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Work starts to clean up rusty ‘toilet roll’ hotel
WORK has begun on repairing the rusty Travelodge building in St Peter Street, Maidstone. Scaffolding has been erected around the hotel, which has been the source of controversy since it was constructed in 2010. Likened to a giant toilet roll and
votedMaidstone’smost ugly build- ing, the Travelodge began to rust withinmonths of being built. Cllr Dan Daley, LibDemmember
for Allington ward, took it upon himself to unravel the mystery of the rusting “roll” and press for re- medial action in July last year. He discovered that steelwork within the building had not been treated properly at the outset – so simply painting over the problem would notmake it go away.
Barming
Election Cllr Fay Goochwas re-elected chairman of the parish council for the forthcoming year with CllrMartin Greenwood as vice-chairman. Policemaers PCSO FrankWoollewas unwell and everyone at the parish council sent him their bestwishes. Parish field Complaints had been received from residents regarding the unauthorised access betweenMr Kemsley’s field and the parish field. The edge of the farmer’s field was not ploughed and therefore provided an invitation towalk around the perimeter. Residents felt thiswas a security risk to their properties and they had spoken to someof the peoplewho had been using the field. Cllr Andrew Doe offered to speak to the farm manager about the
issue.Aquote for 15ft of fencing and stakes for £20 had been obtained from the localwoodmanMr Town, and residentMr Ruffle had offered to install it free of charge. Although the public could not be prevented from enteringMr Kemsley’s field, the parish council had a responsibility tomaintain its boundary and block up any gaps in the hedging. Cuings Someone had been seen dumping grass cuings in the parish field car park. Their car details had been passed to PCSO Kirsty Greaves. The borough’s environmental enforcement team had been informed and appropriate actionwould be taken. Pavilion Since completion of the refurbishment project, no defects had been found, apart from the fan sensorwhich needed adjusting. The fire door also needed adjusting as it seemed to ralewhen itwas windy. Itwas agreed to release the retention monies when the invoicewas received from Artisan. Running club event Barming Running Club had booked the pavilion from 8am to noon onMay 4 bank holiday forwhatwas believed to be a small event, endingwith refreshments at the Bull pub.However, 400 runners andwalkers turned up as details had been advertised on a socialmedia site.
rust problem and has brought in a contractorwhowill, hopefully, put matters right. Treating the substandard struc-
ture is expected to take three months. Cllr Daley set out on a one-man
mission to track down the builder, only to find the company had gone into liquidation. Matters were fur- ther complicated when he discov- ered the original owner and developer had sold the building to another company. Once hewas armedwith the nec-
Now the owner has admitted it too is frustrated with the recurring
essary information, Cllr Daley pushed Maidstone Council’s en- forcement team into writing to the new owners – a pension fund – seeking urgent action to improve the exterior of the building.
This caused parking chaos and risks,with runners andwalkers in the road with no marshals supervising. The club obtained permission from the church to park at the church and from Gallagher’s to run through Barming woods. Cllr SandraManser felt that the race itselfwaswell-managed, but therewas no overall eventmanagement. Visitors parked everywhere, causing bedlam. The parish field gatewas also opened and the fieldwas used for unauthorised parking. Councillors had to deal withmany complaints from residents whowere extremely unhappywith the situation and very concerned about road safety. The chairmanwould be writing to the running club about it. Itwas good business for the Bull pub and could have been a great community eventwith the correct planning. Allotments The chairman reported on recent complaints regarding rubbish at the top of the
allotments.Mrs Dunn had kindly cleared the rubbish and Cllr Doewould complete the job by sprayingweedkiller over the offending area. Once theweeds had died back the areawould be levelled out to enable the plot to be let out again. The council thankedMrs Dunn and everyone else involved for their hardwork. Crime Therewere no crimes to report for Barming over the lastmonth. Police presencewas possibly deterring burglars. Chairman’s report The annualmeeting would be arranged with Barming Football Club and itwas agreed to increase the annual fee to £700.
Loose
Parking Borough Cllr Sue Grigg said that parking issues around Loose schoolwere being pursued and she would request quarterly visits by borough council parking enforcement officers. Manhole coverAbrokenmanhole cover spoed on the verge next toHerts Crescent had been reported to KentHighway
Services.Acone had been placed at the site.
Chance to
expand skills PEOPLE of retirement age can learn new skills and information in a friendly environment with no exams at the end. Asecond University of the Third
Age (U3A) group has been set up in the Maidstone area to ease a large waiting list at the original group. Maidstone Invicta U3A will serve the areas on the edge of the town including Staplehurst, Harriet- sham, Barming and Aylesford. U3A is a national organisation
with more than 800 groups across the
country.Members organise op- portunities for fellow members to learn about and experience differ- ent thingswith subjects as varied as art appreciation, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking. There are no qualifi- cations at the end – the emphasis is on learning for fun. For more information call David Hoxey on 01622 630799.
Annualmeeting Disappointmentwas voiced about the turnout at the annual parishmeeting in comparisonwith last year. However, itwas nice to see some new faces. Overall itwas felt to be a very good evening. Traffic surveyAsurveywas conducted relating to the traffic corridor on the A229 from the town centre to Boughton Lane/Cripple Street junction. The clerkwas asked to write to Cllr FranWilson requesting the survey be extended to Linton crossroads. Neighbourhood plan FeriaUrbanism had signed up to continue to assist with the Loose plan. Itwas hoped that a draft plan would be ready by the end ofNovember. Workwas needed on communicatingwith “hard to reach” groups. Police report PCSO DougieMuir reported there had been two recorded crimes that month – theft in the Loose Road area and making offwithout payment at Linton Road. Regarding nuisancemotor bikes, it would be helpful if registration numbers were recorded. BadgersAreport had been received about badgers along the allotment pathway towards Bray Gardens and Valley Drive and questionswere raised aboutwhat could be done about this. It could be a problemwhen the proposed pathway revamp had taken place. Cyclewayswere alsomentioned.
Tovil
Lile SwierlandAnew name is needed to define the land at CaveHill, sometimes known as Lile Swierland, recently purchased jointly by Tovil Parish Council and Valley Conservation Society, as being separate from other land in the Loose Valley also known by the same name. The proposed new name is "CrisbrookMeadow", giving a connection to the adjacent CrisbrookMill. Anyonewho wishes to comment on this change should contact clerk Alison Chew, on 01622 675628 or email
tovilparishcouncil@btopenworld.com
Maidstone Town July 2015 47
Parish Councils
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