News
downsmail.co.uk
Concern over traffic studies
MAIDSTONE Council has re- duced the number of houses ear- marked for theNewLine Learning site on Boughton Lane to 180 in its draft local plan, leading locals to fear yet another attempt by devel- opers iswaiting in the wings. Both Maidstone Council andKCC
have been carrying out traffic mod- elling at the busy junction between Cripple Street, Boughton Lane and the A229 in Loose, adding further fuel to the fire. Traffic congestion along Loose
W
www.dlishious.co.uk
Unit 10, The Corn Exchange, Market Buildings, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1HP
Road has been the bane of residents’ lives for many years, but it has now been used as a reason for refusing further housing development in the area. Paul Goodenough from Mott MacDonald has been asked by Maidstone’s planning department to study the junction to see if there are any measures which can be in- troduced to relieve the congestion. TheNLRAunderstands thatKCC
has been carrying out a similar study, causing residents to question how keen both sides are to see the land at Boughton Lane built on. Sean Carter, chair of the North
Loose Residents’ Association Plan- ning Forum, said: “Had the plan- ning application for Boughton Lane not been turned down, I’m sure none of this would be happening.” Mr Carter said he hoped that the
new neighbourhood plan would lead to more meaningful dialogue between residents and the council,
adding: “Local people have better knowledge of what needs to be done but nobody ever comes and asks us. Maidstone Council always said traffic problemswere not theirs to deal with, but Kent County Council, as the highways authority. If that’s the case,whyis itnowlook- ing at traffic modelling at the junc- tion?
“Could it be because the applica-
tion to build 220 houses has been turned down? This appears to us to indicate that Maidstone Council is determined, together with KCC, to see this development at Boughton Lane go ahead. “We also note that in the Maid-
stone Council draft local plan, changes have been made to the Boughton Lane site, reducing it to 180 homes, which suggests that the developers will submit another planning application with the bless- ing of Maidstone Council planners.” KCC’s corporate director for transport, Barbara Cooper, has said there should be no more develop- ment south of Maidstone and KCC has dismissed Maidstone’s inte- grated transport strategy (ITS) as being “not fit for purpose”. However, Mr Carter added: “It is
ironic that although KCC is sug- gesting there should be no more housing south of Maidstone, it is raising no objections to the two de- velopments in Boughton Lane at New Line Learning and Boughton Mount, where it owns the land.”
Shop aims to make difference
THE ribbon has been cut and the doors thrown open on Maidstone’s newest charity shop, designed to help Make a Difference to Maidstone. MADMwas set up to help the homeless and disadvantaged in the town
and works alongside other charities in the borough to help those who have found themselves sleeping rough. Interior design students from Mid Kent College refurbished the former photographic shop in Church Street, while volunteers from Momentum, which is fighting to get empty properties turned into housing, and em- ployment charity Tomorrow’s People, helped sort and organise the stock. The charity is still looking for storage space for the furniture and donated
items. Charity founder Amanda Sidwell thanked all the volunteers for helping
to get the shop open in just amonth, after a nine-month fight to get the lease signed off. Her mother Barbara Gibbs is the shop manager and Amanda thanked her and all the volunteers for their support.
8 Maidstone Town May 2016
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64