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downsmail.co.uk Drinks licence for football club
CONCERNS about footballers being able to drink after matches at Otham have been rejected. The parish council had objected
to the licence request by Bearsted FC,which use the ground and club- house in Honey Lane, saying the application had prompted consid- erable concern from villagers, fear- ful of the impact on rural life, the public nuisance and the area’s nar- row lanes. In a letter read to the licensing committee meeting at Maidstone Town Hall, the parish council said: “Bearsted Football Club have never shown any consideration to the res- idents of Otham. “The noise generated by the club is both inconsiderate and offensive
to the residents. If a licence to serve alcohol is granted this will cause further public nuisance.” It adds: “Clearly no responsible
club member (or guest) would be able to drink and then drive away from the club.” However, councillors approved
the application after reducing the club’s proposed opening times by three hours to from noon until 9.30pm, Monday to Sunday. The club’s applicant, Roy Benton,
said the club would take steps to reduce noise,would not play music and would display notices asking users not to cause annoyance to res-
idents. In addressing questions about public safety, the club say match day stewards and first aiders would be available and children would not be allowed on the prem- ises without adult supervision. The club say the bar and other improvements at their ground, in- cluding floodlighting, are part of improvements necessary to stay in the Kent Invicta League. However, Otham resident and
parish councillor Valerie Moon said: “The football pitch started life as a low key local club, which con- tinued to develop into a much big- ger club higher up in the league,
Business as usual says castle chief
THE new chief executive of Leeds Castle arrived in Kent to a baptism of fire.
Formal Naval officer Sir David Steel arrived in Kent to find himself caught up in Operation Stack and the aftermath of the planning en- quiry on Waterside Park. Sir David, who spent 37 years with the Royal Navy, expressed his delight that the planning inspector rejected the appeal regarding the land at J8 of the M20 – and that the Government has finally taken on board the problems caused by lorry congestion on the motorway. He said: “Operation Stack has had a marked effect on the percep- tion of what is accessible in Kent and I am particularly delighted that this has now become a national issue to resolve, with the Govern- ment clearly asking for a solution that will ease traffic congestion
day for Ma A FAMILY who organised a fish and chip feast as a fund-raiser in mem- ory of their lost son have raised £1,800 for a self-help community centre in Cambodia.
Matt Carapiet (23), from Bearsted, died in the Nepalese earthquake ear- lier this year. His family have con- tinued to help the community centre, where Matt volunteered dur- ing his travels, in his memory. Marino Fish Bar in Ashford Road offered to make a donation for each fish and chip supper sold on one day to support the centre. There were people queuing out of the door to support the cause and a family spokesman said: “It was touching to see so many familiar faces. Thanks to Marino's for kindly offering to run the event and organ- ising a collection outside the shop.” There is a collection box in the shop for those who want to donate.
40 Maidstone East October 2015
nity. He admitted his knowledge of Kent was sparse, having spent most of his working life at sea and three years in command of the Naval base at Portsmouth. But he said: “The site was not dis- similar to Leeds Castle, with a com- plicated mix of heritage, accommodation, business and land to administer.”
when Operation Stack is in place. “It is business as usual here at Leeds Castle and visitors can still get to us quite easily with a bit of careful planning – even when Op- eration Stack is on.”
Sir David is looking forward to getting to know his neighbours in Leeds, Broomfield and Holling- bourne and said he was committed to working with the local commu-
He paid tribute to the work of the existing team who, he said had been both welcoming and under- standing. He said he was delighted to learn the outcome of the contro- versial Waterside Park planning in- quiry, which had cast a cloud over the castle in recent months. He said: “Any development is likely to add to the volume of traf- fic in this area and recent events have shown what congestion can do to us.”
Fish and chips Office plan at barn refused
MAIDSTONE Council has refused a planning application to replace a barn with an office in Detling. Officers felt the proposal for Lynch Bank Farm Barn on Detling Hill was
acceptable because it would have brought “material improvements to the character and set- ting of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. However, the planning committee voted to re- fuse. Cllr Tony Harwood said: “I was astounded when I read the recom- mendation was to ap- prove. “It is a ramshackle collapsed shed on the scarp slope of the AONB, which
we have a duty to protect. The site has returned to nature so to introduce hardstanding, parking and lighting will introduce an urbanizing feature and damage the AONB landscape.”
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which is not appropriate due to its proximity to the local community. “The roads around here are country lanes where vehicles have difficulty passing each other and many pedestrians walk along the side of the road. When the foot- ballers leave at the end of the match it is quite hazardous, given the speed at which some of them drive and the concentration of vehicles on the road. To add alcohol to the situation could result in a serious accident.” It is understood the club will use
the licence only to sell alcohol at fixtures or club-related events.
Success for
cricket club BEARSTED Cricket Club are celebrating an impressive sea- son at both senior and junior levels. A win against Limpsfield
Court saw the 1st XI, under new skipper Mark Sandhu, take the Kent County Village League title (Division 2) in their first season in that league after win- ning 14 of 18 games. Steve Benjamin won the
bowling award for the most wickets in the division with 40; Andy Dampier took 30 wickets in the season and Mark Sandhu 22. Top run scorers were Dan Jefferies with 478, Ben Johnston with 365 and Noel Johnston with 353. The next generation also
played its part, with Charlie Luxton scoring 169 runs and taking 11 wickets and Alex Lush taking 3 for 14 in the vital last game. The juniors also had a very
good season, with the under 15s beating Leeds and Broomfield in the final of theWeald of Kent Cup. Although Leeds and Broomfield scored 118 for three wickets in their 20 overs, an opening stand of 84 between skipper Will Terry (45) and Peter Taylor (36)was enough to see Bearsted through, winning by five wickets. Top run-scorer for the under
15s was Will Terry, with 163 runs in seven innings and top wicket taker was Chris How- son, with six. Despite the success of the 1st
XI, the club have struggled to put out two full teams each week, so new players would be very welcome, as would new junior players, especially at under-11 and under-15 level. For details visit
bearstedcc.play-
cricket.com.
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