News


downsmail.co.uk Work planned to cut traffic jams


A £1.8m scheme to improve the flow of traffic alongWillington Street is set to get underway later this year.


As the primary route linking vil-


lages south of Maidstone with the A20 and M20, Kent County Coun- cilwants to make improvements to the road, starting with the junc- tions at both ends. Both junctions are significant “pinch points” on the A20 and A274 corridors, with the traffic sig- nals causing long delays at peak times.


Ashford Road has an average


two-way daily flow of between 13,800 and 21,800 vehicles per hour, to the east and west of the Willington Street junction respec- tively. At peak times, it can carry up to 1,850 vehicles an hour.


Sutton Road has a two-way aver-


age daily flow of 19,000 and peak flows of 1,680 vehicles per hour, according to KCC. A significant number of vehicles


useWillington Street to avoid con- gestion in the town centre. “At present these signalised junc-


tions at each end of Willington Street are heavily congested under peak traffic conditions,” says a re- port to KCC’s cabinet committee for environment and transport. The committee agreed to the widening of the A274 near the junctions with Willington Street andWallis Avenue and to create a left turn lane intoWillington Street from Ashford Road.


Once completed, the traffic sig-


nal timings will be amended to take account of the new layout. The Willington Street Junction Improvements Scheme forms the first part of the Maidstone Inte- grated Transport Package, which has been provisionally allocated £8.9m from the local growth fund via the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), for spend be- tween now and 2019/20. SELEP has now recommended


the approval of £1.3m local growth fund to the project in 2016/17 and, subject to Government approval, the funds will be released to KCC. This, together with local devel- oper S106 contributions of


£500,000, would enable the scheme to proceed. No land needs to be acquired to


make the improvements and resi- dents will be informed when work is to start, via a mailshot. The report concludes: “This is an important scheme to help reduce congestion on the Sutton Road cor- ridor, of the A274 strategic route. The allocation of Local Growth Fund to the scheme is very wel- come news in enabling the scheme to proceed. The programme has been developed and some prelimi- nary work has already been done and there is confidence that a con- struction start date of late 2016 can be achieved.”


Friendz reaching out across Kent


A CHARITY which helps children and adults with learning disabilities has been able to increase its help to families in Maidstone and Malling. Kent Friendz, which has its head


Choral first


ALL Saints’ Church in Maidstone was the scene of a musical first. Maidstone Choral Union per- formed Sir John Stainer’s Crucifix- ion and his great grandson’s new composition Resurrection. Resurrection composer David


Pennant, pictured with MCU pres- ident David Pickett, joined the choir for this performance, which included another of Stainer’s great grandsons, Mike Newson. Soloists Charlotte Shipley, John Findon, John Holland-Avery and organist Lawrence Thain. Choirmaster Martin Hindmarsh


also doubled up as a soloist, singing the part of Doubting Thomas.


Probus events


THE Probus Club of Maidstone is inviting new members to join for this year’s packed itinerary. The club is aimed at retired or semi-retired professionals and businessmen who meet to talk about their working lives and to hear talks from non members. Forthcoming talks include prevent- ing blindness in the Amazon, the last voyage of the RMS Queen Mary and the history of Kent sea- side towns before WorldWar One. Members meet on the first and


third Monday of each month at the Civil Service Club, Recreation Road, Maidstone. Ladies can join members for lunch at some meet- ings and at two formal lunches every year. Call secretary Ed Cook- sey on 01622 631371.


38 Maidstone Town April 2016


office in Sevenoaks, helps more than 300 children and adults and recently successfully tendered to Kent County Council to provide services across Kent. The registered charitywas


founded 51 years ago and, formany families, it offers the only source of help and respite for the carers among them. Some of the people they befriend


have Downs syndrome or cerebral palsy, but the majority have profound multiple learning and physical disabilities and need 1:1 – or even 2:1 and 3:1 – care. The charity provides more than 30 services, including holiday clubs and educational activities throughout the school holidays, aswell as weekend activities andweekends


away, and a comprehensive advice and information service. Chief executive officer Chris Burton


said: “No child or adult is excluded whatever their disabilities and our services are always in demand. De- spite this we pride ourselves on hav- ing nowaiting lists. “We are delighted that KCC has


given us the opportunity of providing our services in new areas and look forward toworking with the children and their families.


‘Poorly designed’ flats rejected A PLAN for a four-storey block of flats in London Road, Maidstonewas turned down on the grounds of poor design. The application was for an eight-bedroom L-shaped block replacing Christmas Lodge. Cllr Richard Ash, a member of Maidstone Council’s planning committee, said: “This design does not inspire me. I amnot an architect but I could have drawn that. It looks appalling.“ Cllr Martin Round said: “It seems highly flawed. Love or hate high-


rise buildings, four storeys is high-rise to me.” The committee voted overwhelmingly to refuse the application.


Charity builds African school MAIDSTONE-based charity Parenta Trust has started building its third nursery school in Uganda. Parenta Trust’s second school was built in the Kaberamaido district


of Eastern Uganda and completed in July 2015. Thanks to the charity’s sponsorship programme, 32 children have now been enrolled in this school. The building will have a rainwater-harvesting system to provide drinkingwater, three large classrooms and a block of toilets.


Some of the staff of Kent Friendz, which helps children and adults with learning disabilities


“Our service users are generally


disadvantaged, isolated and vulnerable by the nature of their disabilities. They have low self- esteem, no independence and miss out on the social, education and employment activitieswe take for granted. Our clubs ensure that children and adults with severe learning disabilities displaying challenging behaviour, often excluded by other service providers, are included.”


Sea challenge


ROWERS from the Maidstone In- victa Rowing Club took on a new challenge when they took to the seas at Shoreham. Richard Stokes and Richard Bald-


win, from Maidstone, were invited by two members of Bexhill Rowing club to join them in The Head of the Adur on the south coast. They were joined by Maidstone


cox Cathy Metcalf for the 3.5km race on a strongly tidal section of the River Adur, just off Shoreham. The composite crew from Maid-


stone and Bexhill had a few boating issues but rallied to take third place in the Vets 40+ race, with a time of 17:13min. The winners came in with a good time of 16:31, followed by Eastbourne with a time of 16:54.


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