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00:00Good evening and welcome to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
00:27I'm Abbey Hook.
00:28Here are your top stories on Friday the 28th of June.
00:32Countryside, not concrete.
00:34Angara's legal challenge to 5,000 homes in Lenham fails.
00:38People do need houses, but they need to do the right kind of houses in the right place.
00:44And that's the principle that we're working on, is the parish council.
00:48From Kent to Belgium, Royal British Legion Industries hosts Annual Ride with a Veteran.
00:54This event in particular gives us the opportunity to take some veterans with us.
00:58And they're taking part in the challenge as well, so it's a really big thing for them.
01:02And Team Tryout, our reporter, puts his golf swing to the test ahead of a summer of sport.
01:08It's all about having a bit of fun, seeing if it's the game for you.
01:11Hopefully it will be.
01:12Taking it further from there.
01:23Tonight the first stage in the legal challenge to a large housing development at Lenham Heath
01:28has hit a hurdle.
01:29A campaign group had applied to the High Court for a judicial review into Maidstone Borough
01:33Council's plan to build 5,000 houses.
01:36With a new party in control of the local authority, will that make any difference?
01:41Our local democracy reporter, Gabriel Morris, was at a public meeting last night.
01:46These fields earmarked for a massive development.
01:50In a recently adopted local plan, 5,000 homes are outlined for Lenham Heath.
01:56A campaign group has been seeking a judicial review against Maidstone Borough Council.
02:02But updating this packed out community hall, well they told locals it had failed.
02:07What happens next, and we were very prepared for this, is that we ask for permission for
02:13an oral hearing with the judge, with a High Court judge.
02:17And in that our barrister will make the case as to why we believe our legal challenge at
02:22the Maidstone local plan should go before a formal hearing with the High Court.
02:28It was the Conservative led authority that adopted the plan earlier this year.
02:32But since there's been an election, the newly elected Green Party leader opposes the scheme
02:38and he says he plans to urgently review the local plan.
02:42We cannot start it until we're out of the pre-election period, at the very earliest,
02:46which is in about a week's time.
02:51There is a process to go through within the council to get to that point, but as soon
02:56as feasibly possible, we will start that local plan review and we will work on a better plan next time.
03:04Councils will often say it's important to have a local plan, because without it, there's
03:09little argument for planning committees to turn down development.
03:12But equally, land earmarked for homes will be attractive to developers.
03:17People do need houses, but they need to be the right kind of houses, in the right place.
03:22And that's the principle that we're working on, is the parish house.
03:26Parliamentary candidates from the local area were also there.
03:29The proposed development on Heathlands, described sometimes as the Heathlands garden village,
03:33but around 5,000 homes, which I oppose and I have opposed every step of the way for the
03:37last five years, working alongside a campaign group to try and stop this development.
03:42I am totally, 100% behind the reasons why they oppose this site.
03:47It's huge, the impact it's going to have on the environment, the strain on the infrastructure,
03:52it's massive.
03:53The campaign group to save Lenham Heath has been ongoing for years, but a council leader
03:57says a review could take more than three years.
04:01Gabriel Morris, in Lenham.
04:05Well, I'm joined now by Maidstone Deputy Leader Clive English, from the Liberal Democrats.
04:10Now, you're part of this administration.
04:12We heard in Gabriel's report there, we heard Stuart Jeffrey talking about how he wants
04:16to urgently review this.
04:18But if you disagree with this local plan, why can't you just rip it up?
04:21Why can't you change it?
04:22Because it's illegal.
04:23A number of other councils have tried to withdraw an adopted local plan, including West Berkshire,
04:29and the result was they ended up in the High Court and were told, in no uncertain terms,
04:34that they could not withdraw it, that there was no process for withdrawing it.
04:38The council tried to withdraw it anyway, so they got told that if they continued with
04:43the trying to withdraw it, all the councillors would be disqualified from public office and
04:47surcharged.
04:49How do you plan on tackling the housing shortage we have in Kent, and in Maidstone in particular?
04:53We've covered the homelessness crisis that's hit Maidstone in particular, and many campaign
04:58groups there.
04:59Many would say we need these 5,000 homes.
05:01We heard just then how crucial that is.
05:03We need 5,000 homes.
05:04We need 5,000 social and affordable homes.
05:06We don't need 5,000 executive mansions.
05:10The process at the moment is unfortunately favouring either the development of large
05:14houses for people who are not in housing need, or very small cramped flats through permitted
05:21development through the conversion of existing shops and offices.
