Valley Conservation Society
Holder of the KCC Award for Volunteering Excellence
Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund
We bring you
a touch of
New Orleans
TICKETS are on sale now for our jazz night featuring the
New Orleans Jazz Advocates, with singer VIV ROGERS.
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Boughton Monchelsea Village Hall
Tuesday, September 16
Tickets £7 (children £4) on sale from 01622 751926 or 01622 674001
Doors open 7pm. Show at 7.30pm
Seating will be at tables. Patrons may bring their own alcoholic refreshments and suppers.
Forthcoming productions…
YOUR Society hosts a number of musical and theatrical events throughout the year. Tickets are already on sale for our next productions:
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When The Lights Went out
Saturday, 25 October
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Enjoy an evening of drama and nostalgia with this production from the Fairgame Theatre Company, as they tell the story of life on the home-front during the Second World War.
Once again we are at Boughton Monchelsea Village Hall. Tickets are £7.50 for adults, £5 for children. On this occasion, seating will be theatre-style (no tables), but patrons will be offered a free interval glass of wine or juice. Bookings to 01622 751926 or 674001.
Then, on Saturday, 22 November, we have a foot-stomping, toe-tapping treat for you-all with Appalachian Roots presenting Fiddles and Feet – a mix of banjos, ballads and dance from North Carolina.
Appalachian Roots comprises Riley Baugus – whose singing was featured on the sound track of the movie Cold Mountain, and Ira Bernstein, the mountain men’s answer to Fred Astaire. This show is certain to attract a lot of attention from folk and country fans and we expect a sell-out, but you can get in ahead of the good ol’ boys by ordering now. Tickets £8 and £4 for children. Bring your own Bourbon!
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Ira Bernstein and Riley Baugus from the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina
Tickets for both events are available from 01622 751926 or 674001.
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The Lucia D’Avanzo Quartet at our summer barbecue
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Perfectly seasoned
MANY members are of the opinion that our summer barbecue held on July 19 in the grounds of the Manor House at Hayle Place was our best ever.
The food was excellent, thanks to the dedication of our three chefs – Bryn, Gary and Dennis - and to the organisational skills of our hostess, Jane Holman.
The D’Avanzo Quartet seemed to play even better than ever and the weather stayed reasonable despite a poor forecast. Just over 140 people attended, and a game of reverse bingo and a book sale helped to raise a total of £180 for the Society. |
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Dennis Usmar, Gary Stead and Bryn Cornwell |
Our thanks to the many members who helped by making desserts, strimming the car park, or loaning marquees, tables and chairs, and our especial thanks to 15-year-old Sophie Stead who laid on a game of pass-the-parcel for the children.
Helping hand for land
ANYONE with land to care for will know that it is not always as easy as it sounds. There's more to hedge planting and management than simply waiting for things to grow and traditional orchard restoration can take days of planning and pruning, and all at the right times of year.
The Kent Downs AONB unit has produced a Land Manager's Pack that will assist with the care of land, whether it be a garden, field or farm.
The pack gives guidance on different types of landscape, including chalk grassland, hedgerows, orchards, ponds and wetlands, woodlands, meadows, riverbanks, heathland and marshes. It includes useful contact numbers for organisations that can give further advice.
The pack is available on the AONB website. Visit www.kentdowns.org.uk or for further guidance,
e-mail Kate Phillips, KCC countryside partnerships manager, on Kate.Phillips@kent.gov.uk
Next meeting
ALL meetings of the Society are open to all members to attend. The next meeting of the executive committee will be on Wednesday, September 3, starting at 7.30pm at our chairman’s house at
4 Stockett Lane, Maidstone, ME15 0HX. Call 746514 for directions.
Help please
YOUR committee is aware that we are missing out on some potential grant-funding opportunities. We would very much like to hear from a volunteer who would be willing to become our grants co-ordinator, preparing projects ready for grant bids and steering them through the application process. Call the chairman on 01622 746514 if you can help.
