downsmail.co.uk Planners miss big picture


THEREwere more than 1,000 leers of objection from the public to Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling Councils against yet another development of 500 homes by Croudace on Hermitage Lane. Following an appeal, the Secretary of


State has decided that this development will go ahead. The code of practice for all local authorities states that they must respond to public demand, release data in open formats and in a timelyway. Sadly, both councils failed to live up to this by neglecting to report on the cumulative effects of the many developments now underway. Maidstone Council did not release data


to the appeal regarding poor air quality, which, as it is aware, already exceeds EU limits, or of the lack of infrastructure to support such high density developments.


AWHITE statue of a goddess with two cherubs at the base was stolen from the front garden of a home in Fielding Drive, Larkfield. A black bicycle was stolen from a bike shed


at a property inWater Lane,West Malling. A home in Eaton Place, Larkfield was bro-


ken into and searched, but nothing appeared to be missing. A shed was entered at a property in Offham Road,West Malling but nothing ap- peared to have been taken. Two ornaments were stolen from the gar-


den of a block of flats in Springfield Road, Larkfield. Drain pipes were taken from a property in Norman Road,West Malling. The door of a flat was damaged in Ayles-


ford High Street. Eggs were thrown at vehicles from a bridge


inWest Malling. Karaoke equipment was stolen from an outbuilding in Mackenders Lane, Eccles. Sheds were broken into on a private estate


in Friars View, Aylesford and items were stolen. Items were thrown at a vehicle in Varnes


Street, Eccles, damaging the bonnet. A car window was smashed in Aylesford


High Street but nothing appeared to have been stolen. Items were stolen in a break-in at a home in


Eccles Row, Eccles. Items were stolen from an outbuilding in


Gorse Crescent, Ditton. Alcohol was stolen from a store in Ladds


Lane, Snodland. A parked vehicle was scratched in Lake


Road, Quarry Wood. Power tools were taken from a car parked


in Medway Court, Aylesford. A vehicle was damaged down one side


while parked in Fielding Drive, Larkfield. Parts were removed from vehicles in Cold- harbour Lane, Aylesford. A vehicle was taken without the owner’s consent inWood Close, Quarry Wood. A caravan was stolen from the owner’s


driveway in Priory Grove, Ditton. Items were stolen from a car left in Fielding


Drive, Larkfield. A vehicle was stolen from a driveway in Ragstone Court, Ditton. An empty property in Clearway, Adding-


ton was broken into but nothing was taken. Items were stolen from a vehicle in a car park in New Road, Ditton.


A Hyundai Coupe was damaged in a car


park in Mill Street, East Malling. A silver bicycle was stolen from Wood-


lands Road, Ditton. A vehicle in Pout Road, Snodland had its


tyre damaged. A letterbox was damaged in Elm Crescent,


East Malling. AMitsubishi pick-up parked in Cedar


Close, Ditton was scratched. Two windows were damaged at a home in


Tyler Close, East Malling. A bicycle was taken from the back garden


of a property in London Road, Ditton. A black and blue Carrera bicycle was stolen


from a bike rack at a school inMalling Road, Snodland. Garden equipment was stolen from the


shed of a property in The Close, Birling. A Seat parked on a drive in Woodlands


Road, Ditton had its rear windscreen smashed. A lawnmower was stolen from a shed in an orchard in Forge Lane,West Peckham. A property in Station Road, Ditton was


broken into and items were stolen. Locks were damaged on sheds in Church


Road,West Peckham but nothing appeared to have been taken. A numberplate was removed from a vehi-


cle in Comp Lane, Offham. A container was broken into in The Alders, Mereworth and items were stolen. A window was damaged at a property in


Birling Park, Birling. Items were stolen from a shed in Hodgson Crescent, Snodland. A car was broken into in a car park in Tay-


lors Lane, Trottiscliffe and items were stolen. Items were stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked outside a village hall in Birling Road, Ryarsh. A window was damaged at a property in


Garner Drive, East Malling. A garage was broken into in Bells Farm


Road, East Peckham but nothing was re- ported stolen. A Ford Transit driving along New Road


East Malling was damaged when something was thrown at the roof.


An outbuilding was broken into in Hatches


Lane, East Peckham but nothing was re- ported stolen. A Ford Transit parked in Elm Crescent,


East Malling was broken into and a disc cut- ter was stolen. Lighting columns were damaged at an out-


side sports area in Gibson Drive, Kings Hill. A Renault Megane parked in Chatfield


Way, East Malling was scratched. AMini parked in Elan Close, Kings Hill


was scratched. The wingmirrors were stolen from a car in


Howard Road, East Malling. Outbuildings were broken into in Bells


Farm Road, East Peckham but nothing was reported stolen. A Christmas decoration was taken from the


garden of a home inMelba Close, Kings Hill. A garage in a block in Heron Road, Lark-


field was broken into and tools including a Makita drill were stolen. A blue Carrera bicycle was stolen from a supermarket bike storage rack in Alexander Grove, Kings Hill. An Iveco lorry parked in Goldfinch Close, Larkfield was broken into and tools includ- ing a grinder and road breaker were stolen. Two people were seen taking a Christmas


wreath from outside a home in Tower View, Kings Hill. The windscreen of a car parked in Swallow


Road, Larkfield was damaged. A Citroen C2 parked in Holborough Road, Snodland had a wing mirror damaged. An orange Quadzilla 300E XLE quad bike


was stolen from the front garden of a prop- erty in Larkfield Close, Larkfield. The reversing light was taken from a Land Rover in Holborough Road, Snodland.


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Malling January 2016 27 KCC Highway Services had no objection


to the development, provided that the developer contributed to improvements to Junction 5 of the M20. On closer inspection, this turns out to be adjustments to the white lines! Tonbridge and Malling Council, which agreed the new access road via a productive pear orchard, chose not to be represented at the appeal. For the record, there are 1,347 homes planned for Hermitage Lane (that's 2,694 more cars. The hospital car park holds 1,485 spaces (and is full on a daily basis), the railway station has 88 car spaces, the Aldi superstore under construction will have 130 spaces and there will also be a primary school on the orchard. Last but not least, the quarry regularly exceeds its permied HGV movements during peak rush hours. Our recent peak time survey showed a total of 83 HGV movements in and out of the quarry in just


one hour. Is there any wonder that there is serious air pollution here? Sadly,we have lost the bale to protect


our beautiful bluebell wood and just like nearby Oaken Wood, it will be destroyed by development, and the intolerable traffic delays are set to get worse. It is time that planning authorities put a stop to deciding applications on an isolated case by case basis and consider fully the cumulative effect on the area. We would like to thank everyone for


their steadfast support during our long campaign and assure them that we will continue to monitor this development and the 21 conditions imposed by the planning authorities. We will seek to protect what is left of the ancient woodland, public rights ofway and open spaces that we all have a right to enjoy. Angela Polei, New Allington Action Group


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