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Mote Park – best in Britain? MailMarks


 WE should be very proud Mote Park is


now regularly voted among the best three parks in the country – and it could rise to the top.


Improvements to pathways, parking and


views over the last two years have seen visi- tors numbers swell. Now Maidstone Council has announced plans for the next big steps – a major, larger re-built restaurant with magnif- icent vistas down to the scenic lake, upgraded toilets, and a charged adventure/activity fea- ture next to the free children’s play area to- wards the leisure centre. We often take grandchildren for an hour or


so. These new attractions will make most stays a lot longer – perhaps for three hours if the restaurant and eating experiences hit the right buttons. I would like to see the magnifi- cent scenery and fascinating history of the park imaginatively displayed around the restaurant to excite visitors and encourage wider exploration of the 440-acre park. How many know the enthralling story of


former park owner Lord Bearsted, founder of Shell oil company? He named it after his fam- ily business which traded worldwide in orna- mental sea shells. He was an amazing man who died in 1927. His heirs sold Mote Park to Maidstone Corporation for £50,000 in 1929 and The MoteCricket Groundwas left in trust


Traffic choking town


Dear Sir – Maidstonewas at one time a relatively easy place to access, park, shop and travel through. You could virtually guarantee to reach a destination on the other side of town from the south with reasonable accuracy at most times of day. People could commute into and out of the


town without the fear of being late for work, and kids could get to school on time in a safe, clean environment. Now as I write this from my home in Loose


I can only say I havewatched this town slowly diminish in terms of quality of life. It is a town that is fast becoming a jungle of new housing estates, without any real thinking about the effect on the quality of life. The list of decisions which affect quality of


life is endless. Loss of park and ride facilities has led to the town becoming choked with traffic. Increased use of traffic lights leads to more rat runs, and it is very noticeable how many people are jumping the lights. There is a lack of leadership at all levels when it comes to getting a south to north bypass (I suspect self-interested Nimbys are preventing that). Worst of all is the building of housing es-


tates on greenfield sites. There is no thought about providing the required infrastructure such as schools, GP surgeries and transport. Maidstone is not a town of the future but


one of a lost quality of life. Ask anyone in Maidstone about their quality of life in terms of the above, and I suspect the answers would be an overwhelming agreement that it has


Contact our team ...


Stephen Eighteen Editor stephen@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231


26 Maidstone Town February 2016 Diane Nicholls


Assistant editor diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232


Jane Shotliff


Journalist jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


Dawn Kingsford


Journalist dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


to the cricket club. With the park attracting a million visitors a


year – and this will grow – car parking prob- lems will increase, despite the new £1-a-day charge. I believe one of the next areas for council consideration should be the large grassed area lined with lovely trees between the entrance and exit roads. In winter it is often a quagmire. I think its main value will be as a surfaced


car park – but recommend greater ambition. I think the end closest to the park entrance would be a very popular location for two or three quality restaurants. I think dining in the park would be a very exciting addition. This area could be a good earner, too, for our cash- strapped council. I would also like the council to upgrade the


sports take in the park. There is a little-used area close to the leisure centre and bowls club large enough for high-quality football, rugby etc pitches. At the moment, much of this land undulates all over the place but an investment


been badly affected and is to getworse. Nick Kelly, Loose


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. 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.


in levelling andwell-planned layoutwould be very welcome by our sporting community. There is a strong demand from various sports – and the council knows it under-provides for sport in the borough. It should be protected for quality sport use


– but routes left for walkers and dogs to ac- cess other more popular areas of the park. Those I questioned have little appetite for walking over the current sports pitches. Changing and showers are available in the


leisure centre – but sports clubs would like to see these upgraded. I know some will seemy thoughts as harmful to their image of parts of the park. But no one should now doubt the popularity of recent changes – it has become a park of even greater beauty and fun. Let’s keep that ball rolling. What do you think? The Downs Mailwel- comes reader letters on Mote Park.





Fax frustrations Some 20 years ago a business abused my


fax machine by sending unsolicited adverts. Ten years ago I removed the machine – but still these unwanted nuisance phone calls ar- rive almost daily, causing great inconven- ience. Any advice please?


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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