downsmail.co.uk
likely to get back to its owner via social media. I recently lost my purse containing my car
keys and house keys in Maidstone while shopping. I retraced my steps and enquired in several shops, but no luck. After about an hour Iwent to the police station at Palace Avenue and a very kind member of the public had found it in FremlinWalk and handed it to a police officer, so Iwas able to retrievemy car and shopping. I don’t think this would have happened if
the police had not accepted lost property. Robin Hinkley, by email
Is ‘Sir’ entitled to title?
Dear Sir – In the articles relating to the Magna Carta in Downs Mail (May) Robert Worcester is referred to as “Sir Robert”. As he is an American citizen, I believe that
he should not be so addressed, as his knighthood can only be an honorary one, allowing him to use the leers KBE after his name but not the title “Sir”. Perhaps you know something about this
that I, and many others, don’t. Please explain why this American citizen is being addressed as a knight of the realm? Peter Baker, Bower Street, Maidstone
Peter, he is given the title Sir Robert on the websites of many organisations including the following: Ipsos-Mori; the Magna Carta 800th anniversary commiee; King's College London; University of London; and University of Kent. In the media, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent also call him Sir Robert. The biography on Mr Worcester’s own Twier
and Linkedin accounts refer to him as Sir Robert. Mr Worcester has dual citizenship, which we
believe enables him to be called Sir as a mark of respect. Response by Stephen
Get rid of parish councils
Dear Sir – Now that the dreaded elections are over, “democracy” continues to reign supreme, especially at parish council level. Most people in the Maidstone area didn’t
have a parish vote because the vast majority of parish councilswere “elected” without a ballot and consequently some will continue to fail in their duty to represent residents. We have one of these unelected ballot
parish councils in Coxheath.We have them to thank for a failed, but extremely expensive, traffic calming scheme which has now been largely removed, but only after a village hall meeting aended by more than 300 very angry residents. We have an expensivewebsite that villagers cannot properly contribute to.We had towait more than a year for a bus shelter, even though KCC had approved a grant shortly after its original proposal. Its latest democratic localism activitywas
the preparation of a neighbourhood plan. In doing this it chose to include a housing/commercial development at Clockhouse Farm, despite a 1,200-signature petition against it. The inclusion in the plan was claimed to be an aempt to prevent even further development in our village. The parish council thenwent on to object
to the development proposals opposite Aspian Drive but, aswe now know, both developments have been approved by Maidstone Council, the planning authority.
Inquiry in wrong place
Dear Sir – I ama resident of Allington and a member of the community trying to save a glorious area of Kent countryside and ancient woodland from development. Therewas a public inquiry concerning
this application. The area in question is at Allington and the inquirywas at the Mercure Great Danes Hotel, Hollingbourne – about as far away as you can get from Allington and still be in Maidstone borough. It takes about two hours to get from Allington to the hotel by bus. The hotel is a 20-minutewalk from a station. Many Allington residents are elderly or do not have access to a car. Howwere they supposed to aend a public meeting to voice their concerns about what is happening in their community if they could not get there? It beggars belief that Maidstone Council
did not consider this. According to guidelines about these
sorts of inquiries, one of the prime recommendationswas that the chosen
I don't feel represented by our parish council and maybe it is time to rid ourselves of this tier of local government, which is clearly pointless. Tony Monk,Westerhill Road, Coxheath
Homes on hotel site
Dear Sir – Far from being passive in response to the recent application to build 14 houses on the site of the former Russell Hotel in Boxley Road (Comment, June), Cllr Jenni Paterson and I have had at least three face-to-face residents’ meetings, in addition to office-based and site meetings with planners and Clarendon Homes. Further, a significantweight of correspondence has been exchanged between a range of stakeholders. Indeed, negotiations involving local councillors on detailed design including landscaping, boundary treatments, building materials and a public art installation are ongoing. I will seek to answer the two points raised
in relation to why conversion to flatswas not sought, and why the applicationwas not determined by planning commiee. Firstly, the former Russell Hotelwas not a
listed building or of a quality that could conceivably achieve such a designation; this meant that it enjoyed no protection and could therefore be demolished at any time. Secondly, very significant safeguards for surrounding residential areas had been achieved through negotiation such as the retention of wooded buffer strips, changes to design and layout, and new tree planting. Local Northward councillors and residentswere concerned that, should the planning application (for 14 houses) on this site go before commiee, therewas a big
Protestors make their feelings clear about the plan for homes in Allington
venue is as close as possible to the area under discussion. This has patently not been adhered to. I wrote to Maidstone Council about this,
butwas told itwas too late to change the venue. There are many more accessible venues
that could have been used, such as the Town Hall or Sessions House. What possessed the council to choose the
Great Danes? Adeveloper is planning to put about 500
homes on land off Hermitage. It is the last area of open green space on thewest side of Maidstone. The borough boundary is included within the site. It is a rural gem which includes a small
but invaluable ancient woodland which would be ruined if developmentwere permied. I know houses are needed. I’m just
saying that this is the wrong place. It is too important as open green space and a green corridor between Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling borough to be developed. Ann Bates, Howard Drive, Allington
risk that the density of the proposed development would be increased. It is the low density of the scheme which
allows the retention of a wooded buffer at Fintonagh Drive and the space to beef-up tree planting along the Boxley Road and Chaenden Court boundaries. The 14 comparatively large gardens afforded by this low density scheme should also benefit local landscape and wildlife. Cllr Tony Harwood, member for North ward
Report ‘not balanced’
Dear Sir –We feel your story in last month’s (June) Downs Mail headed “Warehouse plan ‘Trojan horse’” didn’t do justice to the three-week public inquiry into the development proposal atWaterside Park. People who aended would have seen it
to be a thorough, evidence-based public inquiry that examined in great detail a wide range of issues, for and against. Representationswere made by professional witnesses, local businesses and interested lay people – all had the chance to make their point and express their opinion. Waterside Park is a significant proposed
development. Your coverage over the earlier months has been balanced but as a snapshot your story last monthwas, in our opinion, incomplete. Like those against the development, the businesses affected by this inquiry and their employees also deserve the merits of the proposal to have a fair hearing, as do any of the general public who rely on Downs Mail for their information. Nick Yandle, chief executive, Gallagher Group
Maidstone East July 2015 43
Comment
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