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Little ones deserve better MailMarks


THE plight of four-and five-year-olds


faced with a 6am start to an 11-hour day to aend allocated Langley Park School has touched many hearts. Most expected to aend East Borough School, which is within easywalking distance of their homes. There are several very lile ones, including some from Vinters and Detling, who need to catch a bus to Maidstone at about 6.30am to pick up the Tenterden bus arriving at Langley at 7.41. An accompanying parent faces a nightmare there-and-back journey twice a day. And the fare will be £800 a year for both parent and infant. These are the early victims of Maidstone’s massive population growth, and with the borough’s Local Plan figure now set at an evidence-based 18,000-plus new houses to meet Government demands,we face infrastructure challenges of nightmare proportions not only on schools but on hospitals, GPs, other NHS services, social care and on our roads. It would be more comforting if Maidstone Council and Kent County Councilwere united in planning to meet these challenges, but they are set to be at each other’s throats when a Government inspector will consider many objections at a Local Plan public inquiry and decide if KCC has a case for a considerably smaller


Mind the teaching gap


WHILST I recognise the need for more housing to meet the needs of our expanding population, I fear for the health of our schools. More children means more schools are needed – but they have to be schools fit for purpose.Not every town is lucky enough to have a Valley Invicta Academies Trust overseeing the management of both primary and secondary schools. But there is a national shortage of good teachers joining the profession these days – and that is where it might come unstuck. P Corry, via email.


Puing up house prices


MAY I please make a response to county councillor Gary Cooke’s recent leer in the Downs Mail about school places. Cllr Cooke refers to developer’s financial contribution relating to new housing developments. It is all verywell requiring developers to


make such financial contributions, but they only contribute to general house price inflation, since the developer will not pay out of the profits but will increase the sale price of the houses.


Contact our team ...


Simon Finlay Editor simon.finlay@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231


36 Maidstone South July 2016 Diane Nicholls


Assistant editor diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232


Jane Shotliff Journalist


jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


Dawn Kingsford


Journalist dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


housing target. In the light of immense Government pressures it will not be an easy case to win. This friction is evident in the North Maidstone schools places horror story. KCC has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places and operates five- year rolling plans, updated annually, for relatively small areas. It says it identified pressure in Maidstone north, largely driven by new housing and inward migration, andwas grateful to East Borough Primary School for agreeing an additional reception-year class for 30 pupils. KCC points out the new Jubilee Primary


(Free) Schoolwas proposed to open for 60 pupils a year within Maidstone north. But the government funding agency determined it would be sited in Gatland Lane, serving MaidstoneWest planning group. Then Maidstone Council imposed a planning condition limiting intake to 30 pupils a year, reducing Maidstone’s primary school capacity at a time of very significant demand.


Depending on the size of the


development and financial contribution required, this may notmake a substantial increase to the sale price, but will inevitably have some effect and mean that those house buyers are making a disproportionate contribution to something that ought to be shared more equally among all residents of the locality in question. This is another example of Government seemingly unaware of the consequences of its actions, or, being aware, not caring. Peter Baker, Bower Street,Maidstone


Jumble sale total


MANY thanks for the coverage youwere able to give us in support of our jumble sale on April 16.We raised £500 and would like to thank the local people of Maidstone for their support. Ann Tue,Maidstone Mencap Fundraising Commiee


Lanes not made for lorries


REFERENCE the ongoing debate about a link road, relief road or a by-pass to ease congestion throughWillington Street, Leeds village, and the Suon Road, the


KCC says it is now looking at a permanent expansion of East Borough School to meet future demand. And sustained demand in Maidstone north has led to discussions with the Education Funding Agency over establishing a new free school in Maidstone north to provide long-term capacity. On the broader front KCC says it has


seen significant demand for school places arising from new housing developments in Maidstone. “In the absence of the borough council formally adopting a revised Local Plan it is difficult to plan for additional school places that may be required. Planning applications for development are likely to continue to be submied ahead of the Local Plan adoption, presenting further challenges to efficient provision planning. “It is imperative the borough council continues ongoing discussions with KCC in relation to education provision to ensure appropriate provision is accounted for over the short, medium and long terms and proposals where adequate provision cannot be provided are resisted.” So there is a big story behind these lile


ones’ horrendous school day. It stretches from the EU debate on immigration to the relationship between Maidstone and Kent councils and Government’s requirements in Maidstone’s Local Plan. The toddlers deserve beer from us.


seemingly-relentless housebuilding fixation in the borough cannot help maers. The issue of congested B roads is nothing


new. Think Hollingbourne, East andWest Farleigh, Lenham and Bearsted to name but a few.


These village streets, no maer how you


try to widen them or configure their layouts, are still lanes whichwere designed for the horse and cart, not heavy goods vehicles, unwanted articulated lorries or thousands of car movements. Our councils persist in building programmeswithout any view as to the consequences for the other infrastructure elements. By theway, I believe this has nothing to do with immigration. It has more to dowith the expanding population, people living longer and couples not staying together. PWarren, via email


Hotel plan will hit parking


THANK you for drawing aention to the hotel and spa plan for centralMaidstone in your recent edition. Brewer Street is narrow and the car parks are frequently crowded. It often involveswaiting for a space if one intends to shop in Maidstone. County Hall staff already have their extensive car parking facilities,which are closed to the


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