The Loose Road Area Character Assessment
THE public has until 26 September to respond to Maidstone Council’s proposed Loose Road Area Character Assessment. The Society strongly urges everyone to look at this document, particularly with regard to the streets neighbouring them, and to make any responses they feel appropriate before the consultation’s closing deadline. Once adopted, this assessment will become part of the council’s supplementary planning guidance and will form part of the rules that will determine the type and extent of future planning applications in the area.
The document can be accessed via the council’s website (www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk) and paper versions are also available in the town’s libraries and at Borough Council’s reception at the Chequers Mall.
Your Society has a copy that can be loaned to members on request – call 01622 751926.
During the consultation period you will be able to comment online at http://maidstone-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal
Further information from planning officer Anne-Louise Broome on 01622 602339, or email annelouisebroome@maidstone.gov.uk
Residents often see things in a different light from the planners. We have the example of the Hazlitt Close development off Loose Road, opposite Wheatsheaf Close, where a number of homes were created in the back gardens of existing properties
The Area Character Assessment says “This is an example of a sensitively developed backland development. “ However, an elderly neighbour to the site describes how he used to look out across his neighbours’ gardens to enjoy a “wonderful panoramic view of the North Downs”. Now he sees a four-bedroom house, a separate triple garage and “a hideous bungalow that looks like a public convenience on the sea-front” all squeezed into the neighbouring garden. He warns: “The plan on page 94 (of the character assessment) makes it all too clear how vulnerable are all the back gardens in this stretch of the Loose Road.” A lesson for us all to pay close attention!
Culverts and channels
THE work party have been striving to restore the various channels and culverts that once formed part of the mill-race system at our ponds in the Lower Loose Valley. Several had been blocked with debris over the decades.
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Photos by John Smith |
Once the blockages are clear, the team then has to address the issue of protecting the channels with metal grills.
The lads have also been cutting back the vegetation that was obscuring the view of the weir opposite Crisbrook House. If you stand on the bridge at the entrance to Mount Ararat, off Cave Hill, there is now a clear view upstream across the ponds of the weir and the stone bridge leading to Little Switzerland.
Hayle Mill Road closure
HAYLE Mill Road was closed to traffic again in August – this time for BT to carry out repairs to phone cables. Unfortunately the road was closed for one day only. (August 17).
Meanwhile our chairman and work party leader, Bryn Cornwell, has had to take Kent Highways to task after discovering that a contractor working on carriageway repairs for the council had dumped a lot of excess tarmac on our land beside the mill-ponds.
Last chance to comment on South East Plan
YOUR Society is affiliated to the Campaign to Protect Rural England, which does such good work in challenging emerging planning policies on a regional and national level.
The Government has announced the final stage of consultation for its South East Plan - the over-arching development strategy for our region. We carry this appeal from the CPRE:
“Our last chance to make a difference!
“The latest stage in the development of the South East Plan, which will dictate the levels of housing growth, employment and other development across the region to 2026, emerged in July as the Government published its final response to the public consultations that have taken place so far.
“Disappointingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, the Secretary of State disregarded the advice of her own planners in the regional assembly, and the voices of caution advocating a careful approach to housing provision, in favour of higher housing targets which will risk putting severe pressure on our already strained environment and infrastructure.
“In Kent, only Ashford, Gravesham and Medway have escaped
significant increases in their housing targets in this version of
the Plan – but all three of these districts already have the
highest housing targets in Kent and perhaps we should be
grateful that they have been spared further increases.
“For the rest of the county, it means a staggering 65%
increase in the number of homes destined for Dover district
compared with the original draft plan, and over 40% more in
Canterbury. It means increases of over 30% in Maidstone
and Swale. It means that local authorities will be forced to
reassess their allocations of land for housing, and it means
that areas of greenfield land that we once thought to be
protected may be vulnerable to ‘cherry picking’ by developers
unwilling to move forward with schemes that deliver much-
needed brownfield regeneration.
