News | Linton park and ride
Residents urge council to fight park and ride
LINTON Parish Council came under fire from residents seeking support for their cause to halt the park and ride proposal. Residents appeared stunned
when farmer and parish chairman Clive Baxter claimed he had been unaware of Maidstone Council’s proposal – contained in its draft local plan – until sixweeks ago. The parish council’s vice chair-
man is Ian Firmin, a director of the family firm now offering the site for development. Mr Firmin left the room during the heated parish council debate on the topic. Cllr Baxter told the packed meet-
ing: “My job is to listen to all sides and, once a vote has been taken, to take that vote forward. If it is the view of the parish council as a whole, then I will go and do my duty, as I would for Linton at any time.” Cllr Baxter said he did have
“some views” on the proposal but refused to be drawn on them, say- ing: “I want to hear the whole ar- guments before and against before I declare my view. I am not going
Ron Leagas addresses the meeting of Linton Parish Council
to make an uninformed opinion.” But Simon Jeffery, of Park Av-
enue, said: “We are not asking you to make an informed or unin- formed opinion. We want your support!” Resident Ron Leagas said: “I
sense a feeling of hostility, a feeling of ‘us’and ‘them’between residents and the parish council. We should all be in the same camp.” Cllr Baxter claimed he had only
heard about the idea fairly recently but he pledged: "I will make it my business to see what is out there and check out the claims that have
been made. This is a very busy road through the village andwe are talk- ing about a site near to a crossroads which, until recently, had theworst safety record in Kent." Linton resident Katherine Coles
said: “The plans are all online. We have all made the effort to look. One member of the parish council has certainly known about it for a long time!” Cllr Brian Mortimer, of Maid-
stone Council, said: “Even though I believe in park and ride, there is no point if there is no bus lane to go with it.”
downsmail.co.uk Site wrong,
say protestors Continued from page one predominantly single lane.” Maidstone Council’s draft local
plan, which went out for public consultation on March 21, has ear- marked 17 acres of land, south- west of the Linton crossroads, for a 1,000-space park and ride site. Mr Leagas said: “The only sup-
port for this scheme comes from a computer-based model. It is not a good model ifwe are not asking the people who come from Yalding, Marden and further afield if they would actually use it. They are not going to drive as far as Linton, only to wait for a bus and then trickle into town at a snail’s pace. “Park and ride works wonder-
fully in places like Oxford, Cam- bridge and Chelmsford, where there is an orbital road system – but not in Maidstone, where the Loose Road is already congested.” Representatives of Maidstone Council and a developer were due to give residents more information on April 15 and there will be a dis- play of the local plan proposals in CoxheathVillage Hall from 1.30pm to 7.30pm on Thursday, April 17. Cllr Denis Collins said: “This is when you get to have your say and come up with alternative ideas.”
WINDOWS & DOORS REQUIRING T.L.C?
DON’T REPLACE THEM MAINTAIN THEM!
MAINTAINING YOUR EXISTING WINDOWS & DOORS IS CONSIDERABLY MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THAN REPLACING. UPGRADING TO ENERGY EFFICIENT BFRC A & B RATED GLASS WILL HELP SAVE YOU MONEY ON BILLS.
“ Fairdeal are local specialists in the repair, upgrade and maintenance
of double glazed windows and doors.
Thank you for the excellent product and efficient installation of our front porch. A large congratulations for the co-ordination of survey, floor laying, door ordering, supplying & fixing is very much appreciated
We repair PVCu, Aluminium & Timber ”
Mrs Jupp - Orpington
Fogged double glazed glass units - replaced with energy rated glass Handles & mechanisms repaired & replaced Window and door hinges and stays Leak and draught repairs Local Authority Approved NO Call out charge with Free Quotations & Advice
Celebrating 22 years of continuous trading
We supply & install windows, doors & conservatories including UPVC fascias, soffits & guttering
www.fairdealwindows.co.uk Follow us on Find us at: Unit K, Orchard Business Centre, 20/20 Industrial Estate, Aylesford, Kent ME16 0JZ 8 Maidstone South April 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56