News
Impasse over purchase of field at village heart
AFRUSTRATEDparish council is seeking its own valuation for a field at the heart of its village, after being toldMaidstone BoroughCouncilwants six timesmore than it has offered to pay for it.
Staplehurst Parish Council has
offered £5,000 for Surrenden Field, which MBC has agreed to sell it, but the council is refusing to budge on its valuation of £32,375. Cllr John Perry (pictured), who
represents Staplehurst on MBC and also sits on the parish council, admits it is a source of huge frustration. “It doesn’t
seem fair that the
parish
council has to spend lots of money main- taining some-
thing that they don’t own,” he said. “MBC has a duty to protect green open spaces and they have told us that they have no use for it. “In our opinion, their valuation
is unrealistic and does not reflect the future liabilitieswewould have
Smiles all round from Maple Class pupils at Kingswood Pri- mary School, who are now enjoying their new classroom carpet
on the site, such as the drainage and maintaining the play equip- ment. “To be honest, we think we
should get it for nothing, but obvi- ouslyMBC have their position and they have dug their heels in about it.” Plans have been ongoing for al-
most two years for the parish coun- cil to take over the freehold of the field, but for now both parties are in limbo as emails are exchanged. At its most recent meeting, the
parish council decided to look into the idea of getting its own inde- pendent valuation carried out, and this will be discussed when it next meets. Cllr Perry added: “It’s such a
vital thing for us - it is right in the middle of the village, the carnival is held there, so is the fete and any other celebrations thatwe have.” An MBC spokesman said: “The
decision to sell Surrenden Field was made by the Policy and Re- sources Committee and their rec- ommendation was that further negotiations between the parish council and MBC took place re- garding the price. “A professional valuation was
obtained by Maidstone Borough Council froman independent firm of surveyors, based on comparable evidence. As a concession to the parish council, this figurewas then reduced to reflect themaintenance of the associated accessway that is being sold in addition to the field. “The council is bound (under
law) to secure ‘best consideration’ for any disposal. This protects council tax payers as awhole from suffering the effects of us disposing of our assets too cheaply. Inde- pendent
valuers...make sure that the right judgement ismade about best consideration.”
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Police raid on ‘drug factory’
MORE THAN 40 cannabis plants were discovered when police raided a house in Harrietsham. Kent Police executed a search
warrant at an address in West Street and discovered the cannabis factory, which included growing equipment. A 47-year-old local man was ar-
rested on suspicion of cannabis cul- tivation and was subsequently released under investigation.
Ferrets inneed
A FERRET sanctuary that is home to 100 rescue animals needs shred- ded paper for bedding. Harrietsham Ferret Rescue Cen-
tre is looking for long cut paper, al- though newsprint is not suitable. The centrewould also like dona-
tions of water bottles, fleece ham- mocks or sleeping bags and old plastic toys. If you can help, call Chris or Roy on 01622 851690.
Library fines
LIBRARY users in the borough have racked up more than £11,000 for borrowed items thatwere never returned. Maidstone’s book lender was
owed £8,167, while Coxheath racked up penalties of £943 and Lenham£206. Fines at Shepway to- talled £680. The total for the bor- oughwas £11,340.
Pop-up crafts
THE Riverside PopupGallery is ac- cepting bookings fromstallholders for a craft fair to be staged at the village hall in Yalding on Sunday, May 13, from11amuntil 4pm. Stalls cost £16. Bookings via
chapman.june50@gmail.com.
Home show Pupils’ delight at gift of classroomcarpet
BUDGET cuts are making things tough for small schools in the area – meaning decoration can often be pushed to the bottomof the pile. That was the case at Kingswood
Primary School,whereMaple Class’s carpet was threadbare. With events such as fetes being
used to fund things to enhance pupils’ learning experiences, the funds simply were not available. So the Friends of Kingswood Pri-
mary School took a different ap- proach,
contacting 20 local companies to ask if they could help 8
andwithin two days, Choice Carpets had agreed to supply and fit the car- pet. And during the Christmas holidays,
the classroomgot a brand new look. Claire Jones, from the school’s
fundraising committee, said: “We are completely amazed by their gen- erosity – and the children couldn’t believe it when they came back in January to find the new carpet. “It’s so difficult for schools who
keep having their budgets cut and things like the carpet don’t get done because there isn’t themoney there.
