News


downsmail.co.uk Riverside flats plan opposed S nk-holes finally re aired


APL Nformore than 1,000 homes in the centre ofMaidstone hasm twith Maidstone Borough Council


n place since May on the Ton- duce adocumentdetailingdevelop-


Granada cinema and Gala Bingo sites, Maidstone West, the Broad- way, Baltic Wharf (Medway river- side) and Mote Road have all been earmarkedaspotentialhousingsites. But councillors representing


inLen House in Mill Street, BroomshawRoad. the


ment of fiveprivately-ownedsites in ast of the road reinsta ementwork


(iMBC) paid agents Savills to pro- bridge Road, Kent H ghways’ con-


tractors are now completing the tlhe heart of the county town.


An incredible 120 tonnes of stone


wards affected by the proposals are unhappy about the strain the extra homes will have on local services, traffic levels and parking. Chairman of the planning com-


has been needed to reinstate the area outside the homes of 78-year- old Nolly Clarke and 71-year-old Lee Nickel after the ground gave way onApril 1, leaving a 15ft sheer drop at the end of their drives. The pair, whose homes were be-


mittee, LiberalDemocratClive Eng- lish, was one of a number of members from the Lib Dems, Labour and Conservative parties whomet to voice concerns. Cllr English said: “We are not in


Archiveswin nationalmark


Activity day for disabled


hind a safety fence for six weeks, say they can’t wait to look out on something other than “men at work” and have spoken of their frustration at the wrangling that has delayed the repairs. Lee said: “There has been a com-


KCC’s archives service inMaidstone has receivednational recognitionfor the way it stores the county’s her- itage and history. The service at the Kent History


agreement with the thrust of many Water has paid for taxis for me to get out,which I’mvery grateful for, and the county council has now agreed to reinstate my drive, but only after askingme if I had insur- aMORE t an 1,000 adults and chil- ross.


plete lack of effective communica- tion with the victims of this since the sink-hole appeared. The ongo- ing discussions between South East Water and the county council about who was going to pick up the bill have, unfortunately, been at our ex- pense and inconvenience.” She has just had a hip operation,


ection of historicalmaterial relating tgether peoplewith disabilities, their harter from the then King of Ke t granting relief fromtax o churches and monasteries, which dates back toThe sixth annual Access for All


and Library Centre in JamesWhat- man Way, has been awarded Archive Service Accreditation after inspection by a panel from the Na- tionalArchives, at Kew. The centre holds the largest col- lA FREE activity day bringing to- o Kent. Its oldest document is a


carers, families and friends is being heldinMaidstone on Saturday, Sep- tember 1. 699AD.


eventwill be in Jubilee Square,High Street from10amto 1pm. Activitieswill include amagician,


face painting, live music from the Old School Samba Band and foam poppy-making as part of the 5000 PoppiesMaidstone project. Also present will be representa-


whichmeant she had to ask neigh- bours to carry her shopping from her car, which she had to park down the road. Mrs Clarke’s car


vative Jonathan Purle, who is pic- tured on the riverside, said: “This isn’tmaster planning. It’s just cram-


nce, which made my son very cdren enjoyed a foamy fun-filled family day out when Demelza Hos-


cil and South East Water will each pay their part, butwe’ve had no of- ficial confirmation, followingwhat


“Now, it seems the county coun- pice Care for Children held an event atMote Park,Maidstone.


Bubble Rush involved “bubblers”


of all ages making their way through 4ft walls of foambubbles. There was an warm-up with Kent


Fitness 4U, with the event started by the mayor of Maidstone Cllr David Naghi (pictured). Demelza events co-ordinator


Emma Cox said: “As well as those taking part there were also many spectators, which resulted in more than 1,000 people at the event.”


ming inmore andmore flats. “There are 1,100 flats earmarked


in one area of my ward alone, but there is no real consideration of things like school places or GP sur- gery capacity. “There appears to be no analysis


of traffic impact: there doesn’t even seemto be enoughparkingplanned. “The corner outside the building


of the proposals andwill be prepar- ing our own intervention.” The riverside area could see 922


apartments in three and five storey tower blocks (with about 700 park- ing spaces) while Maidstone west might see 325 flats on up to seven floors. Bridge ward councillor, Conser-


[St Peter Street /BucklandHill] is al- ready apotentialdeath trapin terms of lack of pavement or pedestrian crossing.” Savills’ statement of purpose in


Nolly Clarke (centre) and Lee Nickel with a worker during the repairs


was stranded on her drive for weeks, cut off fromthe road. Mrs Clarke said: “South East


the document hopes for a “deliver- able vision for five key opportunity siteswithin the town centre” as part of a regeneration process. Cllr English said Savills had pro-


vided useful economic data but added: “It’s questionable whether the centre ofMaidstone needs a lot of densely-packed housing.”


oneKCCstaffmember described as ‘acrymonious dialogue’ between the two parties.” She continued: “I am very prag-


Foamfun raises cash for hospice


matic, but I am pleased things are nowmoving on.” MrsClarke appeared onChannel


5’s recent broadcast about the phe- nomenon of sink-holes, describing howthe hole in the ground opened up overnight, leaving her paved drive like a broken jigsaw. She said: “We are still none the wiser as to the cause, but under-


Tulloch’smedal success


MAIDSTONE Gymnasts Courtney TullochandJamesHallhave returned home from the European Gymnas- tics Championships in Glasgow with three TeamGBmedals. Tulloch (22),who trains at Pegasus


