downsmail.co.uk News


ess Royal meets y shop workers


London drugs


dealer charged OFFICERS have charged a man from London with the supply of drugs inMaidstone. Nathan Elliot (29) was arrested


ved a


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d out- to see ed by yor of r, the heryl eader, nside


presi- 1970s, e con- o the e and


tes to and their


augh- xwell, with a e. The e be- n the ncess


on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin after he was stopped in Calder Road on December 4, and police seized cash and a phone. Elliot, of Leontine Close, Peck-


ham, was subsequently charged with offering to supply controlled drugs and remanded toMaidstone Magistrates' Court. He was subse- quently remanded to appear before Maidstone Crown Court at a later date.


The Princess Royal is greeted by Cheryl Adams, the mayor and Karen Elphick


loved animals. Among the dozens of onlookers


who watched the Princess depart was 88-year-old BettyWarren who hadwaited for nearly an hour to see her andwas given a chair and a cup of tea outside the shop. The charity shop opened in Union


Street in 1980 when the building was bought for £12,000. Thirty- seven years later, its success contin- ues, with the volunteers having


Vehicle thefts EIGHT vehicles were seized when police arrested aman on suspicion of theft of a car and handling stolen goods. The 44-year-old man was ar-


rested in Stockbury on January 3 by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. They executed a searchwarrant at


an address in the village and seized the vehicles, aswell as arresting the man, who was subsequently re- leased under investigation.


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Joy for protesters as £4m road scheme is rejected


A CONTROVERSIAL £4m plan to widen a main road in Maid- stonewas rejected byMaidstone’s Joint Transportation Board (JTB). Protesters who live on Bell


Meadow,which runs parallelwith theA274 Sutton Road, attended the meeting to have their say against the plan, which would bring the carriageways of the main road to within yards of their homes. Anumber of treeswould have to


be felled tomake the planswork. The plan is to widen the road at


raised £40,000 for the charity last year.


More donations and customers


are alwayswelcome at the tiny shop which is packed with goods ranging from clothing, children’s items, kitchen ware and a collector’s cor- ner. There is also a “wanted board” for people who are looking for something in particular and the vol- unteers will keep an eye out for them.


the junction ofWillington Street in amove that highways planners say would significantly reduce journey times along the road, especially with new housing developments imminent away fromtown. Resident Alex Geeves said: “The


plans...go directly against Maid- stone’s lowemission strategy. They are dangerous, insufficient and il- legal.” Rob Jarman, Maidstone Borough


Council’s head of planning and de- velopment, said: “A lot of homes


Protesters outside Maidstone Town Hall where the Sutton Road widening scheme was rejected


Waitrose pulls out of site plan


have been built in this area and more to come. It’s an obvious solu- tion to improve this junction.” A petition of 900 signatures has


WAITROSEhas pulled out of plans to build a new store on a commer- cial park at J7 of the M20. The retailer indicated in recent


been collected. Cllr Eric Hotson said: “We have to listen to the peo- ple. I can’t get to grips with the £4m cost of this scheme when the road is not over full. TheA229 is far worse.” Cllr John Perry said the scheme


was “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”. KentCountyCouncil leader Paul


Carter added: “We are very keen to spend themoneywe havewisely. I


weeks that, in the current economic climate, it was likely to concentrate on improving its existing stores. That is good news for the popular


and successful Allington branch of Waitrose, which has 20 years left to run on its lease. There had been concerns it would


don’t think this scheme will work as it doesn’t deal with all of the is- sues. The Wheatsheaf is the junc- tionwe should be focusing on.” Cllr Brian Clark tabled a rival


and Ride. The majority of larger ap- plications locally usually raisemany objections due to concerns over traf- fic congestion and air pollution. “However, the Waitrose applica-


motion that the plan be deferred to the next JTB, but no votewas taken. Members on the JTB who de-


be shut if the J7 outletwas built. Spokesman for developer Gal- lagher, Nick Yandle, said: "We have had four other retailers contact us whoare keen to progress matters on that site. “Waitrose management has indi-


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cated that it is part of a strategy for the changing face of retail.” Ian Chittenden, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Maidstone north east , said: “This is a great pity. The proposal to build aWaitrose on EclipsePark led indirectly to the clo- sure of the Sittingbourne Road Park


bated the plans sided with a mo- tion tabled by Cllr Gary Cooke to reject the proposal. He said itwas a “brilliant result”


and requested a total rethink of the proposal. Decisionmaking author- ities do not have to abide by any JTB ruling.


tion, which would have created 200 jobs locally, was extremely popular and well supported by councillors and especially by local residents, who will be disappointed”. In a recent interview with the


trade magazine, Property Week, Nigel Keen,Waitrose's property di- rector, confirmed company policy was to consolidate existing stores rather than invest in new ones. Hesaid:"We made a very positive decision not to build new stores and invest in our existing estate. “That will start to play at the end


of this year and into next year, when consumers see the investment we made and respond accordingly.” Waitrose, which is part of the John


Lewis partnership, has been ap- proached by Downs Mail for a com- ment.


Charity’s call for clothes


A CHARITY in Yalding is urging people to use their unwanted clothes to help others battling with alcohol and drug addiction. The Kenward Trust and South- eastern have set up Clothes Drop points at stations in Bearsted, at Maidstone East andWest, Charing, Lenham, Harrietsham, Snodland, Barming andWest Malling through- out September. The Kenward Trust use the items


to raise £500 per tonne for those overcoming addiction. Shane Irons, who works at Maid-


stone East, came up with the idea. He was a friend of John Chadwick, an ex-Kenward resident, who took


A45-YEAR-OLD Maidstoneman has been charged with arson and threats to kill following a car fire. Kent Policewere called at 1.30am


on September 3, to reports of an in- cident in Allen Street. Crews from Kent Fire and Rescue Service had brought the fire under control by 2am. Enquiries led to the arrest of


his own life when his local council made him move to accommodation that would not accept his beloved dogs. Shane said: “I hope the project highlights the importance of suit- able housing for vulnerable individ- uals when they re-integrate back into communities.” Lynn Hyder, from the trust, said: “While we receive some statutory funding for our residential recovery projects, this only covers a propor- tion of the cost of the services we provide.We are thrilled that South- eastern is helping us with this activ- ity and we thank them and the public who kindly donate for sup- porting our work.”


Car fire leads to arson charge


Richard Parkin, of Allen Street, who has been charged with arson, making threats to kill and two in- cidents of criminal damage. On September 4, Parkin was brought before Maidstone Magis- trates’ Court, where he was re- manded in custody until his next court appearance.


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Donna Paine and Jo Halls, previously of Boniface in Hollingbourne, are proud to announce the opening of their new venture – the Georgian House Hair & Beauty Salon. The stylish salon can be found away from the main high street, in the pretty village of Chart Sutton on the outskirts of Maidstone in a beautiful Georgian House. The salon is easy to find, just five minutes from Sutton Valance, and has ample parking available.


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