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Maidstone has more than enough restaurants, coffee shops and cafes. Every 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


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 grantwas lined up. Itwas justified to meet the transport needs of the time some 40 years ago. However, therewas 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


Parade shops are special


Dear Sir – Bearsted Parade has remained virtually unchanged since itwas built in 1882. Its architecture is part of the character of the village. The small shops in the parade are special


too – a destination in their own right, a place to bump into neighbours aswell as a place to pick up a newspaper or some sausages. On a couple of Fridays, when I tend to have a lot of meetings and often miss out on lunch, I’ve been grateful to WJ Crouch for their tasty sandwiches. The Parade isnow the subject of a planning application which would see the Victorian building knocked down, changing the historic character of that corner of the Green and rais- ing questions about the future of the local shops. However sympathetic developers try to be


in their designs, any new building would likely spoil the charm of the area. The shop- keepers are worried that a new building would mean higher rents, making it unaf- fordable for them. It would be sad to see local businesses replaced by aTesco Metro or some other national chain. I am supporting the Bearsted and Thurn-


ham Society’s campaign to save the Parade. They have put a huge amount of work into re- searching its history and architecture.We’ve spoken several times, and I share their frus- tration that itwas impossible to get the build- ing protected by a grade II listing until itwas genuinely under threat. I wrote toMPTracey Crouch at the Depart-


ment for Culture, Media and Sport in her role as parliamentary under secretary of state for heritage, asking her to look closely at propos- als to have the building listed and help pre- serve this important piece of local culture. I’ve spoken to her about it, too. She has told me that, as the building is in


real danger of being demolished, Historic England will visit the parade and assess its historical and architectural significance before making a recommendation to her department. I know Tracey will take great care in re- viewing the recommendation she receives from Historic England. I will keep in contact with her, as well as with the Bearsted and Thurnham Society, to make sure we get the right decision and save the Parade for future generations. HelenWhately,MP for Faversham and Mid Kent


Appalled by phone-tracking


Dear Sir – Regarding your article about tracking mobile phone habits, I amboth amazed and appalled at the news that this is happening.


I amamazed that it is legal, and appalled


that both Maidstone Council and Maidstone Town Centre Management condone this activity. Itwas only a short time ago thatwe had the press tapping into phones; how is this any different? Whilstwe are told that individuals cannot


be identified, how canwe be assured that this will remain the case, as I amsure that the technology exists? I have a contract phone so my details are


stored somewhere.We are already targeted with junk mail and annoying phone calls where details of purchases are sold on to third parties; I’m sure this will be the beginning of new marketing tactics. Your report states that it’s just location and


usage.Well, I don’t reallywant people knowing where I am, let alone what I’m using my phone for. That’s personal. Your report also states that November


2015was the eighth month in a row that footfallwas down. Have the two organisations above not worked it out yet? Maidstone traffic is a nightmare, parking


is expensive and there are too many pop-up shops and empty shops; not a great experience really. It’s free to park and shop out of town with less traffic and a beer shopping experience. I realise that retail is tough with the age of


online sales, which to be fair I amusing more and more. However, some shops I do go back to because the customer care is so good.


Tracking phones will only compound the problem and keep shoppers away.Will the public bewarned with signs stating thatwe will be entering a tracking area? Shouldn’t we be asked before being snooped on? We’ve known for some time that big brother iswatching us with the cameras about town; now he’s tracking our phones. Neil Cole, Grove Green


Council tax error


Dear Sir – Your story on council tax in the recent edition of Downs Mail quotes that the average council tax bill for a bandD property in the current year is £1,089.99 This is wrong – that is just the Kent County Council portion and is not the total of what people have to pay at the moment. Added to this are precepts for Kent Police,


Kent Fire and Rescue, Maidstone Council and the local parish council. So, as an example, my bill for a bandDproperty (just an average three-bedroom semi) in Coxheath is £1,584.28 this year. I do think you should make this clear and


quote the correct total figures. PeterWelfare, by email


Dog diseasewarning after cases reported


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 in Amer- 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 dis- ease, 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


online


Vets4Pets has produced an interac- found


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.”


Maidstone East March 2016 35


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