News
Fruit-packing plan concerns
CAMPAIGNERS have warned that a massive fruit packhouse in Linton will bring hundreds of extra cars and HGVs on to rural roads in theWeald and the rest of Maidstone. In spite of traffic concerns ex- pressed by Linton and Hunton parish councils and the county council, MaidstoneCouncil has ap- proved the massive steel-clad pack- house and coldstore atWares Farm. Estimates suggest the eight-bay
fruit packing and distribution cen- tre, off Redwall Lane, will generate at least 762 extra car trips, 92 by HGVand 244LGVs every 24 hours. The joint application with Alan Firmin Ltd will bring Berry Gar- dens fruit packing operation and headquarters (currently at Five Oak Green) to Linton. Linton parish councillor James
Smith said: “The parish council is disappointed that the plan has gone through, not only for resi- dents but also because of the wider impact across Maidstone.” He says the scale of the operation in a rural village, virtually cut in
two by the busy A229, will bring significantly more traffic as lorries link to the motorway network. Both Hunton and Linton parish councils felt the operation had outgrown its rural setting and roads. Areport to Maidstone’s planning committee did concede the appli- cation represented a departure from its development plan because of its size. However, it added: “Al- though the scheme will result in harm to the countryside, this will be reduced by landscaping, which will be secured by Section 106 agreement. “The other impacts of the devel- opment, including the impact on the local highway network, can be addressed through direct interven- tions or contributions towards highway works… “Therefore, applying the plan-
ning balance, the economic benefits and the lack of alternative sites in the borough are considered to rep- resent material considerations that outweigh the policy conflict and identified harm and justify the de- velopment in planning terms.”
Crowds flock to park Mela
THE popular Maidstone Community Mela returned for its 15th year, celebrating the borough’s cultural diversity and talent with music and dance from around the world. The event, at Whatman Park, was opened by Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and TheWeald, who thanked all the volunteers involved in staging the festival and stressed the importance of such events. Headline acts were Bhangra star Jassi Sidhu and Jack Shepherd .
Other acts included the Emeralds Steel Band, Reel Eire Irish Dance, No Name Polish Pop and Kitka Bulgarian Folk Dance. The Mela was organised by Cohesion Plus, with Kent Equality
Cohesion Council, local partners and volunteers, and was part-funded by Arts Council England.
Man found guilty of violence
JAN Frackiewiczwas given a suspended jail sentence at Mid Kent Mag- istrates’ Court after being convicted of affray. He denied using unlawful violence on December 29, 2016, in Coombe
Road, Maidstone, but was found guilty by magistrates. Frackiewicz (61), of Coombe Road,was sentenced to 84 days in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 175 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months. He must also pay £620 costs and a £115 vic- tim surcharge.
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