downsmail.co.uk Fines ‘destroying town’


Dear Sir – I noted in your latest edition the story about the number of parking tickets being distributed in Maidstone. I can’t work out how this has helped the


town. Is it to ensure traffic flows freely?A huge number of shops are struggling – some are closing down – because traffic wardens are puing people off coming into town, as they know Maidstone is crawling with them. So in a way, Maidstone Council is destroying its own lovely town for the profit it has been making. As a small business owner I havemy


clients worrying about this all the time, as well as my therapists and other members of staff. It is almost causing a depression. I wonder how the £255m local authorities received last year in parking fines is being spent? Nicola Ellio, owner, ProHealth Therapy Rooms, 80 King Street, Maidstone


loaders hiing the pub trade”, people clearly drink at home because a night in the town is so expensive. You cannot go out for a decent night and


come home with change out of £100 – it is impossible. You will have the likes of Mumus, who will leave you waiting outside in a queue until just aer the 10pm inflated price you have to pay to get in. If you don't like it there, you will have to


leave and part with another sum of money to get in elsewhere. I bought a round of five drinks in Mumus about a month ago and it cost me £35 (plus £8 just to get through the door) so, yes, people will drink at home. It is a no-brainer. Being out for two hours easily equals an outlay of £100. And that is all before the taxi ride! Mostly, I would say the cafe culture


works, but probably it is more beneficial for families and the slightly older generation as opposed to trying to prevent youngsters from binge drinking. What the answer is, I don't know. If they


close their doors earlier, I am sure it would help, but it might just push them to venture to a different destination, where the drinking hours are more to their liking. Miss VWalker, by email


Your first sentence hits the nail on the head, MissWalker. It appears that it is not the total number of people who go out at night in Maidstone that is reducing, but that they are out for a reduced length of time. The obvious explanation would be that the


Sign is a monstrosity


Dear Sir – I read your article in the Downs Mail about the increasing number of signs with interest; the biggest eyesore and totally out of keeping with its environment is the huge sign advertising Audley House at theWillington Street/A20 corner. What a monstrosity at the edge of this beautiful park – and what a dreadful impression it must send to people accessing the town from this side for the first time. I've oen wondered who gave permission for this to be put up – but maybe no one did, and it just appeared. Fiona Argent, by email


Fiona, Maidstone Council gave planning permission for the advertisement on May 14 (reference MA/09/0923). One of the conditions was that it must be removed within three years or 14 days of the completion of the sale of the last unit within the Mote House development, which ever is sooner. Audley Mote says it will be applying to


extend this consent, arguing it has strong economic reasons for needing to do so. If and when this application is submied you will have the chance to make comments about the sign.


Response by Stephen


Night out too expensive Dear Sir – Regarding your story “Pre-


Contact our team ...


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


46 Maidstone Town July 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


cost of having a night out in recent years has escalated – at a time when disposable income for many has gone the other way. Once upon a time a group of young adults


would enter a pub at 7pm and routinely stay out, aided by a nightclub, till beyond 2am. While this has not been completely eradicated, the trend now is for people to do one or the other: go to the pub at 7pm and go home some time before midnight, or begin the evening at a nightclub or late bar from about midnight. There is now less of an overlap, which is


where the headache stems from among pub and club owners, who are in a sticky situation because happy hours and large price reductions for alcoholic drinks are looked on unfavourably by the authorities. Government taxation on alcohol is also a headache. Unless something gives somewhere, Maidstone’s night economy will continue to suffer.


Response by Stephen.


Homes breach human rights Dear Sir – It does appear that Maidstone Council could be in breach of the Human Rights Act if it allows Croudace to build 500 new homes, a primary school and community centre on land east of Hermitage Lane. This site incorporates ancient bluebell


woodland, grade one agricultural land and a productive pear orchard. The Human Rights Act (Protocol 1, Article 1) states “a person has the right to peaceful enjoyment of all their


possessions, which include the home and other land”. In the recent case of Brion v SOS, the


courts reappraised the purpose of the law and concluded that the protection of the countryside falls within the interests of Article 8 of the Act, and it encompasses not only the home but also surroundings. To allow this development to proceed


would infringe our human rights and Maidstone Council must be aware that a precedent has been set in law and the substantive guarantees under Article 8 do apply here. Angela Polei, Corben Close, Allington


Plans are at odds


Dear Sir – Following the reports in the latest edition of the Downs Mail, Broomfield and Kingswood Parish Council would like to respond. At a packed public meeting in March


2012, the parish council was asked to carry out a neighbourhood plan, accepting that we would require some development on a limited scale. However, in essence the plan would create social facilities, which are currently lacking, but also try to prevent large-scale development that would change the character of the close community that already exists. Maidstone Council did not consider any


of the land put forward by local landowners suitable to be included in its draft local plan and neither did residents when consulted for the neighbourhood plan.


Now KCC has waded in and while


many of its points have value, the proposal for 550 homes in Kingswood is bizarre, not least as there has been no dialogue between Paul Carter and the parish, something he has found fault with by MBC during its consultation. Is Paul Carter even aware that our draft neighbourhood plan is now at public consultation stage? There may be a proposal for a spur road


by Mr Carter for his proposed development, but that is only one route, when every other road surrounding the proposed development is made of single track, minimum width roads. The parish council has tried to limit any


development to 30 houses to minimise the impact on the already overwhelmed infrastructure, and has now been told we can no longer be classed as an exception site as MBC does not wish to create a precedent. Therefore we now have to increase the allocation to 39 dwellings to finance offsite affordable homes. What has happened to the principle behind localism? Parish councillors are trying to address the needs of our community and the “big boys” at MBC and KCC are riding roughshod over all our consultations with the local community, something both KCC and MBC have failed completely to do. Broomfield and Kingswood Parish Council


Comment


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