downsmail.co.uk


Council must start to say Yes MailMarks





CRITICISMS grow that Maidstone Council seriously damages our future by saying “no” to just about every important development proposal – giing competitive neighbours some big prizes. And there are warnings that the heavy hand of Government – no maer the political colour – will increasingly impose its development powers and hit us indiscriminately with sledgehammers. I do not buy in totally to these damning criticisms, but there is too much truth for our future welfare.


Aer the May local elections, the main party group leaders have welcomed a move to greater consultation and co- operation. That is fine if they face the reality of our situation with positivity, not negativity.


Nationally the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems are all determined to provide substantial development and Maidstone has to toe this line – even if we can reduce the evidence-based 19,600 new homes up to 2031. Due to years of local opposition our local plan proposals now seem to be yet again in an awful mess. Party politically, it is easier to say no locally to proposed Maidstone developments. But with the key national political parties all determined on development, it is totally


This would not only be safer but would facilitate the future increase in traffic and allow free-flowing traffic locally as well. The subsequent efficient southbound traffic


would create a possible problem at the junc- tion of Willington Street and Deringwood Drive, but the answer would be similar to the above: create space for the roundabout on the Deringwood Drive side of the road, of which there is ample for a roundabout. Both of these remedies would not only cre-


ate a smoother flow of traffic but provide a traffic-calming, safer environment. This should be paid for by recent mistakes


made by the original “expert planners” (I use the term loosely) who have stuffed up. They have made, recently, a rather large


basic mistake and should have the good grace to admit it. Peter N. Smith, Downswood


Where does our MP live?


Dear Sir – I would not normally comment on the living arrangements of the MP but I notice that in the court case involving Helen Grant's son, he listed in open court his address as being the family home in Reigate (see page 22). But didn't Helen Grant tell us very proudly that she had moved toMarden? Is she in fact still living in Reigate, in a house that she claimed she was trying to sell about two years ago? Above all, is she also claiming expenses on a home in London while living in Surrey, just 19 miles away from the Commons? The Channel 4 documentary “Are They


Still At It?” that revealed our MP's unusual living arrangements showed that it is certainly against the spirit of the rules on MPs’ expenses.


DENNIS FOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


hypocritical for local parties to try to make political gain by opposing such policies. That is a key reason why new UKIP councillors would not support the Lib Dems when they tried and failed to form a Maidstone administration. The problem is local allocation of


development – and this is where we now need strong and brave local government. There is no way Maidstone Council can please all the people all the time – and some unpopular decisions have to be taken.


Certainly the parishes must be heard – and hopefully others will follow Hollingbourne’s lead by proposing realistic parish alternatives. I think there is strong support for concentrating most retail to protect our town centre – and for planning decisions to ensure a successful regeneration of our dismal Maidstone East Station and its environs. A modified scheme has now been presented for commercial development


I find it amazing that after all this time


our ConservativeMP for Maidstone still doesn't get the fact that local people have had enough of her expenses and her obvious lack of commitment to our area. Adrian Ellis, Iden Farmhouse, Boughton Monchelsea


Have voters been misled?


Dear Sir – I recently read that Helen Grant’s son has been involved in an altercation in a night club in Devon. I do not want to get involved in the


court case involving the son of the ConservativeMP as that is a private matter. However, I notice that her son lists as his address the Grant family home in Reigate. This might surprise constituents of Mrs


Grant who are force fed through her column endless references to her “home” in Marden, a cottage that she rents and at which she is rarely seen. More importantly, can she tell us if she


is still claiming maximum expenses on a flat in London? Constituents will recall that this was particularly controversial because the MP for Maidstone and the Weald was living in Reigate – just 19 miles from London. MPs are only supposed to claim a second home allowance if their constituency is 40 miles from London. Maidstone is 41 miles from London so


while she was not in official breach of the rules it was widely seen to be breaking the spirit of the rules when she was living a short commuter ride from the Commons. If she is still living in Surrey – a couple


of years on from claiming she was trying to sell the house – tax payers are entitled to know if she is still claiming huge expenses on her Thames-side apartment.


Deliver us 


south of the A20 near M20 Junction 8, and the council, while protecting the Bearsted gap, must support our business needs. Maidstone needs the protection of a strong local plan to grow to meet our own Maidstone wishes, not Westminster’s. That is why Maidstone’s “yes voices” must now be heard and “no voices” subjugated. The “nos” won in the 1990s when we lost the chance of a high-speed rail station in the borough. We gied that to Ashford. That lesson should live with Maidstone forever.


The Royal Mail delivery office move from the Maidstone East area to Park Wood has done no favours to customers who receive the unwelcome card that a leer has not been delivered because the sender did not pay full postage. For me it involved a delayed mystery


leer, a difficult six-mile return journey via Loose Road/Suon Road, a handling fee of £1 and postage due of 55p. And if I posted back the card I had to pay that postage too.


The public increasingly makes mistakes now that postage is based both on weight and size – and has become so expensive.


Sam Roach, Union Street, Maidstone


All MPs’ allowances are published online by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). Mrs Grant has not rented a flat in London since January 2013. Response by a spokesman for MP Helen Grant


Do you know building?


Dear Sir –We have recently taken ownership of Old Stone Court, 34 Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, and want to find out about the history of the building having exhausted online searches and Maidstone's local archives. Despite our efforts to find any pictures


or history of the building we have reached a dead end; it would have been quite an imposing building in its day. This 18th century building is in need of,


shall we say, some TLC and we would love to hear from anyone with any information about its previous tenants or use and especially any pictures that may help us restore the frontage. Mark Stone and Kevin Eaton, Semma4, 34 Lower Stone Street, Maidstone.


Maidstone Town September 2014 33


Comment


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