Harbingers of doom are correct
Political editor Supplements editor Business editor Having been on holiday for several weeks I made my usual car journey from Tonbridge Road along Hermitage Lane to stock up my fridge at Sainsbury’s/M&S.
The difference in the traffic is startling – it seems the harbingers of doom are proving increasingly correct.
I made a mental note to use the London Road next time - until, of course, the new buildings along this road begin to snarl up the traffic.
May I join the ranks of the harbingers and draw attention to the fact Kent County Council recently sold a plot of land bordered by Bower Mount Road, Oakwood Road and the large educational campus of Oakwood Park – the land was advertised as having the potential of supporting 60 residential dwellings with access through Astor Park on to Oakwood Road.
I wonder which tortured soul What’s On reporter KoL editor came up with this bright idea.
Any of the parents of the many hundreds of schoolchildren who have to negotiate Oakwood Road on a regular basis will realise this road will not support much more traffic and the existing traffic coupled with the narrowness of the road is already a danger to the pedestrian school children. KoL news editor KoL assistant news editor
I know the many head teachers in the Oakwood Park campus will be concerned at these plans because, only recently, they pushed for a rather expensive fencing off of their playing fields for security reasons.
Of course, I’m biased – I live in Astor Park but I bought my house in the certain knowledge that the land behind my house would be developed.
May I offer an alternative as I have no intention of being a NIMBY.
Why doesn’t the owner of the recently acquired land strike a deal with the campus?
Convert the new land to playing fields in return for a similarly sized area of existing playing fields which has better vehicular access on to Queens Road leading to better access to both the Tonbridge and London Roads. HJ Nicholson Astor Park, Maidstone