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Celebrating 20 years serving Maidstone and Malling ears serving Maidstone a


Graphic Design - GeoMedia


Ke


Kent Int


ent International Gatewa Also in 2007, several


mooted, the enormous Kent International Gateway (KIG) plan was floated once more. A rail/lorry interchange was proposed on farmland stretching from the M20 at junction 8 to Bearsted.


everal years after itw normous )


int The Downs Mail 0


Internat onc


opos at


ail headline, “WeWon the


Railroaded”, set out the paper’s stance and more than 2,000 backed the call to gather on Bearsted Green before a cross-county march through the fields where the development would be sited.


We Won’t Be stan ga


oss county develop


After a lengthy consultation, the scheme went to a public inquiry, which ended in 2009, and was thrown out by the government in 2010.


y ic Downs Mail continues y sch ende ontinues to champion


for its readers, reflect their fears, cele their successes and share their losses


champion causes celebrate


losses.


For something so rooted in the old-fashioned values upon which journalism is founded, it is still a relatively new product, newspaper-w


ew y was first


wise. To


Downs Mail Today… oday


y, virtually every home in


the Maidstone and Malling area is covered by our distribution model – delivering information tible form


also helped businesses grow attract new clients and pr ovide value-for -money services to those who use them.


w,


Like our commercial partners, the Downs Mail is a business, a local family-runrun one at that, proud and sometimes


understated in its achievements. As Dennis once wrote: “And the


evements the business must be run run transparently and honestly


because readers, advertisers and staff always know.”


rtisers and Christmas 2008:


Dennis Fowle retires and Claire Procter takes over as


company chairman September 2009:


Downs Mail launches Malling edition, increasing overall


distribution to 85,000 December 2009:


A lengthy and detailed public inquiry into KIG ends, the government throwing out the scheme the following year


October 2016:


A fifth Downs Mail edition, serving Maidstone, is launched


Thank you To all our readers, customers,


o all our readers, customers, advertisers and friends past and present, heartfelt thanks for your support


downsmail.co.uk Maidstone East Edition Maidstone East Edition


Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper


March 2017


in a straight and digestible form. Through its advertising, it has


Primary school plan for medical site


The Education Funding Agency Bearsted, Downs Mail has learnt. Medical Campus (KMC) near centre could be based at the Kent school or special needs education A MUCH-needed new primary


(EFA) A) has earmarked the site for


Invicta Academies Trust AT Academies Trust and the V alley W e understand that the Leigh one or other establishment.


(VI T)A


has called for both types of school But the local MPHelen Whately have submitted bids to the EF A.


would fall short of the facility de- Although a primary school to be built as each is needed.


sired in the Bearsted parish, it would provide easy access and ample parking for parents.


Mrs Whately said: “I want to make sure we hav e more primary school and special school places to ensure children can attend local schools.


FA to mov e quickly, as we must hav e a new primary school open in September 2018 at the latest. “The EF A tells me they hav e identified a potential site for a


Medical Campus, and new school on the Kent


“I’v e been working with Kent County Council, and pressing the EFA


FREE No. 239


News


Laun ette changes ROSEACRE Laundrette in


dr re


Bearsted has been taken on by the business family running


has won r HOLLINGBOURNE’S village shop


Shop closure delare epriev fe rom clo-


s e until September. ur re Woodcut Fa Wo 14 MP Helen Whately


All change as Arriva unveils bus review


BUS passengers in Maidstone face major upheaval in a shake-up of routes throughout the borough by Arriv a.


backs, with some services with- on April 2 will see a number of cut- Changes which come into effect


drawn completely.


However, there will be improve- ments in some areas, including a newdedicated service every 20 min- utes from the town to Maidstone


congested town centre, were un- lays by avoiding routes through the whichArriva says should reducede- Details of the new timetable, Hospital.


day, February 18, at the Hazlitt veiled at a public meeting on Satur-


ve


half of Arriva, highlighted “exciting Maxim whose press release, on be- ing of leading PR consultancy The review coincides with the hir- Theatre, Maidstone.


KCCbosses, according to an officer’s the timing of them,” was raised by some of the changes proposed and But concern over the “impact of


private briefing note to members, who will be going to the polls on


changes to Maidstone services”. Craig Ta lor of Arriva Southern Counties, said the bus firm had wanted “to see how we can further improve the reliability and punctu- ality of our services.”


Tay


He added: “Congestion in the town centre makes it difficult for our buses to keep to the timetable. By splitting routes and ensuring good connections, we will be able to pro- vide a far more reliable service.”


The briefing, obtained by Downs May 4.


likely to result in a negative reaction passengers and the changes are remains a negative impact for some been mitigated. Despite this, there andmanyof the most sensitive have justments to their intended changes proach, Arriva have made some ad- “As a result of our ap-


Mail, says: “A


Arriva says that key improve-ve from the general public.”


ments include service 7 be- tween


Maidstone and 4


Business focus L OCAL businesshas alway


part o Downs Mail c ver gerao f YO YOUR LOC OUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPER TY EXPERT RT 01622 6901622 690290 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent maidstone@martinco.com .


ay s beenav alit a and we


hav e made our online Business Notice Boar d as aplace for tee erprisesnt nic


to com-


mu at ,e har s e ideas and rp omote themselv es It is FREE to u –se details inside.


20


fo re


arm fearsfe


AN NFLI UENTIAL body is con- cerned development of Woodcut Fa


arm is looming. 6


Signs for Lenham ANEW“tree” of fingerposts have


in village upgr e ed in Lenham


been er ct ade. 10


GPs work together GPs in Maidstone and beyond e ar


gether in clust in easingly working to-


cr


Bring back dog bins ers.


A COUNC OR has ca do aste bins to be brought back.


ILL g w


Obituaries C omment


WINDOWS at a house in The Morlin Bearste , er wd bur


Crime Reports gs,


e ds alled for 24  32


34-35 47


47 e o enkrobr


were stolen f Lee ; two blue horse rugs


inan apparent glary attempt; fencing was damaged in Caring Road,o


rom a field in Chart- N var wraa


way Street, Kingswood; a Nissan a as stolen in Lenham .


Parish Councils 46-47 A RESIDENT has aske


ed or anf


be left along the v Lee ; flytipping continues to


ds


councillor has been co-opt ; a new


, ed


onto the parish council in Harri- etsham.


worthRoad Ulcombe re has agreed to clear a culvert in The Street Bredhurst


Ro re


,


outdoor gym at the pla ying field in


erges in Cheg- ; a resident


22 y 5 Marino’s fish & chip shop. 3


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