Caravan park trees replaced


THE owner of a caravan park has been given permission to repair the damage caused by the felling of thousands of trees in Harrietsham. Maidstone Council had refused a retro- spective planning application by Sines LLP that included the removal of protected hawthorn and sycamore trees at Pilgrims Retreat in Hogbarn Lane, within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The woodland was levelled as part of en- gineering operations to create terraces while the caravan site expands. With the threat of enforcement action looming, the applicant submitted a revised scheme that reduced the number of pro- posed caravans from 69 to 58, and vowed to plant at least 100 new trees, including 18 specimen hawthorns and hornbeams.


Flats scheme LIAM Walsh hopes to use new legislation to convert upper floor offices into nine flats at Westbrook House, Albion Place, Maidstone. He wants to retain the ground


floor for offices but says the property is only 30% occupied so has applied for a certificate of lawful development, which will be determined by Maid- stone Council, to convert the first, second and third floors into six flats. The Government is now al- lowing certain business to resi- dential applications to bypass the planning procedure.


Office conversion MAIDSTONE Council has raised no objection to a plan to convert an office in Hedley Street, Maidstone into four self- contained flats. The principle of Michael


Walker’s prior notification ap- plication for Faraday House was accepted by the council, who said full planning permis- sion would be required for any external works. MrWalker claimed there had


been no commercial interest in Faraday House since April.


Hornbeam plan PHILIP Helyar has applied to fell a protected hornbeam tree at 9 Greensands,Walderslade. His application form says the


tree blocks out sunlight in his garden and is growing tall rap- idly, so “may eventually impact neighbours’ sunlight”. Mr Helyar added that he is concerned his daughtermay try to eat or touch fungus on the grass area around the tree. Maidstone Council will deter- mine the planning application.


Mote Hall consent RICHARD Ashness has been given conservation area con- sent to fell a silver birch tree at Mote Hall, Church Lane, Bearsted. Maidstone Council granted permission on condi- tion that the tree is replaced.


28 East


Cllr Anthony Taylor, of Harrietsham Parish Council, remained unhappy, calling the existing damage “environmental van- dalism”. But Maidstone Council’s planning com- mittee was happy with the measures taken and voted in favour of the scheme, with 12 votes in favour and one abstention. Cllr Tony Harwood, a committee member,


said: “What has happened since the last re- fusal is that we have now got a scheme that does negate harm to the AONB, particularly through the planting on the western bound- ary that will soften the harm caused by the development. “There had to be some give and take but


we have got it right now.” See Letters, page 42-43


Sign decision at last COUNCILLOR Tony Harwood took a swipe at officers as Maidstone Council granted planning permission for the introduction of an entrance sign at the Pilgrims Re- treat caravan park in Hogbarn Lane, Har- rietsham.


The planning committee had previously


deferred the proposal due to an objection over its illumination. It was felt this would be out of keeping with the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. As a result the applicant, Sines LLP, had agreed to reduce the hours it would be lit to 4pm-10pm, which led to unani- mous backing by the committee. Cllr Harwood felt officers should have recognised the issues prior to the initial hearing. He said: “A satisfactory scheme has been negotiated. It has taken a de- ferral and a considerable amount of time and effort to do that.”


Demolition of store agreed


CAMPAIGNERS in Lenham are continuing to fight the proposed Co-op convenience store in the centre of the village after plan- ning permission was allowed for one element of the scheme. Maidstone Council has granted conservation area consent for the demolition of the former Lenham Ironmongers shop, which was damaged by fire more than three years ago.


But the application to replace the building in Faversham Road with a retail store and four two- bedroom apartments remains undetermined.


Three petitions with more than 1,000 signatures objected to the scheme when it was first mooted almost 12 months ago. Over 100 people also voiced their opin- ions at a public meeting. Matthew Cockell, owner of the existing convenience store in The Square, said: “We under- stand the inevitable stage one of the plans has been approved, to demolish the unsafe structure, which will at least remove an eyesore from the village.


A CHARITY golf tournament that began as the result of an after-dinner discussion in Harri- etsham has raised another £350 for charity. Bill’s Round is played at vari- ous courses, twice a year, with the winner nominating a charity. The 32nd Bill’s Round event was played by 20 golfers, includ- ing two ladies, at Sittingbourne


Matthew Cockell and Gez Clark, left, outside Lenham Village Stores,


which they say will lose trade


“It’s a shame that it only makes the rebuild on the site much more real. We still hold out hope that plans for a large-scale con- venience store with the power to ruin lots of Lenham’s retailers will be rejected by Maidstone Council. The site could produce so much for the village.” Mr Cockell was part of a con- sortium that planned to buy the site to enable Lenham Ironmon- gers to return and to establish af- fordable housing.


Gez Clark, the town crier, said: “I have no desire to see my vil- lage transformed into a ghost town by the arrival of any kind of supermarket. “We have a beautiful medieval


and Milton Regis Golf Club on October 24.


John Millett won the Bill’s Bonfire Round trophy and chose the RNLI to receive the £350 raised.


Roy Coles, the previous year’s winner, and John Winchester, playing in Bill’s Round for the first time since 2004, was third. The two nearest-the-pin prizes


Poultry permission MICHELLE Richards has been given planning permission to retain two mobile homes at Wood- side Farm, Old Ham Lane, Lenham. Her existing temporary consent was made per- manent on condition that occupation is limited to herself, her husband and her dependents while they run her poultry business. Maidstone Council’s decision notice said should the enterprise end, all structures and their bases should be removed and the site restored.


village square full of shops, pubs and restaurants, many of whom would suffer if a supermarket ap- peared. If these shops were to close, what would replace them? Charity shops? Betting shops? Or would they lie boarded up until they were converted into resi- dential accommodation? “Worse than this scenario, what would happen if the in- coming supermarket subse- quently failed to succeed, and closed down, after putting other shops out of business? We would have a village devoid of the in- dependent traders who have supported us for many years. Lenham would die a long, slow and painful death.”


RNLI benefits from memorial golf tournament


went to Steve Bailey and Roy Coles. An orange ball team com- petition was won by Steve Bai- ley, John Millett and John Winchester.


The next Bill’s Round charity golf event is in April. Details will be announced later this year. For details, email roger.bevan@btin- ternet.com.


Pub home plan dropped


PHILIPPE and Karen Debax-La- tour have with- drawn their


planning applica- tion for a home next to the closed Harrow Inn in The Street, Ulcombe.


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