News Shop time cut


CHRISTOPHER’S Village Shop will stay closed for longer each week after a further drop in sales. The store inHollingbournemain


street now opens from 8am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday. Satur- day and Sunday hours remain from8amtomidday. The store’s owner says a reduc-


tion in afternoon trademeans stay- ing open after 2.30pmis no longer viable. The Post Office will con- tinue to operate from10amto 1pm onWednesdays. The nearest alternative shops are


threemiles away, in eitherHarriet- shamor Bearsted.


Railwarning


TRAIN users at Maidstone West are among those that will be dis- rupted over the Easter break. Network Rail will be using the


holiday to carry out a number of improvements to the service, in- cluding renewing switches and crossings at PaddockWood. Buses will replace trains between Ton- bridge and Ashford International, including Maidstone West, on Easter Sunday,April 21. Rail users are advised to check before they travel.


downsmail.co.uk


‘Obscene’ graffiti latest in village home dispute


EVEN by the standards of bitter feuds between neighbours, the long-runningdispute inOthamis as unique as it is intractable. But now it appears to have hit a


newlow. If Daniel Stratulet, the owner of


Bramley, a bungalow he has ille- gally converted into a grand resi- dence with faux oast and bell tower, was not in enough trouble with a planning inspector, hemay be in botherwith the police, too. This time, a single word of Ro-


manianslang onhoardings outside Mr Stratulet’s propertymay be his undoing. We understand that Maidstone


Borough Council is to investigate whetherhehasbrokenthe lawover the use of an offensive sexual term. LocalboroughcouncillorGordon


Newton said: “We’re pursuing the removal of offensivegraffiti outside the property. Theremay a case for police to become involved.” Police could investigate under


public order legislation based on “harassment, alarmor distress”. For over three years, the conflict


betweenDaniel Stratulet and local people has deepened as he carried out building work in a conserva- tion areawithout permission. Residents say he has repeatedly


daubedprovocative slogans on the hoardings in a bright yellowpaint, but much of what goes on at the site is equally upsetting. Machine noise at all hours, bang-


ing, hammering andvehiclemove- ments as well as floodlights shining away from the property


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14 Maidstone East April 2019


are designed to irritate them, they say. One resident, who asked not to


be named, said: “Thisplaceusedto be so nice, but the atmosphere has been soured by whatMr Stratulet hasdone andtheway he behaves.” In January, government plan-


ning inspector Sandra Prail gave Mr Stratulet sixmonths todisman- tle his creation or face bulldozers being sent in to do it for him. Most recently, alongside the of-


fensive word and the message “I amstill here” is a laminatednote to his neighbours apologising for the “ongoing works on my land”. It ends by saying constructionwill go on for another decade. Cllr Newton added: “Well, he


has about another three months because the inspector has ordered the house to be taken down. “If he defies the order, the build-


ingwill be taken down.” Mr Stratuletwas approached for


a comment.


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