downsmail.co.uk More bungalows please


Dear Sir –With consultation about to start on how our borough will expand its housing, Iwas interested to see that a recent discussion has highlighted the needs of an ageing population. While I can understand the building industry being keen to maximise profits by cramming as many units as possible on to land, itwould also be good to consider the needs of people who may wish to move into a bungalow. There is a reasonable view that when


older people move from a large family home to a bungalow, it releases that larger home for families. However, itwould also be wrong to assume that two bedrooms suffice, as many couples in the older age groups have families who visit/stay and the third bedroom is oen a place where access to computers and the other parts of our modernworld take place, more akin to an office than a room described as a bedroom. There is also the point that bungalows


are not necessarily solely for older people – many people of all ages like the idea of a single-level property and this needs to have enough space to include families. It seems to me that nowwould be a good


time for our planning authorities and our councillors to give consideration to ensuring that the needs of all of us are provided for when new housing schemes are planned and built. Roger Hurst, Kewlands, Maidstone


Population control needed


Dear Sir – Instead of this constant wrangling about the number of new homes, isn't it timewe looked at the need for population control? “Only when the last tree is cut down, the


last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, will you realise that you cannot eat money” (old North American saying?). Jill Hinde, The Boatyard, Maidstone


It would appear, Jill, that the quote does indeed have North American origins but has been popularised by Greenpeace in recent decades. Yes, overpopulation is a big problem globally,


and is becoming an increasing one locally. Forecasters predict that this country will experience food and water shortages through climate change, political upheaval and population growth this century. With this in mind, the ease with which agricultural land is being easily sacrificed for housing, mainly in the pursuit of political and short-term economic gain, is a short-sighted and potentially dangerous government policy. Response by Stephen


Clean up roundabouts


Dear Sir – The state of roundabouts in Maidstone is an issue that is really bugging me, and the new roundabout near the Vinters Park Crematorium has set me off afresh. It has a gleaming white-tiled trim


Contact our team ...


Stephen Eighteen Editor stephen@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231


30 Malling May 2014 Diane Nicholls


Assistant editor diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232


Jane Shotliff Journalist


jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


Dawn Kingsford


Journalist dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


with mock “arrows”, just like all the others around Maidstone. But just look at the state of these – the


tiles have all turned black because they are not kept clean or maintained. So why repeat this failed design, or why not clean them? I rang KCC andwas told “there is no funding for this”. So, what about the prestige of the county town? Arewe really going to sit back and sele for such a disgusting state of neglect? Compare this with what you see in


places in France. There you see roundabouts that local people can be proud of. The genius who came up with the toilet


tile design has much to answer for and so will KCC if they are not maintained and are allowed to become a continuing eyesore that is blighting the town. Patrick Clarke, by email


Patrick, I contacted KCC but it declined to comment. Response by Dawn


Thanks to charity cyclists


WEwould like to thank our 100 riders who took part in the first Demelza 101 challenge –100 cyclists, one cause – and cycled from our hospice in Siingbourne to Paris. The atmospherewas truly fantastic and it


was incredibly emotional to see 100 riders starting at our hospice and when they crossed the finish line at the Eiffel Tower in Paris (aswell as all the hardwork in between). Afew of the children who use our serviceswere up early to send the riders on their way, aswell as staff, families and volunteers. Itwas a great morning to launch our first ever Demelza 101. Our team of riderswas a real mix of ages


and abilities and to see their enthusiasm and hardwork training and fundraising over the past year has been so touching. They are pictured at the Eiffel Tower at the end of their challenge. To date, our riders have raised a fantastic £130,000 for Demelza Hospice Care for Children and donations are still flooding in. It has been great to see so much support from friends, family and the community. If youwould like to take part in our next Demelza 101 challenge, conquering Ben Nevis in June 2015, please contact Emma Austen on 01795 845 249 or emma.austen@demelza.org.uk. Emma Austen, Demelza events coordinator


The Mall name confusion


Dear Sir – Regarding a story in the Downs Mail March edition, Iwas born in Maidstone and have lived in the area since 1935. Iwas a Maidstone councillor for about 10 years, starting in 1967. Iwas on the planning commiee of Maidstone Council when the River Len was covered by a development that we


now have. The planning commiee took about half an hour to discuss the naming of the proposed development, and it was decided to use Maidstone Borough as a source for the name. The planning approval was made with a condition that itwas called “The Stone Borough Centre”. Subsequently, under a Liberal-controlled council it was given the name of the Chequers Centre. I wrote to the owners of the site some


time ago as I queried the name. Iwas told in a leer that The Mallwas the name of the street contained in the now Chequers Centre. Perhaps you could let me know your comments. If you are correct in calling it The Mall perhaps you could let me know the dates of approval of the subsequent names you specified. Before you use names in thisway you should check the legal aspect of them before you publish an article. Many of the local residents I know still refer to the development as The Stone Borough Centre and this is the legal name of the development, unless you can prove otherwise. I look forward to your comment. Gordon Savage, Aldington Road, Bearsted


Gordon, the shopping centre is one of a chain of six, with the others in Blackburn, Camberley, Luton,Walthamstow andWood Green. These are all called The Mall, which replaced The Chequers in Maidstone when current owner Capital & General took it over in September 2004.


Response by Stephen


We don’t want yellow lines Dear Sir—I am most grateful for the excellent article in the April Edition of Downs Mail concerning double yellow lines in The Oaks,Aylesford. It is of interest to note the response from


Tonbridge and Malling Council’s chief engineer that, when informally asked, the majority were in favour. The opinion of all the residents in Elm


Walk was sought, but not all those in The Oaks whowould be affected by displacement. The original planwas for double yellow


lines all along ElmWalk (16 properties), but these residents objected. My objection, being only one property, was ignored even though my house is not in the main traffic stream as are those in ElmWalk. The planswere modified to remove all


the ElmWalk lines. The resultswere then published, saying that the majoritywere in favour, iewe are in favour as long as there are no lines in front of our properties! To add insult to injury, the percentage


results of this skewed sample are given to two decimal places ie to an accuracy of 1 in 10,000, where the difference of one vote in 24 produces a swing of 4%. I have yet to determine who the 41 recipientswere. How credible is this? Ted Bates, by email.


Comment


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