downsmail.co.uk Lockmeadow complex.


None of this has been put to the public in any meaningful way. People feel they are being trampled on. The news filtering through that there is to be a “mass rally” is to be encouraged and everyone who cares about this place should be part of it. The executive and political leadership of Maidstone Borough Council probably themselves as clever clogs – wheeling and dealing in big numbers with the big boys. Easy to do when it is public money and it isn’t earned – just taken from the common herd on pain of imprisonment. There is nothing new in local authorities becoming more commercially aware, particularly as a means of generating the revenues needed to deliver the services is legally obliged to provide. A few years back, local government was whining incessantly about cuts to funding. We must congratulate this local authority for being so prudent as to be able to afford the lavish spending needed to be a “master developer” in the modern age. Let’s hope it all goes well, but the initial signs are not encouraging. K Kennedy, via email


A blot on the landscape


H E Bates’ 1958 novel perhaps should be renamed “The Dying Buds of May”. The original phrase refers to the opening buds that point towards the warm summer season and the may tree which flowers in spring, but this will, of course, along with wildlife, all be gone. Why? Because Maidstone Borough Council’s proposal to allow 5,000 new homes in open countryside is the height of stupidity and shows that democracy is not only dead in parliament, but in local government as well. If this is allowed to go ahead, it will be only a few years before Maidstone and Ashford become one city blot on the Garden of England. This will soon be followed by greater London spreading into Kent and having continuous development from the Thames to the English Channel.


This is awful enough in itself but, more importantly, it is the infrastructure in


Maidstone and Ashford that is inadequate NOW and without being in place before any sod is cut, makes this project lunacy. The proposed stations and link roads will all eliminate more land, and the cost cannot be recouped unless the development is even bigger. On many occasions, the William Harvey Hospital has no beds available for A&E patients. Our local surgery, in common with many, is unable to recruit doctors and there are waits for appointments. The A20/M20 is often gridlocked and although Highways England have spent millions of pounds of public money to turn the M20 into a smart motorway, it has solved nothing and created another car park and a potential death trap. The railways are no better; Ashford to


Victoria is not fit for purpose. Twenty years ago, the journey time from Lenham to Victoria, 41 miles, was 1 hour 20 minutes. Today, the comparable train takes 1 hour 19 minutes (an average speed of 30mph, after the many millions Network Rail claim to have spent improving the service. However, Victoria is not a destination of choice for commuters, it’s the City or Canary Wharf. HS1 (which serves Canary Wharf with a DLR connection) is already overcrowded in the rush hour and additional services can only be provided with new rolling stock. In addition, a new HS1 station, would create additional traffic on the narrow roads as commuters would head from Headcorn, Harrietsham and surrounding villages to use the faster, but overcrowded service.


This country cannot feed itself and any destruction of agricultural land means we are more reliant on food imports, which the country cannot afford.


The Men of Kent (and women) should rise up against this tyranny by Maidstone Borough Council and stop it in its tracks. M R Ballard, Lenham


Town’s history at stake


THE Old Palace, Stables and All Saints’ Church and College represent the finest collection of Medieval buildings in


Western Europe.


The setting is complemented by the 19th century ragstone buildings of All Saints’ School and the adjacent Baptist Churches. The Palace itself is an ideal setting for a


wedding venue. This could result in the transfer of the restaurant, currently on a boat on the river, to the Palace. I am led to believe that the internal layout of the building may preclude alterations necessary to change its use to a hotel. The building is listed grade I by English Heritage, and they would need to be consulted on any proposed alterations to the interior of the building.


The garden in front of the palace seems to be used as a car park, which detracts from the setting. There are other car parks nearby.


The original proposal to divert the Hayle Road to the east of the Carriage Museum to create a pedestrian square between the Palace and the stables has not materialised. In the 60s land was compulsory purchased in Upper Stone Street to provide for dual running into and out of the town.


The stables contains the joint second best collection of carriages, after the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace Mews. These would have to be rehoused prior to any redevelopment of the stables. Whatever happens to these buildings, as reported in your newspaper, continuity of use must be a priority to prevent them falling into disrepair.


Albert Daniels, President Maidstone Historical Society


Respect is vital


I DO enjoy reading your publications. However, I was disappointed to hear you call Ann Widdecombe a “bit bonkers”. I looked up this word in the Oxford Dictionary and the word means “mad”. Personally, I believe she is no such thing – in fact, in the current situation in our country, she seems very sane to me. Please bear in mind that people, especially those in the the public eye, need our respect, whatever their views. Christine Miller, East Farleigh


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