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time you go into town there’s a new one opened. We need the park, a green open space. I


think certain things are good ideas such as the adventure playground and a new cafe, which could be built near where the old one is by razing all the buildings in that area.


However, the park can be enjoyed by simplywalking round it. Why is it people seem to need things to occupy themselves with? There is nothing as pleasant and refreshing as awalk in a green open space. S Johnson,West Park Road, Maidstone


Wrong on park and ride


Dear Sir – The Mail Mark on the very worrying future for traffic flows in and around Maidstone makes me question Maidstone Council's decision to collapse to local pressure and drop completely the Linton park-and-ride proposal. Itwas in the wrong position and should


be placed at the foot of Linton Hill on the approaches to Marden. Perhaps some businesses could benefit – certainly the local pub, but does it not make sense to offer an element of services such as car cleaning, servicing, MOTs etc? This could also reduce traffic needing to


enter the town centre. The council must be positive in tackling our serious traffic problems – and I see just negativity. Richard Maryan, by email


Bypasswell overdue


Dear Sir – I read with some bemusement the continued references in your newspaper to the “long-awaited Leeds- Langley bypass”. The concern over its absence is understandable, especially in view of the approved large-scale housing construction taking place in the Suon Road area of Maidstone, with totally inadequate transport access. However, why is there not a bypass there already?


In the late 1970s, at the start of my career


at Kent County Council, a scheme to bypass the areawas designed, approved and a government grant was lined up. It was justified to meet the transport needs of the time some 40 years ago. However, there was local opposition and politicians decided to abandon it. Further aempts to resurrect a scheme


met with a similar fate. Now, after a huge increase in road traffic generally and large- scale development in the area, a new generation of politicians is bemoaning having towait for a scheme. Over decades our town has suffered


from the lack of positive decision-making by politicians.We could have had a good rail link to London in the Victorian era. There could have been a station on High Speed 1 in recent years to serve our area, instead of whichwe see the trains roaring past with the commuters from more positive neighbouring towns, aswell as the Leeds-Langley bypass. Nowwe have the large-scale


development, which should have paid for the bypass, and all the traffic from it will have to be accommodated on existing roads which are already congested. In manyways it is a lile late, but let's


see our politicians pro-actively addressing the combined issues of planning development and transport improvements together. T J Payne, by email


Where is our newsleer?


Dear Sir – Last year I remember reading in your paper a leer from Cllr Ian Chienden assuring residents of Tovil that we would receive his regular newsleers. Since that time, I know of three newsleers, but not one of them has been delivered to my house or those of several of my friends in Tovil. I did acquire a copy of one leer, about


an outline planning application for 450 houses, a doctors’ surgery and a new place for Maidstone Rugby Club. Isn’t it about


time Tovil residents said “enough is enough”? Yes,we desperately need a doctors’ surgery, but at the expense of another 450 houses? We already have about 500 homes allocated to be built in Tovil, so that will take us to about 1,000 homes. Ifwe keep leing our fields go,we will


have nothing left. It would be interesting to know how long the rugby club has been talking to the developers and if they have an alternative site if this doesn’t go ahead. So in future, Southward councillors, can


you deliver the newsleer to every household in Tovil and not just the select few, so that we all know what is going on in our village? S Hogg, Beaconsfield Road


I understand that a resident has complained about not receiving the information leer sent by local Lib Dem councillors advising residents of the late proposal to include a further development area of 500 houses within our countryside, in addition to the 400 houses on Burkes Land and the SBS site. We accept that our area does require an additional doctors’ surgery and we are aware of the needs of Maidstone Rugby Club. However, for many reasons, the price to be paid permiing the 500 additional houses was too high. As borough councillors we were only made


aware of the proposal just before it became public knowledge on the Maidstone Council papers reporting the result of the regulation 18 consultation in relation to the new local plan. We had only a few days to get the details to


local residents asking for their opinion. In two days we wrote the leer, printed it and, with the help of local residents, hand-delivered it to 1,200 homes in Tovil. Because of the rush, it is possible that some roads were missed and for that I apologise. Should anyone like a copy of our initial leer


or a copy of my leer to the commiee, I would be happy to provide it. Please email me on ianchienden@maidstone.gov.uk. Response from Ian Chienden, borough councillor for South ward


Dog diseasewarning Anger over pub plan


SEVERAL cases of a potentially- fatal dog disease have been re- ported in the Maidstone area. Alabama Rot, believed to be caused


by a form of E-coli, starts with skin le- sions and can cause kidney failure. An East Farleigh family lost their


two-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel last year after a trip to Suffolk. The dog died within five days of showing the first symptoms. Three cases have been reported to


the east of the town, although the biggest concentration is in the South Downs, in the Portsmouth area. The illness appeared in the late


1980s, affecting greyhounds inAmer- ica, and there have been 65 confirmed cases of the disease in the UK since 2012. Veterinary specialists who have


been monitoring the spread of the disease, officially called cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy, say it does not target any specific breed, age, sex orweight of dog.


tive guide for dog owners which can be


Vets4Pets has produced an interac- found


online at


www.vets4pets.com/stop-alabama- rot/ It shows where in the UK con-


firmed cases have occurred, how to spot symptoms and tips on reducing the risk of infection. Although it is not known what


causes the complaint, dog owners are advised towash their pets’ paws after awalk as a precaution, particularly if they have been in mud. The first sign normally seen is a


skin sore that isn’t caused by a known injury, most commonly below the elbow or knee. “Any dog owners who think their


pet has Alabama Rot symptoms should contact their nearest vet im- mediately,” said a spokesman. “This will help build knowledge


about the spread of the disease and also give a dog the best chance of sur- vival.”


THE Admiral Gordon on the Ton- bridge Road could be turned into a shop.


Maidstone Council has received a


plan from the owner, Mrs T Thavakuhananthan, to add a shopfront and convert the first floor of the Milton Street pub into a flat. Agent Arco Designs says the site


would “become lively and vibrant”, making good use of the site,without compromising the amenities of local residents and people using the area. It suggests the proposal reflects


the character of the area by provid- ing a shop floor fronting the road, adding that most customers would be local, with “plenty of parking spaces” available in Milton Street and the surrounding area. So far, three neighbours have ob-


jected, claiming the change of use fails to recognise the historic and community value of the pub and the number of convenience stores in the area. All have written to Maidstone


Council to complain. Paul Lindley, on the Tonbridge


Road, says: “The AdmiralGordon is a very important part of the commu- nity and was a nice relaxing place for residents to meet and socialise. It was only sold as the previous owners needed to retire. The new owners have made no attempt to open the pub, they have just bought it as a building. The last thing the area needs is another convenience store.”


Annabel Matthews, who lives op-


posite the pub, is concerned about the lack of design detail provided, particularly with regard to external lighting. She says the changes fail to recognise the architectural character of “a prominent, historic and dis- tinctive local building”. She has also called on the council


to re-advertise the planning applica- tion, given that the public notice was “hanging upside down and back to front” for two weeks.


Maidstone Town March 2016 37


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