News
‘Not enough demand for two supermarkets’
Continued from page one Maidstone East, but an approval wouldweaken retail interest in the short to medium term.” Jonathan Baldock, a consultant at
DTZ Holdings, which was com- missioned by Maidstone Council to do a study on retail demand in the town centre, said: “We forecast enough money to support one new supermarket within the first half of the local plan period and maybe a few smaller stores. “There is only retail demand for
one store, so it is either this one [Springfield] or Maidstone East. It is a simple choice: it is either or.” The committee voted mainly on
party lines, with six Conservative councillors opposing the Spring- field development and the LibDem and Independent councillors, which also numbered six, voting in favour. However, Cllr RichardAsh broke
ranks from the rest of the Tories and voted in favour, although per- mission will only be ratified when the plan returns to committee for conditions to be drawn up. He said: “Maidstone East has been available for 15 years but nothing has hap- pened. They say they are ready to deliver it but why now? I think it is because Springfield has galvanised them. Otherwise Maidstone East would have stayed empty for years and years.” Cllr Stephen Paine, a Conserva- tive member of the committee and
School set to
replace depot DEMOLITION of the former KCC supplies depot at Kings Hill to make way for a school is ready to start once formal approval is given by Tonbridge and Malling Council. Clearance of the 1970s buildings
in Gibson Drive will provide a 4.67- hectare site of which just over half will be occupied by a desperately- needed third primary school. The school will open in Septem-
ber 2015 and will be run by Valley Invicta Academies Trust. Kings Hill Parish Council chair-
man DaveWaller said itwaswork- ing closely with the trust and the Diocese of Rochester, whose bid to run the schoolwas unsuccessful, to try to influence the development to provide community facilities. The parish council said it did not challenge the location, despite con- cerns raised by members and resi- dents, because budget and time constraints meant itwas either built there or not at all.
10 Malling April 2014
cabinet member for planning, said: “We are jeopardising a once-in-a- lifetime chance to regenerate part of the town centre at Maid- stone East.
“Springfield Cllr Stephen Paine
is a key brown- field housing site in our draft local plan and by voting for this to be retail the Lib Dems are putting
extra pressure on greenfield sites for housing. Maidstone East is a constrained site and not suitable for the amount of housing we could get at Springfield.”
Tesco’s latemove
TESCO made a late submission to quash speculation that the Royal Mail sorting office is unavailable. The supermarket chain pleaded
with the planning committee to turn down the Morrisons proposal at Springfield Park for fear of dam- aging the viability of its scheme at Maidstone East. The company said: “It would lead to a significant adverse impact on the vitality and viability of the town centre.” Mary Davidson, on behalf of
Solum Regeneration, said: “There is an offer on the table from Mor- risons that would offer 280 jobs and £20m in investment.”
Powerhub could be lost
A DECISION to allow the Mor- risons scheme in Springfield Park could encourage aGovernment in- spector to give planning consent to the supermarket proposed at the Powerhub business centre in St Peter’s Street, Maidstone. In January, Maidstone Council refused Baltic Wharf’s application to convert the building into a mix of business, retail and leisure, in- cluding a big-name foodstore at ground level, with offices for pro- fessional and financial services above, a restaurant and car park- ing for almost 400 vehicles.
The main ground for refusal
was that it failed the Govern- ment’s “sequentially preferable” test that prioritises town centre sites such as Maidstone East for large retail schemes. Officers felt the Springfield Park development also failed this test. The Powerhub proposal is currently being exam- ined by the planning inspectorate. Cllr Stephen Paine, cabinet member for planning, said: “We are at an appeal with the Power- hub, which was described as out of town, and I worry about the precedent Springfield would set.”
downsmail.co.uk
‘No reason to prevent this
proposal’ SPRINGFIELD Park has been re- dundant since KCC moved out of its office block there in 2001. In 2007, planning consentwas granted for 192 flats, a retail unit and com- munity hall, but this development has not taken place. Cllr Tony Harwood, who is a
local ward councillor and member of the planning com- mittee, said: “This was pre- viously an em- ployment site and there is no policy obstacle stopping this being developed as a supermarket. “Maidstone East is not allocated
Cllr Tony Harwood
in existing policy and is throwing up a huge number of objections, with Lower Boxley Road already at gridlock in terms of traffic. “How many more years must
north Maidstone be denied a su- permarket while it waits for some- thing to happen at the East station? South Maidstone has Tesco, Lidl and Morrisons, east Maidstone has Aldi and Tesco, west Maidstone has Lidl and Waitrose, central Maidstone has Sainsbury’s, but north Maidstone has nothing. “We are only talking about a medium-sized supermarket at Springfield while discussions around the East station have been all about a much bigger store in an ambitious mixed-use develop- ment.”
Fish stall geing up residents’ noses
FISH fans and those opposed to a wet fish stall in Aylesford are cir- cling the water around a fresh planning application to keep it “moored” there. Chumleys has applied retro- spectively to keep the mobile fish stall at Holtwood Farm Shop’s site on the London Road. But the application is causing a stink locally, with a petition signed
by more than two dozen residents objecting to the cooking smells, noise and its inappropriate loca- tion.
One objector says: “The smells
and noise will greatly effect the quality of life for the homes that back on to the farm shop. “This will be especially so dur-
ing the summer, when theywould want to sit out in their back gar-
dens and do not want to be forced into their houses because of the smells etc.” However, the applicant and
farm shop owner Colin Madden says the number of supporters are just as numerous, and keen to see the stall stay where it is. Tonbridge and Malling council’s planning committee will make its ruling on May 1.
Absent head teacher ‘won’t be returning’
APRIMARY school head teacher will not be returning to his post after being absent for more than a year, it was confirmed. Simon Temple (pictured) van-
ished from St Peter’s and St Paul’sCE School in Mount Pleas- ant, Aylesford, in June last year after 10 years at the helm. His departure came after an Of-
sted inspection last January when the school was judged to
need improvement, and a follow- up visit two months later found there had been no major changes. Five teachers, in- cluding his wife, resigned around the same time. Interim head Sue Parking took
charge, handing over to Joyce Rhodes, who is managing the
school until a permanent head teacher is appointed. Kevin Shovelton,KCCdirector
of education planning and ac- cess, said: “Mr Temple will not be returning to St Peter’s Primary school.We are working with the governing body to recruit a new head teacher and hope to have this in place by September. In the meantime Mrs Rhodes will con- tinue to manage the school.”
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