Maidstone East Edition
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
October 2017 November 19th Panto ahoy! - December 2nd
THE cast of Cinderella, which is to be staged at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maid- stone, took to the River Medway to launch this year's panto. On board The Kentish Lady were national treasure Rustie Lee (Fairy Godmother), former EastEnder Ste- fan Booth (Prince Charming), Eliza- beth Bright (Cinderella), Craig Anderson (Buttons) and, pictured, Stephen Richards and Adam Bor- zone (Ugly Sisters) . They were greeted by pupils from
South Borough Primary School and members of the media. The panto runs from December 1-31. For tick- ets go to
www.hazlitttheatre.co.uk.
Public to have say on selected homes sites
A BLUEPRINT for future building developments in the borough took a step forward when it was sent on for public consultation. Maidstone Borough Council
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a country road have been made by the local borough councillor.
(MBC) is in a race against sweep- ing Government reforms which would see annual housing targets rise from 880 to more than 1,500. A major document considered by the nine-member strategic, plan- ning and infrastructure committee on November 9 set out which schemes will be in the running. Among them are the “garden communities” at Lenham Heath (4,000) and Lidsing (2,400), as well as a host of smaller developments in the town and villages, gleaned from the controversial "call for
Burberry Lane, near Leeds and Broomfield, has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in re- cent months, the problem has be- come more acute. Constructionwaste, rubble, hard
core, windows and household fur- niture is left illegally – often strewn in the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort said: “Every month
we are having toilets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry Lane, where we are now thinking of installing cameras on private land, to oversee the problem area.” A recent event in Burberry Lane
saw a caravan burned out while a torched car remains on a footpath
sites" exercise last year. A feared 2,000-home develop-
nearby, more than a year after it was dumped and set on fire. The church car park has also seen
ment at Marden has been dropped, to the joy of the opposition group there, but they fear the scheme may still come back later. Development of the Leeds-Lang-
ley corridor is not in the running at this time, but may return if landowners and developers can agree a major housing scheme which, in turn, delivers a relief road. Members considered the Regu-
many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural
lation 18b Preferred Approach doc- ument, which details how MBC must deliver thousands of new
areas including Langley, Otham and Kingswood. Water Lane in Bearsted and Pilgrims Way have also been targeted recently. Last year, Maidstone Borough Council cleared 911 cases of fly-tip- ping and this year more than 163 have been recorded since April. The approaching darker evenings will prompt a rise in illegal tipping. Cllr Fort welcomed a joint initia-
tive by the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Stan- dards Agency to clamp down on
unlicensed waste carriers, but be- lieves the cost to small firms of dis- posing of construction waste at a transfer station is proving a deter- rent that is costing councils more. Cllr Fort made her remarks as
one of the borough’s closest trans- fer stations at North Farm, Tun- bridge Wells, announced it will be closed for 10weeks. She added: “If you go along the
homes in the Local Plan Review (LPR) to meet housing targets. MBC is the “master developer” of the Lenham Heath project and faces considerable opposition from Save Our Heath Lands (SOHL) and Lenham Parish Council.
Doubt surrounds whether MBC
line of increasing fines, they have to be enforced. A reduction in the charge or offering it free may have the desired similar effect.” Athree-monthly litter pick on the mile-long stretch of road through Leeds village produces an average 32 black sacks of rubbish.
Cllr Fort, who also serves as a
01622 690290 YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT
maidstone@martinco.com 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent
parish councillor, says teaching children about social responsibility and the issue of litter in schools will help take the issue off the streets. She believes with every household receiving a weekly refuse collection service, there is no excuse for litter being thrown from vehicles or dumped in the road.
has secured the landowners’ agree- ment to proceed and faces con- cerns raised by experts. Some smaller landowners are threaten- ing legal action. Planning consultant Chris Hawkins, representing Country- side Properties which promoted the rejected Marden scheme, ex- pressed surprise that Lenham Heath went through.
Marden, he argued, is deliver- able, viable and sustainable in ways Lenham is not and warned accelerating the Local Plan process carried “greater risk”.
A spokesman for SOHL said: “Despite appraisals of the scheme Continued on page 13
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CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
See page 5
downsmail.co.uk
FREE No. 246
News
Kate, 107, dies News
No. 285
KATE Hart, a resident at an old people’s home in Bearsted, has died aged 107, her son David has disclosed.
MP’s Local Plan bid Covid halts trial
HELEN Whately asked the government to halt the borough’s housing scheme.
Winter wonders
THE trial into the murder of a devoted dad has been halted tem- porarily after three jurors tested positive for COVID-19.
4 Plans for Dr Nigel
A DRIVE-thru “Winter Wonderland” is coming to the showgrounds at Detling - find out more.
A FORMER Invicta Grammar student left a legacy of prose and poetry.
THREE years after clearance work started, houses on The Bogs in Bearsted are at last being built – although local residents say the site is an “eyesore”.
Obituaries Obituaries
Parishes
THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet will walk the Grand Canyon for charity. 12
Jason Donovan date Beth Eves’ legacy
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
Building begins
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ASH dieback has been discovered in Monks Meadow in Detling; Hollingbourne village fete stall- holder co-ordinator Jean Duffy has resigned; yellow lines are needed for Buffkyn Way, Otham, to allow buses through Imperial Park; rub- bish bins in the sports field in Kingswoodare to be moved over to the picnic area and rear exit.
VEHICLES have been driven over farmland in Lenham, causing damge to crops; an attempted break-in was reported in Detling; a vehicle was vandalised in Bearsted Rd, Weavering; pumpkins were stolen from an allotment in Lenham.
MYSTERY surrounds why the in- quest into Fred and Rose West’s son’s death in Maid- stone has not been held.
Memorials silent Comment 46-47
WAR memorials across the borough fell silent on Remem- brance Sunday as thousands stayed away during the Covid-19 lockdown.
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Parish Councils 34-35 Comment à45-47
Flytipping ‘failure’ BRAZEN flytippers are making a mockery of attempts to get on top of the scourge blighting the borough.
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Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
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West inquest mystery Crime Reports 35
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