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Council given £100K bill over lake case
MOREthan £100,000 of taxpayers’ money has been lost in a legal wrangle over a Marden fishing lake.
Maidstone Council granted Mr
and Mrs Hughes – the former own- ers of the Riverfield Fish Farm in Staplehurst Road – planning per- mission for a recreational fishery at Monk Lakes, off the A229, in 2003. In 2008, the council issued an en- forcement notice after waste was dumped on the site – but it was never followed up. Indeed, litiga- tion is still going on in relation to
the notice. Neighbour David Pad- den took the council to task after it repeatedly granted retrospective planning permission for the illegal works, culminating in a High Court case, which it not only lost – but left it facing a bill of £100,420. In response to a Freedom of In- formation request, head of plan- ning Rob Jarman said legal costs came to more than £65,000 and the claimant’s costs added a further £35,000. In the case, Judge Mackie QC heard that about 650,000 cubic metres of waste were deposited on
the land between March 2003 and January 2008 – and even more since. The material was formed into, among other things, 8m high retaining bunds close to neigh- bouring residential properties in- cluding Mr Padden’s home, Hertsfield Barn. Although the site was sold in
2008 to Emily and Guy Harrison and Monk Lakes Ltd, the unautho- risedworks are still going on. The council now expects the ap- plication to be re-submitted for its re-determination.
WI choir hits the right note with judges
THE Farleighs WI Choir is onto a winning streak as part of the WI’s centenary celebrations. The WI will be 100 years old next year and has or- ganised a competition to find the WI Choir of the Cen- tury. The winner of the competition will perform at the Albert Hall. The Farleighs choir took on three others in the West
Kent heat of the competition and was crowned winer. Choir mistress Lynn Seeley said: “They had rehearsed
hard, but the hard work paid off.” The choir will now represent Kent in the South East re- gional competition in Dorking in September.
The Farleighs WI choir
News Listed rules
to be relaxed Continued from page one
funding commitment, KCC will find the balance. In the meantime, residents are battling with insurance companies and living in hope they will get cash for flood mitigation measures. Although the Government has pledged up to £5,000 to each home- owner affected by flooding to help with protection measures, individ- ual applications are not being ac- cepted before April – andwork has already begun on reinstating many of theworst hit houses. Many of the flood-hit homes in
Yalding and Collier Street are listed and would normally need listed building consent for any material works. However, Maidstone’s con- servation officer is being asked to make a special case and approve items – such as fixings for flood doors – under a ‘blanket’scheme to save residents both time and money.
Homeowners will also need to
get a qualified surveyors’ opinion before submitting their claim. An independent panel of resi-
dents has set up its own working party – the Yalding Flood Group - to ensure no stone is left unturned in the bid to protect the village for the future.
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