News Rats increase
THE Covid-19 lockdown has sparked a huge rise in Maidstone’s suburban rat population. Gary Bashford, manager at
Bearsted Pest Control, said: “We had a lot of garden calls in lock- down. With less litter on the streets and restaurants being closed, rats were looking for different food sources.”
Civic deputy
BARMING’S Cllr Fay Gooch has been elected Deputy Mayor of Maidstone and is in line to become Mayor in May. Mrs Gooch, of Heath Road,
Barming, represents Barming and Teston Ward on Maidstone Bor- ough Council as an independent. She is currently Cllr Martin Cox’s deputy as borough council leader .
Cycling boost
CENTRAL Government has agreed to contribute up to £150,000 for a new cycle hub at Maidstone East Station. This will improve the cycle route
to Mote Park. Government wants to see work delivered by November this year.
downsmail.co.uk
Mosque on hold as plans are amended
PLANS to rebuild Maidstone’s mosque are on hold while a fresh application is considered, Downs Mail has learnt. Faith leaders have abandoned
plans for three shop units in the £1m three-storey structure after re- configuring elements of the place of worship. The ground floor will instead be
used as an overflow prayer area, a community meeting room, office and washing facility. The mosque will have three tiers,
with the highest at the front, look- ing out into Mote Road. The first floor will house a
women’s prayer room and three kitchens, while the top floor will have a three-bedroom flat for the Imam, a library and meeting room. The new mosque’s capacity is set at 550 worshippers. Imam Dr Muhammed Usmani
said work cannot resume until the council considers the new scheme,
which may not be until September. He said: “These applications
usually take about 12 or 13 weeks to process so it might go before the planning committee sometime in September. The new layout means the shops have gone. We received 13 applications from people look- ing for retail units in the building, including a convenience grocery store and a bookshop.”
Community member Arshad
Mahmood , left, with Imam
Muhammed Shabbir Usmani
The old mosque shut in Septem-
ber 2018, with services relocating to a hall in Park Wood. The first plans were approved in late 2016, and there is no reason to believe the new plan will be turned down. Earlier plans were opposed by
right wing extremists who charac- terised the place of worship as a “mega mosque” and a “monstros- ity”.
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