News


downsmail.co.uk Land for solar farm downgraded


ACOMPANY thatwants to build a large solar park near Headcorn now claims that the agricultural land where it would be sited is of a lower grade than previously thought.


Solar Securities says it hopes to submit a full planning application later this year to erect panels on 25.8 hectares of land in Great Tong Farm, off Ulcombe Road. When the company first revealed


its idea in June 2013, it released a document saying the agricultural land classification (ALC) for the northern part of the site was grade three, and the southern part grade two. In ALCs, grade one is the high- est quality land, grade five the low- est. Grade two is considered among the best and most versatile agricul- tural land. Solar Securities now claims on its


website: “The results of a finalised soil assessment show that the land has an ALC of mostly grade 3b and four, which is classified as lower grade agricultural land.” The company says these ratings better comply with guidance from


Club calls for extension to


car park hours SPORTS fans in the Farleighs are pleading with the council to extend the opening hours of a car park. Maidstone council granted West Farleigh Sports Club planning per- mission for a 30-space car park, op- posite the clubhouse in Charlton Lane, after years of complaints from motorists and bus drivers. Parking on the road makes it al-


most impossible for buses to pass and operator Nu-Venture had threatened to withdraw its service if alternative parking provisionwas not made for players and spectators at match times. The council agreed to the cre-


ation of the car park in June, but added the condition that it could only be used from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to noon on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The club says it cannot justify spending £20,000 on a car park which can only be used for a few hours a week – and not at prime playing times. Club secretary Ian Payne has written to the planning department asking if there is a way to extend the hours without incurring a fur- ther financial penalty. He said: “We want the project to


be started for the greater good but cannot justify spending £20,000 on a car park that they can only use for a few hours a week and will result in cars still being regularly parked on Charlton Lane for matches out- side the stated hours.”


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the Department of Energy and Cli- mate Change, which said in its April solar strategy that solar farms should “focus on non-agricultural land or land which is of lower agri- cultural quality”. This change in classification has enraged campaigners from Protect Our Weald, which has more than 500 signatures opposing the scheme. A spokesman said: “Government guidelines are quite clear that high quality agricultural land should be avoided, and recent guidelines say focus should be taken away from large scale ground-mounted solar and be directed to on-site deploy- ment via commercial and domestic roof space.


“Neighbouring landowners are concerned that this artificial manip- ulation will have a consequential im- pact on their land and its economic value.


to be covered by 49% from the orig- inal 50.4 hectares. The export capac- ity would go down from 26.9MWp (peak) to 15.69 MWp, which is still enough to power 4,000 homes. There were originally more than 112,000 panels planned, but the com- pany has not said how many would be installed in the revised scheme. The spokesman for Protect Our


“You can see in the view from the


public footpath (pictured) showing open countryside with far reaching views to the GreensandWay, which forms part of the solar proposal, that it is not poor quality land.” As well as changing the agricul-


tural classification from last year’s vision, Solar Securities says it has lis- tened to residents’ feedback and re- duced the size of the land proposed


Weald added: “Solar Securities has never engaged in any meaningful consultation with local residents other than the ‘by invitation only’ exhibition they held in June 2013 for selected neighbouring properties. “Our supporters, many hundreds


of them, are confident that Maid- stone Council will see through its specious claims on both theALC re- classification and that the industrial solar power installation will ‘en- hance’ the landscape character of the LowWeald.”


Town’s park wins a national award


MOTE Park has taken the silver prize in the Green Flag People’s Choice Awards, beating last year’s winner and moving one place higher than its 2013 result. The awards, organised by Keep


Britain Tidy, give the public the chance to vote for their favourite park in the UK from those awarded Green Flags during the year for their exceptionally high standards. A record-breaking 1,482 parks and


green spaces received a Green Flag award this year, making Mote Park’s achievement even more impressive. Only Victoria Park, east London, re- ceived more votes.


Council leader Annabelle Blackmore with Cllr John Perry, officers and Mote Park Fellowship volunteers.


Flood barrier proposed Swans return


A YALDING couple who were victims of the Christmas floods are hoping to build a new barrier around their home to prevent it from happening again. Richard and Sue Parkes have applied to erect a solid nine-inch brick garden wall at New Barns in Benover Road. Their supporting statement


said: “It will be designed and constructed in a manner to give the appearance of a garden as opposed to a flood barrier.” The Parkeswere given a £5,000


grant from Maidstone Council to install preventative measures after the flooding on Christmas Eve, when water from the River Beult came up Mill Lane, through their garden and in to the ground floor of their grade II


Maidstone South November 2014


listed house before heading to Yalding. The statement continued:


“Given the lie of the land, if the house had been around 30 yards further south, it would not have flooded.” Should the council grant plan-


ning permission, two brick piers will be removed and a sump and pump will be fitted within the wall for drainage, with any water diverted to the southwest- ern corner of the garden. The wall would also have two openings for temporary flood gates. The statement added that cur-


rentlywater is only able to enter from the front, to the west, which would be protected by the proposal.


to village river SWANS have returned to the Beult after a village clean-up in Yalding. Community Payback teams,


under the guidance of the parish council’s Ken Gough, have been clearing the river banks and water channel at The Tatt, and swans are now swimming in the area again. Although the house next to The


Tatt is called Swan House, nobody can remember seeing swans on the river – although there are reports of them being in the vicinity in the past, according to a council spokesman. MP Helen Grant met members of


the parish council and members of the CommunityPayback teamswho have been helping villagers, follow- ing the Annual Parish Tidy Up day when residents muck in to help to clean and tidy up the village.


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