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downsmail.co.uk £50m bypass scheme agreed Continued from page one
North, has re-emphasised the finan- cial obstacles the project faces. The KCC leader says there would only be a total of £10m funding available for a scheme that would cost more than £50m. At the end of a two-hour debate in
which it was agreed to press ahead with the idea, Cllr Carter said: “We can't promise a transport plan that can't be delivered and gives devel- opers an opportunity to build more homes. “Don't make decisions based on
total uncertainty. We need to find out how much the true cost is.” However, chairman of the board
Cllr David Burton said:“We make a list of desires and then find outhow they might be achieved.” The board agreed to back an ITS
that includes the Leeds-Langley by- pass, increased bus frequencies of up to every 10 minutes and a 50% rise in long-stay town centre park- ing charges. The proposal for a park and ride service in Lintonwas removed. The chosen strategy (DS3) could see an increase of7%in vehicle travel times from 2014 to 2031, which compared favourably to 30% in the DS1 op- tion. The latter included a range of small-scale junction improvements
and the development of the bypass. The sustainable package (DS2),
which included improved bus fre- quencies, Linton park and ride, en- hanced walking and cycling facilities and increased parking charges, would have seen a rise of just 3%, according to consultant Amey, who was commissioned by Maidstone Council and KCC to un- dertake the study. However, coun- cillors were sceptical about this finding. Cllr Annabelle Blackmore, leader
of the Conservative group on Maid- stone Council, said: “The assump-
tion has been made that 8% of peo- ple will have a modal shift and not drive, which is a possibility in urban areas but not in rural areas. “People will not cycle from Head-
corn to Maidstone every single day; not from Staplehurst or Marden. It is not practical or real. “We currently subsidise park and
ride by £500,000 a year. What sub- sidy would we have to provide to prop this one up? It is not sustain- able financially and there is not the political will for park and ride.We should look for greater collabora- tion over bus services.”
The other option, do minimum
(DM), included little more than the already-planned town centre bridge gyratory scheme and would have seen a rise of 38% in travel times. Cllr Gary Cooke, KCC member
for Maidstone South East, said: “All things have to be funded and we need to work on that, but it is im- portant there is provision for a relief road for the residents who live here and those who will move here.” The board's recommendation will
go in the draft local plan document that will go out for consultation.
Gnus add humour to summer concert
BEARSTED Choral Society was joined by Good Gnus, from the lay clerks for Canterbury Cathedral, for a light- hearted summer concert in St Nicholas’ Church, Leeds. The group (pictured) sang a selection of songs from Flanders and Swan and Stilgoe and Skellern, among others. The concert was conducted by Andrew Lowen, and Trevor Brearley accompanied the Bearsted Choral Society’s songs on the piano. The programme included rousing songs such as
Heart of Oak and The Mermaid, and the audience joined in enthusiastically with the chorus of The Hip- popotamus Song, while more than one tear was shed during the beautiful Giveme a Ticket to Heaven. The sopranos and contraltos had their moment with Three
Little Maids and the tenors and basses gave an exhila- rating rendition ofWe’re called Gondolieri. The evening was rounded off withThe Star-spangled Ban- ner.
The next concert will be a performance of Bizet’s
Carmen at 7.30pm on November 14. For full details go to the BCS website
www.bearstedchoral.org.uk.
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