News
Drink driver road checks
KENT Police have warned that they will be operating road checks and breathalysing drivers as part of the crackdown on drink and driv- ing over the holiday period. There will be
an extra focus by officers
to
breathalyse at every opportu- nity in support of the National Po-
lice Chiefs Council’s month-long campaign, which aims to reduce the number of casualties and deaths on our roads. Road checks will take place
across the county and officers from the Special Constabulary will sup- port work by regular officers until December 31, when the campaign draws to a close. Inspector Sam Pearson from Kent Police’s Roads Policing Unit said: “Drivers should never get behind the wheel if they’ve had alcohol and this is something we remind motorists of regularly, not just at Christmas. “However, at a time of year when
many people are out socialising it is important we reinforce the mes- sage that driving under the influ- ence of alcohol or drugs puts many people at risk, not just the driver.”
downsmail.co.uk
MP vows to challenge plan to close barracks
THE closure of Maidstone’s bar- racks would “rip the heart out” of the county town, says MP Helen Grant. The member for Maidstone and
The Weald has pledged to launched a study to scrutinise ar- guments for shutting Invicta Park and to set it in a national context. The Ministry of Defence an- nounced the Royal Engineers Road site would close in 2027 bringing to an end a 200-year military associa- tion.
Mrs Grant has written to the Sec-
retary of State Michael Fallon and has met defence minister Mark Lancaster to discuss the decision. She said: “I have been liaising
with senior military personnel and Maidstone Nepalese community leaders to gauge their opinions. “They are unanimously opposed
to closure for a range of reasons and will be working closely with me on this issue. “I agree that the MoD has to modernise the UK’s military es- tate,but there is a much wider case to answer in Maidstone. We’ve had a barracks here for almost 220 years
and a military presence for much longer. “In fact, I understand that no
other estate closure with close ties to their local town in the recent MoD announcement has a longer history than ours. “I will not stand aside whilst Maidstone’s military heart is ripped out. There are big questions unanswered and I am determined to ensure the best outcome for our county town and its long estab- lished military community.”
Changing needs
THE base is home to the Royal En- gineers 36 Engineer Regiment. It includes two Gurkha squadrons, re- sulting in a Nepalese community of more than 1,000 in the town. There are currently no plans for where the soldiers will relocate to. The 41-hectare site, – Army ac- commodation and military build- ings – has been the regiment’s headquarters since 1959. In his Better Defence State-
ment, Sir Michael Fallon told MPs that 56 Ministry of Defence sites would close by 2040. He said: “Our estate is vast, mak-
ing up almost2%of the UK’s land mass. Yet while the size and struc- ture of the military has changed to meet different threats our estate has failed to adapt.” The borough council listed the
site in its draft Local Plan for po- tential development of up to 1,300 homes, saying that it ex- pected the Army to leave by 2031. But two years ago, the Ministry of Defence denied any such plans.
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Maidstone Christmas 2016
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