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Borough Councilwarned traffic in the town would grind to gridlock in a very fewyears unless Kent County Council took very significant steps to improve our highways. It hasn’t – and I fear thatwarning rapidly


Opportunity knocking at door MailMarks


ABOUT 10 years ago,Maidstone


DENNISFOWLE President dfowle2011@aol.com


coming true. Until a couple of years ago, I tried to avoid urbanMaidstone at peak times. NowI try to avoid it altogether – and build upmy list of things to do in town be- fore I take the plunge. Still, I often hit huge delays andmassive frustration. Thismust nowbe seriously harming the


trade and business of the town aswell as causingwidespread anger and despair for so many. I double the time allowance to reach a Maidstone destination and still oftenmiss out.Whatmust this be doing for peoplewho work in the town, shoppers, health patients, parents trying to take children to and from school, social activities...? Pressure grows to build the Leeds/Langley


bypass. Had the late Sandy Bruce-Lockhart not stood down as KCC Leader in 2005 and moved upwards I feel sure hewould have been good to his commitment to finance it. But his successor, Paul Carter, sawother pri- orities and that problemstill liveswith us 12 years later. The bypasswould help ease traffic flows


in the east and south ofMaidstone but the huge costmay bemore acceptable politically than economically.WhatMaidstone needs is a ring road extending this bypass fromFive Wents, Langley, to Linton Crossroads area (recentlymooted by one pressure group) but then continued south ofMaidstone to link up againwith theM20west of the town. I re- call CllrAlan Chell, then a county and bor- ough councillor, researching and promoting a ring road about 12 years ago and the out- burst fromthis precious rural and village areawas extreme. So is there any significant solution to


Maidstone’s highways problems?My fear is traffic congestionwill just getworse and as I drive on poor, badly-marked road surfaces


Facts on school planning


THANK you for printing your full and balanced report regarding the Planning application fromthe Valley/Invicta Academies Trust. The only point that I feelmay not have


come across to readers is the fact that any delay in the newSchool openingwill be entirely the fault of the applicants. If the application had gone to Commi�ee


itwould have almost certainly been approved, albeitwith conditions, less than 36 hours after they appealed for non- determination. If the school had truly believed that these


conditionswere in themselves unreasonable they could have simply done whatmany applicants do and appeal against the specific conditions. Thiswould have enabled themto get on


withmost of the process of developing the site,without significant delay. The fact that they choose not to do so, and


put in an appealwhichmay not be heard for severalmonths,makes a nonsense of their arguments that they had to do so in order to “speed up a process delayed by the


46 Maidstone January 2018


litteredwith speed humps and take on the challenge of night driving on largely un-lit roads (a dangerous economy) I ama very unhappymotorist. Perhapswe deserved EU support for


muchmore UK infrastructure. I recallmy amazement travelling around Europe of massive improvements in their infrastruc- ture and feeling Britainwas paying up and missing out. Perhaps thatwas another factor in the Brexit decision. The population ofMaidstone growsmas-


sively and the government demands yet more housing. But there are no signs of the infrastructure anywhere nearmatching these demands, and quality of our lives is nowse- verely harmed. Our localMPs aremaking the PrimeMin-


ister and cabinet fully aware of this ap- palling situation – butwill they listen as they try tomeet urgent national housing needs? A recent BBC national survey showed a


very small percentage of Britain is developed land (including our borough) and I accept this. The problemis that the government is wanting to prioritise newhousing in the south-east,where residents currently suffer so severely. Northern towns are losing pop- ulation andwouldwelcome growth – but it needs to be achieved as part of the proposed Northern Powerhouse, requiringmanymore jobs and the right infrastructure there, too. There are nowsigns that our Brexit deci-


sion is decreasing the level of immigration and aswe regain full control of our borders, hopefully,we shall be fully in charge,match- ing our population to our needs and infra- structure available to us all. I amnot surprised 60%of us in Kent voted for Brexitwhen I nowhear these stories:


Council” and to avoid an “impasse”. Clive English, chairman, Planning Commiee,MBC


