News Opposition to
caravan plan LANGLEY Parish Council has ob- jected to a planning application for an extra 76 caravans at Rumwood Green Farm in Sutton Road. Planning permission is restricted
to 59 , but applicantGCharlton and Sonswants to increase this to 135 to accommodate foreign workers who pick fruit in 120 hectares of the farm. An access to New Road would also be created. The parish council believes the
scale of development is unsustain- able in the open countryside. It said: “Due to the number of caravans and people on site and the reliance on the car, it will result in an excessive amount of traffic leaving via New Road which is a single lane road, poorly-lit and has no pavement.” The number of workers employed
and living on the farm peaks to 1,000 inAugust and September. A number of staff are retained during the winter to work in the packhouse, maintain the farm and erect and maintain polytunnels. Since 2013 the workforce has ex- panded from 240 to 400 for the win- ter period. Asupporting statement said: “The
development is necessary for the purposes of the agricultural busi- ness. ”
Maidstone Council will decide.
Work starts to clean up hotel
WORKhas begun to repair 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
voted Maidstone’s most ugly build- ing, the Travelodge began to rust within months 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 not make it go away. Now the owner has admitted it
too is frustrated with the recurring rust problem and has brought in a contractor who will, hopefully, put matters right. Treating the substandard struc-
ture is expected to take three months. Cllr Daley set out on a one-man
downsmail.co.uk
Twinning call for help
MAIDSTONE’s twinning group is looking for more members to help promote the entente cordiale with a French town. The Maidstone/Beauvais Twin-
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 armed with the nec-
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.
ningAssociation began in 1961.Over the years, the links between the two places have gone from strength to strength, but with the Beauvais group still thriving, membership on this side of the Channel dwindled after Maidstone Council withdrew its funding a few years ago. Borough Cllr Wendy Hinder, twinning committee vice-chairman, said: “Due to the withdrawal of fundingwe have seen our member- ship drop significantly. We are ur- gently trying to re-invent ourselves to increase the membership in order to be able to hold fundraising events. We would welcome new members whohave aninterest in France, those who have expertise or experience in fundraising, and anyone who just wishes to join to be able to partici- pate in social events.” The committee held its annual meeting at Maidstone Town Hall this month. Anyone interested in joining the twinning association can contact the secretary, Michael Yates on
myates38@btinternet.com or 079636 677952.
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