Landmark Ruling Could Help Reduce Congestion
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Four editions delivered to over 88,000 homes every month downsmail.co.uk MaidstoneMaidstone TownTown EditionEdition Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper FREE Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling April 2016 No. 228 News Landmark ruling could Care home to shut THE best efforts of campaigners, including local MPs, have failed to prevent the closure of help reduce congestion the Dorothy Lucy centre. 4 A LANDMARK decision to prevent new housing in south Maidstone Election decision could help campaigners stop other unwanted developments. KENT’S controversial police and crime commissioner Ann The Secretary of State for com- stone local plan and the council would have gained 95 acres of land Barnes will not restand. 5 munities and local government, should be able to use this to seek for public amenity, but the pro- MP Greg Clark, upheld an inspec- constraints against the identified posal was contested by North tor’s findings that building should housing need of 18,560.” Loose Residents’ Association, Southeastern delays not take place on land in Boughton Mr Clark felt an increase of be- Loose Parish Council and Maid- RAIL commuters have been told Lane because of the adverse effect tween 15% and 30% in traffic flows, stone Council’s landscape and to wait until late 2017 for it would have on Loose Road and in an already-congested area, were housing officers. improvements. 12 the congested Swan junction. a matter for “significant concern”. Maidstone councillors turned The decision to refuse on the BDW Trading Ltd, KCC and Fu- down the planning application for grounds of road congestion was the ture Schools Trust, which owns the 220 homes, claiming the access Annual celebration first time that KCC’s highway de- NLL Academy in Boughton Lane, road would destroy ancient wood- MAIDSTONE will do its bit to partment, which raised no objec- wanted to sell part of the school land and the extra traffic would mark St George’s Day on tion, had been overruled. playing fields for development to add to congestion on Loose Road. April 23. 18 Previously, Maidstone Council raise funds for the expansion of the Following a four-day hearing in planners had stated it could only Five Acre Wood special school, as July last year, planning inspector refuse on highways grounds if well as creating an 8.65-hectare John Felgate dismissed an appeal Heritage boards KCC lodged an objection. playing field on agricultural land against the decision. VISITORS can learn about Maid- Sean Carter, chairman of the for use by NLL students and the His findings have been upheld stone’s past on a series North Loose Residents Association local community. by the Secretary of State, of educational panels. 20 planning group, said: “This has Boughton Monchelsea Parish who said: “On the appel- 4 great implications for the Maid- Council supported the scheme as it lants’ own figures, the likely Religious concern A PROPOSAL to rebuild a mosque in the town centre has 23 Carys makes light work of title been criticised. A BARMING teenager lucky to be alive after being born severely premature is targeting the Olympics Moving from Mote after winning a regional weightlifting title. MAIDSTONE Mela will be held in Carys Harper, 15, who attends St Augustine’s Acad- the town centre in Sep- emy in Maidstone, won the Lion Heart category at this tember, for the first time. 29 year’s Celebrate Maidstone awards for overcoming dif- ficulties to achieve great things. Born 12 weeks premature and weighing only 3lb, Friday is market day Carys – daughter of Zoe Reed and step-dad Chris – was A FARMERS’ market will take initially unable to breathe without an incubator. Diag- place every month in Ju- nosed with dyscalculia, a brain disorder causing diffi- bilee Square. 35 culty in making arithmetical calculations, she struggled at school but with the help of Jayne Bradshaw, her men- her to weightlifting and, in just two years, she has gone tor at St Augustine’s Academy, she refused to give up. from beginner to competing at a national level. Carys Comment 44-4546-47 Her fighting spirit led her to take up kickboxing, re- won a silver medal in the British Schools Weightlifting ceiving her junior black belt in March 2013. Championship in February 2015 and gold in the Obituaries 46 One of her teachers, Michael Blackford, introduced 2015 London & SE Junior Championships, 6 Crime Reports 54 ROAD signs were stolen in Fant. Hospital woe Parish Councils 54 DRASTIC financial measures COUNCILLORS in Barming called have been necessary to keep for a modern Medway bridge to afloat the Kims private hospital, be built next to the old one in YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT which lost £15m in its first year. Teston; flooding was killing fish in 01622 690290 [email protected] Full story – page 16. 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent a pond in Loose. 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This year’s custard challenge takes The club is supporting the KCC place on Saturday, June 4 and teams sporting initiative which is aimed at of four are asked to come ready to getting more girls into sport. do battle in Victorian costume or Three eight-women crews were some other novelty dress. among those taking part in the re- The World Custard Pie Champi- cent Hammersmith Head race on onship was dreamed up by former the Thames – a shorter version of the councillor Mike FitzGerald and cur- Oxford and Cambridge boat race. rent ward member Brian Mortimer This was the first race on the The Junior Ladies crew with coach James Knight to raise funds for the village hall. Thames for many of Maidstone’s The rules are simple. The teams of crews and a different experience WJ18 crews on the day with an im- rector of rowing, Brian Humphris, four are drawn against each other from the sheltered River Medway. pressive 13.24mins, coming in 91st who finished eight in 11:46 and win- and score points depending on MIRC press officer Richard Bald- overall. ning Masters Eights after being in- where their pie hits an opponent. win said: “This was a great club per- Second in this category were the vited to row in a London RC crew. The challenge has been featured in formance against tough opposition Women’s Junior 16 girls eight, who The Junior Ladies went to London the press and on TV across the globe, and despite quite a bit of lost train- had to race up an age group with a with coach James Knight to receive drawing a Japanese contingent to ing due to high river levels.” time of 13:34, coming 99th overall. their winning pots for the Hammer- the area in 2015. The international Five boats from Maidstone raced Both girls’ crews beat Emanuel smith Head.