05:26Neither address the housing crisis we need.
05:29If the Labour Party and the Conservative Party at national level were serious about the housing
05:33crisis, they would be allowing local councils to build our own housing stock.
05:38In as far as we can, that is what we will be doing.
05:42And what exactly does that look like in practice?
05:44Well, it's not cheap, but we will be working to actually bring forward as many social rent
05:52houses as we can across a variety of types of social rent.
05:57We will be ourselves working with registered social landlords, also with the co-operative
06:03sector.
06:05And the aim is to actually provide housing that people can afford to live in over a long
06:11period of time, and which is truly sustainable.
06:15And we, as I said, heard Stuart Jeffrey there saying the review that he's going to be implementing,
06:20how long will this take?
06:21What are we looking like for a resolution to this decision?
06:24In terms of an actual full review, three to four years is about the quickest it can
06:30be done.
06:31There's a lot we can do in the meantime in terms of policies that sit below...
06:34Will it be a priority, Holmes?
06:37Yes.
06:37The two priorities are dealing with homelessness and getting a new local plan that actually
06:42unites the borough rather than divides it.
06:45OK, well, Clive, thank you very much for your time, for joining us on the show today, and
06:49of course the Kent Politics Show, which will be on our website shortly this evening.
06:53Clive, thank you.
06:54You're welcome.
06:55Now, it's less than a week until the election, with Kent going to the polls next Thursday.
07:00It's come around so quickly, but did you know that on election night itself we'll be doing
07:04an all-night Kent Politics Show special for 12 hours, live here on KMTV, bringing you
07:10every Kent result as they happen.
07:16On Thursday, the 4th of July, six weeks of hard campaigning for this year's general election
07:22will be over.
07:24You will have cast your vote on who you want to run our country.
07:29KMTV's exclusive 12-hour live election programme will bring you all the action from across
07:35every Kent count, the constituencies that really matter to you.
07:41The Kent Politics Show Election 2024 special, live and exclusive on KMTV and Kent Online.
07:48Make sure you're there when Kent decides.
07:52Exciting stuff, 12 hours of live coverage.
07:58Next night, a team of 30 cyclists made up of veterans and members of the public will
08:02be taking on the challenge of cycling from Ellesford to Belgium in just two days.
08:07They'll be travelling a grand distance of 173 kilometres to get to Meningate Memorial
08:12in Ypres to commemorate fallen servicemen, and it comes during Armed Forces Week, which
08:17honours those who have served.
08:19Henry Luck has this report.
08:21And they're off.
08:25It's that time of year again for Royal British Legion Industries to host their special Ride
08:30with a Veteran fundraiser that will raise money to support former servicemen and their
08:36families during Armed Forces Week.
08:39Well, as you can see behind me, all these cyclists here are ready to brave a two-day
08:44trek right here from the RBLI all the way to Belgium, which is just over a staggering
08:52170 kilometres.
08:55The team of 30 cyclists will be travelling towards the Meningate Memorial in Belgium
09:01to deliver a wreath to remember the fallen.
09:04This event in particular gives us the opportunity to take some veterans with us, and they're
09:08taking part in the challenge as well, so it's a really big thing for them.
09:12And it gives them a chance for others to see what they're doing.
09:15It isn't just veterans rising with us today, we have a whole scope of people from corporates
09:20who have kindly also sponsored the event, to members of the general public as well who
09:25just want to support our work.
09:27The honour of placing the wreath will be held by first-time participant veteran Vinod Budadhokhi.
09:34He will be taking part with his friend Trivraj Tappa.
09:38They both served in the Gurkhas and are leg amputees because of an IED explosion while
09:44serving in Afghanistan back in 2010.
09:48Vinod is able to take part using a hand bike.
09:52It's a ride with the veterans, a cycle ride to raise the funds for the veterans and help
10:00those who are in need.
10:04It is a hand bike, you have got a three-wheel, one at the front, which is, which is, which
10:12gets power, and a rear two-wheel, it's, it's absolutely a wonderful bike and I'm riding
10:21this bike since, since ten years now.
10:26The main sponsor this year is Chemring Countermeasures, who also help veterans transition back to
10:33civilian life.
10:34For me, it's extremely rewarding, not only for the cycle ride and meeting lots of new
10:39people, but actually cycling amongst the veterans, it's, they're inspiring some of the people
10:44we meet.