“There is one final chance to comment on this plan. The
consultation runs to 24th October 2008 and details are
available at the web site of the Government Office
for the South East: http://gose.limehouse.co.uk/portal/rss/pcc/consult
“CPRE branches across the South East will be working together to call for a more measured approach to house-building targets, but anyone who wishes to raise their concerns directly should consider writing to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears at:
The Department for Communities and Local Government, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU
or to the consultation team:
Regional Spatial Strategies Team, Government Office for the South East, Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close, Guildford GU1 4GA.”
*THE CPRE is delighted to accept new members. For details on how to join, call 01303 815180. Further info from their website: www.cprekent.org.uk
Why yet more housing for Maidstone?
THE Government gives this explanation for the increase in Maidstone’s housing target:
“The Secretary of State is of the view that as a regional hub and a new growth point Maidstone has both a need and a capacity to accommodate a higher level of dwelling provision. She agrees with the rationale given by the Panel in support of the 94 dwellings per annum increase they have recommended, but is of the view that it does not adequately meet the need and demand for housing in the area. This view is also supported by the substantially higher levels of completions achieved in recent years and the significantly high housing trajectory of the Maidstone Council.”
In other words, Maidstone council’s success in granting a higher-than-average rate of housing applications in the past, combined with the council’s bid to be considered as a “regional hub” and “growth point” have landed us with not only the additional number of houses that the council bid for (10,080) but now an additional 1,000 houses on top of that. It means the council must grant new homes at the rate of 554 per year. Where are the schools, dentists and doctors’ surgeries to support this increase?
Where will all the houses go?
WELL, to start with, Maidstone council is currently considering an application to increase the number of homes permitted on the site of the Leonard Gould factory in Pickering Street. The council previously granted outline permission for redevelopment of the factory to housing on the condition that the maximum permitted density be no more than 30 dwellings per hectare, which would have been at most 58 homes. A developer has now applied for a change to that condition to permit specifically 65 homes, which equates to 33dph.
Cllr Ian Chittenden has declared he will not be opposing the principle of the change for fear of driving the current developer away and encouraging a completely new application at a potentially much higher density.
Members can see the details of this application under reference number 08/1455 on the council’s website (www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk) and should make their own representations if necessary.
Meanwhile, a different builder has applied for permission to demolish the Papermakers Arms in Loose Road and to replace it with a block of flats to the fore, with five houses built on the parking area to the rear. The development would run behind the gardens of neighbouring properties in Loose Road.
The block of flats will take up the entire width of the plot, with the access to the rear properties running through an archway underneath it.
The proposed scheme of five houses and six flats, which equates to a density of 89dph, provides for only five parking places. This is a serious case of overcrowding and contrary to the policies set out in the new Area Character Assessment that state:
“It is also important that new buildings respect the alignment of buildings in order to fit well within the local context. This not only applies to the front building line but also to the width of the development within the plot. There should be sufficient width within a plot to locate the building(s) and provide adequate separation between them. There are considerable pressures to maximise the use of sites but this should not be achieved at the cost of an erosion of the distinctive character of the area.”
“Enhancement will be achieved through high quality design. Enhancements to the strategic route of Loose Road will have a disproportionate impact on local and visitor perceptions because of the number of people using it.”
We suggest members oppose the application on the following grounds:
Cllr Chittenden has asked for this application to be “called in” for consideration by the planning committee.
The application can be viewed on the council’s website under application no 08/1559.
Objections can be submitted via the website, by letter to the Planning Development Control, King Street, Maidstone, ME15 6JQ, or by email to developmentcontrol@maidstone.gov.uk
Quote the application number and full address, which is Papermakers Arms, 509 Loose Road, Maidstone, ME15 9UQ and state clearly “I OBJECT”. The deadline for responses is 11 September.
Repeat chance to buy a bit of history
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THE Loose Area History Society has published a limitededition of 250 copies of Loose and Linton - a Pictorial History, first published in 2004.
