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Hopes remain for newchurch


IT’S a community offering schools, health and leisure facilities, shops, homes and jobs – but conspicuous by its absence at Kings Hill is a church. The expanding community,which


began to rise from the ground back in 1989, now has more than 2,000 homes, including a vicarage, but no dedicated place ofworship. Rev Mark


Montgome ry (pictured) says the community’s worshippers are now desperate to have a home of their own. The congregation of around 100


firstmet in each other’s home, but a 10% year-on-year increase in their numbers has seen St Gabriel’s take up temporary residence at The Dis- covery School. Rev Montgomery (40) said: “Our


carols around the Christmas tree in Liberty Square attracted 600 people and it is obvious there is a need for a community place of worship. We need a permanent home for St


Gabriel’s where we can arrange weddings and that gives us the flex- ibility to use and timetable events.” He added that American real es-


tate company Liberty,which has co- ordinated development on the site, had provided community facilities, adding: “We are a growing Church of England congregation in Kings Hill andwe see a church verymuch as a community facility.” Liberty, in its own description,


says the estate’s success is built on the concept of providing a commu- nity where people live, work and play. But when the church will be built is still in the very early stages of discussion. No one from the com- panywas available to comment. A spokesman for the Diocese of


Rochester said: “We know that the congregation is growing and we have been having all the right con- versations and the absolute hope is that a church can be provided in the near future.” Aplanning condition to safeguard


a site for a place of faith-basedwor- shipwas confirmedwith Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council for a further eight years inApril 2017.


Flats struck by fire again


EMERGENCY services raced to the scene of a fire in the same block as a previous devastating blaze at the Holborough Lakes development. Six fire engines and a number of police cars attended the latest incident


at the Snodland estate on January 5. The block in which the fire started was evacuated and two people had


to be treated for smoke inhalation. A Kent Fire and Rescue Service statement said: “The fast response by


firefightersmeant the fire was contained to the boiler cupboard. “An investigation is underway to establish the cause of the fire. Aman


and a woman were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene and were placed in the care of paramedics.” The sight of fire engines rushing to Manley Boulevard brought back


memories for residents of the fire in September 2017. That day, 22 families lost their homes when a blaze, which started on a


third-floor balcony, ripped through the entire block. Work is ongoing on that site, and this latest fire is not related to that one. One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s frightening to see all of the fire engines here again.”


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