News
downsmail.co.uk Jobs at risk asADL looks to move
DOZENS of jobs in Marden hang in the balance after Maidstone Council refused planning permis- sion for theWaterside Park devel- opment.
Marden-based Automotive Dis- tributors Limited (ADL) – now Fer- dinand Bilstein UK – says it can no longerwait for premises in the bor- ough and has had to take its search elsewhere. Although it will be several years
before the companymoves, it has al- ready outgrown its base on the Wheelbarrow Park in Pattenden Lane and the search for a new site is now a matter of urgency. ADL, along with Marden busi- ness ScarabSweepers Ltd,was hop-
ing the council would grant landowner Gallaghers consent to develop the land south of the A20, near J8 of the M20, into a business andwarehouse park. But with two applications refused
last year and an appeal due in May, the company says time has run out. Nathan Wise, senior marketing co-ordinator for Ferdinand Bilstein UK, said:“We can no longer commit to Waterside Park and are looking elsewhere.” He confirmed the company was looking at two sites in Kent, but nei- ther of them are in Maidstone. He said: “Obviously, a move of
just 20 minutes further away can have a fall-out on staff either way.
MOTORISTS have once more damaged East Far- leigh’s historic water trough, and this time, bits have gone missing. The trough, which stands at the top of Station
Hill, dates back to 1904. A pile of stones now sits were the trough once
was, but a crucial piece of moulded granite has disappeared. Stone Shop proprietor Gordon Newton has re-
paired the trough free of charge on more than one occasion but has been waiting for the parish
Everything is quite speculative and the company is not saying a great deal as it can be unsettling for the workers.” ADLbegan planning itsmove five
years ago and says its plans arenow well behind schedule. It is understood that Scarab still wishes to move to Hollingbourne, where it now hopes to be the first tenant on the new development, should the appeal be successful. Opponents of the plans forWater-
side Park include Kent County Council, local parish councils, Leeds Castle, CPRE, and former MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, Sir Hugh Robertson. The Labour, Liberal Democrat
Part of damaged water trough goes missing
council go-ahead since November last year. He said: “I offered to repair it months ago. In
the meantime, part of it has been stolen. It would cost £2-3,000 to replace that part of it.” East Farleigh Parish Council has been pursuing
a claim for the damage via its insurance broker. However, the process has proved to be lengthy. A spokesman said: “The parish council has yet
to make a decision about the way forward. How- ever, Mr Newton has agreed to put it back to- gether when he has a spare day.”
and Conservative parliamentary candidates for the seat at the general election on May 7 have opposed the plans.
Previous plans to develop Junc-
tion 8 of theM20have been success- fully opposed on a number of occasions over the last 20 years. However, residents fear that if
Waterside Park is allowed to pro- ceed, it will be more difficult to op- pose a second 395,000sqft development by Roxhill on the other side of the A20. More than 200 staff are employed
at the Marden depot of Ferdinand Bilstein UK, which was a finalist in the 2014 Kent Excellence in Business Awards.
14
Maidstone South April 2015
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48