News


downsmail.co.uk Land sale brings homes fears


A FIVE-acre parcel of land in Bearsted has gone up for auction, prompting fears homes could be built on the site.


The plot, next to allotments off


Ware Street and close to the village golf club, is set for auction on Oc- tober 29. Auctioneer Clive Emson has put


a guide selling price of £150- £155,000 for a “lovely parcel of landwhich has been owned by the same family since 1971”. There are two points of access –


one at the allotments and another at Chapel Lane. Bearsted parish councillor Jon


Hughes (pictured) is concerned a property developer might acquire the land with a view to building homes on the 5.4-acre site. He hopes to persuade his council


colleagues to buy the plot to turn it into woodland for all parishioners to enjoy. Speaking at his allotment next to


one of the entrances to the field, Cllr Hughes said: “A plot of land like this does not come up for sale very often in Bearsted, so it’s not surprising people will wonder


Safetywork


starts onA20 KENT County Council (KCC) has announced that three weeks of road works will be carried out to improve safety on theA20. Work will be carried out on


the A20 Ashford Road and Faversham Road, Lenham, crossroads to install safety im- provements such as a traffic is- land, solar-powered bollards, extending footways and visi- bility for pedestrians and ad- ditional signage, including an interactive sign warning driv- ers to slow down. The work will last for three


weeks, starting from October 15, with working hours be- tween 7am and 5pm. There will be no work at weekends. Four-way temporary traffic


signals will be placed at the crossroads. KCC said in a press release:


“We are aware of a number of crashes occurring at this junc- tion and these measures are designed to reduce the risk of themrecurring. Theworkwill contribute to our aimto reduce the number of casualties on Kent roads.”


4


whatwill become of it. “I think £150,000 is quite a lot of


money for someone to pay for a bit of grazing land. Therewouldmost likely be access issues at both points and I don’t think there are any services or utilities on it. “To be honest, I’d like the parish


council to buy it as awoodland for everyone to enjoy.” Access to the land means a pub-


lic path could run between Chapel Lane and the railway station,with- out pedestrians having to cross Ware Street, he said. We understand the land, which


Gymowner foils theft


ABODYBUILDERstepped in to stop a thief in his tracks as the offender tried to steal sunglassesworthmore than £700. JayAtkins, owner ofCoreGymin King Street,Maidstone,was inVision Ex-


press in TheMall onMonday,October 8when themanwalked in. As the assistantwent to the back


of the store, theman began taking sunglasses froma display. Mr Atkins (pictured) said: “I went


intogetmy sunglassesfixed,andas the woman went behind the shop, theman started emptying the sun- glasses rack. “He gestured tome to be quiet by


putting his finger over his mouth. I immediately got in his way to stop himfromleaving, he had about 20 pairs of glasses in his hands”. Police arrived shortly afterwards


and to reward Mr Atkins for his courage, the optician offered hima 10%discount. Danny Aspill (37), of no fixed ad-


dress,pleadedguiltyandwas sentencedto eightweeksbehindbars onTues- day,October 9.


is listed by HM Land Registry as owned by Gordon and Dorothy Reeve, of Faversham, does not have current planning permission. Ed Baker, a spokesman for Clive


Emson, said: “Someone has in- structed the sale of the land at pub- lic auction and depending on who buys it will determine what hap- pens to it.” Local residentMadeleine Schop-


man (71), of Ware Street (below), said: “If it is sold


houses,


for I’d


worry about the traffic on the road. “Ware Street


is too busy as it is and we’d have to put up with traffic during the buildingwork aswell. “There are not enough places to


cross the road in Ware Street and people drive far too fast.”


Mental health conference


MORE than 100 business people gathered atMaidstone CountyHall on October 10 for a conference fo- cusing onmental health atwork. Kent Police organised a meeting


for business owners, managers and directors, to coincide with World MentalHealthDay. FSBdevelopmentmanagerAlison


Parmar said: “One in four of uswill suffer some sort of mental health issue. This conference has shown where employers and employees can go to get advice and support.” KCC’s public health consultant,


Jess Mookherjee, added: “It was a pleasure and privilege to speak at KCC forWorldMentalHealthDay. We need to ensure there are enough services andwell-trained staff. “What I have learnedinmy career


is how important it is for good evi- dence to be informedbypeople’sdi- rect experiences.”


Footpath delays questioned Barn dance


QUESTIONS are to be asked about progresswith repairs that have kept a footpath in Bearsted closed for two years. ResidentMickWise had noticed that footpath KH131, from Crismill


Lane toBartyHouse,hadbeenfittedwithmotionsensorswhere itpasses under the high-speed rail line and its re-opening has been put back an- other year. ThurnhamParish Council is towrite to the county council asking for an update on the situation and a progress report on the repairs needed.


Maidstone East November 2018


LEEDSAmateurDramatic Society is staging a fund-raising barndance in the village hall onOctober 27. The evening, from 7.30-11pm, in-


cludes a two-course meal. Guests should bring their own drinks. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5


for children. To book, email paul.cordier@virgin.net.


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