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My hopes for our borough MailMarks


HAVE you any idea how the borough


of Maidstone will look in 15 or 20 years? Do you have an idea of how you would like it to look? What are the priorities for you and your family? They are big and difficult questions – but


what a messwe seem to be in just now to find answers. Who are the real decision-makers? Must Maidstone Council bow to the expressed expansion will of national Government, be it Tory, Labour or a coalition?Will squabbling political elements on Maidstone Council be able to set the local scene? Is there a balance to be found between our protesting parishes and sensible expansion in different parts of our borough? I have to admit to my own very deep and growing concerns, even depression. Who wouldwant to be in the hot seats of Maidstone Council at the moment, trying to satisfy the demands of everyone? Here are my key hopes for the future: Immigration:ABritish Government will quickly reduce growth pressures by severely controlling immigration now imposing so many massive strains on the UK.Mypreference is to see major changes in the EU – but if not I think I will now vote, given the chance and with concern and sadness, to leave the union.


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 thatwe can come out of 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 inWillington Street. The crossing lights only operate when someone pushes the buon – that’s not very often. 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


Get tough on local plan


Dear Sir – I have received through my leerbox an invitation to aend a public


Contact our team ...


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


32 Maidstone Town December 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


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


Growth: I accept the current national


need for growth, but there must be supporting infrastructure and services and Government awareness of impact on our local communities. I believe the proposed 1,000 new houses a year for Maidstone in the next 18 or so years is probably over the top without damaging impacts. Maidstone Council: Needs to be more


driven by the need to agree at speed a local plan that accepts a requirement for substantial residential and business growth, rather than by political machinations and gain and desires to bury heads in very old sand. When Maidstone agreed its moo as “Agriculture and Commerce” mostwere farm labourers or in domestic service. Communities: Those selected for growth


to see potential advantages and press for infrastructure and stronger services which can improve lives for themselves and their descendants. Growth can strengthen communities in manyways – and lift many villages increasingly deprived because of


exhibition regarding prospective building in Fant Farm, Fant. Myunderstanding is that no political


group on Maidstone Councilwants this to go ahead; Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Jasper Gerard has suggested he will lie down in front of bulldozers and the local councillor for Fant, Conservative Stephen Paine, successfully got the land removed from the draft local plan. So why, then, am I receiving such an invitation from Gleeson Developments regarding its “masterplan” for a housing development at Fant Farm? The answer is becausewe do not have a current local plan and it is still, after several years, at the draft stage.


Other than developers and land owners looking to sell, I amcertain that not one person wishes to see the large numbers of houses that appear to be required as a result of national planning policy. Time is being spent on trying to reduce the numbers required (already reduced from 19,600 to 18,600) but every day that passes without the borough having an approved local plan puts us at risk of any development proposed being approved. While our local councillors would likely


lean towards refusing such speculative applications, they would be most likely approved at appeal by the planning inspectorate.Without a clear local plan, as


their size. I believe the most sensible area for expansion is close to the M20, the A20 east of Bearsted, near the main London/Kent coast railway line and not far from Ashford’s high-speed international station. There could be a new M20 junction serving that area. How popular would a large new mostly self-sufficient North Downs village be?


Substantial growth in Maidstone during


the next 20 years is inevitable – as it is for Kent and many other parts of the UK. Maidstone’s resistance is likely to be self- defeating. Our emphasis now must be to get the best out of it for our borough. We live in a beautiful part of the world


with so much countryside and open spaces we cherish.We must be in charge of the few areas of greenfield landwe are prepared to surrender for growth – and an early local plan is vital for this. The borough of Maidstone couldwell


grow from a population of about 155,000 to 200,000 during the next 20 years or so.And greater Maidstone (including the Malling villages) to about 320,000.We now have the great responsibility to plan them with good homes, environment, infrastructure, services and local quality employment. So what will Maidstone look like in 20


years?


far as developers are concerned, anything goes. Our councillors, regardless of party politics, need to make tough decisions and stand by them. Bickering and arguing over housing numbers in a bid to save their respective local patches from additional housing maywell please their voters in the short term, but until the local plan is approved it leaves every single voter at risk of developments in the precise areas they voted not to have them. Instead of spending time debating how


they are going to debate going forward (changing back from cabinet to commiee system again), councillors need to focus on the most important issuewe as a borough currently face – our local plan. All local politicians need to start being


more honest with us about what they can do.


Julia Ba, Charlton Street, Fant


Stagger school times Dear Sir – I have four children – twowalk to Maplesden Noakes and I take two to school at StAugustine Academy because they have special needs and cannotwalk a great distance. As a parent, I think it is so much beer for schools to stagger their start and finish times as it would be chaotic if all schools finished


Comment


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