downsmail.co.uk
J8 development ‘biggest issue facing community’
RESIDENTS are being urged to back the fight against the planned
Waterside Park development. A three-week public inquiry at Sessions House, County Hall, has now begun. Leaflets are going to every house-
hold in Bearsted outlining the pro- posal and the impact it could have on the area. The application from the Gal-
lagher Group for land on the south side of the A20 would see a ware- housing and industrial park, ac- cessed from the A20. A similar scheme by Roxhill has
been submitted to MaidstoneCoun- cil for a site to the north of Ashford Road, on part of the land whichwas subject of the Kig inquiry. The Bearsted and Thurnham So-
ciety, The Joint Parishes Group, Council for Protection of Rural Eng- land Kent, along with the parish councils from Hollingbourne, Leeds, Bearsted and Thurnham are all vehemently opposed to any land close to J8 of the M20 being used for commercial and industrial pur- poses.
Residents are being urged to turn
out in force at the inquiry to demon- strate the strength of feeling in the village. Cllr Denis Spooner (pictured) told Bearsted Parish Council: “This is the biggest issue to face the community
Quake help
RESIDENTSin Maidstone joined the Nepalese community in a day of prayer in Jubilee Square. Dried food, blankets and other es-
sential supplies were collected by volunteers in the Square, where therewas also a book of condolence for residents to sign in memory of the thousands whowere killed dur- ing the tragic earthquake. Later in the evening, candleswere
lit outside the town hall. Details of how residents can help
are regularly updated on the Face- book page for the Maidstone Nepalese community.
Trees to stay
A PLAN to fell 13 protected oak trees in Ulcombe has been refused. Maidstone Council felt there was insufficient reason to allow the felling at Little Jubilee Farm in Stick- fast Lane. The parish council had objected,
saying itwas “outraged that this an- cient oak woodland has been mis- managed thus far. “Maidstone Council should insist
on the replanting of the open areas with oak trees.”
since Kig. It is up to everyone to help fight it in whatever way they can.” Hesaid more than 800 people had turned up at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel when the Kig enquiry was held. Both Gal-
lagher and Roxhill have said that granting per- mission for their particu- lar scheme would lead to the protec- tion of the rest of the land in the area –which, said Cllr Spooner, proved just how vacuous such assuranceswere. Planning inspector Katie Peerless
will conduct the enquiry, which is expected to last fourweeks. Ms Peerless, who comes from
Kent, has been a planning inspector for more than 15 years, during which time she has been asked to rule on many high-profile cases in which development would have impacted on the local environment. The applicantwill be represented
by Craig Howell Williams QC – who specialises in planning and en-
vironmental law and who repre- sented Kent County Council at the Kig inquiry – while Maidstone Council’s case will be argued by Neil Cameron QC, from London’s Landmark Chambers. CPRE Kent, in partnership with
the Joint Parishes Group (a consor- tium of parish councils local to the area), is presenting evidence and will cross-examine witnesses at the inquiry. It has submitted 10 witness state-
ments detailing its reasons for op- posing the scheme, which it says would be detrimental to the coun- tryside setting of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural beauty (AONB) and the important heritage asset of Leeds Castle. CPRE Kent director Hilary New-
port said: “We have worked very hard on our case to convince the planning inspector that any devel- opment on this site would harm the landscape, have an unacceptable impact on tranquillity, could lead to water pollution and would mean the loss of land needed for food se- curity. We hope the planning in- spector will reject the proposal because, if allowed,we fear it could set a precedent for development along the A20 and M20.”
Group tackles fear of dogs
PARENTS with children frightened of dogs are invited to take them along to a new class to overcome their fears. The Kent Cynophobia Assistance Group uses experienced assistance dogs
to build trusting relationships. The classes – the first of their kind in Kent – are being held at Kingswood
Tandy,
and Broomfield vil- lage hall on Monday evenings. The group’s Janet from
Kingswood, has been training dogs for 20 years and is a Kennel Club accredited in- structor. She said: “This is
only the second group in Europe helping chil- dren to overcome their fear of dogs, which can affect not only their lives, but those of their families. “Children with such fear often resist going on holiday, have to travel to
school in blacked-out cars and can put themselves in danger to avoid a dog, such as jumping into the road.” At the group’s first class, seven youngsters amazed parents by walking, petting and grooming the cynophobic assistance dogs within an hour. Parents interested in taking their children along are asked to contact Janet
on 01622 842209 or email
janet@goodog.co.uk. The free sessions are spon- sored by Arkas Industrial Doors.
News
Quota swap idea to cut housing
“QUOTAswaps” could be away of getting Maidstone’s future housing figures down, saidKCC leader Paul Carter. Cllr Carter is furious at the way Maidstone is progressing its local plan with scant regard, he claims, for the infrastructure needs. He wants to see all the local au- thorities in Kent andMedway com- municating to see if quotaswaps can be negotiated. With opponents of commercial
development at J8 looking at poten- tial industrial land at Aylesford, along with the authorities seeking an alternative to Operation Stack, Cllr Carter said it was important Maidstone consulted with its neigh- bours. He said: “Maidstone needs to talk
to Ashford and to Tonbridge and Malling councils.” The county council has commis-
sioned consultants to look at the projected housing need across the whole of Kent andMedway, the re- sults of which are broadly in line with the numbers demanded by the DCLG (Department of Communi- ties and Local Government).
Aggressive Cllr Carter said:“We are doing all
we can to bring the housing num- bers down to a sensible level. “When you pull together the re- quirements of the emerging plans across all 12 boroughs in Kent, plus Medway, it is pleasing to note we come outwith a development num- ber that the DCLGwants!” Speaking at the annual meeting of Bearsted Parish Council, Cllr Carter said: “I hopewe can help Maidstone borough councillors stand up to the chief executive officer and chief planning officer to get a sensible number. The new leader of Maid- stone Council is doing her best to stand up to some very aggressive tactics by its senior planning officers. “I have never seen anyone look at
a local plan in the way this is being done.We have established all the ev- idencewe need to objectnowif they come up with inappropriate num- bers in inappropriate locations.” Cllr Carterwarned that therewas
a “massive” funding gap between future developers’ contributions and the sums needed to improve the in- frastructure of Kent. He added: “Ministers seem to think that devel- opers’ contributions are going to fund it all.” When it was suggested the com-
panies keen to relocate to land near J8 of the M20 could go toAylesford, Cllr Val Springett said: “Unfortu- nately,we cannot ‘volunteer’ some- one else’s land - this is exactly why we need a county-wide approach.”
Maidstone South May 2015 33
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