun. Maidstone’smuch-maligned estate – once dubbed the single parent capital of Europe – is getting a facelift. Housing which went up in the 1960s and


1970s onWallis Fields is being demolished to make way for the latest architecturally- designed homes and gardens, which will ensure families are integrated with single occupants and the elderly with the young. The multi-million pound project, which


got underway on the hottest day of the year, will see everything from the old properties salvaged and recycled. Electrical cables and services had to be stripped out prior to the bulldozers moving in – and wood, window frames, glass and hardcore will all be re-cycled and re-used. Mike FitzGerald, a former borough coun-


cillor who has played an instrumental role in the life of ParkWood for more than half a century, was invited to take the controls of a monster truck to mark the start of the demolition project. He said: “I love ParkWood. My children


went to school here and it was the start of my volunteering here. “This development will not just bring


new homes and new residents, but with it a fresh vision while at the same time re-in- venting the heart, the hub and the shopping offer so essential to daily life.”


Ofsted praise


for caring staff OFSTED inspectors who vis- ited Allington Day Nursery in Ash Grove, Maidstone, found that the staff catered well for the children’s needs. They developed warm and supportive relationships with the children and their families, giving the youngsters a strong sense of belonging. Babies were cared for by a


team who focused on their early development, and the children were well-behaved, self-assured and made steady progress. However, the inspectors said supervision was not fully effec- tive in identifying inconsisten- cies in staff practice, and staff did not ensure parents were consistently involved in their children’s development. Staff were also encouraged to promotemathematical develop- ment in the outdoor area. The nursery’s provision was rated as satisfactory.


Fatal fall A VERDICT of accidental death was recorded on a woman who died after falling down the stairs at herMaidstone home. Dawn Tattersall (69) suffered


from liver cancer and was growing increasingly frail when she fell down the stairs at her home in Highland Road. All attempts by police and paramedics to revive Mrs Tat- tersall failed. Consultant pathologist Dr


David Rouse told coroner Patri- cia Harding that Mrs Tattersall suffered internal bleeding to the brain, resulting in her death.


30 Town


Mike FitzGerald starts off the demolition, and right, homes are knocked to the ground Phase one of the £38m regeneration proj-


ect will see the demolition of 234 units in theWallis Avenue area, along with garages and some commercial units. In their place will go 185 new homes, mostly family houses, along with a new shopping area and community facilities. The flats around the junction of Wallis


Avenue and Longshaw Road are the first to go, making way for 51 new houses, 18 apartments and a community centre. Subject to planning permission, phase


two is scheduled to begin later in the year with the demolition of blocks of flats be- tween Longshaw Road and Bicknor Road, making way for 77 new homes and a new shopping facility. Most of the new homes will be two/three


bedrooms, with a small number of one-bed flats. They will mainly be available for af- fordable rent. The scheme is being funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and sup- ported by Maidstone Borough Council. Golding Homes, which is masterminding


the project, is contributing £30,000 towards Maidstone’s plans for a new skate park and outside gym close to Heather House. Golding Homes says it has tried to come


up with a scheme that involves as many of residents’ ideas and aspirations as possible. These will include a new cycle route and pathway alongside the park, a parking space for each house, gardens, bike and bin stores for each house and safer streets with traffic calming.


Chef Troy cooks up a storm YOUNG cook Troy Gardiner-Playfordwas one of a trio of chefs tomake it through to the finals of theNational Guild ofFoodWriters’COOKIT!Com- petition. Troy (11), fromParkWood,who attendsNewLine LearningAcad- emy, hopes tomake a career out of catering so was thrilled to get through to the finals, held at the Electrolux Academy, Luton. TheGuild askedaspiring young


chefs to create a two-course meal that theywould cook to im- press their friends. Inspired by produce grown or produced in Kent, Troy achieved third place with his two-course menu of pork in a creamy Ken- tish cider sauce with Lyonnaise potatoes and mange tout, fol- lowedbyBakewelltartwithKen- tish lavender cream. The judges, who included the


BBC’s Gastronaut,Stefan Gates, cookery writer, Annie Bell and Alex Mackay, a well-known author, chef and broadcaster, said: "The standard of cooking was absolutely phe- nomenal.” Troy said: “I’m really proud of myself competing and completing my


dishes withinanhourandahalf–I did reallywell. I couldnothavestarted my career in catering in a betterway.” Troy received a certificate, an Electrolux silent blender and a selection of signed cookery books as his prize.


Shoplifter jailed KIERON Curtis (23), of Wheeler Street, Maidstone, was jailed for 104 days by Mid Kent Magistrates after he admitted two counts of shoplifting. He stole a DVD box set worth


£40fromashopinFremlin Walk, Maidstone on June 23 and more sets worth £135.96 from the same premises five days later. Curtis was also re-sentenced for five earlier offences.


Driver had drugs PETER Lloyd, of Bower Lane, Maidstone, was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £200 for driving while unfit through drugs and pos- sessing drugs. He admitted driving a Rover


in Terrace Road,Maidstone, on March 27, while unfit through drugs and having 3.86g of keta- mine in his possession. Mid Kent Magistrates also ordered him to pay £85 costs.


Nine trees may


be removed A PLAN has been submitted to remove nine trees in the Loose Valley Conservation area. Applicant James Williams


says there are “too many large trees” in the garden at Mount Arafat in Cave Hill, Tovil. He wants to ground two sycamores, three leylandiis, one field maple, one beech, one Norway maple and one fir tree. The planning application, which will be determined by Maidstone Council, also in- cludes work to reduce the crown of a group of laurel trees. The application form said:


“The soil is quite shallow in places and the trees compete both forwater, especially in dry summers, and also for sunlight. “There is need to remove


some of the existing trees to re- balance the garden and ensure the remaining trees can better survive a drought. We lost sev- eral trees the last timewe had a dry summer. “It is planned to re-plant sev-


eral ‘good-looking’ trees along the recently stabiliszed cliff over theWoodbridge Drive play area, the western boundary to the garden.”


Bin problems LITTER bins and dog waste bins in Tovil had not been emp- tied by Maidstone Council for several weeks, the parish coun- cil heard. Residents had ended up emp-


tying bins themselves and re- placed the black sacks. The parish council agreed to find out why Maidstone Council had not been doing the job.


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