Tulloch tells of Europeanmedal success


Gymnastics in Tovil, won silver in the British Men’s Team Final and a bronze in themen’s single rings In an exclusive interview with the


tives and demonstrations from Charlton Athletic FC, Maidstone Utd FC Raiders, Cobtree Manor Park Golf, HealthMOT Roadshow, Maidstone Children’s Centre and Space 2 BeMe, among others. Organised byGolding Vision, the


community armofGoldingHomes, Access forAll helpspeoplewithdis- abilities to find out about local or- ganisations, clubs and activities in the area and the support they offer. Formore details search Facebook


out four or five hours


MAIDSTONE Gymnasts Court- ney Tulloch and James Hall have returned home fromthe European Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow with three Team GB medals. Tulloch (22),who trains at Pega-


sus Gymnastics in Tovil, won sil- ver in the British Men’s Team Final and a bronze in the men’s single rings In an exclusive interview with


theDownsMail, he said: “I joined Pegasuswhen Iwas 12. It’s one of the best for gymnastics in the country. “I train six days a week for foarb@GoldingHomesLtd or calldtheay. community development team on 0300 777 2600.


4 Maidstone September 2018


DownsMail, he said: “I joined Pega- sus when I was 12. It’s one of the best for gymnastics in the country. “I train six days a week for about


Courtney Tulloch (second left) and JamesHall (second right)with teammates


four or five hours a day. Training for the European championships was tough. It’s tough to get selected let alone to go on and get a bronze for myself and silverwith the team. “Iwill be back towork soon for the


Training for the European cham- pionshipswas tough. It’s tough to get selected let alone to go on and get a bronze for myself and silver with the team. “I will be back to work soon for


the London Open in four weeks, always trying to improve. “In the final my team allowed


London Open in four weeks, always trying to learn and improve. “In the finalmy teamallowedme


tomake a change on the day, so I’m lucky to have them.We decided that we should switch upmy routine as it allowedme to bring outmy newskill. “I have two skills that I invented –


the Tulloch and Tulloch 2, so my namewill go downingymnasticshis- tory.


“I feel strongly about getting the


next generation into sports and I speak at local schools about gym- nastics and sports in general. “Boys may not think about going


into gymnastics and hopefully they can nowseewhat they can do in the sport.” His team mate James Hall (22),


who went to Oakwood Park school, also trains at Pegasus. Ovi Rugina, coach of the mens


me to make a change on the day, so I’mlucky to have them.We de- cided that we should switch up my routine as it allowed me to bring outmy newskill. “I have two skills that I invented


gymnastics at Pegasus Gymnastics, said: “They both work very hard. They are strictwith their trainingand diets, can’t put on too many kilo- grams or enjoy toomany holidays. “They now have to get into train-


– the Tulloch and Tulloch 2, somy namewill go down in gymnastics history.


ing for the London Open in four weeks to qualify for theWorldCham- pionships. We are all very proud of them.”


IT HAS taken fourmonths to fix the second of twomajor sink-holes inMaicdstone. While diversions have remained


ross-party backlash. sCllr Purle added: “People want


something nice on the riverside ... like a family pub, a decent coffee shop or restaurant. “We already have young families


tand itwas a g ological issue.” South EastWater’s JimMacIntyre


crammed into flats along Buckland Hill andStPeter Street, andthisway of living really needs much better amenities.” Len House, the Art Deco style


building overlooking the River Len before it enters the Medway could have 100 homes as well as some re- tail. The Granada cinema and Gala


said: “We are pleased that repairs to the pipework have been com- pleted and we have now handed the site over toKCCto reinstate the road and complete the repairs to the residents’ property. He added: “It was clear fromthe


outset that, due to the geology of the area, it would be a very com- plex and possibly long task. “We have worked with Kent


Bingo sitewould havemore than 67 homes between themwith 23 park- ing spaces. MBC chairman of strategic, plan- nipatient andwe’d like to thank them lrDavid Burton said: “These sites on’t belong to us, so it’s us putting this


n early shape on themto get theminci- dent.”


County Council to complete the task as quickly as possible,with en- gineers from both organisations working in partnership. “Our customers have been very


ng, sustainability and ransport, Cflor their understanding, and for the dkindness they have shown to the aworkforce throughout right.”


A spokesman for KCC said the


road andMrsClarke’s drivewould be reinstated by August 17. He would not be drawn onwhowould be picking up the bill, simply adding: “At this stage, we are car- rying out the reinstatement work. Whether there will be a legal case over the cost at a later stage has to be seen.”


Riverside flats


plan opposed Continued frompage one


hadprovidedsomeuseful economic data but added: “It’s questionable whether the centre of Maidstone needs a lot of densely-packed hous- ing.” Cllr Purle added: “People want


“I feel strongly about getting the


something nice on the riverside ... like a family pub, a decent coffee shop or restaurant. “We already have young families


next generation into sports and I speak at local schools about gym- nastics and sports in general. “Boys may not think about


going into gymnastics and hope- fully they can now see what they can do in the sport.” His team mate James Hall (22),


crammed into flats along Buckland Hill andStPeter Street, andthisway of living really needs much better amenities.” Len House, the Art Deco style


who went to Oakwood Park school, also trains at Pegasus. Ovi Rugina, coach of the mens gymnastics at Pegasus Gymnas- tics, said: “They now have to get into training for the LondonOpen innfing, sustainability and transport, WCl rDavid Burton said: “These sites “We are very proud of them.”


building overlooking the River Len before it enters the Medway could have 100 homes as well as some re- tail. The Granada cinema and Gala


Bingo sitewould havemore than 67 homes between themwith 23 park- ing spaces. MBC chairman of strategic, plan-


don’t belong to us, so it’s us putting an early shape on themto get them right.”


our weeks to qualify for the orld Championships.


downsmail.co.uk


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