Calls for gym hours compromise


MAIDSTONE Council has called for a compromise deal to be struck over the opening hours of a prospective gym in Headcorn. In April this year, Anthony


Hayes was given planning con- sent to convert a vacant indus- trial unit into a gym at the former Waycon Builders’ Yard in Parnham House, North Street. A condition attached to the permission was that the open- ing hours would be restricted to 9.30am-7pm Mondays to Satur- days and 9am-5pm on Sundays and bank holidays. His application to change the opening hours to 7am-10pm


Future gym in North Street


weekdays and opening 30 min- utes later on a Sunday was met with objections by the parish council and four neighbours, who cited the potential for in- creased noise, loss of privacy, reduced highway safety and loss of access to a right of way. After discussing the proposal


It isn’t a takeaway or betting shop EDITOR’S COMMENT


YOU would think that in almost 60minutes of debate a planning committee would have exhausted every possible aspect of a single application.


And though the 12 borough council members tried


their best when it came to the prospective gym in NorthStreet, Headcorn, somesignificant factorswere overlooked.


The firstwas thatoneof themain functions ofalocal council is to facilitate business growth and employ- mentin its catchmentarea. Whether this isaplanning issue is debatable, though when it came to the pro- posal for a Next Home store off M20 J7 in June, the committee was willing to rip up existing policies and give the go-ahead in the hope itwould create jobs for local people.


So you would have thought that the business case


of a gym that wanted to stay open on weekdays until an hour shy of last orders ataneighbouring pubwould have been mentioned at the very least.


Cllr Ian Chittenden said hewas “disturbed” that the applicant had requested an extension to the opening hours so soon after getting initial permission. But surely it is not beyond the realms of possibility to con- sider that somebody trying to fill vacant premises might have soon discovered that few gym operators would be forthcoming if they couldn’t tap into the cru-


Cornwallis praised OFSTED inspectors say Corn- wallis Academy is a good schoolwhere students achieved well from below average starting points. Teaching is good with im- provement in maths and sci- ence. Disabled students and those with special needs make good progress, because they are given support and were helped to develop confidence. Students develop learning


skills well, and use information and communication technology with interest. Senior managers make sure


the importance of tracking pupils’ progress is understood by staff. Teachers are monitored, training needs identified and support is well planned. The sixth form offers a wide choice of subjects and students make good progress. To improve further, students should be given time to improve marked work, and staff should ask challenging questions.


12 South


cial earlymorning and evening market. The applicant may have been naïve in agreeing to the original hours, but there is nothing sinister inchanging yourbusiness plan before it is too late.


Tohis credit CllrDennis Collins did touchonthis, but


there was not a single comment from any member showing support tothe principleofencouraginganew business to invest in the borough.


But whatwas even more glaringwas the lack of any


acknowledgement that a gym is a place for people to boost their healthandfitness.Councillorswere notdis- cussinganewtakeaway orabetting shop, yet it felt as if the discussion lacked any kind of context.


The council is in charge of promoting health and recreation and is not slow in coming forward when it comes to trumpeting the virtues of its leisure centre in Mote Park.


Whether itwouldhavemadeadifference to the final decision is debatable, but surely at least onemember of the committeemight have emphasised that creat- inganenvironment forpeople to exercise can actually benefit thewellbeing of local residentsandreduce the strain on health services.


Rarely can a debate have been so telling about bor-


ough councillors’ attitude to the most important as- pect in all of our lives: our health.


for almost an hour, the commit- tee agreed to ask the applicant to have weekday opening hours of 8am-9pm. Should this be re- fused then the original applica- tion would return to the committee. Otherwise, these would be the operating hours. Cllr Dennis Collins, a com- mittee member, noted that the building has been disused for a number of years. He said: “It is a commuter town and a good pro- portion of people expecting to use it will do so after 6pm. It is not unusual for people working in business to want to use a gym early in the morning or late at night.” Itwas also noted that the gym would be close to The


White Horse pub, which would have later opening hours. Cllr Fran Wilson said she


could not see why the applicant suddenly wanted longer hours because “from what I under- stand the original application went along with the hours they wanted in the first place”. Cllr Ian Chittenden said he


gets “disturbed when planning permission is granted with one set of conditions then within weeks the applicant comes back with something else”. But it was his recommenda-


tion to compromise the opening hours that was accepted by the committee, with eight in favour and five against.


Ofsted upgrades


Headcorn school AT HEADCORN Primary School pupils make good progress and are confident about their learning, say Of- sted inspectors. At its most recent inspec-


tion, the school was up- graded from satisfactory to good, after achievement had improved and pupils were making good progress. In key stage 1, standards in reading and writing are above the national average, and achievement has improved in key stage 2. The quality of teaching is good, and in some cases, outstanding. The head teacher and leaders keep a close eye on performance, and governance is strong. To achieve an outstanding rating, the school should give pupils more opportunities to practise numeracy skills in other subjects, and tasks ad- justed so pupils of average ability are challenged.


A field day for trains, cars and lawnmowers


Roger Manklow with his lawnmowers and tanks and tractors at The Chequers


THE third annual train and transport social day brought more than 30 classic cars to the field behind The Chequers Inn, Laddingford, plus more than a dozen renovated tractors. Model rail enthusiasts filled


the pub’s marquee where event organiser Terry Heaslip had a large track with up to seven different eng- ines running. The children


were delighted that Thomas The Tank made an appearance. ACE trains


were repre- sented as well as the Tapper’s train club from Beckenham with Graham Lock display-


ing a fully working Basset- Lowke 1949 steam locomotive. There were trains large and


small including ‘O’ gauge and Hornbys to view, as well as a model farmyard made by Dick Ripley. The Capstan model boat club provided a pool with remote model boats for the children to try while their parents wan- dered around the cars on show, that ranged from MGs and Mor- gans to Jaguars and Jensens. At the front of the pub, there


were four armoured Ferret scout tanks/cars and an Aston Martin. But the most unusual exhibits of the day had to be Roger Manklow’s 1963 Ran- somes Matador lawnmower and 1951 ATCO lawnmower. There was no charge for ex- hibiting or entry but donations of £67.65 were received for the Kent Air Ambulance.


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