This 206-page book features more than 500 photographs of people, places and events associated with the history and heritage of Loose and Linton over a period of more than one hundred years. The subjects covered include mills, farms and hop-gardens; 'upstairs, downstairs' at Linton Park; chapels, churches and schools; trams, buses and industrial archaeology; and the villages' clubs, societies and associations. It is priced at £16.
The 9th issue of the society's journal Loose Threads is now also available, at £3.50. The contents include articles on the 'Swallow Holes' of the Loose Valley; the Turnpike Road from Maidstone to Linton; Cherry Grounds Farm; the centenary of Scouting in Loose; and the Scouts' memorial at Crisbrook.
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Loose and Linton - a Pictorial History and Loose Threads No. 9 are on sale at Loose Post Office. For mail order details, visit the society's website http://www.looseareahistorysociety.webeden.co.uk
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The VCS stand
Tovil fete
TOVIL Parish Council is to be congratulated on this year’s fete. Still a relatively new phenomenon, the fete (on Saturday, August 23) is getting better each year – helped this time by some really nice weather for a change. The attractions included live music, a giant inflatable slide, a very interesting birds of prey display and a demonstration of dog-obedience classes. Your Society ran an information stand, teddy tombola and a book stall, which together made a profit of £31 for the Society. We also distributed information for the West Kent Badger Group and raised some money for them too. Our thanks to the volunteers who ran the stalls.
New Line Learning
THE detailed plans for the New Line Learning Academy to be built on the Oldborough Manor site off Boughton Lane, which will also accommodate pupils from the former Senacre Community School, have been submitted.
As it is an educational site, the decision for this one rests with Kent County Council, but Maidstone Borough Council will still consider it in the normal way and make their recommendations to KCC.
There has been much concern about the effect that combining the schools onto one site will have in terms of increased traffic on the Loose Road and the junction with Boughton Lane, but the merger has already been agreed in principle, so it is the only the final details that can be contested.
The application is a massive document with many parts, and most people are finding they cannot open them in the normal way on the borough council’s website. The North Loose Residents Association has a full paper copy of the application and members can ask to see it by contacting their treasurer Tony Adams, who lives at 26 Boughton Lane, phone 744931.
Alternatively you can try to view the details on the council’s website on www.digitalmaidstone.org by looking up planning application number 08/1700 or calling into the new council offices in King Street to see a paper version.
The application description is for: “The demolition of existing school buildings, erection of new academy, including erection of new six-court sports hall, erection of vocational centre (indicative footprint only) re-provision of outdoor playing pitches, new six-court MUGA, 153 car parking spaces, 150 bicycle spaces, strategic landscaping works and associated circulatory access roads.”
The deadline for comments is September 15. You can write directly to KCC via:
Sharon Thompson, Head of Planning Applications Group, KCC, First Floor,
Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME15 1XX.
Quote the KCC application number, which is MA/TEMP/0047.
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The Society is keen to sign up new members, can you help by signing a friend, neighbour or an additional member of your family?
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 2008
I/We should like to join the Society:
(Please include your title and first name)
Name: 1) ………………………………………………………………
2) ….......……………………………......…………………….
Address: ………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………Postcode……………………………….…
Phone: ………………………… E-mail: …………………….. Mobile: ………………………
I would prefer to receive newsletters by e-mail: Yes/No
Signature(s) ………………………………… .. ….………………………………
Membership is £2 per year. Send your application and your cheque made payable to
Valley Conservation Society to:
Colin Holman, Membership Secretary, Flat 3, The Manor, Hayle Place, Cripple Street, MAIDSTONE, ME15 6DW
I enclose a cheque/cash for £…………….. (Donations welcome)
______________________________________________________________________________
Office use only:
Issued: Donation: £ Membership Nos
Printed and published by Alan Smith, Bockingford House, Cripple Street, Maidstone, ME15 6DN.
