Maidstone East Edition Maidstone East Edition
October 2017 January 2019 Panto ahoy!
Concern over plan for schools on busy road
PLANS for two new schools at the KentMedical Campus (KMC) near
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
M20 junction seven have been met with a public backlash. and local representatives are un- sure it was ever the right location. Whilst the facilities at the schools
Concerns hinge on the choice of
access point on the busy Bearsted Road, rather than the expected ap- proach road within the KMC site. Now the Leigh Academies’
Trust, which will run the primary and special needs schools, Depart-
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.
CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
ment for Education, the developers and planning firm have been asked to ditch the proposed entrance or to find another site. Notwithstanding concerns about
the schools’ proximity to a hospital for mentally-ill criminals, residents
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a country road have been made by the local borough councillor.
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
nearby, more than a year after it was dumped and set on fire. The church car park has also seen
core, windows and household fur- niture is left illegally – often strewn in the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort said: “Every month
Archbishop visits Bearsted
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
many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural
THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, paid a surprise visit to Bearsted shortly before Christmas. The Holy Cross Church team had less than a week to prepare for the Anglican faith leader. The Archbishop preached at the 9.45am Eucharist before moving onto
Lesley Ludlow, associate minister of the Holy Cross. Rev Corbyn said: “The Archbishop of Canterbury regularly spends weekends at Canterbury and makes visits to parishes on Sundays.”
the Memorial Hall to the “New Way” congregation. He later spoke to mem- bers of the congregation over coffee in the hall. The Archbishop is pictured here with Canon John Corbyn (left) and Rev
Picture by Val Oliver
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
were given the thumbs up by locals, who agree there is a desperate need for extra primary places, access will be key. Bearsted villager Madeleine Schopman said: “The traffic is terri- ble. The access point isn’t going to work. I didn’t think the school was going to be built once they found out there was a mental hospital next door.” Rev John Corbyn said: “No child
will be able to walk to that site...I’ve never been convinced it was the right place for a school.” Despite being a joint signatory on
a media release when the KMC site was announced back in June, MP Helen Whately, said: “I have fought to get the schools. I haven’t fought for them to be located there – that’s the only site identified. Have the residents who have contacted you (Downs Mail) suggested some- where else, that’s realistic? And do any of them have children under four?” A Kent Medical Campus
spokesman said: “It is our under- standing that a single access was the most appropriate option for the school, in order for it to keep its pupils separate from the busi- nesses on the campus.” There is no access to the site via
KMC because of planning consents, he said. Leigh Academies’ Trust deputy
01622 690290 YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT
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CEO Neil Willis said: “I believe the entrance is in the best location of the site we have been given.” Further coverage, pages 4, 5, 22 and 47
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
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
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
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.
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Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
FREE No. 246
News
downsmail.co.uk
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
Kate, 107, dies News
FREE No. 261
FormerMPdiesat83 A COLOURFUL Bearsted-born Tory politician has died at the age of 83.
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 4
Fly-tipper penalties Plans for Dr Nigel
Death by stealth
THE borough council is under fire after making just one pros- ecution in the past 12 months.
Jason Donovan date
PARK and Ride’s creator slams council for the transport scheme’s demise. 19
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
Life-saving puppy
MEET Buzz the cocker spaniel, Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s youngest recruit.
Obituaries Obituaries
29 32
ALMOST £11,000 is to be spent on new play equipment for chil- dren in Bredhurst; there were concerns over school bus jour- neys
Kingswood; a survey reveals ve- hicles speeding through Holling- bourne; Back Street is closed for three months for the installation of water pipes in Leeds; a com- munity event was planned in Ul- combe.
TOOLS were stolen from a van in Boxley; a power saw was taken from a shed in Otham; a multi- axle trailer was stolen from a field in Lenham; a fuel cap was forced and diesel was stolen from a ve- hicle in Thurnham; fire extin- guishers were taken from a farm and set off in Boxley; a vehicle was broken into in Detling.
Crime Reports 36 Crime Reports 35
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.
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.
Comment 46-47 Comment 46-47
Parish Councils34, 36 32
Parish Councils 34-35 in Broomfield and
18
THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet will walk the Grand Canyon for charity. 12
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