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downsmail.co.uk MallingMalling EditionEdition Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper FREE November 2016 No. 235 News Clive’s lights date Downs Mail expands WHEN West Malling traders needed someone special to switch on the town’s Christmas lights, street cleaner DOWNS Mail announces the ex- Clive Mitson was the obvious choice. pansion of its portfolio from four Chamber of commerce members voted unanimously editions to five - distribut- 3 for the Veolia employee who has been keeping the pave- ing 85,000 copies monthly. ments and roads spick and span for the last three years. Julia Smith, the chamber’s secretary, said: “We wanted Remembrance effort to find someone who receives little or no recognition for doing a great job the whole community benefits from. WI ladies have been busy Come rain or shine, Clive clears away the weekend rub- knitting and crocheting 3 bish, sweeps the autumn leaves and is often found dig- red poppies. ging out the moss in the pavement cracks.” Clive is also an avid fundraiser for the Pickering Can- Top earners in Kent cer Drop-in Centre at Tunbridge Wells. Workers in Tonbridge and Malling Turn to the MAP section inside for more details of the take home the highest Christmas Lights Festival. wages in Kent. 8 Broadband problems RYARSH residents continue their Councils clash over battle for a better internet service. 10 Pub scheme row local housing plans VILLAGERS call time on East Peckham townhouse MAIDSTONE Council chiefs have sent a thinly-veiled warning to Tonbridge plan. 12 & Malling Borough Council to ease up on planning proposals. T-junction danger Responding to TMBC’s Local Plan posals on the Maidstone border at ber in charge of planning at TMBC, ROAD-users have urged changes consultation, Maidstone’s chief ex- South Aylesford and Ditton which said: “We have gone out with The at a notorious blind ecutive Alison Broom said her resi- “suffers from severe traffic conges- Way Forward (consultation) docu- T-junction at Eccles. 19 dents have been in contact to tion” and raises the “current prob- ment and are waiting for the re- “express their grave concerns”. lems around Hermitage Lane and sponses to come back...but we will A letter to the head of planning the A20”. get these responses in and qualify Crime Reports 26 policy Ian Bailey was described by It adds: “Focus in this regard accordingly. one seasoned observer of local plan- should be upon an alternative route “I am aware there are traffic issues Obituaries 32 ning policy as a “declaration of that draws road traffic away from in that part of Maidstone and I am war”. this part of the A20 and Hermitage aware of a lot of development work. Comment 34 It states: “Should Tonbridge and Lane in particular, whilst having re- “We are a long, long way away Parish Councils 42-43 Malling Borough Council proceed gard to mitigating congestion and from looking at planning applica- with its development strategy, miti- improving traffic flows on the wider tions, but rather looking at where A ‘Beware of the Ducks’ sign will gating transport impacts on already road network in the area.” potential building could happen and be put up at Offham after a car busy routes into Maidstone will be The letter says that the proposal what would be needed in terms of ran over a number of ducklings. vital, including the A20, Hermitage could “also allow settlements to coa- infrastructure to accommodate it.” Lane and A26, the latter having al- lesce with Maidstone” and that One local planning observer told ready been subject to a significant in- “open space as part of any develop- Downs Mail it was “a highly signifi- crease in traffic following ment, in order to address this issue, cant letter – a declaration of war”. developments at Kings Hill.” should therefore be a priority”. More Hermitage Lane & A20 The letter highlights potential pro- Howard Rogers, the cabinet mem- news, see page 4 Crossing fury Inside this edition: AN MP has launched a furious WEST Malling Parish Council has ap- tirade after being caught up in traf- pealed for residents to help its cam- paign against anti-social behaviour in fic chaos at the level crossing in the town by reporting incidents. YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT Aylesford. It emerged that issues See the four page supplement by with a railway bridge in London [email protected] Malling Action Partnership, which sup- 01622 690290 have helped to cause gridlock ports people, businesses and events in 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent on roads in the area. 8 the 11 parishes in Malling. Kent’s Most Awarded Optician Book Now 01732 617557 www.optometrists.co.uk 1-4 The Parade, Bearsted Green Maidstone