School teacher retention


ATNAHT, the school leaders’ union,we’ve just announced the results of our annual schools recruitment survey and for the fourth year, the findings are a huge concern. The Government is still failing to provide


enough teachers for our growing school population. The recruitment pipeline is leaking at both ends,with insufficient numbers of newly qualified teachers coming into the systemand toomany experienced teachers leaving prematurely. The survey highlights that the top two


reasons cited for leaving the profession wereworkload and achieving a be�er work-life balance. Anyoneworking in a school knows how


rewarding it is to help young people learn and grow. The trouble is, our teacherswork longer hours, for lessmoney, compared to their peers around theworld.


downsmail.co.uk


into Grove Green – and no doubt the developmentwas granted planning permission taking that access into account. If traffic could access the area aswas


A relative having great problemsmaking a GP appointment – andwatching non-British names dominating thewaiting roomscreen calling patients to the GPs.  Suggestions thatMaidstone area pupils could be allocated school places on the Isle of Sheppey. Vital surgery for hip and knee replace- ments and cataracts seriously delayed.  Hospitals too busy to cope properly yet thousands of days in hospital beds lost to bed blocking by patientswho cannot be found social care. I do not go into 2018 on an optimistic high.


My hope is that the governmentwill achieve a Brexit that gives Britain a real opportunity to overcome our difficulties andmatch the success stories I enjoy fromsomany coun- tries around theworld as our tieswith them strengthen.





Maternity road WHEN Maidstone lost itsmassive battle


to prevent transfer of itswomen’s and chil- dren’s services fromour hospital to Tun- bridgeWells the big fearwas that the narrow road between the two townswould become amaternityward. The latest story ofMike and Suki Stevens


of Tarragon Road, Barming,who live very close toMaidstone Hospital, iswhat that fightwas all about. When Sukiwent into labour they set out in


their carwith their six-year-old daughter for what they thoughtwould be a comfortable journey of about an hour. But little Tommiwas in a hurry andMike


was on the phone desperately seeking ad- vice. Hewas told to pull off the road – not possible in narrowcountry lanes. He finally found a house driveway and Tommiwas born on the car footwell. The drama ended happilywhen an ambulance arrived. There have been other similar dramas –


but probably not asmany as feared by MASH (MaidstoneAction for Services in Hospital) campaigners six years ago.


The Governmentmustmake the changes


necessary to ensure aworkforce that can deliver the best education for all. This should be the focus of all our a�ention, to a�ract and retain teachers, pay them properly, treat themwell and respect their need for a properwork-life balance. Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of NAHT


Make roads systemwork


THE le�er published in the last edition of DownsMail addresses the serious issue that all of uswho live in and use the roads around NewCut Road and Bearsted Road have to dealwith and an issue that worsens asmore development takes place, not only on the TV Studios site but also on the KentMedical Campus. Thismust be dealtwith now, and it


seems tomewe shouldmake full use of the roadswe already have. The removal of the barrier fence,which


preventsAverenches Road frombeing used as itwas intended, is urgently required, The roadwas designed to provide access


intended in the design then therewould be a reduction in traffic using the section of Bearsted Road through the narrowsection past Gidds Pond co�ages, aswell as a reduction in traffic using the northern section of NewCut Road. Roger Hurst,Maidstone


Rail delay unacceptable


THEmanyMaidstone commuterswho travel to London are incensed that the new Thameslink service has again been delayed – for a further year until December 2019. While other counties continue to benefit


fromnewrailways investment and are given priority,West Kent has been shunted into a siding. Itwasmore than eight years ago that


Maidstone lost its fast, rush-hour service to Cannon Street.After five years of discussionwith governmentministers and the regulatory authorities, itwas agreed our county townwould benefit fromthe £7.5bn Thameslink project.Maidstone would again have a fast link to the capital. The original start date ofMay 2018


projected three years agowas delayed to December 2018. Nowwe are told that, despite eight years of planning andmajor engineeringworks, the experts are unsure whether the newsystemwill be capable of handling the increase in traffic by December 2019. The report fromthe NationalAudit


Office and the spin put out by the Department for Transport do not explain why local bodieswere being advised that theworkwas on target, even up to the last fewweeks. Nor do they explainwhy the experts have been sowrong. What guarantee do the people of


