downsmail.co.uk Vicar Geoff
stands down POPULARpreacher Geoff Davis has stepped down from the pulpit at Boughton Monchelsea Church after almost 30 years.
Rev Davis (67), renowned as one of the most entertain- ing clerics in Kent, had served at St Peter’s C of E Church in the vil- lage since 1985.
Not one to shun controversy, he encouraged people – and frequently their pets – from all walks of life to share in services at the church. During his time at St Peter’s, the family-oriented evangelical offshoot Junction Maidstone was formed, meetingweekly at the village hall. In September 2013, Rev Davis per- formed the group’s first “whole im- mersion” baptism in the sea off Tankerton. That same year, he appeared as a pantomime dame in the Junction’s Christmas production and, more re- cently, has appeared on the BBC’s “Some Vicars with Jokes”.
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Homes plan ‘could lead to further development’
A PROPOSAL to build 55 homes on the edge of Coxheath was de- ferred after concern was raised about the pressure for further housing it could create. Officers at Maidstone Council
urged the planning committee to refuse the plan for land north of Heath Road, which was lodged in outline, because it was felt it would erode the gap between Coxheath and Dean Street and en- courage further development in this area. There was also no provision for affordable housing. However, the parish councilwas strongly in favour of the scheme, which borders Wakehurst Close and Whitebeam Drive to the east and Pleasant Valley Lane to the north, citing its inclusion as part of Coxheath’s emerging neighbour- hood plan. The parish council also pre-
ferred housing to a possible alter- native plan for a petrol station that was approved in 1972 but had not been built.
A separate application, which
was also deferred, would create 2.15 hectares of public open space in the north of the site, bounded by the village playing fields to the east and public open space next to Fairhurst Drive to the west, and Pleasant Valley Lane to the north. Cllr John Hughes, of Coxheath
Parish Council, told the commit- tee: “The Coxheath Neighbour- hood Plan includes this site for housing and weight should be given to this document.” Therewas broad support within
the committee for the scheme. Cllr Richard Ash said: “Yes, the gap be- tween Coxheath and Dean Street will be slightly eroded, but the benefit is that the north-west cor- ner of the site will be preserved in perpetuity.” Despite the 14 letters of objection
received and campaigners sitting in the front row of the viewing area in the meeting wearing printed T-shirts calling for the pro- tection of Coxheath, Cllr Ash ques- tioned: “If there are significant
objections, where are they?” The main voice of dissentwithin
the committee was Cllr Tony Har- wood, who said: “This site is used by local residents walking dogs and with their children. “With one voice they told me
how concerned they were to be losing this site. “It is one of the only heathy
areas left in Coxheath. In biodiver- sity terms we should be talking about creating buffers around it – not developing it. “Acommercial use on part of the
site would be better for ecology than residential, with all the dogs and cars and everything that come with it.” The committee agreed to defer
the housing proposal to negotiate with the developer about afford- able housing, measures to prevent flooding and an ecological survey. The open space plan was de-
ferred for a section 106 agreement to be drawn up setting out a long- term management plan for the land.
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Maidstone South January 2015 3
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