downsmail.co.uk Parking a risk to life
THE parking situation on Ware Street in Bearsted to the west of the golf club entrance has become increasingly worse. This now often consists of several
vehicles, creating a completely blind bend by blocking the view, and forcing cars in to the path of oncoming vehicles, and, less importantly, causing huge delays. I have witnessed two minor collisions,
and narrowly avoided a head-on collision myself, purely because I was on a motorcycle. This has been going on since at least 2016,
with a Facebook post by Bearsted Parish Council stating that they are “looking at options”. However, having checked the minutes of every meeting since January 2017, this issue has not been discussed once, giving way instead to seemingly more important items such as fireworks displays and market stalls. As concerned residents, we need to get
this issue resolved, as someone is definitely going to get seriously hurt, or worse when the cars block the pavement (there isn't one on the opposite side). No-one seems to want to accept
responsibility, with Bearsted Parish Council noting cost as a limiting factor. This is unacceptable when safety is the primary concern, with the danger easily removed by the application of lines. I would welcome your support in
bringing this issue to the parish’s a�ention in the hope of ge�ing it resolved, instead of waiting another two years with fingers crossed that no-one gets hurt. Ray Davies, via email
Mental health unit not risk
HAVING read your recent front page article on the proposed new mental health unit to be built at the Kent Medical Campus, off Ware Street, I was astounded and dismayed by the reactionary comments made by some of your contributors to this piece. Anyone would think that a Rampton-
type, secure mental hospital was being built in our midst, with no security in place, if the views aired by them are to be believed. The use of emotive language, such as
“lunatic asylum” and the repetition of rumours that suggest that the “criminally insane, paedophiles and rapists” might be treated there is juxtaposed with the fact that two schools could be built on a nearby site. The implication is that pupils/school staff may be endangered because of their proximity to these perceived threats. All primary and special needs schools, as
far as I am aware, are securely fenced and gated during working hours, so any intrusion or contact from outside would be very difficult and unlikely to go unnoticed. The jaundiced view that all those
suffering from mental health problems should be isolated from the rest of the community is outdated and does not deserve repetition from those who, one would think, possess a more enlightened view of society. The provision of this facility for low-level
mental health sufferers should be welcomed, not derided, as it will afford much-needed help for of patients who will benefit from community-based services. R J Mayes, Bearsted
Horrified by language
AFTER reading the article in this month’s Downs Mail, felt I had no option but to reply. I am absolutely horrified to see that, in
2018, a hospital for mental health patients is described by Dennis Spooner as being a “lunatic asylum”. This terminology has no place in the modern world. Mental health patients have no choice but
to live with their condition and, if they are lucky, receive treatment for it. Why is it a subject of debate what their conditions are and what may have led to their hospitalisation? This does not happen with any other illness. As a mental health professional who has
also had experience of having a family member with a serious mental illness, I feel that it is a positive step to have a local facility where patients can be treated with compassion, empathy and the opportunity for them to lead a full and productive life. Perhaps Mr Spooner should visit a mental
health unit and see the work that goes on to help patients do just that. Kim Terry, via email
Schools plan is flawed
I NOTE the concern in your article about the KMC development in Bearsted Road. One of 10 objections is the siting of a
“mental home” near proposed schools. Has nobody noticed the mental home in Vinters Road next to several schools? I am not aware of any problems. In any case, it could be argued that the
school proposal is flawed, as the area is already overwhelmed with traffic. Two schools can only exacerbate the problem. Roy Martin, Maidstone
Ignorance is staggering
I AM writing about the front page article in your East edition for April. The level of ignorance shown by your correspondent and local community leaders quoted is quite staggering. I fear that you have all been reading far
too many Batman comics. People with mental health difficulties are not the Joker. They deserve to be treated and cared for in as sensitive a manner as people with any other health complaint. I speak as somebody with a family
member with severe difficulties with mental health. With support from local health services and her family, she has coped well, but has at times needed support in a residential se�ing. Such se�ings do not belong in isolated
locations that are completely removed from the community and the support network of the patient. Out of sight, out of mind is not the answer for mental health patients, their loved ones or their communities. Furthermore, I would like to address the
specific fears that you chose to whip up quite needlessly around the location of facilities near schools. Despite your “research” taking you to
Sevenoaks for an example to support your editorial position, it didn’t manage to help you find the facilities on Vinters Road, within yards of East Borough, Invicta Girls and Valley Park schools. Nor did it lead you to the Trevor
Gibbons Unit, on the same site as a pre- school facility at Maidstone Hospital. Rob Field, Maidstone
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