downsmail.co.uk MaidstoneMaidstone EastEast EditionEdition Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper FREE August 2017 No. 244 News Martha’s lile lamb a star of show Allotments saved MARTHA Connolly has a little ALLOTMENT holders in Lenham lamb! And Wilma certainly at- are a step closer to having their tracted plenty of attention at this plots saved from being de- year’s Kent Show. veloped in Lenham. 3 Wilma was making her first ap- pearance at the show, which this year attracted over 80,000 visitors. Lenham luxury The purebred Romney has WORK on ten houses around been raised to walk to heel with Glebe Pond ‘will start Martha (12), who has developed before Christmas’. 11 her farming at Cobtree Young Farmers’ Club in Sandling. Martha said: “Young Farmers’ Council’s M20 vow is a great way to socialise and to THE borough council has pledged learn about the countryside.” £500k to ease junc- See our show report and tion 7 congestion. 18 pictures on page 30 Board’s road relief A SOUTH Maidstone relief road has received cross- Woodcut Farm appeal party approval. 24-25 delay ‘is good news’ THE much-anticipated appeal into the Woodcut Farm development near junction 8 of the M20 in October been postponed until next year. The four-week hearing is now cillors twice rejecting the application might be costly and unsuccessful. scheduled to be heard from Tues- by Roxhill Development, despite of- Woodcut Farm is in the Local Plan day, February 6, which is seen as ficers latterly advising the authority earmarked for employment needed Obituaries 32 good news for the council planners, should not try to fight the appeal. for the council’s large house-build- who are constructing the case sup- Bearsted borough councillor Denis ing programme. Comment 34-35 porting the authority’s refusal of the Spooner said: “I’m not that bothered Asked if council planners can plan for a massive commercial de- by the delay, because it means it build a robust case to fight the ap- Crime Reports 47 velopment. gives MBC’s planning team more peal, having pleaded previously not SHRUBBERYwas cut without the The Planning Inspectorate, based time to prepare the case. to, Cllr Spooner said: “I’m sure owner’s consent in Detling; a in Bristol, wrote to Maidstone Bor- “All the councillors on this side of they’ll put their backs into the job.” pick-up was broken into in ough Council (MBC) with its deci- Maidstone are very much opposed Ukip councillor Eddie Powell said: Bearsted and tools stolen; a set sion, saying the number of witnesses to Woodcut Farm, but the council “How ironic that the very people of keys were stolen from the front wishing to take part had been a sig- wants it for local employment. who wanted us not to contest the ap- door of a house in Lenham; nificant factor. “Officers have found themselves peal made by the developers are cladding was removed from a The hearing will most likely be in an invidious dichotomy, but at the now the ones who must go and fight building in Lenham. held at the town hall in Maidstone. end of the day, the officers do what it. It’s democracy in action.” It is the latest twist in a saga which the councillors tell them.” Other third party organisation will Parish Councils 46-47 started last year, with elected coun- Officers said to fight the appeal also be making significant represen- COUNCILLORS in Otham ex- tations to the inspector. pressed concern that the police The steering group for the Kent report did not contain sufficient Downs Area of Outstanding Natural detail; potholes in Broomfield Beauty will tell the inspector that the and Kingswood are now consid- Hollingbourne Vale section of the ered to be dangerous and must AONB – the setting for the proposed be repaired; a parent and child development – has recovered well event has been agreed in Harri- YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT after being intensively cultivated in etsham; there have been com- recent years and should be consid- 01622 690290 [email protected] plaints of noise in Downswood. 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent ered "sacrosanct". 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Cash value 0.00001p. 2 Maidstone East August 2017 downsmail.co.uk News Station plan Village allotments are for library PLANNING consent is being sought to temporarily move saved from developers Bearsted library to the village train station. TALKS to secure the future of land The move comes after the county owned by St John Ambulance are council struck a deal with Network “progressing well”, according to Rail to lease the Station Master’s Lenham Parish Council. House. It had been feared that the organi- While a planning application sation’s meeting hall and the allot- will need to be approved, it is un- ments on its land in Ham Lane derstood the county council is might disappear under a housing working to open the outlet as soon development, after plans were re- as possible. ceived for 33 houses on the site. A KCC spokesman said: “Be- However, those at the Ham Lane cause the new venue is a grade II listed building, KCC’s property de- Allotments group invited Lenham partment is also determining the Parish Council to negotiate a deal to work needed to enable the site to secure their site, and now the parish provide a library service of similar council hopes not just to have safe- quality to the current building on guarded the future of the allotments, The Green.” but also to have spared the entire site Bearsted Library has been closed from the future risk of development. Allotment holders are celebrating after their plots were saved since April 15, as part of an on- The parish council won a commu- ments, we would like to secure the “Unfortunately, asbestos has been going KCC investigation into the nity asset listing for the site, which whole site and remove the threat of found on the site, which would need extent and cost of what it describes has limited access, and says if it is development forever.