News


downsmail.co.uk Landlady calls time on council


THE landlady of the White Horse in Otham says she is fighting for the future of the pub after her plan to convert a barn in the car park into a two-bed housewas refused.


Maidstone Council felt it would be visually harmful to the area and any occupierwould be disturbed by noise from the pub. But Catherine Small (55), who bought the pub – the only one in the village – three years ago and runs it with her daughter Margaret, is to ap- peal the decision. She says that her original plan was


to live in the house, freeing up four rooms above the pub for bed and breakfast, so the only disturbance


Pupils proud


of their school OFSTED inspectors who went to Lenham Primary School found it was a good school where pupils made good progress and achieved well in most subjects. Teaching and learning were said


to be good overall, and lessons were interesting and imaginative. Pupils learned to read quickly


and reached the expected levels. Those who did fall behind were supported so that they could catch up.


Pupils said they felt safe, re- spected andwell looked after. They were proud of their school, be- havedwell and attendance had im- proved. They were eager to learn, tolerant and respectful of others. The schoolwas not yet outstand-


ing as not all pupils developed a good understanding of phonics, so did not achieve well in reading. Marking did not always show pupils how they could make im- provements.


Tree to be replaced


GILLIAN Ford has been told she can fell a sycamore tree in a con- servation area at Chichele, The Green, Bearsted, without planning permission. Her application form said the


tree should be felled “because it has self-seeded very close to a specimen conifer”. Maidstone Council ruled she must still plant a replacement tree on the site.


causedwould have been to herself. “This is my first venture as a land-


lady and as any publican will tell you: it’s hard work to even make a living. By running a B&B itwould make use of the building and provide a second income for the pub, whichwould take the pressure off. If I was too isolated for that towork, I could do B&B in the barn conversion or rent it.” Catherine says comments of the vi-


sual harm that would be caused by the development are ludicrous, given


the large housing developments likely to take place at the Sutton Road end of the parish. “If that’s not visu- ally harmful, I don’t know what is.” She says she has been leftwith little


choice but to appeal to help keep the pub viable. “I don’t want to close the pub, we


have a wonderful charity group that runs out of here and a village isn’t a village without a pub; even our church is closer to Downswood and that just leaves the village hall.”


Generous Bill in driving seat Six arrests


DOWNSMail advertising manager Bill Brett is getting a taste of life in the fast lane – thanks to a gen- erous fundraising gesture in aid of charity. Downs Mail was among


more than 50 businesses from the area given the in- side track on European, na- tional and local funding and support available to help drive business growth. As part of the Maidstone


Council driving innovation showcase event, held at the Audi showroom near Sandling, a raffle was held in aid of Demelza House and the Heart of Kent Hospice. Bill was the lucky winner of the draw to drive an Audi R8 for the week-


Andy Reason, IanMarshall, and Bill Brett


end but gave his prize back to be auctioned to raise a further sum. The highest bid camefromAndy Reason, director of Anno Distillers Ltd,


Marden, who now gets to drive the luxury sports car. However, Ian Marshall, new car sales manager at Maidstone Audi, de-


cided that as the buyers and bidders between them raised £500, Bill should get to keep his prize also, as a thank you for his gesture. Full details about funding available can be found on our website busi- ness hub – www.downsmail.co.uk


Over 100 jobs to go at paper mill “Those affected by the closure


WHATMAN’S Springfield Mill in Maidstone is to close, with the loss of 101 jobs. GE Healthcare, which bought the company in 2008, is to move pro- duction from its Sandling Road site to its other manufacturing plants in Cardiff, Asia and Sweden. The company, which makes spe-


cialist papers for scientific and medical applications, anticipates the mill’s last day of operation will be December 31.


will be offered support to find an- other position,” said Dr Val Jones, for GE Healthcare Life Sciences. She added: “The decision to close


our site at Maidstone is in noway a reflection of the commitment and hard work of our employees who have worked with great care and the utmost professionalism.” She confirmed that the site


would be sold, but had no further details about its future use.


Tories move to new office to cut costs


THE two Conservative associations serving Maidstone borough – Maidstone and The Weald and Faversham and Mid Kent – will move to a new home in April. Both have joined the West Kent


Group of Conservative associations to share office and administration costs. The group has been operating


from offices atWest Malling for sev- eral years, serving just three associ-


36


ations – Tonbridge and Malling, TunbridgeWells and Chatham and Aylesford. From April it will be centrally lo-


cated in Paddock Wood, with An- drew Kennedy the agent. Cllr John Wilson, chairman of Maidstone and The Weald, said: “This does not affect our opera- tional independence in any way. “It merges back office functions under one roof and brings a big


Maidstone East February 2014


saving. We can now spend our money on winning elections.”  Maidstone and The Weald MP Helen Grant shared the former as- sociation office in Albion Place, Maidstone, and has now estab- lished her own Maidstone office at Link House, Knightrider Court, Knightrider Street, Maidstone. Her Weald office is at TheWeald Infor- mation Centre, The Old Fire Sta- tion, Stone Street, Cranbrook.


aer robbery SIX men were arrested after a rob- bery in The Morlings, Bearsted. Awoman living in the cul de sac


told police she had been bundled into her home by a group of four or five men, all of whom she de- scribed as wearing masks or bala- clavas. The offenders searched the house and took cash and jewellery. Patrols have since recovered


some property near the junction of Warmlake Road and Norton Road, Chart Sutton, which they believe to be linked to the robbery. The men are all on bail currently


on bail until mid February pending further investigations.


Home to flats


DAVID Elliott has applied to con- vert a singledwelling near Lenham into seven separate flats. The proposal for Dickley Court –


on the junction of the A20 Ashford Road and Dickley Lane – is for three one-bed flats and four four- bed flats. The application, which will be determined by Maidstone Council, has 10 parking spaces.


Gypsy scheme


MATTHEW Butler has applied to site an additional mobile home for gypsy use at Seaview Farm, South Street Road, Stockbury. In 2006 he was granted planning permission to station one mobile home on the land. His latest scheme, which will be determined by Maidstone Council,would cater for another family on the site.


Expansion plan


ROOFING company Knight As- phalte has applied to replace its ex- isting buildings with six office and industrial units in Lenham. The company wants to demolish buildings at Old Goods Yard, Sta- tion Approach and create addi- tional units. Maidstone Council will decide the outline planning ap- plication.


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