downsmail.co.uk 


As our town chokes, lookNorth MailMarks


AS Maidstone Councilwas inviting


sites for thousandsmore newhouses, I was enjoying a tour ofNorth East England – and considering Government proposals for a Powerhouse of the North. Quality of life inMaidstone continues


to deteriorate seriously, due to overcrowding and lack of funding, and unless current Government policies change quickly it is going to getmuch worse – a very depressing prospect. Alreadywe see newhousing almost


everywhere, and this vast and fast population growth,without supporting infrastructure, is impacting on us in so manyways. We used to talk of town centre traffic


jams – nowthey can be found all over urbanMaidstone and in our villages. I see thismost days in East Farleigh because the li�le single-lanemedieval bridges at Farleigh, Teston and Yalding have nowbecomemain arteries for overflowtraffic. Li�le did I think 30 years ago that I


wasmoving to aMaidstone bypass. We see our health services, especially


GPs and cancer treatments, under immense pressures and cracking. Social services are not coping.We have problems building newschools fast enough and finding newsites. Increasing serious crime and falling police numbers nowdominate current debate. These issues and a huge growth in population, largely driven by


FromGarden to sprawl


THE historicmarket town ofWest Malling,with its buildings dating back to Norman times, is nowseriously under threat of being engulfed by urban sprawl. Yet another large-scale building project –


80 houses in fields near the 950-year-old MallingAbbey – is due to be considered by Tonbridge andMalling Borough Council later thismonth. The developmen will be in addition to thousands of dwellings already proposed under the council’s Local Plan. If accepted by either the council or the


Secretary of State on appeal, itwillmake a mockery ofmonths of public consultations andmeetings about TMBC’s Local Plan and further undermine voters’ confidence in local and national democracy. The proposalwould also flout the Plan’s


pledge to enlarge theGreen Belt to stop EastMallingmergingwithWestMalling and extending theMaidstone conurbation. InDecember, the government’s Planning


Inspector overruled a decision by TMBC to reject another proposal outside their Local Plan: a retirement villagewith 79 apartments and co�ages behind property along the London Road instead of a Local Plan agreement for general housing. TMBC should block the proposed


38 Maidstone April 2019


DENNISFOWLE President dennisfowle28@gmail.com


immigration,were a key force behind the national Brexit vote andMaidstone (58%) and Kent expressed a very powerful view(see below). Somehowthis unsustainable growth,


especially in the South East, has to be properly controlled. Government knows this – hence the proposed Powerhouse of theNorth. There ismore space there, fewer


pressures and somewonderful places to live. But theremust also be the right economy, jobs and infrastructure. I welcome recent Government plans for more investment inmany northern towns – but I do not see the current budget going very far. The high-speed rail link fromLondon is nowlooking desperately difficult and expensive and many nowquestion if this is the best way to spend ourmoney. We inMaidstone have a strong vested


interest both in population control and in economic investments outside the South East.We are choking very fast.





Brexit stands firm UNDERSTANDABLY, there has


been a severe shortage ofMaidstone publicmeetings on Brexit,with views


development between the Station Approach and Lavender’s Road at the rear of theAbbey.And if it goes to appeal, I urge ourMP, TomTugendhat, tomake representations to the Secretary of State and the Planning Inspector. Howmany othermajor proposalswill


be bolted on to the so-called Local Plan? Where are the plans for infrastructure


improvements required for such an influx of people and cars – struggling primary health provision, schools, chronic parking provision and inadequate roads?Howis the increased council tax take to be spent? Is effective regional and town planning a


thing of the past?And is the house- building target foisted on the council by Whitehall being shared equally throughout the borough? Themoney-spinning “land rush” to


build is happening all over the county. Howlongwill it be before the “garden of England” becomes the back yard of the UK? David Kemp,WestMalling


More balance on Brexit


IHAVE a great deal of sympathywith the remarksmade by Paul Co�age in your le�ers page, regardingDennis Fowle’s


generally crystallised, so full praise to MPHelen Grant and borough councillor Lo�ie Parfi�-Reid for courageously staging one at Linton. Remainerswere out in strength and


pressed for a second referendumin the belief they can still turn the tide. But they got li�le encouragement. My research aroundMaidstone


suggests the Brexit lobby is notwaning and probably growing.Otherswith ears close to the ground agree. I recall surprising several local


politicians days before the big votewhen I forecast theMaidstone result. Initially I doubted the evidence, but not after raising the issuewith different groups of friends.Most convincingwas at an informal gathering of about 15members of Bearsted Golf Club,when therewas a unanimous and powerful opinion. They are not changingminds nowand


these are key reasons:  Benefits they sawfroma proper Brexit are unchanged  EUis increasingly seen as financially stressed, undemocratic and unaccountable,with its federal aims losing support amongmember nations.  Lack of respect during Brexit negotiations, driven by an aimto punish.  Li�le faith in future trade deal negotiations  Themassive democratic votemust be respected  They aremostly appalled by this long and painful journey


column about Brexit. Those in the privileged position of


making the editorial comment of any newspaper should use their positionwith a great deal of care.We all knowthat this is themost divisive issue to have faced the country in livingmemory and inflammatory rhetoric does nothing to help resolve the debate. I object, in particular, to the contention


that 58%ofMaidstone voted to leave the EU. That simply is not true.Of thosewho voted, 58%voted in favour of leaving and 42%against, butwhen related to the numbers entitled to vote, the figure to leave becomes 45%. Everyone else either voted to stay, or could not decide, or be bothered. AsMr Co�age says, recent polls indicate


that if the referendumwere to be re-run today, the result, nationally,would be reversed.We knowa great dealmore now, about the reality thanwe did a couple of years ago. I see theUK teetering near the top of an


economic precipice, overwhichwewould fall if there is no deal. Our twomajor political parties are an


absolute disgrace in pu�ing party interest over national interest. In both parties, extremist elements are acting like a tail


Comment


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