Maidstone East Edition
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
October 2017 January 14th - Panto ahoy! 28th With you every step in lockdown
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.
DUE to the COVID-19 lockdown and the impact it has had on small businesses across our borough, Downs Mail has de- cided to scale back publication of our newspaper. Rather than suspend operations tem-
porarily, we will publish once a month – the next edition will be available from usual outlets from February 4. We aim to be out on the first Thursday of
every month during the lockdown period. Thank you for bearing with us and for your continued support. Keep up to date with Daily Downs Mail’s
round-the-clock, breaking news service at
downsmail.co.uk.
Otham homes battle lost
THE battle to save the ancient church at Otham being engulfed by a 440-house development has been lost.
Government inspector Stephen Normington found for appellant Bellway Homes, despite elected Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) members rejecting the application three times. Critics warned the plan for 400-
plus homes was out of keeping with grade one listed St Nicholas’ Church, pictured, and posed serious safety worries due to the narrowness of Church Lane. MBC officers recommended ap-
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a country road have been made by the local borough councillor.
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
proval of the scheme, in the face of members’ vehement opposition. Bellway asked the inquiry to support the findings of another inspector who approved the scheme in the 2017 Local Plan. Traffic lights were proposed for the junction of Willington Street and De- ringwood Drive, which the council
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
nearby, more than a year after it was dumped and set on fire. The church car park has also seen
many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural
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
CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
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
originally rejected amid fears of se- vere congestion. But the inspector sees signalisation as a solution for Deringwood Drive traffic exiting to Willington Street. Mr Normington found no evi-
dence Church Road had a poor safety record and Bellway proposed
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
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
King Street cycle lane to be
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FREE No. 246
News
Kate, 107, dies News
No. 288
KATE Hart, a resident at an old people’s home in Bearsted, has died aged 107, her son David has disclosed.
HELEN Whately asked the government to halt the borough’s housing scheme.
3
Police ‘a no show’ MP’s Local Plan bid
Plans for Dr Nigel
KENT Police failed to show to the scene of a hit and run incident in which a car was severely damaged.
4
THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet will walk the Grand Canyon for charity. 12
Jason Donovan date COVID-19 latest
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
widening and a footway from the church to the existing footway to the north and an extension of the 30mph area.
Otham borough councillor Gor-
don Newton said: “I do not think the inspector has got on board what he has just approved, and ought to be ashamed of himself.” Residents’ action group spokesman David Hatcher said: “This will lead to degradation of our countryside and traffic.” There was criticism that MBC used
the same lawyers who warned against fighting the appeal due to the financial cost, which has yet to be de- termined. Of the church, the inspector said
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.
removed – page 4
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“there would be less than substantial harm to the significance of this her- itage asset” and some benefit from the proposed car park. He asked for electric charging points and mea- sures to protect the character of the area. County councillor and oppo- nent Gary Cooke said: “It’s a bad de- cision and the community has now got to live with the consequences.”
New Castle boss
LEEDS Castle has appointed Helen Bonser-Wilton as its new chief executive to replace Sir David Steel who left to become the new Governor of Gibraltar.
Obituaries Obituaries
Parishes
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32 à37
Parish Councils 34-35
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.
Heather House joy COMMUNITY centre Heather House in Park Wood will soon be replaced by a new building.
Homeless growing
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.
THE borough council is facing growing problems in housing homeless people dur- ing the pandemic.
Sports park chance Comment 46-47
THE troubled Kings Hill Sports Park’s day-to-day running has been taken over by not-for- profit organisation tmactive.
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Crime Reports 35 à23
Comment à45-47
READ our round-up of the latest news on how the pan- demic is affecting us.
18 à8 FREE & Fortnightly
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
à4 Hazlitt Theatre delay
A MEETING scheduled later this month to discuss the Hazlitt’s fu- ture has been put back a week for further work.
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