10:45I meet a lot of different people, understand their stories, understand their achievements
10:49and it's something we can do for a bit of fun and pleasure, supporting them as they
10:55ride through the ride.
10:57So it's a long road ahead for these cyclists, aiming to get to Ypres in time for Armed Forces
11:03Day on the 29th of June.
11:06Henry Luck for KMTV in Aylesford.
11:11Very impressive stuff and we can see how they get on over the weekend and hopefully have
11:15more for you on Monday.
11:16Well, it's time for a very quick break now, but we'll be back as one of our reporters
11:20has been trying out golf ahead of a brand new episode of Invicta Sport on Monday.
11:24We'll take a look after the break, see if his golf swings any good, especially with
11:28the golf coming up this summer.
11:29All right, see you in a few minutes.
14:54Hello and welcome back to Kentonite live on KMTV.
15:16Now a man has been arrested after a girl was hit by a car crossing outside a school in
15:20Broadstairs.
15:21Police and paramedics arrived at the Charles Dickens School shortly after the incident
15:25around 8am this morning.
15:27The girl was taken to King's College Hospital in London by air ambulance after suffering
15:31serious injuries.
15:32The 83-year-old was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving
15:36and taken into custody.
15:38The A225 Broadstairs road has remained closed both ways between Green Lane and St James
15:43Avenue and police are appealing for witnesses.
15:48Now extraordinary footage has captured the moment when a bomb was discovered in the sea
15:53and detonated in Herne Bay.
15:55Bomb disposal units were called to the seafront after a fisherman alerted them to a possible
16:00war mine.
16:01Royal Navy divers placed an explosive on the bomb and safely exploded it within the depths
16:07of the ocean, sending massive waves flying into the air.
16:10A shock for locals, a Royal Navy spokesperson said the fisherman's boat came across a German
16:15GD magnetic influence mine which were first used during the First World War.
16:19The Coast Guard has been contacted for further information.
16:24Now it's time for a very quick look at the weather.
16:34Tonight mild temperatures of 12 in Tunbridge Wells and 14 over in Ashford.
16:39Nice clear skies.
16:40Tomorrow, nice and sunny, not a cloud in sight, 19 in Dartford, 18 in Dover.
16:46The afternoon looks even warmer, up to 23 in Chatham, lows of 19 by the coast there.
16:51Bit of cloud.
16:53And here's your outlook for Kent, sunny right up until Tuesday, some cloud coming in next
16:58week, highs of 22.
17:10Now, for several days over June and July, the Sheppey Island Bridge will be closed as
17:16Network Rail undertakes essential repairs to replace the steel ropes which uphold the
17:21bridge.
17:22The work is expected to cause disruption for travelling commuters who will have to look
17:26for alternative means to go travel between the mainland and Sheppey.
17:29Well, I'm pleased to say Oliver Leader de Sacks, our reporter, joins me now with more
17:35on this.
17:36Sorry.
17:37What can we expect over the next couple of days in regards to the closure?
17:40And what's it going to look like for those usually used to using this crossing?
17:43Well, it's going to look like eight days of very little train travel between the Isle
17:48of Sheppey and the mainland.
17:50Obviously, there is only one rail connection to the mainland and the Isle of Sheppey.
17:56That is from Sheerness and Sea to Sittingbourne.
17:59That will no longer be running because of this bridge.
18:02And it is due to that safety element.
18:03It is because, obviously, with 40 ropes, steel ropes potentially fraying, coming to
18:11the end of their service life, they help lift up the bridge.
18:15They need to make these essential repairs and there are going to be further closures
18:20down the line.
18:21And it is a concern for some locals, some local businesses.
18:24One coach company in particular says it will be a major disruption to island life for those
18:29living in Sheppey.
18:33Well, we don't seem to have the video there, but they do say that the disruption could
18:42increase and could actually be worse because if there was to be, for example, roadworks
18:47in the town centre, there could be queues of traffic building up and buses will replace
18:54trains throughout June and July.
18:56It won't be total disruption, but it could increase those journey times for people in.
19:02OK, I think we can hear from your interviewee now, Oliver.
19:07It's not ideal timing.
19:09We understand that the ropes on the bridge have to be changed roughly every 30 years.
19:13So you would think they might be able to coordinate the two schemes so that the traffic can flow
19:19better in the area.
19:21We try to predict what the impacts are going to be and put mitigations in place where we
19:26can.
19:27It only needs one of the other major routes in the town to even have temporary one-way
19:32traffic lights on for traffic to move and the whole town grounds to a standstill.
