downsmail.co.uk Road news such a relief


Dear Sir – I recently aended the Maidstone JTB meeting, witnessing politics as it should be. Therewas a mix of tough talking, factual statistics and people power. But most welcoming of allwas a unanimous vote to proceed without delay, work on the long- promised, long-overdue Leeds-Langley relief road. Therewas a unanimous vote to work together and source the funds to build it – this, after over 30 years of campaigning, is wonderful news for all who have suffered, residents and road- users alike. KCC and Maidstone Council have


proved it is possible to work together for their shareholders, the electorate. Nowwe must all continue to ensure these promises materialise with our planning and highway authorities working in union. The residents of our county town deserve nothing less. Jenny Suon,Willington Street


Truckers’ parking must stop


Dear Sir –With regard to your article on lorry parks for HGVs, Paul Carter’s statement about truckers having nowhere to go when their tacho time runs out is totally unacceptable andmisses the point. These people should be planning their journey so their time doesn’t run out when they are on a motorway or trunk road and then just simply stop on the emergency hard shoulder for overnight parking. These people are not stupid, as no action


is taken. It has become all too easy for them to just pull up in this way. Kent is then a very convenient jumping-off point for their onward cross-channel journey. I have had communication with the


Chief Constable of Kent Police and was told they are turning a blind eye to this illegal parking. How can that be right? It is


widely recognised by various authorities that the emergency hard shoulder is a dangerous place to be and yet this practice is spiralling out of control. On a journey late yesterday evening I counted 34 HGVs parked nose to tail on the hard shoulder and this did not include others parked on the slip road. It doesn’t leavemuch imagination to


work out what they do with all their waste in the morning before they set off – imagine the build-up night after night. I shudder to think what would happen


in cases like this if there was a major multi- lane accident – how would the emergency services get through? Many of you will recall a few years ago,


in the Midlands, a lady stopped on the hard shoulder to read her map. The police prosecuted her because they deemed it wasn’t an emergency. How can the authorities square that incident with the illegal HGV hard shoulder overnight parking currently widespread in Kent? Eric Pennington, Whitchurch Close, Maidstone


Highways before homes


Dear Sir – Here is a quote from a KCC internal report to Mathew Balfour, cabinet member. “The housing target can only be reached


once proper planning policy constraints are applied to the need figure, i.e. environmental, infrastructure etc.” As can be seen, the “need” figure, which


is 18,560 houses, is accepted as it has been by most partners, but that it can be reduced if the necessary infrastructure cannot be provided, i.e highways, schools etc.


What has not been highlighted by anyone in the current local plan debate is that Maidstone Borough Council is not


responsible for providing this infrastructure, and therefore cannot reduce the housing target without input from Kent County Council. We have been asking for and waiting for


this input for many months and all we get from KCC leader Paul Carter is rhetoric and the promise of a public meeting in February. The time has now come for KCC to put


its money where its mouth is and to respond to the latest Reg 19 local plan report so that those sites with severe infrastructure constraints can be removed from the list, therefore reducing the housing target. It is no good Mr Carter assuring the


parish councils that KCC will in future object to planning applications on highways grounds – that will be too late. If Maidstone grinds to a halt in the


future because of serious traffic problems, it will be due to KCC not standing up and doing their duty as infrastructure providers – they hold the power to reduce numbers, not Maidstone Borough Council! Cllr John AWilson, MBC, Coxheath and HuntonWard


Congestion no surprise


Dear Sir – I was not in the least bit surprised to read that Maidstone has one of the highest single-occupancy car usage rates in Kent. Is it Maidstone Council’s and KCC’s intention therefore, with the proposed construction of 842 new homes south of Tovil, to make the town’s roads so congested that no-one has any alternative but to walk or cycle? But, in Tovil at least, with its one road


into town, no cycling infrastructure whatsoever, woefully inadequate bus service and no train station, what do they expect? Simon Goodwin, Farleigh Hill, Tovil


Childminder rated outstanding


A CHILDMINDER from Tovil has received the highest rating from Of- sted for the second time. Gayle Dishman, who has run Glh Childminding Services in Tovil Green since 2005, earned an “outstanding” grade in all categories from a govern- ment inspector in 2009 and again in her latest review, published in December. The inspector describedGayle as an excellent role model who encourages her charges to share and take turns and display excellent manners. The report adds: “Children learn how to be kind


The Mall, Maidstone raised more than £18,000 for local causes and charities in Kent across the festive period, thanks to generous shoppers. Young visitors to Santa’s grotto in


the shopping centre helped The Ro- tary Club raise £13,700. Local charities also spread Christ-


mas cheer at The Mall in The Carol Factor competition. Ten charities performed carols in the shopping centre, each hoping to raise the most cash from generous shoppers. Marie


to each other and expertly manage their own behaviour.” The report goes on to describe the “stimulating and welcoming environ- ment provided for youngsters and the excellent resources provided for activ- ities inside and outdoors”. The inspector noted: “The childmin-


der gathers detailed information such as youngsters’ likes, dislikes, photo- graphs of their families, what they al- ready know and can do and uses this to help them experience a smooth move into her care.”


Curiewas crowned the winner, rais- ing £571, whichwas matched by The Mall. The competition raised £3,108,


with charities Making A Difference To Maidstone, Heart Of Kent Hos- pice, MCCH, Age UK, Marie Curie, British Red Cross, Young Kent, Alzheimer’sAssociation,Maidstone Day Centre, Guide Dogs For The Blind and Kent Association For The Blind taking part. Heart of Kent Hospice offered a


The report acknowledged the value


of practices that encouraged her chil- dren to get involved in activities like chopping their fruit safely. Gayle firmly believes that by en- hancing a child’s individuality, pro- moting independence, developing their confidence and self-belief they grow to know that if they try they can succeed and this has contributed to the success ofGlh Childminding Services. She added: “This is just one of the many reasons Ofsted has awarded us our Outstanding grade.”


Festive shoppers help charities raise £18,000


gift-wrapping service, raising more than £1,000, and Santa had a visit from the Guide Dogs, who raised more than £600. Suzie Brindle, marketing manager


at The Mall, Maidstone, said: “We are overwhelmed by our shoppers’ generosity. A big thank you to The Rotary Club and all the other chari- ties that fundraised with us.” For details of fundraising at The


Mall, Maidstone, visit www.the- mall.co.uk/Maidstone.


Bluewater bus


service back THE Maidstone to Bluewater bus has been reprieved – by a new op- erator.


County Connect has taken on the


risk of running the twice weekly service, on Wednesdays and Satur- days, which Arriva gave up on Janu- ary 9 this year. The first bus (703 service) left Maidstone at 9.45am on Saturday January 16, travelling via Allington, Larkfield, Snodland and Cuxton to Bluewater. The route is the same, except that it


now serves the Snodland Estate at St Benedict Road, as other buses do. The company has also introduced


two additional journeys on Satur- days, giving people more choice on how long they want to spend at the shopping centre. County Connect managing direc-


tor Jordan Cousins said: “This serv- ice will still be provided commercially, meaning it will oper- ate without any direct funding from the council, which is why it is so im- portant that it iswell used.”


Maidstone Town February 2016 27


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