Maidstone Weald February 2018
We organise fetes and other events but the money used from that goes towards things for the schoolchild- ren rather than things like the car- pet.” Choice Carpets’ owner Clive Ever-
ton,which has been operating in the town for 38 years said: “It’s a small school with no real funding so when we got their email, we thought it would be good to help them. “We do a lot of schools and con-
tract work, we’ve got our own fitters and we thought it would be a great chance to help.”
STAND up comic Angela Barnes returns to her home town for a gig atMaidstone’sHazlitt Theatre. Fresh from appearances on Rus-
sell Howard’s Good News pro- gramme and Mock the Week on BBC, shewill be on stage on Satur- day, April 28. Tickets are £13.50. Call 01622 758611.
Health walk
THE next Headcorn Health Walk takes place on February 14, starting at the village hall at 9.45am. The group will head off south,
over fields and lane and across the railway line through kissing gates. Drop Barry Walker a line at
Barry@watersideoast.comformore details.
downsmail.co.uk News
Are you finding the biting wind and bright sunshine drying out your eyes?
Are your eyes streaming in this cold weather?
These are common symptoms for many of our clients who attend our dry eye and tear film abnormality clinics at Buchanan Optometrists. To help you out this winter Kathryn Buchanan from Buchanan Optometrists would like to remind you of how you can go out in this cold weather without the tears.
Kathryn’s top tips to help everyone’s eyes this winter.
1) Wear sunglasses to help protect against cold wind and glare. Serengeti sunglasses are great for the winter sun, dawn til dusk. 2) Keep the blowers in the car pointed away from your eyes. 3) Avoid the central heating drying the house out too much by using a humidifier. 4) Eat right. Plenty of omega 3 and 6 (found in fish and nuts) can help keep your tears healthy and oily. 5) Drink plenty of fluids. Dehydration
No need for tears this winter
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causes the tear film to dry up and irritate your eyes. 6) Switch to hypoallergenic makeup. Our range is extra sensitive and free from SLS, Parabens and animal products. Unlike other makeup, it won’t block your delicate glands in your eyelids. Waterproof mascara is now available to try and buy at our practice.
7) Beware of over the counter eye drops. Many contain preservatives which further irritate eyes. Furthermore, there are dozens of causes for irritated eyes and without a diagnosis as to what’s causing the problem it is impossible to pick the correct treatment from the hundreds on the market. (In the dry eye clinic we can prescribe you exactly what YOU need).
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tip- ping on a country road have been made by the local borough coun- cillor.
Burberry Lane, near Kingswood,
has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in recent months, the problem has become more acute withwaste often strewn across the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort, pictured right, said:
“Every month we are having toi- lets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry Lane. We are now thinking of installing cameras on private land to oversee the problem area.” A recent event in Burberry Lane
Even using these tips, you may find that your eyes still suffer. In which case you need our help. Dry eye sufferers regularly feel quite down about their dry eyes at this time of year and how it can affect their daily activities. There have been so many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of dry or watery eyes that in almost all cases Buchanan Optometrists can make a significant improvement. Get relief from the
STAPLEHURST vineyard Hush Heath will send its sparkling wine to Canada after landing a deal with one of the world’s largest alcohol buyers. Hush Heath’s Balfour 1503 Clas-
Illegal fly-tipping is costing local authorities hun- dreds of thou- sands of pounds, says Cllr Gill Fort
Enjoy the outdoors this winter without the irritation.
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saw a caravan burned out while a car remains on a footpath nearby,
more than a year after itwas
dumped and torched. The church car park has also seen illegal dump- ing.
sic Cuvée is the first English sparkling wine selected for the Liquor Contril Board (LCBO) of On- tario’s Vintages Classics Pro-
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