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News Developers to help fund bypass


BUILDERS of new homes in Maidstone have pledged to make a contribution to the construction of a Leeds-Langley bypass.


Taylor Wimpey, Redrow and


Bellway – all ofwhomare currently building developments along Sut- ton Road – have agreed to allocate part of their Section 106 developer funds towards the long-awaited bypass, which would help alleviate spiralling traffic congestion south of Maidstone. KCC leader Paul Carter, an out- spoken opponent of Maidstone’s housing targets and who lives in Langley, approached all three de- velopers to seek an assurance they would support the infrastructure improvement. He told the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board: “KCC re- quested that a portion of the S106 money from the developments on


Town keeps


on expanding KCC leader Cllr Paul Carter claimed Maidstonewas now one of the most congested towns in the South East. “I have lived here all my life and


watched the traffic increase to ridiculous levels. In 25 years, we have promised so much and deliv- ered nothing.” Cllr Carter, who lives in Langley,


said it could take him 15 minutes to get out of his drive and an hour to travel two miles into town. “Yet Maidstone continues to


build more houses than any other borough in the South East.” He claimed Maidstone had built


an average of 662 new homes every year for the past eight years – the same number as Medway, which has three times the population and three times as many houses. In comparison, East Sussex had


built 222,West Sussex 349 and Sur- rey 272. In terms of towns, Chichester had


built 379 and Crawley 344. “Maidstone has the highest rate


of building in the county – even more than Dartford – and has de- livered much more than anywhere else, yet it now wants to go on building more than anywhere else until 2031,” he said.


David Fitzsimmons of Locate in Kent; Mark Coxon, director of prop- erty surveyor Caxtons; KCC leader Paul Carter; KCC cabinet member for economic developmentMark Dance; and Ron Roser, chairman of Caxtons at the launch of the report


Sutton Road is allocated for the Leeds-Langley bypass and all three have agreed, voluntarily.” However, that money alone


would be insufficient to pay for the bypass, expected to cost more than £50m and, even if built, by 2031 the roads south of Maidstone still face a 22% increase in journeys, with travel times up by 13%. Cllr Carter appealed to Maid-


stone Council to reduce its target of 18,600 homes between 2011 and 2031. He added: “Have a sanity check and apply some common sense. This is the county town and the future is in your hands. Do not destroy the quality of life for Maid- stone residents for the next 10-15 years.”


Areport from strategic highways consultant Amey concluded that proposed new housing would have an “unacceptably severe impact” on roads such as the A229 and A274. If the council does the absolute minimum to mitigate events, there would be a staggering 69% more vehicle movements on Sutton Road by 2031, compared with 2014. Even with a 50% increase in car parking charges to encourage more people to use public transport and a new 10-minute bus frequency, there would be an estimated 45% increase in vehicle movement. Cllr Gary Cooke warned that


Willington Street and Sutton Road would soon be joining the M25 in


being one of Britain’s biggest park- ing lots, as Maidstone faced a fu- ture of gridlock, with up to 45% more vehicles on some roads by 2031.


“Local residents should have had


a Leeds-Langley bypass 20 years ago,” he said. The board agreed to let officers


spend a further month exploring the fine detail of the Amey report, giving them time to hold talks with bus operators in the borough. Cllr Rob Bird said the council


also needed to look at the impact of traffic movements in neighbouring Tonbridge and Malling as these had particular impact on junctions at Hermitage Lane and Watering- bury.


Big task to keep county growing


A NEW report highlights the significant growth anticipated in Kent over the next 16 years and identifies £6.74bn of infrastructure developments required to support it. It also recognises a funding gap of £2.01bn. The Growth Infrastructure Framework (GIF) report was developed by KCC with Medway Council, Kent’s 12 district authorities and health and utility sectors. KCC is now aiming to work with other partners, including private sector investors, to meet the significant funding gap. KCC leader Paul Carter said: “The GIF tells


a sobering story about the challenge we face in delivering growth, but it also gives us a unique chance to do something about it.”


Who decides how severe is severe?


PLANNING applications for new housing can only be re- fused on transport grounds if the impact on the community is classed as “severe”. But no case law exists as to the precise definition of severe. Officers advised the JTB that


it must decide what was – and was not – acceptable. Cllr Paul Carter said he be- lieved the professionals should


decide what was the tipping point and said Amey had ad- vised him that Maidstone’s was the worst case they had ever seen, when taken on a national scale. “I cannot believe that the


severity test has not been blown some time ago,” he said. KCC cabinet member for transport, Matthew Balfour said the county council would have


previously been “putting its head on the block” by claiming traffic levels in south Maidstone were severe which, if chal- lenged, could have resulted in an extremely costly test case in the courts. Now that the figures were


available, it was up to Maid- stone councillors to decide if the numbers were indeed severe, he said.


Choir concert Cuing cost of your big day Festive market


KENT Chamber Choir, with con- ductor Alan Vincent, will present Music forAdvent and Christmas at St John’s Church,Wateringbury, on Saturday December 5 with prize- winning soprano Alice Brown . Tickets are £10 (£5 for children


and students) and are available fromWateringbury Post Office or Ros Diment on 01622 813032.


BRIDES and grooms-to-be are in- vited to visit the Heart of Kent shop in Coxheath which now stocks a wide range of new and pre-loved wedding outfits. As well as wedding dresses and bridesmaids’ dresses, the shop’s dedicated bridal wear department also stocks hats for the mother of the bride, suits and ties for the


groom and best man as well as ac- cessories and children’s wear. The shop also has a good choice


of outfits for special occasions such as a day at the races or a formal dinner, meaning customers can get great value while supporting a worthwhile local cause. The shop is open from 9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Saturday.


THERE will be a Christmas market in St Mary’s Church, Hunton, on from 4pm to 7pm on Saturday, December 12. There will be mulled cider and a barbecue, as well as craft stalls, food and drink, homemade cakes and a bottle stall, as well as plenty of ideas for gifts and stocking fillers.


Maidstone South December 2015 23


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