Four editions delivered to over 88,000 homes every month downsmail.co.uk MaidstoneMaidstone SouthSouth EditionEdition Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper FREE Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling May 2016 No. 229 News Race to meet rising Ambulance site row OWLS and objections may scup- per plans to relocate the Kent air ambulance service to a demand for schools site in Laddingford. 3 Wierton’s approval KENT County Council (KCC) is urgently looking at expanding schools CONSENT has been given for 22 in the borough to meet increasing demand, the Downs Mail can reveal. homes at the Wierton Place manor house. 10 A leading member of the KCC rul- an ex-school governor – believes de- and people moving out of London, ing cabinet, Gary Cooke, says hous- veloper’s financial contributions not foreign nationals settling here. ing should only be permitted where should enable “the expansion of ex- He writes: “Headcorn, Marden Scouting help “adequate” service provision – in- isting schools, the establishment of and Harrietsham/Lenham have been MORE help is needed to keep the cluding schools – can be made. free schools and where appropriate identified for expansion. However ... Suttons Scout Group going due Developers must also “mitigate the development of academies. the expansion of existing primary to growing demand. their educational impact through “Development proposals should schools would be difficult due to 14 …financial contributions”, he said. only be supported where adequate lack of space or planning constraints. In a letter to the Downs Mail, Cllr provision can be provided, which “Indigenous growth and inward Murder charge Cooke says that rural fringes of the clearly extends to wider aspects of migration will continue to present A MAN has been charged with borough are facing the same pres- infrastructure provision than just ed- challenges and speculative planning the murder of widower sure on school places as urban areas. ucation.” applications will continue to be sub- Roy Blackman. 16 In this edition, we have high- Maidstone Borough Council is mitted.” lighted the plight of Laura Procter, committed to the building of over Cllr Cooke’s views were echoed whose daughter Amelia missed out 18,000 homes by 2031, which has by the head of a local infant school Giving heroes hope on all three preferred primary places raised worries about how schools, who told his parish council: “These ROYAL British Legion Industries in September and faces a five mile roads and GP services might cope. children live in our community and have forged a first-ever trek to Langley Park Primary. Cllr Cooke believes the pressure should come to our schools.” naval affiliation. 18 Cllr Cooke – formerly the deputy on school places is caused by in- Education reports, pages 4, 5 & 6 cabinet member for education and creasing indigenous populations Cllr Cooke’s letter, page 33 Obituaries 30 Comment 32-33 Vicar Fiona raises £1k Crime Reports 33 by shedding pounds Parish Councils 42-43 LITTER picking has been carried DIETING Headcorn vicar Fiona Haskett has not just lost out by members of the travelling pounds but gained some too. community in Lenham Road, For Rev Haskett, who set herself the challenge of losing Headcorn; the surface of the play 20lbs after over-indulging at Christmas, has also raised a cool area is wearing thin and in need £1,000, which will be split between St Peter and St Paul’s of attention in East Sutton; and organ fund and the Sutton Valence Youth Centre. around £300 of electrical work is The mum-of-four cut out alcohol, cakes and other treats as required on the pavilion at Chart well as eating sensibly to shed the weight. Sutton. Her husband Graham and their beloved pet dog Hector, a (not so) miniature Schnauzer, also joined Rev Haskett in her quest. She said: “I had the incentive because of the many 42-43 people generously sponsoring me.” 14 Village shop re-opens on the Green Lock repairs WORK is to start soon on the reno- THE new Chart Sutton Community Shop had its grand re-opening on New info panels Monday, May 2. There was music, merriment, refreshments and hot dogs vation of the crumbling East Far- for customers old and new when visitors were able to step inside the leigh lock. The lock has been in a A SERIES of information panels long-awaited replacement cabin, on the Green. poor state of repair for years and the has been unveiled as part of a Mike FitzGerald, who was instrumental in setting up the original shop, Environment Agency has secured Maidstone history trail. For more, said: “The shop looks amazing - very spacious and light. “ the £1.8m needed to fix it. see the Maidstone Council spon- Full story – page 