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Mote Park well worth a quid MailMarks


RECENT Maidstone Council invest-


ments have improved Mote Park magnifi- cently to make it even more popular locally and see it rated second best in the nation. Purchased for £50,000 from the Lord Bearsted family almost 100 years ago, Mote Park has proved a wonderful council in- vestment and residents will want it pre- served and improved for years to come. I think few will complain about a pro-


posed new parking fee of £1 for six hours, especially as the income will be used to maintain and further improve the park. Government has imposed massive finan-


cial restrictions on local authorities in the troubled economic times and funding non- essential services is a great problem. I think most of us who pay to park will appreciate its great value.


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Ramblin’ Man Iwelcome Maidstone Council’s policy


to increase attractions (and income) from Mote Park – but I expressed fears about noise from the big two-day Ramblin’ Man music festival. Iwas close to it for two days at The Mote


cricket ground andwas impressed. The fes- tival was professionally organised and the large audiencewas mostly mature, friendly and responsible. The nearby roads were busy at times, but with visitors arriving over a long period, and leaving at non-peak times, Iwas not aware of serious problems.


Bypass v old firs


Dear Sir – In the August Downs Mail a mention was made about who was going to finance the Leeds-Langley bypass. Mr Schroeder says he would finance the


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Rugby club to make fresh start


MAIDSTONE Rugby Club look set for a new ground – leaving The Mote after more than 50 years in the centre of town. The move follows a successful season on the pitch for the club, but disagreement with The Mote Cricket Club, which own and share the ground.


Earlier, the cricket club had sug- gested houses would be built on part of the rugby club’s training ground to finance developments that they say would transform the ground’s sports facilities. However, the rugby club were not happy with having to relin- quish part of their training ground, forcing cricket club chair-


36


man Glen Aukett to say that these plans were “on ice”.


Now the rugby club’s vice- chairman, Paul Firmin, appears to have offered a way out for both sides by allowing them to move elsewhere in the town. Up to three potential sites are under discus- sion with Maidstone Council as part of a larger development plan concerning Mr Firmin.


The rugby club say the opportu- nity to move away from The Mote has received the backing of the club committee and the member- ship will be presented with the full details shortly. They say initial discussions between the club, Mr Firmin and Maidstone Council


Maidstone East September 2015


representatives have been posi- tive, although they recognise sig- nificant hurdles need to be overcome before a more formal confirmation of the details can be released. Maidstone Rugby Club remain a significant tenant of The Mote and their lease agreement is up for renewal next May. The Mote Cricket Club will con- sider in the next month their pol- icy regarding the lease. Dennis Fowle, chairman of The Mote CC development committee, said: “We have delayed any new lease offer to rugby since the end of May until the rugby club’s plans are a little clearer. Our priority is to safeguard the cricket club and


this magnificent site for local sport and the community. Building a new pavilion and improving facil- ities are integral to that.” The rugby club’s Jim Tinsley said: “Regarding the ongoing saga on development at The Mote, the protracted discussions which in- volved the rugby club, the cricket club and Maidstone Council were not able to be resolved as we in the rugby club are not prepared to sacrifice playing and training space to allow development on our 1st XV pitch.


“Our proposed exodus from The Mote should allow both clubs to realise their full potential as im- portant sports centres in Kent.”


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


How about the noise? On the cricket ground side itwas no problem at all when I was there. The wind was blowing from thewest and I amsure this helped. Friends living in Downswood,Vinters Park, Grove Green and Bearsted heard much more, but I believe therewere few complaints. Noise levelswere monitored and limitswere not breached. Perhaps limits could be reduced somewhat in future. The festival brought a lot of people and money to Maidstone and I believe there were many happy visitors and businesses. I understand it couldwell return.


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Political football The political football of Maidstone’s


local plan is being booted in the direction of the right goal at long last. When the Tories were in control they commissioned an expert independent re- port on the evidence-based need for more than 19,000 new houses in the borough for the period 2011 to 2031. They knew this ev- idence would be tested by a Government inspector and if it failed, the desperately- needed local plan would be rejected.


bypass if the planners would let him build a village in Kingswood.


This would make sense – pulling out old fir trees instead of building on the Green Belt. David A Last, by email


This figure was strongly challenged as massively over the top by local political op- ponents in the build-up to May’s general and borough elections. I always felt they were playing to local voters worried about the level of development, especially in some rural areas, rather than working to meet Maidstone’s greatest need. And KCC leader Cllr Paul Carter (Con)


was still more vociferous in damning the number – even after KCC commissioned its own independent report which, to his fury, largely mirrored the report commis- sioned by Maidstone Council. These long delays may well cost Maid-


stone dear, as we currently have little pro- tection against developers with their own ideas for using greenfield land for housing. It is not a good scene – and sadly Maid- stone Council is now subject to ridicule. New Lib Dem leader of Maidstone Council Cllr Fran Wilson is working well to bring together all politicians, including KCC, to finally get the local plan on the road. Tough decisions must be taken in the face of continued local resident opposition. If not, the borough’s housing target could well swell under government pressure to beyond the current evidence-based 18,560. She has accepted she has “failed” to reduce the target substantially. The Tories will have a wry smile – but hopefully they will continue to play a lead- ing role to see past wrongs righted.


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