Maidstone East Edition North Edition
South Edition October 2017 March 2018 Panto ahoy!
THE cast of Cinderella, which is to be staged at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maid- stone, took to the River Medway to launch this year's panto.
On board The Kentish Lady were national treasure Rustie Lee (Fairy Godmother), former EastEnder Ste- fan Booth (Prince Charming), Eliza- beth
Bright (Cinderella), Craig
Anderson (Buttons) and, pictured, Stephen Richards and Adam Bor- zone (Ugly Sisters) .
Artist’s impressions of the newMarks & Spencer store proposed for Eclipse Park, alongside NEXT South Borough Primary School and
M&S store proposals include 300 new jobs
They were greeted by pupils from members of the media. The panto
The landmark chimney and listed Rag Room will remain key features of the Springfield Mill redevelopment
runs from December 1-31. For tick- ets go to
www.hazlitttheatre.co.uk.
PLANS to create a newMarks & Spencer store at Eclipse Park, near J7 of theM20, have been revealed to the public for the first time.
Papermill’s legacy to town for the future
with Maidstone developers Gal- lagher Properties and could create 300 full and part-time positions when the store opens. At present, M&S hopes to create
come more acute.
THE former Whatman paper mill in Maidstone town centre will be turned into 300 homes, the borough council has decided.
CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
The scheme will be carried out
a large clothing and household space as well as a food hall and café. It will be situated alongside NEXT. The scheme is subject to planning
approval fromMaidstone Borough Council, although local observers say it is unlikely there will be few objections. The application will be submitted towards the end of Feb- ruary. A public exhibition was sched-
specifically in Burberry
uled to be held at theHiltonMaid- stone Hotel, on Bearsted Road, on February 22, from2pmto 8pm. TheM&S proposals follow a de-
RedrowHomes. Redrow spokesman Michael
ctorchedision by Waitrose not to proceed dards Agency to clamp down on
Hardware told February’s plan- ning meeting: “We would want to
Lane, where we are now thinking of installing cameras on private land, to oversee the problem area.” A recent event in Burberry Lane saw a caravan burned out while a car remains on a footpath
and the Driver and Vehicle Stan-
molished to make way for 218 apartments in four and five-storey blocks, with a further 77 houses of two to four bedrooms. The Springfield Mill site will re- Constructionwaste, rubble, hard core, windows and household fur- niture is left illegally – often strewn in the middle of the road.
Most of the buildings will be de- Burberry Lane, near Leeds and
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a(47,500ft2 country road have been made by the local borough councillor. nearby, more than a year after it
with its plans following the grant- ing of planning permission by Maidstone Borough Council in May 2017. Waitrose decided not to proceed
Broomfield, has been targeted by was dumped and set on fire. waste dumpers for years, but in re-
tain theGrade II listed Rag Room– built in 1805 – and will be used for community activities. The landmark's famous chimney, Cllr Gill Fort said: “Every month we are having toilets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village,
cent months, the problem has be- many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural areas including Langley, Otham and Kingswood. Water Lane in Bearsted and Pilgrims Way have also been targeted recently.
which is visible to drivers along JamesWhatmanWay, will also be retained as a nod to the county town's industrial past. The site will be developed by
with its plans because of adverse economic conditions and pledged to concentrate on its existing stores. According to a statement by the
Last year, Maidstone Borough Council cleared 911 cases of fly-tip- ping and this year more than 163 have been recorded since April. The approaching darker evenings will prompt a rise in illegal tipping. Cllr Fort welcomed a joint initia-
) of sales area”.
retailer: “M&S requires a newstore that is the same footprint as the permitted food store, with a 300 space car park, including accessible and parent and child spaces”. Developers claim the store will
build something out of the ordi- nary for this historic site.” The main focus for debate was The church car park has also seen
unlicensed waste carriers, but be- Nick Yandle, of Gallagher Prop-
)
which of the three possible uses for the Rag Room would be chosen – further housing, community or of- fices. Cllr Tony Harwood argued an-
have a “striking design, incorpo- rating high qualitymaterials”, and provide approximately 5,760m2 (62,000ft2
Final decisions on the split have tive by the Environment Agency
yet to be decided, however current thinking is that the store would offer:
other site elsewhere in the ward was earmarked for a community fa- cility and was worried the Spring- field Mill site was too far from the community itwould serve. It would be better used for an
employment site, he claimed, and that councillors must “beware of unintended consequences”. Hewarned: “Iwould beworried
Food hall – 1,050m2 (11,300ft2 )
General merchandising (fashion and household) – 4,413m2
)
pensivewhite elephant.” He said the scheme had been lieves the cost to small firms of dis- posing of construction waste at a transfer station is proving a deter- rent that is costing councils more. Cllr Fort made her remarks as
Hospitality (cafe) – 297m2 (3,200ft2
worked on over a number of years andwasworried that if councillors started to pick it apart “the whole thing could unravel”. Cllr Shellina Prendergast said one of the borough’s closest trans- fer stations at North Farm, Tun- bridge Wells, announced it will be closed for 10weeks.
