Parish Councils
News
£5.7m traffic system ‘won’t ease gridlock’
A PENSIONER has told KCC its new gyratory system for the centre of Maidstone will do nothing to ease the town’s gridlock crisis.
Work is due to begin in spring
2016 on a £5.7m traffic management system, which will see two lanes cre- ated to take traffic directly from Broadway
to
Fairmeadow and the A229 north- bound, without the need to cross either of the two bridges. But motorist Carlo
Attubato (79), who has lived in Tovil
since 1964, says the plan fails to solve the fundamental issue of traffic leav- ing the town to the north and south. He said: “The engineers have
come up with something which, in my view, misses the entire point. What they need to do is look at it again and address the real issue and that is the number of traffic lights and pinch points that are delaying
Barming
Pavilion Itwas agreed to excavate and repair the drainage pipe instead of a lining repair. The quote of £1,175 from Drain Kingwas ac- cepted. Some of the cladding on the pavilion had started to slip down and one piece had broken away. Itwas felt that the broken piece by the undercroft could be due to rough use and the other slats may have slipped due to suspected misuse, possibly footballs being kicked against it. The clerk would write to all hirers regarding this. Other issueswere leak- ing guttering, concrete breaking up by the back door, a rotten post in the play area and the bench that had been replaced had become loose. Cllr Andrew Doe would tighten the bench with new bolts and remove the rotten post. The clerk would contact Prime Building to discuss all the points raised regarding the pavilion and the durability of the cladding.A yearly inspectionwas also suggested. Police PCSO Matthew Adlington reported that parking at the school seemed to be get- ting better. Concerns regarding the speed that some parents drive at school drop-off and pick-up times were discussed and it was agreed that the PCSOs would continue to monitor the area. Football club The chairman reported that the meeting had gone well with Barming Youth Football Club. Itwas agreed that blinds would create the best form of privacy and the club would install any blinds that the council pur- chased. The club had accepted the rent rise and it was agreed that no increase would occur for the next two years. Filing cabinet It was agreed that the clerk should replace the filing cabinet and dispose of the damaged one. The cost would be £147.60 including Vat. Hoppers Field Cllr Sandra Manser askedwhy at Hoppers Field, even though there was no planning permission, workwas still continu- ing with the installation of a new driveway
42 Maidstone Town November 2015
people from getting to where they want to go. “The gyratory will just be another
‘car park’ trapping motorists in the town, rather than providing them with a speedy passage out.” He wants to see traffic lights re-
moved from the A229 at the White Rabbit roundabout to speed traffic towards Blue Bell Hill and Boxley. He says if the gyratory plan was scrapped there would be enough money to create a footbridge near the pub and a one-way system that would allow Boxley-bound traffic to travel up Hardy Street and John Street, thus freeing up the bottom end of Boxley Road, which would be one-way for those travelling towards Maidstone. As part of his plan, Carlo believes
easing traffic to the south by remov- ing traffic lights on Palace Avenue,
replacing it with a footbridge, and providing a right turn intoOld Tovil Road, with traffic lights at Hayle Road, would keep traffic moving. He also believes work could be
done in stages, avoiding the mini- mumfour months of delays it is pre- dicted the gyratory work will cause next year. Carlo said: “Iwent in to the Gate-
way to look at the plans and had to rely on county councillor Dan Daley to givemea copy. This is onlymyvi- sion, but trying to be heard seems impossible. That’swhyI’m usingmy local paper to add my voice and to find a proper solution to the traffic crisis.” Do you agree with Carlo’s traffic vision for Maidstone town centre? Will KCC’s gyratory scheme ad- dress congestion in the town? Con- tact
stephen@downsmail.co.uk.
and gate. The chairman had written to the planning and enforcement officers but itwas seen as low priority. Woodpigeons The chairman had been asked by Mr Curd, a long-standing allotment holder, whether he could have the parish council’s permission to use his airgun to deal with the woodpigeon problem as they kept landing on the netting, flattening the vegeta- bles. A map which he had prepared was cir- culated, showing the perimeter area/safety zone that the airgun would not be allowed to be used in, along with a legal advice note about the scope for the use of air guns. Fol- lowing discussion, members agreed to give MrCurd permission and to keep the situation carefully monitored. Cllr Manser requested that the minutes clearly state her total opposi- tion to the use of any firearm. Pavements Cllr Greenwood said he would be complaining to Kent Highway Services re- garding the state of the pavements in the parish. He would also contact Maidstone Council regarding overflowing rubbish bins outside the shops as the amount of litter strewn aboutwas unacceptable. Parking Cllr Dow reported that the parking issue on Maryland Drive and Barned Court had been reported to police as residentswere not leaving enough room for emergency serv- ices to get through.
Loose
Cold callers PCSO Doug Muir had received complaints of cold-callers mainly at Lancet
Lane.Awarning would be placed on theweb- site that if people want work done, they should contact theirownrecommended com- panies independently. Loud music A complaint had been made about loud music coming from Loose Valley. PCSOMuir stated that noise complaints could not be dealt with by the police and should go through Maidstone Council. However, if the
downsmail.co.uk Nursery staff
‘inspirational’ A NURSERY in Maidstone is cele- brating after raising its Ofsted grade to outstanding.
On the previous inspection, Al- phabets Nursery in Hillary Road, Penenden Heath, was told by a government inspector it required improvement. However, this time there was only praise, with inspector Jo Caswell describing teaching as outstanding, the manager and her deputy inspirational, and their at- tention to detail in supporting chil- dren’s well-being exceptional. The inspector added: “Con- certed action has been taken since the last inspection to improve the quality of teaching. Staff should be commended for the dedication they have shown in accessing training and external support to improve their practice so quickly. “Children thoroughly enjoy their day at nursery.”
Read our archived
editions FREE online at
www.downsmail.co.uk
noisewas in the early hours or persistent, the police could go out if needed and if available. Award It was agreed that proprietors of the post office should be encouraged to take part in the Kent Rural Retailer 2015 competition, particularly in view of it being a crucial com- munity-based local business. Gazebo A gazebo would be purchased for a maximum£500 for outdoor events held by the parish council. Roy’s Wood It was agreed to pay the cost of urgent essential works recently carried out in Brooksfield Community Wood, known lo- cally as Roy’s Wood. Community awards The clerk reported that an award received for the late Cllr Roy Hood under the Kalc (Kent Association of LocalAu- thorities) to denote his services to his com- munity for many years,was passed on to his wife and familywhowere extremely touched.
Tovil
South Park Mike Evans, the new chairman of the Friends of South Park, introduced himself to councillors and gave a brief insight into the community group, which has taken an active role in looking after the park. He told mem- bers the group’s profile-raising initiative had seen its membership rise to 100,whonowcar- ried out improvements such as weeding in conjunction with the borough council on the first Monday of the
month.MrEvans said the friends’ group was also looking to raise moneyfor further improvements, beyond that provided by section 106 developer contribu- tions. He said: “We exist as a group with a passion for the park and accept that parks are not going to get more money from an ever-re- ducing budget.We need not to be moaning at the borough council but working with it to get the best for the park.” For details of how to join the friends group, see the noticeboard in the park or send an email to the address
chris.atwell@
homecall.co.uk.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56