Maidstone East Edition Maidstone South Edition
October 2017 July 2018
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
FREE No. 246
‘Relief road cash’ in council legal action
Panto ahoy!
MAIDSTONE Borough Council (MBC) is set to spend tens of thousands of tax-payers’money on a judicial reviewinto the release of fundswhich could be set aside for a relief road, DownsMail can reveal. Liberal Democrat-led MBC’s ac-
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) . They were greeted by pupils from
CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
tion is being taken directly against Kent County Council (KCC) over the allocation of housing developer contributions (S106money). KCC, a Conservative authority,
wants the cash to carry out surveys for a Leeds-Langley relief road or other projects. We understand MBC’s legal ad-
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a country road have been made by the local borough councillor.
visers are concerned that S106 cash has already been allocated to trans- port elements in individual housing schemes agreed within the Local Plan. MBC hopes S106-funded junction
Burberry Lane, near Leeds and Broomfield, has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in re- cent months, the problem has be- come more acute. Constructionwaste, rubble, hard
improvements aswell as controver- sial “modal shift” – the authority’s encouragement of walking, cycling and taking buses – will mitigate against the expected traffic explo- sion associated with 17,600 new homes agreed in the plan. The cost of the review to the tax-
core, windows and household fur- niture is left illegally – often strewn in the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort said: “Every month
payer could be as much as £20,000, DownsMail has been told. It is not known if £200,000 already
we are having toilets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry 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 torched car remains on a footpath
released by MBC to KCC for relief road surveys is affected by the judi- cial review. MBC’sUrgencyCommittee – con-
vened for the first time since 2015 – was called together on June 1 for a confidential meeting about the re- view.
cil
nearby, more than a wGordon Newton
many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural OneMBC insider accused the Lib
areas including Langley, Otham and Kingswood. Water Lane in Bearsted and Pilgrims Way have also been targeted recently. 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-
tive by the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Stan- dards Agency to clamp down on
Itwas attended by LibDemcoun- leader Martin Cox, Annabelle Blackmore (Con), Fay Gooch (Ind), as dumped and set on fire.(Independent MaiThedstone) and Paul Harper (Lab), who recommended the judicial re- viewon legal advice.
ear after it church car park has also seen
unlicensed waste carriers, but be- 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
Dems of “playing politics”with the Tories at KCC, while another de- scribed the county authority of being “the aggressor using bully- boy tactics” to get funds forprojects, such as the Leeds-Langley relief road. One insider said: “It’s funny how
one of the borough’s closest trans- fer stations at North Farm, Tun- bridge Wells, announced it will be closed for 10weeks. She added: “If you go along the
the Lib Demswaited until they had got back into power in May before deciding they wanted a judicial re-
view, having already reluctantly agreed to release the S106 funds.” MBC’s Tory leader John Perry –
whowas unable to attend the June 1 meeting – said: “We as an authority are trying to develop the relation- shipwith KCC. I have obvious con- cerns about this.” MP Helen Whately, who helped
line of increasing fines, they have to be enforced. A reduction in the charge or offering it free may have the desired similar effect.” Athree-monthly litter pick on the mile-long stretch of road through Leeds village produces an average 32 black sacks of rubbish.
Cllr Fort, who also serves as a
setupa groupto endyears of squab- bling between MBC and KCC over the relief road, said: “Itdoesn’t seem like a very positiveway of overcom- ing a disagreement between these two authorities, or a positiveway to get a relief road. “I am disappointed to see MBC
taking legal action against KCC.” Leeds Parish Council chairman
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parish councillor, says teaching children about social responsibility and the issue of litter in schools will help take the issue off the streets. She believes with every household receiving a weekly refuse collection service, there is no excuse for litter being thrown from vehicles or dumped in the road.
JohnGovett said: “Onewould hope that KCC does not have to stop the studies being carried out while the reviewis ongoing - orwill they have to stop? I hope to goodness they are allowed to crack on.” MBC confirmed a judicial review,
but refused to comment further. KCCleaderPaulCarterdidnot re- turn our calls.
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South Borough Primary School and members of the media. The panto runs from December 1-31. For tick- ets go to
www.hazlitttheatre.co.uk.
News
FREE No. 255
Kate, 107, diesNews
KATE Hart, a resident at an old people’s home in Bearsted, has died aged 107, her son David has disclosed.
HELEN Whately asked the government to halt the borough’s housing scheme.
MP’s Local Plan bid 3 Cornwallis book bid4
Formermayor’sMBE FORMERmayor RichardAsh, of Bearsted, has beenmade anMBE in theQueen’s Birthday Honour’s List.
3
Plans for Dr Nigel 8 Mela’s public support
PUPILS at Cornwallis Academy got their noses into books in a bid to raise funds for a library.
THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet will walk the Grand Canyon for charity. 12
Jason Donovan date Team sports crisis18
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
READ our report on the decline of some team sports in Maidstone.
Ragwort warning
HORSE owners have been told to beware blooming ragwort this summer.
Obituaries Obituaries
Parish Councils 37 Parish Councils 34-35
32
ASH dieback has been discovered in Monks Meadow in Detling; Hollingbourne village fete stall- holder co-ordinator Jean Duffy has resigned; yellow lines are needed for Buffkyn Way, Otham, to allow buses through Imperial Park; rub- bish bins in the sports field in Kingswoodare to be moved over to the picnic area and rear exit.
THE borough council will be asked to monitor the Tovil Hill car park to pre- vent overstayers; a resident voiced concerns about the height of conifers and silver birch trees near the pavilion in Barming; salt bins in Tovil would be replenished over the summer; faulty CCTV in Tovilwould be looked at but at a cost of nearly £100; an allotment plot in Barming has been re-let in error.
VEHICLES have been driven over farmland in Lenham, causing damge to crops; an attempted break-in was reported in Detling; a vehicle was vandalised in Bearsted Rd, Weavering; pumpkins were stolen from an allotment in Lenham.
Crime Reports 35 Crime Reports 37
Comment 46-47 Comment 46-47
THE window of a car in Fant Lane was damaged; a shed was broken into at Hartnup Street; a window was broken at a home in Park Av- enue; a garage door lock was dam- aged in Snowdon Avenue; a bogus plumber connned his way into a Fant Lane house and stole cash.
30 36
18-19
THEMela multi-cultural festival is to go ahead thanks to public support.
13
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Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
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