downsmail.co.uk Village homes plan is refused
COUNCILLORS acted to prevent the urban spread of Marden con- tinuing north of the railway line by refusing an application for six homes in Maidstone Road. Golding Homes’ proposal for
land next to Highfield House was backed by the parish council be- cause the four two-bedroom and two three-bedroom homes would have been restricted to residents with a long-term connection to Marden. Planning officers also sup- ported the proposal. But the local borough councillors, including Maidstone Council leader Annabelle Blackmore, dis- agreed, and the planning commit- tee refused, with the support of seven of its 12 members. It was the third time in a decade that the council had turned down
HI-KENT, the county’s charity for people with hearing loss, will sell its wooden Christmas gifts, orna- ments, cards and puddings from the Christmas shop next to the United Reformed Church in Week Street, Maidstone. It is open from 10am to 3pm, Mondays to Satur- days, until December 13.
housing for the site.A proposal for eight affordable houseswas refused last year, and in 2005 a plan for a detached home was blocked. Both decisionswere upheld on appeal. Cllr Blackmore told the commit-
tee: “This development does not be- long in this location. Not that many years ago one housewas refused on this plot but now we are looking at six houses here. What’s changed? “Work has begun on building 110
homes on the Map Depot in Goud- hurst Road, which will have 40% af- fordable housing. Why has this developer [Golding Homes] not ne- gotiated with the other developer to look at local needs housing on that site?
“The principle is sound but this location is wrong.” Cllr Clive English (pictured),
because of the new developments that had been given the go-ahead in the village. Cllr Tony Harwood, a member of
the committee, said: “This site is far more important than just six units. Time and again this committee has held firm against attempts to breach the railway line to the north. We have done it at Staplehurst and we have done it countless times in Mar- den. “If we let it breach there is noth-
chairman of the committee, pointed out that the housing needs survey for Marden had been published in August 2011, and the situation was likely to have changed since then
Christmas shop ‘Nowhere to buy a bus ticket’
FORMER borough councillor John Horne raised concerns that there was nowhere in Maidstone to buy a national bus ticket. He told Thurnham Parish Coun-
cil that previously theywere avail- able from Arriva and then a kiosk in The Mall shopping centre.
However, his recent endeavour to buy a ticket ended in failure. He told councillors: “Appar-
ently, this facility ceased at the end ofAugust.” Maidstone councillor Nick De
Wiggondene said he would look into the matter.
ing stopping development going all the way up to southern Maidstone. It is important this committee sticks to its principles.” The grounds for refusal related to
the development’s mass, design and layout, aswell as the lack of an identifiable need for affordable housing.
Charity car park
MAIDSTONE Lions Club will be manning the 150-space car park at Countygate offices in Stacey Street (by the White Rabbit pub) for charity every Saturday in December. The car park will be open from10am to 5.30pm, and donations are invited.
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