downsmail.co.uk Maidstone East Edition Maidstone East Edition


Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper


August 2017


FREE No. 244


Martha’s lile lamb a star of show News


MARTHA Connolly has a little lamb! And Wilma certainly at- tracted plenty of attention at this year’s Kent Show. Wilmawas making her first ap- pearance at the show, which this year attracted over 80,000 visitors. The purebred Romney has


been raised to walk to heel with Martha (12), who has developed her farming at Cobtree Young Farmers’ Club in Sandling. Martha said: “Young Farmers’


is a great way to socialise and to learn about the countryside.”  See our show report and pictures on page 30


Woodcut Farm appeal delay ‘is good news’


THE much-anticipated appeal into the Woodcut Farm development near junction 8 of the M20 in October been postponed until next year.


The four-week hearing is now scheduled to be heard from Tues- day, February 6, which is seen as good news for the council planners, who are constructing the case sup- porting the authority’s refusal of the plan for a massive commercial de- velopment. The Planning Inspectorate, based


in Bristol, wrote to Maidstone Bor- ough Council (MBC) with its deci- sion, saying the number of witnesses wishing to take part had been a sig- nificant factor. The hearing will most likely be


held at the town hall in Maidstone. It is the latest twist in a saga which started last year, with elected coun-


cillors twice rejecting the application by Roxhill Development, despite of- ficers latterly advising the authority should not try to fight the appeal. Bearsted borough councillor Denis Spooner said: “I’m not that bothered by the delay, because it means it gives MBC’s planning team more time to prepare the case. “All the councillors on this side of Maidstone are very much opposed to Woodcut Farm, but the council wants it for local employment. “Officers have found themselves


in an invidious dichotomy, but at the end of the day, the officers do what the councillors tell them.” Officers said to fight the appeal


might be costly and unsuccessful. Woodcut Farm is in the LocalPlan earmarked for employment needed for the council’s large house-build- ing programme. Asked if council planners can


build a robust case to fight the ap- peal, having pleaded previously not to, Cllr Spooner said: “I’m sure they’ll put their backs into the job.” Ukip councillor EddiePowell said:


“How ironic that the very people whowanted us not to contest the ap- peal made by the developers are nowthe oneswhomust go and fight it. It’s democracy in action.” Other third party organisation will also be making significant represen-


01622 690290 YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT


maidstone@martinco.com 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent


tations to the inspector. The steering group for the Kent DownsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty will tell the inspector that the Hollingbourne Vale section of the AONB– the setting for the proposed development – has recovered well after being intensively cultivated in recent years and should be consid- ered "sacrosanct".


Home Alarms supplied and fitted visit www.amiga.co.uk or call 08000 199622 Obituaries 32


Comment 34-35 Crime Reports 47


SHRUBBERYwas cut without the owner’s consent in Detling; a pick-up was broken into in Bearsted and tools stolen; a set of keys were stolen from the front door of a house in Lenham; cladding was removed from a building in Lenham.


Parish Councils 46-47


COUNCILLORS in Otham ex- pressed concern that the police report did not contain sufficient detail; potholes in Broomfield and Kingswood are now consid- ered to be dangerous and must be repaired; a parent and child event has been agreed in Harri- etsham; there have been com- plaints of noise in Downswood.


Allotments saved


ALLOTMENT holders in Lenham are a step closer to having their plots saved from being de- veloped in Lenham. 3


Lenham luxury


WORK on ten houses around Glebe Pond ‘will start before Christmas’.


11 Council’s M20 vow


THE borough council has pledged £500k to ease junc- tion 7 congestion. 18


Board’s road relief


A SOUTH Maidstone relief road has received cross- party approval.


24-25


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