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Control the Mote Park music MailMarks


MOTE Park’s popularity has increased


since Maidstone Council completed its big improvements and I ampleased that more social events have been agreed with an organising operator for future years. I have no doubt the council has imposed many strict conditions – and the most important must be noise controls. The park is big enough to happily host crowds of 10,000 and more without impacting too severely on its general users and neighbours. But there have been bad noise experiences in recent years, with very loud music blaring out from the park. The big BBC Radio One festivalwas not without its serious noise problems and late last summer neighbourswere horrified by a day of music, leading to many complaints. Live and recorded music will be permied and I have no problem with that provided it does not become a nuisance to neighbours. It’s all down to volume levels – and these controls have to be very strict.


Group is not political


Dear Sir –We refer to your article in the most recent edition of the Downs Mail regarding the Conservative group on Maidstone Council deciding not to pursue a proposal to remove the chairman of the planning commiee. We are not aware of who wrote this article, but it does give the impression that the North Loose Residents’ Association (NLRA) is very much linked to the Lib Dems. Iwould like to make it very clear that the NLRAis a non-political association. The residents of Southward elect the councillors and it is then up to us towork closely with them to obtain the best resultswe can for our area and residents. Planning decisions should not have any political input and should be decided upon the strengths,weaknesses and planning laws relating to each application Sean Carter, chair of the NLRA planning group. Thanks Sean, there was never any suggestion in the article that NLRA has any political affiliations and I would like to emphasise this again.


Response by Stephen


Parish scheme not wanted Dear Sir – In reply to Broomfield and Kingswood Parish Council’s leer to your publication, Iwould like to respond on behalf of Eco Build Partnership, the developer for the proposed Broomfield


Contact our team ...


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


34 Maidstone East October 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


We need traffic lights


Dear Sir – Regarding the leer from JS Hartnup in the Downs Mail (September) regarding the lights at the junction of Willington Street and Madginford Road, I’d like to point out the following. First, it is good that we can come out of


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


 Hospital care


AFTER years campaigning from the outside as chairman of MASH (Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital) for quality services in our local hospitals, I have now had an opportunity to judge the TunbridgeWells Hospital, in Pembury, from the inside aer my wife’s serious fall saw her admied there for twoweeks and an operation. I ampleased to report on the highest quality clinical and nursing care from a friendly, aentive team nowworking in a magnificent building and environment. Our concerned family saw the NHS at


its very best – when the chips are really down it so oen comes up trumps. And before shewas discharged to our care the hospital also carried out a series of important (and reassuring) health checks.


Park Scheme (Downs Mail, August). The people of Kingswood do notwant


the current parish council scheme; this is evident from the petition currently being signed in the local post office opposing its proposals. They, the residents of Kingswood,would


rather see development on secluded non- productive land adjacent to thewest side of the village, where a full range of facilitieswould be available to residents. We will give a very substantial contribution towards the much-needed Leeds and Langley bypass/relief road and other infrastructure improvements giving substantial traffic relief to the village. Together with the road improvements, an enhanced drainage schemewould be instigated within the proposed scheme allowing for the current inadequate system to be offered relief. The current parish council scheme offers


none of the above benefits. In reality it would further overload a current inadequate infrastructure system with high-priced executive homes instead of the affordable housing most needed. K Cooke, Eco Build Partnership UK





True to my role, I will record areas for improvement:  Directions to help visitors move round the hospital need investigating, especially at lis. Many visitorswere baffled when they ended up in maternity corridors. Wifi needs to be available – patients can feel isolated in the excellent single rooms.  Food at local hospitals is now just about boom of national league tables.


Market movers THE recent fierce competition between


local supermarkets and changes in customer loyalty are fascinating. I like to keep an eye on all, but I give priority to my locals – Tesco and Lidl in Tovil. Generally I have followed the crowd to


Tesco – but admired the improvements made by discounters Lidl, even if business there was still slow. But how the tide has changed. On a September shop the Lidl car parkwas full, the storewas crowded and four checkouts had queues instead of the one I expected. Tesco, by comparison,was quiet. It is an amazing revolution.


Madginford safely and not dice with death (except for some motorists inWillington Street ignoring the lights). The queues at peak times are unavoidable, but every road in Maidstone has them at peak hours. They are inevitable. Surely Mr Hartnup experiences them on his other journeys. Not many people use the pedestrian


lights and when they occasionally do, those of us coming out of Madginford lose our turn at the next change, so as to not inconvenience the impatient drivers in Willington Street. The crossing lights only operate when someone pushes the buon – that’s not very oen. To compare this access to Mote Park at this point with accessing it from School Lane is ridiculous and pathetic. This junction is busy during term time


and these lights are needed. B Brown, Madginford


Real facts of the maer


Dear Sir – Barbara Long’s leer (Impact of Immigration, Issue 209 September 2014), while generously stating that Dennis Fowle is entitled to his opinion, then claims that it is not supported by the facts. In my opinion her comments are not supported by the facts. She says that part of the housing need in Maidstone is becausewe are living longer – but the developers are not building one-bedroom bungalows for older people, they are constructing three and four-bedroom family homes.


Comment


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