News
Call to protect ancient bridge
ENGLISH heritage group Historic England has called for safeguards to protect East Farleigh bridge from traffic generated by Maidstone Council’s Local Plan. Paul Roberts, the group’s inspec-
tor of ancient monuments in Kent, has written to government inspector Robert Mellor, who is reviewing MBC’s Local Plan, setting out the threat to the listed bridge, a Sched- uled Ancient Monument – by traffic from housing proposed for the area to 2031. The high-level response has been prompted by East Farleigh Parish Council, which says traffic from 2,000 extra homes in the area – some nearing completion – has increased the number of “bashes to the bridge” and poses a substantial risk to the fu- ture of the medieval bridge, seen by many as the finest in Britain. Parish councillor JohnWilson (pic-
tured) said:“We have traffic pouring over the bridge from Coxheath and developments taking shape in Her- mitage Lane causing more damage to this important structure. “Mr Mellor has indicated that he wantsMBCto recognise the ‘historic
environment’ and conserve our irre- placeable national assets for the ben- efit of all in Maidstone, and, where possible, enhance them through col- laboration with de- v elopers, landowners, parish councils and her- itage bodies. We are pleased His-
toric England has agreed to make its concerns relating to the Local Plan known to the inspector.” The parish council has been work-
ing for many years to tackle the growing volume of traffic using the village’s narrow bridge, which has become a popular cut-through for lorries and a bottleneck for mo- torists. It has paid £7,000 for traffic studies – the latest from DHA Plan- ning – to offer solutions, which this time includes road markings and barriers to stop lorries getting to the bridge. The nearby rail crossing has added
to the problem, with traffic lights ruled out on safety grounds and the use of Teston Bridge for a one-way system thought to be impractical.
Cream teas to help church
TREAT yourself to a strawberry cream tea and help the Friends of Linton Church raise money tomaintain the historic building. The popular annual event at the church on Linton Hill has gone from
strength to strength since it began 16 years ago and organisers Sue and Jerry Whitmarsh are hoping to beat last year’s proceeds of almost £2,000. This year, the Strawberry Cream Teas weekend will be on Saturday
and Sunday, June 24 and 25, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Visitors can tuck into local strawberries and home-made scones and buy a slice of cake or some buns to take away. Jams, preserves, jewellery and pottery will also be on sale, and there
will be an exhibition of local photographs. There will be a raffle for a handcrafted bird table and on Sunday, the
village hall across the road will be open for the sale of second-hand books. All money raised will be used by the Friends to maintain the church fabric and contents. Admission and parking are free.
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