21. sored 12-page Borough Update. [email protected] YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent 01622 690290 • This offer is valid until Sunday 31st July 2016. • Please clip this advert and bring it with you in order to obtain offer. • Only one advert is required per transaction, but each half-price child must be accompanied by one full paying adult. • A full paying adult is an adult paying the full individual daily entry price at the gate on the day of entry and does not include online tickets. • This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers including Tesco vouchers, online tickets, family tickets or any other free or discounted tickets. •Photocopies of this advert are not accepted. 2 Maidstone South May 2016 downsmail.co.uk News Air ambulance move objections OWLS and objections could scup- consider the planning application. helicopter’s westerly flight path. transpired there are families of owls per plans by the Kent, Sussex and There are almost 200 documents Mr Ornellas said: “TWBC, MBC less than 500m from the site. Surrey Air Ambulance to relocate to associated with the application – and Swale Borough Council are all Mr Ornellas said: “Helicopters a site on the fringes of Laddingford. many of them letters of objection meant to collaborate, especially on and owls do not go well together.” KSSAA wants to develop a site at from residents in the area, but whose cross-boundary issues. Clearly, this He added: “I find it hard to believe Old Hay, off Willow Lane, as its new homes fall within the Maidstone did not happen and when TWBC in- that such a rural location, not close headquarters, moving away from its borough boundary. formed MBC, MBC failed to act as to a hospital and surrounded by sin- current dual bases at nearby Marden No residents in Willow Lane re- they should have.” gle track or otherwise poorly-main- and Redhill. ceived notification from TWBC, de- The air ambulance states that one tained roads, is the ideal place for a Both Paddock Wood Town Coun- spite the nearest residents living less of the main reasons to choose the day and night flying operation.” cil and Horsmonden Parish Council than 100 yards from the site and all Old Hay site is that it is an airfield. Leader of Maidstone’s Conserva- have now objected to the proposal in other residents living less than three But Mr Ornellas said: “This is tive group and ward member for the light of new information pre- quarters of a mile away. wrong. It is an agricultural site that Marden and Yalding, Cllr Annabelle sented, but Yalding and Ladding- Most affected would be the 21 res- may operate as a landing strip for up Blackmore said there were many ford PC has stuck with its original idents of Park Farm, in Queen Street, to 28 days in any given year.” people in Marden, including her, “no comment”. which is 800m from the proposed As well as the residents whose who wanted the air ambulance to re- Willow Lane resident Tim Ornel- helicopter pad and 150m from the lives would be disrupted, it has now main in Pattenden Lane. las, who has made an official com- plaint to Yalding and Laddingford Parish Council about its decision, MP’s dog steals the show at grooming salon said: “Yalding did not accept that any new information should change MAIDSTONE MP Helen Grant (pictured far their original view, which is quite right) and her Border terrier Charlie were amazing. guests of honour at the Grand Opening of “I have officially complained on Victoria Paws Dog Salon in Barming. the grounds that, in the time it took Charlie, who was also Parliamentary Dog them to access, given the documents of the Year 2010, and her owner were that would be required to be both among 40 guests arriving throughout the read and fully understood, they did day with offerings of champagne, cakes not act in the best interests of all and party bags. Yalding PC residents, especially A successful raffle at the event raised those living in Willow Lane.” nearly £400 for The Dogs Trust. The application site is within the Victoria Parkin, proprietor of Victoria boundary of Tunbridge Wells Bor- Paws, provides one-to-one dog grooming ough Council (TWBC), which will services for dogs of all sizes. www.castle-cleaning.co.uk specialists in carpet & upholstery cleaning Ê Experts in Cleaning Your Home Castle Cleaning is a small family run business operating Spring Offer Voucher across Maidstone for 10 years and we are dedicated to delivering the highest cleaning standards possible £20 Cut & Finish combined with excellent value for money. We are IICRC registered company, we have to Offer until 11th June 2016 adhere to guidelines set down by IICRC. 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