News Car arrests


A CAR ploughed into a ditch in Staplehurst after police used a stinger to stop it. The driver failed to pull


over when a patrol flagged him down in Biddenden at around 11.45pmonAugust 15. A high-speed chase ensued,


with officers deploying the specialist kit to puncture the vehicle’s tyres. The car subse- quently left the road in an un- named part of Staplehurst, and crashed into a ditch. No onewas injured. Five people were arrested


for a variety of offences, in- cluding burglary.


Bowls date


LOOSE Bowls Club was joined by senior officers from the sport’s governing body to celebrate the side’s centenary. Bowls England president


HazelMarke joined the Loose Road club’s president, Don Pratt, for a friendly match on Wednesday, July 24. Club spokesman,Cindy Jones, said: “It was a great day we will all remember.”


downsmail.co.uk


Garden village claim for ‘eco’ development


A KINGSWOOD businessman has rebranded his housing devel- opment proposal in order to im- prove his chances of securing a berth in the Local Plan Review. Rob Schroeder, who owns


Kingswood Christmas Trees, hopes his Broomfield Park pro- posal for 900 “eco development” homes can be considered a garden village,which the borough council is likely to be looking for. At least 40% of the proposed


homes would be affordable to working people hoping to get on the property ladder, he added. Mr Schroeder said: “Most gar-


den villages in this context have to have 1,500 homes but there are al- ready 600 homes inKingswood, so that would make it a garden vil- lage in that sense.” He said Maidstone Borough


Council had already visited the Gravelly Bottom Road site, where the Christmas tree farmis located. Mr Schroeder andbusiness part-


ner Keith Cook (pictured) say the settlement would have a low car- bon footprint as itwould be biodi- verse and be surrounded by ancientwoodland.Therewouldbe 100 industrial units nearby to pro- vide local jobs to the residents. He said single units could be


sold for as little as £60,000, with certain conditions attached. More than 9,000 dwellings are


needed on top of the Liberal De- mocrat-led Maidstone Borough


Council’spledge for 17,600 already in the Local Plan. AnMBC“call for sites” to devel-


opers, builders and landowners ended in lateMay and we under- stand a list of 500 has been drawn up.This shouldbepublishedsoon. MBC caused anger and contro-


versy when it emerged that the councilwas throwing its hat in the ring with a hush-hush develop- ment at Lenham Heath for up to 5,000 houses. This could involve a newschool,


leisure facilities and a medical practice as well as making an ar- gument for a newM20 junction. There was disbelief that the


council wanted to discuss its launch into property development in private session during a com- mitteemeeting. When details leaked to this


newspaper about the Lenham Heath development, the authority launched an inquiry as to howthe information got out.


12


Maidstone Weald September 2019


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