Liberal Democrats welcome improvements to Town Centre road schemes
Over the last few weeks, Lib Dem councillors on both Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council have been responding to residents’ concerns about the new cycling measures in King Street and the pedestrianisation scheme in Earl Street. KCC had to install these schemes very hastily to comply with the timetable imposed by the Government’s Active Travel scheme. There is no doubt this haste has caused problems.
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Upper Stone Street Area Anti Congestion Measures agreed
Proposals to reduce congestion and make improvements in the Air Quality in the Upper Stone Street area are moving forward.
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Council Agree Way forward on Local Plan Review
At the Full Council Meeting on 30th September the Borough decided on its approach to the review of the Local Plan in the face of the Government’s recent decision to introduce a new system which would drastically increase the level of housing required in Maidstone. The only way to avoid the higher figure would be to complete the Review before the new system goes live.
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A replacement for Heather House in Parkwood gets the go ahead
After two years of discussion and debate, the Lib Dem team of councillors on the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee voted with others to approve the building of a new community /sports centre at Parkwood Maidstone. Part of the project will also provide 12 new homes on an adjacent site which will financially support the project. The new centre will also include sports changing facilities to support outdoor sports such as football and rugby. Planning applications should be submitted early next year and construction of the centre and new homes starting in the late summer period, with anticipated completion in early 2023. The decision to support the project was also informed by a residents and stakeholders survey carried out by the council. There is also future scope to increase the size of the centre in the future should demand arise from residents, clubs and associations.
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Aylesford Reservoir
South East Water has reported problems at the Aylesford Reservoir with the appearance of a number of voids and the disappearance of water from the reservoir over the weekend. Their teams are working to, make the site safe and to map the extent of the sinkholes on site. SE Water has been able to realign its network to bypass the facility and maintain water supply to residents.
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Kent Access Permits are a threat to Kent residents and Kent businesses
"The Government's proposal to require hauliers heading for Dover or the Channel Tunnel to obtain a Kent Access Permit has caused much amusement", says Rob Bird, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group at County Hall. "But it's not a joke. It is another ill-conceived bureaucratic burden which will affect hauliers and businesses throughout the County."
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Essential Road works B2012 Lower Boxley Road/Well Road
This is to let you know that, as part of the on-going maintenance and improvement of the highway network, Kent County Council will be resurfacing B2012 Lower Boxley Road/Well Road from Staceys Street to beyond the Wheeler Street crossroads.
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Maidstone Lib Dems grapple with government's crippling 80% proposed increase to housing numbers
While Maidstone Borough Council has already been grappling with the government’s demand for a 40% increase in housing numbers in its Local Plan review (increasing from 883 per year to 1214), it is now facing a calamitous demand for an 80% increase following the release of the government's housing white paper which is out for consultation. This translates to 1569 new units per year (Maidstone’s share of the government’s plan for 337,000 housing units per year). The borough has been told that the number of town-centre office conversions, allowed under the government’s permitted development, will not be included in the new numbers. When the increased numbers will apply depends on how far the borough has reached in implementing the local plan update when the white paper becomes policy.
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Lib Dems call for 20mph default speed limit with new housing schemes
Lib Dem borough and county councillors in Maidstone are calling on KCC, the highways authority, to stipulate 20mph as the default speed limit for all new housing schemes.
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Government to Change Planning Laws - Update
Having ignored its own public consultation, the Government's current White Paper on planning is the latest attempt to change the planning system and to remove any Local accountability by taking more and more power over planning decisions away from local councils and giving more power to developers.
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