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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. 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 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
Star players guests at pavilion launch
TESTON Cricket Club captain Steve Coley holds a shirt signed by the Lashings All Stars after being named man of the match in a fixture to launch the club’s new pavilion at Barham Court. Coley took four wickets in one over to destroy Lashings’ middle order, but the visitors, who be- tween them have more than 1,000 international caps, triumphed in the end. Sport England awarded Teston £50,000 towards their pavilion project. Pictured with Coley is ex-England all-rounder Phil de Freitas, who skippered the Lashings XI.
Objections fail to prevent gypsy site
RETROSPECTIVE planning permission was granted for a gypsy site containing two caravans and a utility shed in Staplehurst. The parish council objected to the application for land
called Blossom in Maplehurst Lane. Cllr Joan Buller told Maidstone Council's planning committee: “The parish council has concerns about vehicle access, flood- ing, supply ofpower andwater and an inadequate sep- tic tank provision.” There are existing gypsy sites to the north and east of
the develoment. Cllr John Perry, ward member for Staplehurst, said:
“The cumulative effect of all these developments is hav- ing a detrimental effect on this tranquil rural area. “Our rural areas are unprotected. This must be ad- dressed as a matter of urgency.We already have over 50 gypsy pitches in Staplehurst and we are at the maxi- mumof what Staplehurst can take.” However, the close proximity to the other sites and
an overall lack of gypsy sites to met the demand across the borough meant there were no policy grounds to support a refusal and the schemewas approved.
School’s delight at Ofsted upgrade
STAPLEHURST School is celebrating a leap of two grades in its performance following an Ofsted in- spection. The large primary school, with a register of 420 pupils, was marked good, after previously being ranked inadequate in December 2013. An inspector praised team-work by staff, gover-
nors, middle managers and head teacher Cathy Far- thing for the improvements at the school in Gybbon Rise and noted the value of training offered byKCC. The Ofsted report said the quality of teachingwas
now consistently good across the school, pupilswere polite andwell-behaved, and the school hard-work- ing and friendly. The inspector said further improvement could be
achieved by providing more challenging work to the brightest children, particularly in maths, more stim- ulating outdoor activities and by improving com- munication with parents on children’s progress.
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
Pub re-opens
THE Anchor at Yalding has changed hands for the first time in 29 years. The 14th-century thatched pub has
been bought by Shepherd Neame, which re-opened the riverside pub on July 6 after aweek of general mainte- nance. It will operate as part of the brewery’s managed estate in the hands of Chris Peach, who will re- cruit 20 staff to cope with the demand created by boat enthusiasts using the moorings over the summer. TheAnchor, which has 300 yards of
river frontage, is surrounded by water on two sides at Hampstead Lock and suffered badly during the 2013 floods. For the previous 29 years itwas run
by landlord Henry Long (78), who has retired but hopes to stay living in the village. Mr Long, previously a publican in Brixton, south London, took over the pub in 1986 after a six-year spell in Cornwall. The pub takes Shepherd Neame’s portfolio across the South East to 220 pubs – 27 managed and 193 tenanted.
Club’s ale award MARDEN Village Club has been named the area’s club of the year by the Maidstone and Mid-Kent Cam- paign for Real Ale (Camra) group. Camra members rated the club on
the quality of its real ale, its atmos- phere and decor. It is now being judged against three other Kent clubs for the county title, the result ofwhich will be known by the end of July. The Maidstone branch voted the
Bell&Jorrocks at Frittenden as its pub of the year.
Maidstone South July 2015 31
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