that offices on a housing develop- ment would be “quite incongru- ous”. The developerswill only have to She added: “If you go along the line of increasing fines, they have to be enforced. A reduction in the charge or offering it free may have
erties, said: “The combination of a Marks & Spencer store and NEXT at Eclipse Park would improve Maidstone’s retail offer as the county town to both local residents and people from across a wider area of Kent. “This investment by Marks &
Spencer would also reinforce the area around J7 and its importance to the borough’s economy. “It would send out a positive the desired similar effect.” aidstone
that it would end up being an ex-Leeds village produces an average 32pblack sacks of rubbish.
help take the issue off the streets. She believes with every household
tohe pro osal rowmargin.
YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT 01622 690290 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent
maidstone@martinco.com
Two councillors – Eddie Powell receiving a weekly refuse collection
storewould open in autumn 2019.” service, there ist no excuse for litter
Local residents can find outmore being thrown from vehicles or
o.uk.
webexpand.co.uk In the top 1% of UK
In the top 1% of UK web design companies web design companies
www.webexpand.co.uk |
info@webexpand.co.uk Home Alarms supplied and fitted arks ndspencer-maids one.
permission, work would start on Rd,stol Wen in De;von Road; two iPads stolen
community focuswas decided upon for the Rag Room and the andv the issue of litter in schools willby a nar-
Cllr Fort, who also serves as a parish councillor, says teaching children about social responsibility
erall plan was pass
bitiAon and then submit a planning damge to crops; an attempted application in late February 2018. If break-in was reported in Detling; a is granted planning vehicle was vandalised in Bearsted
mile-longlcilghted to be working alongside Crime Reports such a nationally respected com-
tiAon for business, and weCare de- stretch of road through
Borough
message about the town as a loca- Kingswoodare to be moved over to the picnic area and rear exit.
i any.Wewant to listen to the views VEHICLES have been driven over of local residents at the public exhi- farmland
provide 20% affordable housing, compared to the usual 30%, in an “exception” to rule of the Local Plan. Rob Jarman, head of planning at Mthree-monthly litter pick onothe aimed the site was associated wit pollution and possible flood ng, and could leave dev loper with extra costs to bear.
uncil, A GROUP of
Crime Reports in
Lenham,
bate as theywere late for themeet- Comment dumped in the road.
site in the summer of 2018 and the (Ukip) and Denis Spooner (Con) – were unable o take part in the de- about the plans online at www. ming’s start because of heavy traffic cinMaidstone.
were stolen from a house i allotmentn Sussex Lenham; a car was set alight and se-
eavering
verely damaged in Loose; a mobil- ity ramp was taken in Milton Road.
Road. Comment visit
www.amiga.co.uk or call 08000 199622
46-47
01622 880840 web design google promotion ecommerce 46-47 from an
pumpkins were in
35
youths were
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
FREE No. 246
News
downsmail.co.uk Maidstone & Malling’s
No. 1 newspaper
Kate, 107, dies KANews
FREE No. 251
TE Hart, a resident at an old people’s home in Bearsted,
HELEN Whately asked the 5 government to halt the
relief road for south Maidstone.
borTories election battle TORIES face an uphill struggle to
Plans for Dr Nigel THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet
ough’s housing scheme.4 take back control of the
borough council. will walk the Grand
Canyon for charity. wraps of heroin and
Jason Donovan date crack has been jailed.
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
£250,000 to buy a hydrotherapy pool.
Special school appeal A SPECIAL school needs to raise
18 18
Change of direction HOW one woman swapped the
United Nations for a
Loose funeral parlour. 32 Obituaries
Obituaries Monks Parish Councils
pavement parking in Tovil; it has Hollingbourne village fete stall-
Meadow in Detling;
been agreed to go ahead with the in- holder co-ordinator Jean Duffy has
stallation of a defibrillator in Loose resigned; yellow lines are needed
details for this summer’s fete in Tovil buses through Imperial Park; rub-
have been discussed and agreed; bish bins in the sports field in
on a four-year contract; the dates and for Buffkyn Way, Otham, to allow
there were complaints about incon- siderate parking around the primary school in Loose.
37 causing seen
throwing stones at swans in Alling- ton; a commercial milk float was
A SET of bollards are to be consid- ASH dieback has been discovered in
Parish Councils 34-35 ered in Burial Ground Lane to deter
32
36 37
Teen swallowed drugs A TEENAGER who swallowed 100
12 11 6
has died aged 107, her son 3 David has disclosed.
Relief road summit SQUABBLINGcouncil leaders have
agreed a truce over the future of a MP’s Local Plan bid
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
