‘Hugely concerning’ sinkhole opens outside hospital unit
Patient services remain unaffected despite the gaping void in the road
A sinkhole has opened outside the newly built Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) at Maidstone Hospital.
It appeared overnight last Thursday on the road outside the centre in Hermitage Lane. The area has been cordoned off and temporary traffic lights are diverting cars away from the void.
At the time a small number of patients were moved to other areas of the hospital, but the AAU is continuing to run as normal.
The hole is just yards away from a sinkhole that appeared on the other side of Hermitage Lane in October that is currently being filled in.
The grassy patch gave way on the Orchard Fields site developed by Bovis Homes prompting concerns from residents who recently moved in.
Barming has seen a number of voids appear in recent years, most notably on the A26 Tonbridge Road, which caused months of disruption to residents and businesses in 2018. But the latest appearance is the fifth to appear in seven months.
In September, an investigation was launched after multiple sinkholes appeared at South East Water’s drinking water storage reservoir, also in Hermitage Lane.
It caused a knock-on effect to the water supply of properties nearby.
Another appeared in Angelica Square in November.
A further void then opened just metres away from the already gaping hole on the Bovis development site in December. The regular collapses led to two MPs jointly calling for a halt to house building in the area. In response to the latest void, Helen Grant for Maidstone and
the Weald, said: “This latest sinkhole is hugely concerning and is, of course, part of a worrying
trend of deeply disruptive sinkholes across Barming . “I am assured the hospital management have this situation under control and it is not causing disruption to patient services.
“However, we urgently need our local authorities to take action to address the issue of sinkholes on and around Hermitage Lane, including undertaking proper, independent geological surveys for any planned developments in the area. “That is why, alongside Tracey Crouch, I convened and Chaired a multi-agency meeting to discuss the issue earlier this year.
“We were joined by a range of organisations including Maidstone Borough Council, Kent County Council and the Environment Agency.”
A list of action points were agreed and the group will meet again to discuss progress in the summer.