Parish council’s
call for recruits MORE than half of Ulcombe’s parish councillors have resigned over lack of progress on the vil- lage’s neighbourhood plan. The four members were un-
happy that the council had de- cided not to follow the 11 other areas in Maidstone that have pushed ahead with a neighbour- hood plan, which was intro- duced to enable more community involvement in the planning process. It leaves amembership of three
– theminimumnumber for meet- ings to remain legally binding. The full complement is seven. Chairman Peter Titchener said: “The people who resigned came on as a group in 2012 and have nowleft as a group. They wanted to move forward faster on the neighbourhood plan. We have notsaid‘no’toitbut feltwe wanted to consult as a village first to see what the consensus was. “If we go for planned develop-
ment on greenfield sites, which is what the neighbourhood plan looks at, we need to have the support of the village. “Maidstone Council has no planned development for Ul- combe so there is no urgency for us to sort out our infrastructure.” Anyone interested in being a councillor at Ulcombe should call parish clerk Bridget Samuel- son on 01622 890912.
Tesco re-submits supermarket plan Continued from page one
Network Rail, whichwould get a new621-space commuter car park on open countryside off George Street, north of the railway station, as part of the deal. This was the main ground for Maidstone Council’s refusal in the spring. Sixty-one spaces would be kept on the south
side for the disabled and short-term use at the railway station. A covered walkway linking com- muters from the new car park to the station, a transport interchange area for buses and taxis and a nature area for the public to the north of the railway line are also proposed. Junction improvements, including traffic lights
to reduce the speed of traffic entering the village from the north, are also outlined in the plans. Tesco is inviting people to have their say on the proposal, pictured right, at www.tescostaple-
hurst.co.uk. More information on the plans (ref: 13/1726) is available on the borough council’s planningwebsite.
Work on store ‘a year away’
THE beginning of work to build a new Sainsbury’s store in Sta- plehurst appears to be at least another year away. Toolmaker DK Holdings told DownsMail that contractors are expected to start building its new factory behind current premises off Station Approach in November, after Maidstone Council discharged conditions relating to the development. The purpose-built plant will replace the company’s two old-
est factories, which will be de- molished – making way for the new Sainsbury’s – but this is likely to take a year to complete. Company director David
Smart said: “The money we re- ceived from Sainsbury’s for the land where our oldest factories stand will fund the reinvest- ment in a new factory, which suits everyone all round. “Our main factory will remain
and the new factory will pro- vide greater efficiency and
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on how much the company was investing in the new factory. The diamond-tipped tool- making company currently em- ploys 85 people. Sainsbury’s received permis-
sion in January to develop the site with a 2,975sqmsupermar- ket and parking for 171 cars, but has, so far, given no indication on when work will begin.
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