ME14 4DN 2 Malling November 2016 downsmail.co.uk News Downs Mail Poppies made with love even bigger WELCOME to the November edi- tion of the Downs Mail, Maidstone and Malling’s number one news- to remember the fallen paper. We have expanded the number of THEY have been a symbol of re- our publications serving the county membrance for more than 100 town and surrounding areas from years, but the poppies on sale in a Daphne four to five. cafe in Allington this year were With the expansion of Maidstone produced by busy wool-workers Butler, Patri- cia Fyfe, Ann and an increase in its housing stock, from the local branch of the we want to reach out to new read- Mitchell and Women’s Institute. ers. Dozens of bang-on-trend knitted Diane Blaber, Of course, we want to provide an and crocheted red poppies, created with their re- even better service to our advertis- by the ladies of Allington Castle membrance ers by adding thousands of copies WI, have been on sale over the poppies and- being delivered door to door. counter at The Grind coffee shop in Sam Daniell, Mail Publications Chairman Hildenborough Crescent. owner of The Claire Procter said: “At a time when Knitting fan and WI member Pa- Grind cafe some newspapers have declined, we tricia Fyfe was one of those who have decided to expand our offering contributed to the campaign. She both to our family of loyal readers originally came up with the idea and our commercial partners. three years ago, as a way of mark- Remembrance services “The Downs Mail is soon to cele- ing the centenary of the First World Remembrance services will take Malling, Cllr Mark Rhodes, taking brate its 20th anniversary and what War. place throughout Malling to honour the salute by the pump. The parade better way to do so than to an- She said: “We decorated the cof- those who died during two world will then continue to St Mary’s nounce these exciting expansion fee shop with handmade poppies wars and other conflicts. Church for a service at 2.30pm. plans.” on ribbons and found that people On Armistice Day, November 11, In Snodland, the Remembrance Downs Mail now publishes five wanted to buy them. We’ve been there will be a service at 10.45am in parade leaves Holmesdale Technol- editions across the Maidstone and doing it ever since as a way of re- the Garden of Honour at the Royal ogy College at 2.30pm. Also on Re- Malling areas with more than 85,000 membering the fallen and raising British Legion Village at Aylesford. membrance Sunday, deputy mayor copies delivered direct to people’s money for the Royal British Le- On Remembrance Sunday, No- Cllr Roger Dalton will attend a serv- homes and available for pick-up gion’s Poppy Appeal. vember 13, a procession will take ice hosted by St Gabriel’s Church, every month. “They have proved very popular, place in West Malling at 2pm, fol- Kings Hill and Kings Hill Christian All of our current and archived particularly among the youngsters lowing a route along the High Street Fellowship at the Running Airman editions are also free to read on our in the area.” with the Mayor of Tonbridge and memorial, Gibson Drive, at 10.45am. website at www.downsmail.co.uk Advertisement feature downsmail.co.uk Malling November 2016 3 News downsmail.co.uk Plan to ease A20 traffic chaos KENT County Council says it will sort out traffic chaos on the A20 caused by the opening of a new retail park on the junction with Hermitage Lane. It says designs are being drawn in haste to widen the junction to allow more room for those turning right into the retail park. No room for any more The developer behind the new Aldi and McDonald’s has also been asked to link its traffic signals with homes, say residents those on the A20 to ease traffic PRESSURE is mounting on Kent flows as a matter of urgency. County Council and the borough It is hoped the changes to the councils from residents concerned lights will come ahead of Christ- about the traffic being generated mas and work on the widening of Join the protest on the arterial road and Hermitage the junction at the northern end of NORTH Allington Action Group Lane, which serves Maidstone Hermitage Lane will start in the (NAAG) is calling on residents to re- Hospital. new year. spond to Tonbridge and Malling Bor- At a recent cross-party event in It follows repeated calls for action ough Council’s consultation, which Barming, residents told ward from motorists, councillors and res- closes on November 25. councillors Bryan Vizzard, James idents fed up with being stuck in They are also being urged to at- Willis, Rob Bird, Dan Daley, Fay traffic since outlets on the site tend a show of opposition at 6pm at Gooch and Diana Lewins about started setting up shop in May.

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