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Conservation area progress


EFFORTS to protectmore of Lin- ton’s historic homes and land- scapes could be progressing after a decade of delay. Villagers and the parish council


first responded to a consultation about extending its conservation area in 2007. Maidstone Borough Council


(MBC) has a statutory duty to reg- ularly review these designated areas, which offer protection againstdevelopment.However, re- peated consultations, the retire- ment of a conservation officer and cost-savingmeasureswithinMaid- stone’s planning department have left Linton’s conservation area without ratification. Frustrated parish council chair-


man Bernard Cresswell said: “Progresswith this issue has never beenrapid.Disgracefully, owing to serious procrastination and delays by MBC, no progress has been made for almost 10 years.” Areplacement conservation offi-


cerwas assigned to the task inOc- tober 2017. The new officer,


MatthewCrook,promisedanother consultation before the endofMay 2018, but this failed tomaterialise. Only inMarch this year, saysMr


Cresswell,didMBCfinally findthe resources toprogress the conserva- tion plan,which the parish council sayswill protect newareas includ- ing Linton Park and properties west of Loddington Lane. Had the revisions to the conser-


vation area been ratified, the Vic- arage Field development would have fallen entirelywithin the con- servation area, it claims. An MBC statement said: “MBC


recognise conservation is a priority, and has been in the process of re- cruiting a permanent member of staff as conservation officer to re- place the formerwho retired at the end of 2016. “The conservation area appraisal


and Management Plan for Linton have been adopted and the recom- mendedmanagementplanactionto extend and amend the boundary is awaiting authorisationandisdue to happen by the endofMay 2019.”


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*Tel. 01580 891765


Peter’smarathon run


RUNNERPeterKerlyhas runtheLondonMarathontoraisemorethan£2,100 for a charity prevents blindness in children. Peter (63), of Ulcombe, says sup- porters, including hiswife Tracey and daughtersHarriet and Jessica,were cru- cial,helpinghimshave23minutesoffhisprevioustimeandraisecashforOrbis UK, crossing the line in4hrs20mins.He is picturedwith his sonNeil,who also ran. The head of business development for theMetropolitan Thames Valley Housing Associationwas back atwork on April 29, “a little stiff, and reluctant tosit toolong.” He said: “Everythingwas goingwell until 20miles in and then I hit thewall;


itwas like running through treacle.Hearing the crowds and seeingmy family helpedmemake itover the line.” Peter describes his last fewmiles as emotional and crossing the finish line


amazing. “I laiddownfor20minutes. Iwas sotiredandso, sohungry.” Despite promising hiswife that this year’smarathon – his fifth –would be his last, he has already applied for a place next year.


Maidstone Weald May 2019 5


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