From: Linda Hall Sent: 08 July 2015 20:25 To: Reviews Subject: Redrawing Boundaries in Kent
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From: Linda Hall Sent: 08 July 2015 20:25 To: reviews Subject: redrawing boundaries in Kent I wish to make a submission about the proposal to remove Goudhurst village and include it in the Cranbrook division of KCC. Goudhurst is a small village and has hitherto been paired with Lamberhurst, another but very slightly smaller village. Cranbrook is a town, albeit a small one, but it is many times the size of Goudhurst. Hawkhurst is called a village but is actually the same size in numbers as Cranbrook and has the urban characteristics of Cranbrook, size of population, frequent bus services, a straight road connection between the two towns, a library, a supermarket and a wide range of independent shops. There is no library nor supermarket in Goudhurst, whose shopping centre of choice is TWells. Cranbrook is in the parliamentary constituency of Maidstone and the Weald, whereas Goudhurst is in TWells parliamentary constituency. The focus of political loyalty and interest lies in different major towns to be found in different directions. Moreover, the residents of Cranbrook go to Maidstone to shop as it is closer to Cranbrook than TWells or even Tenterden. It is a straight road of 11 miles from CK to Maidstone. Furthermore, both Cranbrook and Hawkhurst are destined for enormous housing growth, whereas the village of Goudhurst is not destined to have any new housing. In that respect it is closer in interests and outlook to Lamberhurst, Horsmonden, Brenchley and Matfield, all of them linked to TWells. It might be argued that the CK division has several villages in it. This is true but they are Benenden, Sissinghurst, Sandhurst and Frittenden and each one is really quite small. Only Sissinghurst sustains a village shop which has been teettering on the brink of closure for some time. Both Benenden and Frittenden have lost their village shops and even the pubs are shrinking in number. Goudhurst has a thriving bakery, newsagent, antique shops and gastro pubs, etc. My suggestion would be that expansion of the Cranbrook division, instead of incorporating inappropriate Goudhurst, should include the southern most part of the town of Staplehurst, a town with similar urban interests as CK and HH, which is on the same bus route into Maidstone, the county town, as CK and HH and is a stone's throw from CK. It might seem odd to suggest dividing a small town in this way but this already happens by virtue of the local school catchment areas. Children living in the southern section of Staplehurst may attend Sissinghurst primary school, while those in the northern section may not and are obliged to attend Staplehurst primary. As a town Staplehurst is also destined to have imposed on it very soon exponential growth of 900 houses, which means it could well take this sort of division I am suggesting like Tenterden. Goudhurst and Lamberhurst will be split by this incorporation into alien entities when they have been twins for so long and have so much in common. They are cheek by jowl, while Goudhurst will not be close enough to any of the other villages in the Ck division for it to develop a sense of common purpose and identity. Cllr Dr L Hall, TWBC cllr and Parish cllr for Cranbrook 1.