DownsMail In touch with your parish


daughter had injured her finger on the cable ride at the field. The peoplewho hadwanted a marquee in the field for a birth- day party had decided not to go ahead with this. The new bin for the field had arrived and would be installed after the meeting.


Landlord tribute


West Peckham Council


THE parish council noted the sad passing of Clive Selbie, pre- vious landlord of the Swan on the Green. He was an active member of the community who would be missed by many. The council expressed sympathy to his family at this sad time. Apart from a burnt-out car in


The Hurst, there had been no other reported incidents of crime since the last meeting. Borough Cllr Jill Anderson and county Cllr Janet Sergison


congratulated all involved in the recent village fete, which was a huge success. Great weather ensured a good turnout and about £5,000 is expected to have been raised. A resident of Stan Lane had


noted that although some of the potholes had been mended,the surface had not been repaired as needed. The memorial plaque for the


late Colin Cable needed to be reinstalled after it was removed due to work on the bench. It is likely this will be incorporated into the Diamond Jubilee Bench project. The council agreed to keep


the number of grass cuts at Par- son’s Corner to two for the time being, but requested that one is always done at the end of June. The council agreed that the chairman should contact Paul Spensley (village fete commit- tee) regarding some of the


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Clear up our highways Dear Sir – I am writing to complain about all the roundabouts, grass verges, motorway junctions – basically, anything I believe Kent Highways is responsible for. This seems to start from the top of


Wrotham Hill to just past Snodland and other areas. One of themain reasons formoving to the


West Malling area was that it was main- tained. What has changed since 2006? We have a forgotten part of Kent.With the num- ber of new houses built in this area, all pay- ing about £2,000 in council tax, we are getting a poor share of maintenance. Weeds are damaging roads and pathways,


and litter is dropped.We must have sent the council over 100 emails, but they blame everybody and everything, rather than cleaning and maintaining areas which they are paid to do. This must change. Grass verges are cut on some sides but not others. Grass is not cut around signs, some of which are corroding and falling over. Some litter is picked up – some is just left.


In other areas, roundabouts have lovely plants – here they are not even cut. There is grit left from the snow and faulty


lights all along the A20, and motorway verges are overgrown and littered. I am copying this letter to Cllr Trudy


Dean, as this is her area. Darrell andMandy Dadson, by email


Music to our ears Dear Sir – I ampleased to announce that do- nations totalling £80,000 have beenmade to Demelza Hospice Care for Children and Teens Unite Fighting Cancer as a result of the Music on the Hill 2013 event at Kings Hill in July. We are very pleased that we have been


able to make the donation to Demelza and Teens Unite. We had some truly amazing supporters who donated money, equipment and time. A big part of Music on the Hill is the par- ticipation of the children and teenagers that the charities support and their families. Forme, the highlight of the weekend was the chance for them to meet the artists and


money raised from the fete being used for village projects.


New councillor


Wateringbury Council


CHRISTOPHER Stones was co- opted on to the council. Allotments were to be in- spected by councillors during July.


PCSO Philip Harrison gave


the crime report. He said there had been three crimes recorded in thevillage–aburglary, a theft and a case of harassment. He had also dealt with two in- cidents of anti-social behaviour. Several people had shown an interest in leasing Drayhorse Meadow for equestrian use. The creation of additional occa- sional car parking for use by those visiting the playing fields was discussed, and the council would liaise with Tonbridge andMalling Council to try to re-


solve the issue. Cllr Chris Talbert reported on


the parish partnership meeting, including the parish caretaker scheme, local plan updates and crime statistics. Councillors were concerned


about the outline planning ap- plication for an additional 975 homes at Kings Hill on land designated for business use. They were concerned about


extra traffic coming through the village, particularly in the vicin- ity of the traffic lights, which had some of the highest levels of pollution in the county. Other concerns included the


lack of secondary school provi- sion and a cemetery, and the pressures which would be put on other local amenities. Speedwatch teams continued


to monitor traffic speeds in the village. There were 164 offenders recorded in June. The police con- tinued to operate speed traps.


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: info@downsmail.co.uk


to be part of the festival. We hope those who attended the concerts


will keep supporting the charities at other events throughout the year. Thank you to everyone who bought a


ticket and who supported the event. Colin Thacker, trustee and event director


Praise for hospital’s care Dear Sir – I feel compelled to write to ex- press my praise forMaidstone Hospital’s ac- cident and emergency department. My wife tripped and fell on a bad pave-


ment, which resulted in the hospital visit. From the offset the receptionist was pleas- ant, followed by efficient service in various departments, including assistance from a paramedic when we went home.


Malcolm Holbrook,Maidstone


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, that we cannot improve facilities without an enabling residential 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


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. The prevailingwind comes from thewest 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. The various solutions proposed have been ducked by our gutless, spineless MPs. Ted Heath had it in his grasp to build an airport at or around Cliffe. The solution was foiled by the RSPB and eco-freaks. Birds should not influence decisions on


where a London airport should be. Theymi- grate, bring disease, foul the land and cost a fortune to control, very much like our use- less MPs. We need a decision within a year and a


good plan to drain part of the many marsh- lands 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


Put cannon back to black Dear Sir – I am glad to hear that the historic cannon captured at Sebastopol is to be re- sited in Maidstone High Street. I have one request though. Could it please


be painted black? I have never seen a greay cannon, so let’s put it back to black. DaveWoodcock,Willington Street, Maidstone


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