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Boroughs come to blows MailMarks
THE gloves are now off as Maidstone
Council prepares to fire a mighty blast to Ton- bridge and Malling Council which aims to load much more of its heavyweight residen- tial development in an areamost sensible peo- ple would consider part of Maidstone, not Tonbridge. I have frequently commented before that
places like Aylesford, Coldharbour, Her- mitage Lane, Aylesford, Larkfield, Ditton (even East andWest Malling) should never be part of Tonbridge. They are right on our doorstep and resi-
dents look so much more to the county town than to a much more distant Tonbridge. There is a powerful case for a boundary change, likely to win strong support from Maidstone, but little from a diminished Ton- bridge. There has been minimal damage to Maid-
stone in the past – but times are changing. Faced with the same problem as Maidstone in having to build many thousands of new houses to meet government’s insatiable de- mands, Tonbridge looks increasingly at its far Maidstone end for land. The crunch has come in Hermitage Lane, Barming. The new business development at the junction with the A20 is in Tonbridge bor- ough and the traffic changes and new traffic lights are causing themost appalling and dan- gerous problems.
Lights display for hospice
COME along to this festive fundraising event and enjoy a musical Christmas light display in aid of Heart of Kent Hospice. Every day between December 2 and January 2, 39 Castle Road, Allington, Kent ME16 0PP will be lit up from 5pm to 9pm with shows taking place every half hour. Drive up before the show starts and tune your radio to 106.1FM. All those who come along to make a donationby texting LIGH77 TO 70070 or by visiting
justgiving.com/fundraising/ LightingUpAllington Dorothy Gorman, via email
Retail park traffic a disaster
I READ with uer dismay in the Downs Mail (No 235, page 4) that the traffic lights installed for the retail park at the north end of Hermitage Lane are not synchronised with those at its junction with the A20. It’s no wonder that, during the rush hour, this already congested junction now
DENNISFOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
Who are the key sufferers? Not the good
folk of Tonbridge, but Maidstone residents who see this vital lane as themain route to the M20 and access road to Maidstone Hospital. It really is a nonsense. They have had enough and are rightly causing a lot of noise. Already, most believe there is toomuch res- idential development in and around the lane. Now Tonbridge Council wishes to add heav- ily to it in its own Local Plan. In a draft letter to Tonbridge, Maidstone
says: “Mitigating transport impacts on al- ready-busy routes in to Maidstone will be seen as vital – including the A20, Hermitage Lane and the A26, already subject to a signif- icant increase in traffic following develop- ments at Kings Hill.” Maidstone also draws attention to signifi-
cant residential and employment develop- ment in South Aylesford and Ditton, already subject to heavy congestion and air pollution, which would worsen. The borough council says the current pro-
posals would allow settlements to coalesce with Maidstone – so provision of open space would be a priority.
has almost stationary traffic spreading ever further in all directions and will come under increasing pressure with every new house that is built along Hermitage Lane. Hermitage Lane provides a major arterial
route to Maidstone Hospital.Will it take a catastrophic accident to make those responsible realise what a mess they’ve caused before they put it right? The horrors of Hermitage Lane are becoming all the more apparent with very new brick that is laid on any one of the building sites there. The seemingly uncontrolled development is a mistake in the making and could be stopped if those responsible look beyond theirwallets and think again. Peter Farr,Wateringbury.
Site chance for university
IT IS sad news, hearing of the closure of Invicta Barracks - but what a wonderful opportunity it gives the town to offer the site as a university campus. Maidstone must be one of the few county towns in the country without a university
MBCrequires focus on an alternative trans-
port route to draw traffic away from the A20 and Hermitage Lane, in particular. The council is calling for joint working in- cluding KCC. Expect some very tough, rough talks. There is feeling of abuse around.
Fewer hospital beds? A CASE is being prepared for a huge re-
duction in hospital beds in Maidstone and TunbridgeWells hospitals. The Maidstone trend was started in the
times of notorious hospitals’ chief executive Rose Gibb – and now the fund-holding GP- led NHSWest Kent Clinical Group is report- ing how a further cutwould make sense. The group is under great pressure to save
money and its plans look at big changes. Bed-blocking by patients who really need
social care is a huge problem and the group looks at changes which will ensure much greater care in the community for all of us. This will involve a much stronger physical and financial contribution from social wel- fare.
The group says that if nothing is done costs
will just escalate with another 67 acute hospi- tal beds needed in five years and 139 in 10 years. But, if the changes are made, it sees a need
for 60 less beds. The overall financial savings are big. Sowatch this space.
and it would do much to raise its status. With a university in the town, it would encourage young people to look in Maidstone for work when they leave, as well as giving the town the benefit of their fresh and exciting new thoughts and ideas. Malcolm Luxton, Borden, Kent
Rail service is appalling
MAIDSTONE’S Labour councillors are campaigning with party colleagues in Kent, Surrey and Sussex to get Govia, which owns Southeastern, Southern and Thameslink stripped of its rail franchise. On November 4, three out of four peak
time trains on the St Pancras linewere cancelled. This level of service is appalling. We pay £44 return to use a poor service
which takes at best 51 minutes to cover 40 miles, and pay a premium fare. Govia should have these services taken
away and returned to public ownership. Our services are a national scandal. Cllrs Paul Harper and Keith Adkinson, Maidstone Labour Party
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