Maidstone have that the fast Thameslink servicewill be in operation in December 2019? It is time for thewaiting to stop. Rob Bird, Ian Chienden and Dan Daley, Liberal Democrat County Councillors for Maidstone


Help ease refugee plight


RIGHT now, in the Home Office rules, the Government doesn’t recognise the close family of refugee children beyond their parents. Thismeans thatmany children


escapingwar and violence can’t be safely reunitedwith their family in the UK without firstmaking a deadly journey to Europe. As the UK Governmentworks on


updating its rules as a result of leaving the EU, an amendment to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill NewClause 53would make sure the UK’s rules are fixed to stop this needless risk to children’s safety.As this comes forward in Parliament we hope thatMPswillwork together to fix this problem. I urge your readers towrite to theirMP to ask themto add their name to the amendment and voice their support during the debate. Together,we can show theworld that Britainwill not turn its back on thosewho need usmost. Lily Caprani, deputy executive director, Unicef UK at NAHT


Riverwalk notwhat itwas


IWAS astounded to read in the December issue of DownsMail thatMr Fowle, in his paragraph dealingwith his riverwalk, found his experience a delight. Some 50 years ago, at least part of this


stretch of theMedwaywas a delight to traverse. The riverbank of the river (Maidstone LockMeadowto Teston), where I spent somany childhood hours, was, indeed, a tranquil and delightful location.Alas, in recent years, it has been desecrated;water voles and kingfishers have long since gone andwildlife generally, is diminished. The old towpath (established, I think, by


theMedway Navigation Company in the late 18th century)was still in place inmy youth and hugged the river's edge and the bankswere free of trees overhanging the river on the towpath side. The newpath has diverged fromthe


bank and, in places, has become disassociated fromthe river. This has been further exacerbated by barge dwellers,who have not only occupied several stretches of the bank fromTovil to Farleigh, but have also appropriated (perhaps a be�erword would bemisappropriated – probably with the connivance ofMaidstone Borough Council) land between the path and the river,which is nowfenced of. They have also turned thewatermeadows, that once lay between the river and the railway line, into vegetable gardens and recreational areas. . Just onemonth ago, Iwalked fromTovil


to East Farleigh andwas so struckwith the despoilment of the area, that I have vowed never to go there again. In places, the footpath has beenwidened and covered with tarmac,which nowallows vehicular access to the bargesmoored on this stretch of river. Unicumbes Lane, that once provided access for quarrymen delivering ragstone fromFant to barges on the river, is already becoming awell-used motorway. The remnants of the small wharf that existed at the bo�omof the lane, is derelict and obscured to view, to the extent that even localswould not nowbe aware of its existence or former utility. Forme, the changes are too sad to


contemplate andwith the continued population growth in Kent, I suspect that further degradation is inevitable. Ray Town, via email


Small donation – big results


ASWE approach Christmas, Iwould like to ask your readers to do something amazing to supportwork of the NSPCC. To help share themagic of Christmas


with children,we’ve teamed upwith Santa to send personalised le�ers fromLapland to help bring their Christmas to life! Each le�er is printed and posted directly


to your child in a festive envelope. Allwe ask in return is a small donation –


£5 could buy paints to help a childwho has been abused to express their feelings and begin to feel like themselves again; £8 could cover the cost for our volunteer counsellors to answer two calls to Childline. Help us be there for children, whatever theirworries, this Christmas.A donation of £10 could help us answer two calls to the NSPCC helpline fromadults concerned about thewelfare of a child. Without the support of Kent peoplewe


simplywouldn’t be able to deliver our vital services,which are so often a lifeline to many children and young peoplewhose lives have been affected by abuse. Iwant to personally to thank everyone


who has already helped the NSPCC in someway this year. Your donationswill help our fight for every childhood.Abuse ruins childhoods, but it can be prevented. That'swhywe’re here. To find outmore about the NSPCC’s


Le�er fromSanta visit nspcc.org.uk/Santa Michele Baxter, NSPCC Community Fundraising manager – Kent


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