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downsmail.co.uk
Disputed schools plan approved
AFTERmonths of public protest against the building of two newschools near theM20 at junction seven,Maidstone Borough Council’s planning committee has approved the scheme.
Despite 600 letters of protest
about the proposals for Popes Field, a nature reserve, MBC passedthe applicationat the endof April. The council decided to go ahead
with the hearing, in spite of officer calls it might be too close to the May 2 local elections. Pre-publicity suggesting the
meeting was no longer going to take place meant far fewer people showed up. Council officials were armedwith clickers to count the at- tendance. There have been strong objec- tions on a number of fronts since
Focus on food
at park event MOTE Park is the venue for an- other festival this summer. The Maidstone Food & Drink
Festival returns to the town cen- tre park from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2. A free event, it offers visitors a
chance to try street food from around the globe, as well as arti- san groceries. Award-winning cheeses and homemade cakes are just some of the locally produced foods on offer. Alongside the shopping experi-
ence and alfresco dining area, family entertainmentwill include children’s rides and slides; a live music stage, and the Famous Last Stand bar serving craft beers, cider,wine, and gin. Paul Kennedy, director of
Zoom Events, said: “We are de- lighted to be returning to Maid- stone and beautiful Mote Park, where our Food & Drink Festival receives such awarmwelcome.” The festival is open on Friday
from noon to 7pm; on the Satur- day from 10am to 7pm, and on Sunday from11amto 6pm.
4 Maidstone June 2019
the plans were revealed last De- cember. A group of protestors are pictured earlier this year. Boxley Parish Council has been
most vocal, with members con- cerned the primary and special needs school are in the wrong place. The site is on the edge of the
KentMedical Campus and is cur- rently classed as a nature reserve. It is next door to a mental health hospitalwhich treats criminals. Plans to have a vehicular and
pedestrian access from Bearsted Road were dropped by the appli- cants, the Department for Educa-
tion. The DfE's builders also amended other aspects of the orig- inal plans to make them more palatable, although few objectors were convinced. LiberalDemocratCllrTonyHar-
wood warned that the committee could refuse the plan, but would struggle to fight an appeal, which the borough council can ill afford. Committee member
and
Bearsted councillor, Cllr Denis Spooner (Con), called for refusal, claiming it to be “grossly inade- quate andan insult to thepeople of Maidstone”. After themeeting he said: “This
Care home given a clean bill of health
A FOLLOW-up inspection on a care home in Tovil by Govern- ment inspectors has found no cause for concern about the safety of its residents. The Haven Care Home in
Church Road has been inspected four times since 2016, amid un- substantiated complaints. In the latest comprehensive in-
vestigation by a team from the Care Quality Commission, com- prising two inspectors, an assis- tant and an experienced carer, the home was awarded a good grade in all but one category. Having spoken to five of 26 of
the home’s residents as well as a relative; studied recruitment files and staff supervision and training records, the CQC team said: “We did not find anything during our inspection which raised any concerns.” The home is one of three run
by Mr and Mrs K Bhanji, with the others being in London and
Peterborough. The CQC called this time for improvements in the effectiveness of the service it provides for the elderly and those with dementia. Themanager was advised that
some records were not detailed enough to determine how the service was meeting the nutri- tion and hydration needs of some; people also needed to con- sent to the use of care aids such as sensor mats, indicating when they were out of bed. Joanna Hayward, area man-
ager for The Haven Care Home, welcomed the positive feedback. In a statement she added: “We
strive to provide the highest standard of care and welcome the opportunity for other profes- sionals to give their views on where we can improve. “We will continue to listen to
what our residents request from us and to offer a safe and homely environment for them all.”
is a poor day for objectivity, a poor day for democracy, a poor day for planning and a poor day for the people of Bearsted.” There were two aspects to the
application – the building of the schools and themoving of the na- ture reserve elsewhere. The application was passed by
seven votes to five, along largely political lines in favour of the Lib- eralDemocrats. Just a few days after the go-
ahead was given to build the schools, a digger and workforce have moved in and immediately set towork.
Sheep show
at Kent Life EVENT organisers at Kent Life, Sandling, are setting the baa high this year by intro- ducing an all-new sheep show for the half term holi- days (May 25 to 31). The event’s teamof presen-
ters educate and entertain, featuring sheep fromall over the country. The audience will learn
howwool becomes a jumper, and witness a shearing demonstration. There will also be regular
favourite, theVintageVillage – including the Victorian Petts Farmhouse, WWII Lenham Cottages, and the 1950s Sandling Farmhouse. In addition, visitors can
enjoy indoor and outdoor play areas, tractor or land train rides, donkey rides, a bouncy castle, and a Paint-a- Pot studio. Formore information, visit
kentlife.org.uk/event/baa-ril- liant/
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