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Planners call time on ‘struggling’ village pub


LAST orders have been served at a 16th century pub after Maidstone Council's planning committee allowed it to be converted into a home.


A245-name petition had called for


the grade II-listed Old Plantation Inn, in Plantation Lane, Bearsted to be retained as a pub. But the writing was on the wall


back in May, when residents failed to have it declared an asset of com- munity value due to its walking proximity to pubs such as the White Horse, Oak on the Green, Lion of Kent and Rose Inn. The planning committee used the


same argument to give Heritage De- signer Homes consent to allow the extension of the building to form a five-bedroom home, and an addi- tional two four-bedroom detached homes behind the pub. Neighbour Sue Nutting said the


pub, which closed in February, had only begun struggling in the last two years under its current owner. She added: “Under a previous owner in 2011 and 2012, during a recession, the pub was successfully operating against other pubs in the area. Since it closed the applicant has received at least two enquiries from people wanting to take on the lease.” Ms Nutting also objected to the


loss of the play area in the pub's beer garden, stating it was a valuable fa- cility for the people of Bearsted. Cllr Val Springett, local ward member, said: “The only reason of- ficers recommend refusal is the loss of viability of the pub, based on evi- dence supplied by the developer. However, residents dispute this claim and have evidence provided by the former landlord to back it up.


plan granted PLANNING permission was granted for a redesigned proposal to demolish and replace a home in Church Lane, Bearsted. Maidstone Council previously re-


fused a planning application for Caterways, claiming a three-bed- room home would have been visu- ally harmful to the conservation area. The revamped schemewas signif- icantly altered, according to Maid- stone Council. An officer report said: “The


dwelling now proposed is more tra- ditional, with a clearly distinguished principle part of thedwelling and its subservant additions to each side el- evation. “This creates a better overall form


to the property, which relates better to the street scene.”


“The pub is not tied to a brewery


and does not need a licence to hold live music, both of which help its vi- ability.


“While I accept that there are two


pubs nearby, they are of a different character. They attract people from outside the area and are crowded and lively in the evenings. They do not function as a village pub. “The Lion of Kent is on the A20


and does not have a garden for chil- dren. The Rose Inn is on theA20, has no garden and serves Indian food, which is not good for children” Cllr Richard Thick asked: “Is this


a bad pub or a good pub badly run?” But Cllr Tony Harwood said:


“Sadly we are looking at the loss of another landmark of my misspent youth.OnSunday nights thePlanta- tionwas very busy, but it is undeni- able that it has been dying for years. It is not a symptom of what has been going on in Bearsted but of what has been going on in society. We have destination pubs but the local pubs are really suffering.


‘The industry


has changed’ SPEAKING on behalf of the appli- cant Heritage Designer Homes, Mr Collins said: “For some time the pub may have been viable but the whole pub industry has changed considerably. “It is quite rare for a small pub


that does not serve food and is not in a town or village centre to be vi- able. There are other facilities lo- cally that are popular and located a short walk along safe roads in a nice area.” An offer was made to take over


the pub at a rental level of £15,000 per annum, but a Maid- stone Council officer report said: “On the basis that only a short- term letting would be appropriate, the landlord would have to carry out substantial investment to bring the pub to a reasonable op- erational level before the prospec- tive tenant could move in. “The pub would not be viable without that. This offer grossly un- dervalues the premises.”


“When this site was surrounded


by strawberry fields and pea fields there was no one living there, yet it always survived. Things have changed.” The planning application was ac- cepted, with eight votes in favour, two against and two abstentions.


Revised home Classic cars draw crowds


THEeighth annualCars on the Green festival took placeonBearsted Green, attracting 165 exhibitors and about 2,000 spectators. The event raisedmore than £2,000


for Kent and Sussex Air Ambulance and five awardswere given out. The warm weather and good-na-


tured crowd made for a hugely suc- cessful event. A number of historic carswere brought for sale and several cars on displaywere amongthe most celebrated examples of their kind. Organiser Phil Hill said: “It’s great


to be able to bring such amultitude of vehicles to a local venue. “We had machines including high


performance legends like the selec- tion of E-type Jaguars on display, to historic machinery like a local steam- roller that dates back to 1929. This is increasingly becoming the kind of event where people bring the family


News Fruit fly threat


to our cherries THIS year’s cherry harvest is under attack from Asian fruit flies. Growers in Yalding and Loose


have already reported losing cher- ries to the bug, which enjoys the heat and thrives when tempera- tures top 20C. The threat to this year’s harvest is


just as real for gardeners as it is for commercial growers, with the pest partial to not only cherries, but plums and other soft fruit. Unlike most fruit flies, which at-


tack fallen and over-ripe fruit, the female spotted wing drosophila (SWD) lays its eggs under the skin of healthy fruit. Larvae eat the fruit from inside, making them soft and unmarketable. Malcolm Marden, manager at Worley’s Court Lodge Farm in Kenward Road, Yalding, says the bug, first recorded in the UK in 2012, first reared its head on his farm last year. This year it has affected some


trees in the farm’s orchards, which supply farm shops and supermar- kets.


The farm will be destroying any affected fruit. He said: “We are having to go


over the trees to see which have been affected. I have heard from other growers who have been af- fected too, but at the moment it seems to be only on a small scale.” A spokesperson from British Summer Fruits, which represents 98% of UK berry growers, said: “There will be plenty of first-rate British cherries this summer. “Unlike other affected countries,


theUKindustry anticipated the ar- rival of SWD and set up a cross-in- dustry and government working group to ensure the correct meas- ures are in place.” Much of the advice for control-


ling the pest has come from work by East Malling Research.


No games room


A PROPOSAL to create a games room and flat roof link to an exist- ing swimming pool in Harrietsham was refused. Maidstone Council felt the plan


for The Pines inWest Streetwas too large for the area and contrary to a policy protecting the countryside. Harrietsham Parish Council ob-


and the local pubs dowell, along with the air ambulance.” The five awards offered included


certificates for the best sports car, best pre-war vehicle, most desirable vehicle, best-dressed vehicle and best dressed couple and car, which was won by Stephen and Denise Bailey from Chislehurst with their Mini (pictured).


jected on several grounds, includ- ing the site’s hill-top location posing drainage and run-off con- cerns.However, applicants Simona and Carter Sand said the land was “impenetrable”.


Dishwasher fire


FIREFIGHTERS tackled a fire in a dishwasher at a homein Franklin Drive, Grove Green. Crews used a hose reel jet to extinguish the blaze. Therewere no reports of injuries.


Maidstone East August 2015 27


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