News


downsmail.co.uk Campaign fails to save bank THE NatWest Bank branch in Snodland is to close, despite a campaign to save it.


The High Street premises, which employs four people, is the only bank in the area. It will shut on Jan- uary 6, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns NatWest. The bank threatened to close the branch on two days a week last April, but the uproar caused in the town forced a change of mind. MP Tracey Crouch, the town council, the chamber of commerce and residents vociferously objected to the closure on Tuesdays and Thursdays, resulting in the bank conceding a reprieve in October. Explaining its latest decision, the


bank said: “The number of transac- tions taking place at this branch has dropped over the last few years. The branch has no technology so it is not linked to our computer sys- tems. “We do understand that some of


our customers do not use the inter- net or mobile phone app and pre-


Beating lier MEMBERS of Snodland's coffee and chat group, part of the Beat Project, collected four sacks of rub- bish from the recreation ground andwooded area atWillowside. Jenny Wheeler, from the Beat Project, organised the clean-up in support of the Love Kent cam- paign. She said: “The recreation groundwas spotless by the timewe had finished.”


Art club show COBDOWNArt Club is holding an exhibition and sale of work at the Brassey Centre Aylesford, from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sun- day, October 25 and 26. Admission is 50p.


business NatWestwas leaving. Apart from the new rail service


and thriving businesses in the town, the Smurfit Kappa paper mill is to open soon and the new bridge joining both sides of the Medway Valley is moving forward. Many potential customerswould


be moving into Holborough Lakes and St Andrew’s Park, Halling. Mr Beswarick said:"NatWest will


fer to be served over the counter.” The cash machine will remain in


place and bank customers can use the nearby post office. Robert Beswarick, secretary of


the chamber of commerce, said the chamber was amazed that the branch was closing on the day of the inauguration of the HS1 high speed rail service from Snodland to London. He felt it was a major opportu-


nity for a competitor to come into the town to take advantage of the


argue that with the latest digital technology, online and telephone banking, that bank branches are a thing of the past. This may be true for day-to-day transactions, but where does the profitable business come from when you can no longer maintain those important personal relationships with local business and the general community?” Snodland Town Council chair-


man Anne Moloney said: “Local business needs access to proper banking facilities, as do residents


moving to the area. The nearest bank is Larkfield and that has very poor access." The council will be meeting with


local businesses, the chamber of commerce, developers and strate- gic planners in a bid to persuade RBS to review the decision. “We believe that RBS is not fully


aware of the local development op- portunities in the area, such as high speed rail and station improve- ments, housing and business de- velopment on both sides of the river and the new bridge,” said Ms Moloney. "For a bank to walk away from


these opportunities makes no busi- ness sense. If NatWest is unwilling to reconsider, we hope that a for- ward-thinking bank will recognise the potential for medium and long- term planning in Snodland and the surrounding area and seize this op- portunity.”


Show’s growing success Water voles


LARKFIELD Produce Show celebrated its second successful year with twice as many exhibitors and entries as last year. Categories in-


cluded vegeta- bles,


fruit,


flowers, floral arrangements, cakes, jams and photography, where the stan- dards were very high. Overall winner


with the most points in show was Rob Wilding, who received the Larkfield Award – an engraved drinking glass – and a silver cup, which was donated for the produce show by the former Larkfield Gardeners’ Society.


Boat reopens despite £12k debt Continued from page one


that we needed to set up a new company to trade again. “The restaurant itselfwas owned


by the bank and not by us. As di- rectorswe have personal loan guar- antees. The bank has allowed us to carry on trading under a new com- pany name to pay back the money we owe them. “The reason there is no money to


pay creditors or Maidstone Coun- cil is because the money owed to the bank was over and above the value of the property.” The council spokesman added: “When limited companies go into liquidation the shareholders’ re- sponsibilities are limited to the amount of any unsold shares in the


8 Malling September 2014


company. The council and other creditors have no legal powers to directly recover money owed to them.” Mr Bailey (pic-


tured) says he has lost £180,000 of his own money in running the ves- sel. “The old com- pany


failed


because the over- heads, such as staffing costs,


were too high,” he said. “In this to- tally different company we have looked at the whole business and reduced a lot of the overheads.We are doing better thanwe did before when we got in this mess, but we have still got a hell of a lot ofmoney


to repay in a short space of time. “I would not wish this on any-


one. I have had to keepmyheadup and drive forward through very, very difficult times. I amleft with a debt that I didn’t have before. “Thousands of people have struggled through the recession and it is only through my tenacity that I am still here. My family has gone through the ropes but I can hold my head up high. “We are currently paying rates to Maidstone Council under the new company.” Council officers have recom- mended writing off £273,273 in rates owed by 17 businesses, who include clothes retailer Madhouse (£12,059) and leather luggage seller Boros (£29,337).


‘flourishing’ ONE of the UK’s most threatened species is flourishing at a nature re- serve near Snodland, thanks to a conservation partnership between volunteers and landowners. Recent survey work by Kent


Wildlife Trust volunteers at Hol- borough Marshes, owned by La- farge Tarmac, showed that water voles are doing so well that their numbers have increased by 106%. Immortalised as Ratty in Kenneth Graeme’s 1908 classic, TheWind in theWillows, thewater vole is a shy, secretive bank-dwelling creature with a slightly rounded nose and deep brown fur. They have chubby faces with short, well-hidden, fuzzy ears. Despite their shyness they are true engineers of the ditch and stream bank. They spend most of their day eating vegetation, leav- ing piles of shoots to mark their favourite picnic spots. Besideswater voles, Holborough Marshes is also an important site for a host of wildlife, including rare moths, plants and birds, such as the nightingale and lapwing. West Kent reserves officer Dave Hutton, said: “After our first suc- cessful lease period of 15 years, KentWildlife Trust is pleased to be continuing its partnership with La- farge for a further 15-year term and ensuring the continued careful hus- bandry of this flourishing nature reserve.” In 2012, a former arable fieldwas


added to the lease by Lafarge Tar- mac to extend the reserve by four hectares to 39 hectares. The reserve is free to visit.


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