downsmail.co.uk


Housing – is it time to panic? MailMarks


DENNIS FOWLE President dennisfowle28@gmail.com


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MANY magnifying glasses are coming out in Maidstone to check fine detail of maps for the 334 new land offers to Maidstone Borough Council for future developments – but they are not needed to capture the broad picture horror of what could be ahead. The offers are for about 60,000 houses but as Maidstone council is looking for something above 10,000 at this stage most will be rejected early next year. But how long before they bounce back again?


Residents across the borough have been shocked by many land offers made by owners looking for a quick fortune. It has brought much worry and a lot of hard work as opponents are wisely completing their strongest-possible objections.


A lot of this could have been totally avoided if MBC had sifted out many no hopers straight away.


In my farming parish of East Farleigh there are 17 offers, and if the 1,300 or so houses were permitted, it would triple the population of a Domesday Book village with precious few services and overloaded narrow rural roads. But the official grapevine is “do not panic”, because there are many powerful arguments against. We cannot rest until they are formally rejected. Pressure is being applied to Maidstone council by local lobbyists to fight Government on its massive housing demands. It includes some powerful reasons why Maidstone’s targets must be reduced. Watch this space.


Don’t ruin county town


I SUPPORT your call to join the protest against the way the very important and sensitive issue of planning is being handled in the borough, and which could despoil our county town with housing. What lies ahead for the Archbishop’s


Palace and the Carriage Museum or any other historical buildings? Your article in the December edition says it all. The attitude of Maidstone Borough Council comes across as aloof and didactic. To even consider moving the War Memorial from its rightful place to the obscurity of the proposed site, was arrogant, insensitive, heartless and shows ignorance of the feelings of their fellow citizens.


The Queen’s Own Royal West Kents 34 Malling January 2020


We’ve finally got our Brexit a


IT HAS been an agonising, frustrating three years and more, BUT WE WILL HAVE BREXIT WITHIN DAYS.


A big majority in Maidstone and Malling will be delighted after such decisive local votes.


Maidstone then voted 58.8%, Tonbridge and Malling 55.7%, Medway 64.1%. Despite claims by opponents, those figures seemed to harden as years rolled by.


Remainers kept calling for a second UK vote and, through the general election, they effectively got it. The Conservatives and Prime Minister Boris Johnson campaigned on “Get Brexit Done” and his landslide victory has given him an indisputable mandate. Locally, we played our part in a big


way. Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald) increased her majority over Labour by more than 3,000 and took


This comes at a time when Tonbridge and Malling council sees fit to pile huge numbers of its new houses in an area any sensible person would see as part of Maidstone, not Tonbridge. It had already selected much land lining Hermitage Lane and Aylesford for development, much to Maidstone’s anger, and now there is the coup de grace. It has given planning permission for about 840 houses on the land (equivalent to 50 football pitches) east of the junction of Hermitage Lane and London Road, stretching almost to Barming Station in the south and Allington in the east.


Maidstone council, many of Tonbridge


were some of the first in in both wars. In WWI they lost thousands, and many in WWII.


It is concerning at this time of seeking more open government that there has already been one proposed development for about 5,000 houses at Lenham held in secret.


The council doesn’t deign to answer any request asking why. The Government directive states all meetings should strive to be open except in defined exceptional circumstances. Will there be any more? Freedom of information legislation should mean citizens have the right to know why meetings were being held secretly or why money is spent finding a “mole” when there are leaks. I did have one email saying papers get facts wrong. I replied that I had only read one and that gets facts right.


60.41% (31,220) of the votes. It was the same story in Faversham and Mid Kent, with Helen Whateley (31,864, 63.68%) increasing her majority over Labóur to 21,976. Tonbridge and Malling was even more conclusive, with Tom Tugendhat polling 35,784 (62.78%) for a 26,941 majority. Four years ago, I frequently wrote my reasons for leaving Europe and since faced the blows and enjoyed the bouquets. Like just about every Brexiteer, I never waivered. The threat of a Corbyn-led Labour


Government added to my deep fears in the election build-up, but when results came through, I must admit to a few tears of relief and happiness as the British public made their overwhelming decision. We have Brexit and Boris – and my hope is he will become one of our great PMs.


and Malling’s own parishes and MP Tracey Crouch all objected – but this is a massive headache Tonbridge is happy to leave with Maidstone. I have always seen the borough boundaries of Maidstone and Tonbridge as ridiculous. No doubt it has been more about mathematics than common sense. Time for a change. The people of Maidstone, whose lives are being seriously impacted in so many ways by all this development and population growth, believe our borough has more than played its part in meeting Government demands for hugely increased housing. Our rebellion grows.


I hope the paper will get a people’s protest to gather momentum, and demand that some common sense, and sensible planning back is the agenda.


Of course, housing has to be provided but it wants to be done with sensitivity and in harmony with the town’s buildings. I think the Liberal Democrats, who are in charge at Maidstone Borough Council, seem aloof and, like their national leader, think they know best. Government should be for the people by the people. Alan Wallace, via email


Spend our cash wisely


FIRST 5,000 houses in Lenham, then a proposal to knock down the War Memorial in the county town to make way for a tower block of flats and now a secret deal – using the guts of £20m in public money – to buy the leasehold of the


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