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Neighbourhood plan approved
NORTH Loose has become the first district in Maidstone to get its own neighbourhood develop- ment plan. Voted on by residents, the plan
now becomes a formal policy doc- ument to be used when consider- ing planning applications in the area and means residents will have a greater say on how planning pol- icy is applied to applications. Of the 4,055 residents in North
Loose, which stretches from Arm- strong Road to Lancet Lane, who were eligible to vote on the 32-page plan, 34.8% turned out – of which 95% said they were in favour. There were 77 people who voted against the plan and one void bal- lot paper. Therewere three polling stations
– Maidstone Hockey Club, the YMCA Centre and the Vine Church – with the count taking place at the latter. Sean Carter, chairman of the planning team from the North Loose Residents’ Association which drew up the plan, said he was delighted with the turnout and the result. The group has
spent £10,000 compiling the plan and Mr Carter said: “I believe the overwhelming Yes vote shows that people do want to take a hand in shaping their own future.” The referendum was the culmi-
nation of four years’ work by NLRA. There were two years of community involvement, gather- ing ideas and the views of resi- dents and businesses in the area, used to shape the development of the plan. A series of formal consultation
stages followed, prior to the draft being checked by a professional planning examiner in December. The plan was one of the first in
Kent prepared by a local Neigh- bourhood Forum, rather than a parish council, to reach this stage. The North Loose Residents' As- sociation was formed in 2003 to fight a proposed Tesco develop- ment, which was eventually with- drawn. It has more than 1,000 members
and works closely with South Ward councillors to achieve the best results from planning applica- tions, voicing residents’ concerns.
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Choir’s trip to desert island
THE musical director of Maidstone Choral Union Martin Hindmarsh was transported to a tropical paradise by the ladies of the choir who gathered to hear which music he would choose for his desert island discs.
Martin’s choices were influenced by his early experience of Salvation
Armymusic from his family and his time at Sheffield University as an academic, composer and singer. Music fromWagner, Elgar, William Walton, Vaughan Williams and Richard Strauss filled the evening. However, his final selections surprised everyone. Two folk songs, Hush a-bye Birdie and John Peel, were his own
recordings and finally Mamma Mia, which his family sings at home for relaxation. Martin was interviewed by alto Marion Heredia, who explored his
reasons for being a singer, composer and musical director. The audience discovered that he broke his front teeth riding his
bicycle which affected his trumpet playing, that he enjoys watching cricket and films but also that he can be quite naughty as a choir member. His chosen luxury was an espresso coffee maker. Martin was presented with a book to take with him, containing photographs of all the alto ladies of the choir.
Formore local news
www.downsmail.co.uk Maidstone Town April 2016 21
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