19:40Now moving on, and as well as catching us here at 5.30 every day, you can keep up to
19:44date with all your latest stories across Kent by logging on to our website, kmtv.co.uk.
19:49There you'll find all our reports, including this one about the Pride Awards ceremony in
19:53Medway.
19:55Music, dancing, celebration.
19:58This week, Medway Over Rainbows have recognised allies, organisations and voices within the
20:03LGBTQ plus community for their work over the last year in their awards ceremony.
20:09The organisers say this is the only awards ceremony of its kind in Kent that they know
20:14of and it comes at a time of intense political debate about trans issues.
20:20Mr Shea Coffey, who organised the event and serves as director of Medway Pride, says the
20:25awards show that people in Kent are more unified on these issues than public debate would have
20:31us believe.
20:32There is a lot of darkness but it's created by a very, very small minority and nights
20:37like this remind us all that most people are really accepting and most people actually
20:42want to get involved and have a bit of a party.
20:44Helping open the night was guest speaker Verity Smith, a trans rugby player and advocate for
20:49greater inclusion in sport, who has faced transphobia both on and off the pitch.
20:55He says the awards provide an opportunity to recognise the next generation.
21:01Even though we've seen quite a lot of the political side of things currently, it's about
21:05making sure the correct information is out there and that people are recognised for the
21:09amount of work that they're actually doing out there.
21:11And for me, just seeing the young people being themselves, being supported by their parents
21:16and Medway Pride as well, for me, supporting me within my rugby has just been absolutely
21:20amazing and to show the young people that can be themselves, they are seen, they are
21:25cared about, you can't get the smiles off your faces when you see that and for me that's
21:30everything about TransJoint.
21:32One person in attendance was Jordan Chan, the Kent-based Mr Gay Great Britain finalist,
21:38aiming to win the pageant in order to become an equalities advisor to the government.
21:44He says that seeing politicians, journalists, charities, schools and young people from
21:49all across Medway coming together means a lot to him on a personal level.
21:54As a mixed race gay person, I didn't have the most easiest of childhoods or easy life
22:00in my early teens and twenties, so Medway is actually my second home, that's where all
22:05the gay bars were and that's when I really felt like myself for the first time, escaping
22:11where I was from and coming to Medway, going to places like The Ship, The Riverside Tavern,
22:16Coyotes, opening my eyes up to the rainbow.
22:20Everybody here has made such an impact and I'm just honoured to be in the same room as
22:24these people, they're all inspirations and they all do an amazing job.
22:28And even if there's a long way to go, for the elders here within the LGBTQ plus community
22:33in Medway, these awards show how far the fight for equality has come.
22:39I have seen things that you would not believe, now I see happiness and joy for everyone.
22:49Yeah!
22:52Oliver Leader of the Sats for KMTV in Gillingham.
22:56And just before we go, on Monday we'll be back with a brand new episode of Invictus
23:01Sport of course, bringing you the latest sports news from right across the county.
23:05And our reporter Finn McDermott joined a professional on an 18-hole course near Maidstone
23:11to try his hand at golf.
23:13Well, it's part of the team tryout segment on Invictus Sport, where you can watch more
23:18on Monday.
23:19Let's take a look now.
23:21Golf is a sport like no other and since we have finally started to see signs of summer,
23:25I've decided to try to show off what it's like to tee off as a beginner.
23:29So I went to Bearstead Golf Club, which has been around since 1895 and is just outside
23:34of Maidstone.
23:35The Open Championships are starting in July and I'm here to improve my swing with tips
23:40for a professional.
23:41Because golf is such a unique sport in that it's played with a set of clubs and a ball
23:45set from a motionless position, I needed someone special to show me the ropes.
23:50Meet Richard Fox, a golf professional and teacher who's been tasked with the challenge
23:54of getting my golf skills into full swing.
23:57Looking forward to being able to give you a little bit of a lesson, tell you all about
24:00it, try and get you to love the game that I love and basically understand where we're
24:05going.
24:06I mean, the thing about golf that we're trying to do really is trying to explain to people
24:09that it's a game for everybody.
24:10So trying to lose the stigma as maybe it was and try and get everybody involved really.
24:14But I say it's all about having a bit of fun, seeing if it's the game for you, hopefully
24:19it will be, taking it further from there.
24:21So if we can, let's have a look at you and see where we go.
24:24He started off by introducing the key basics of the sport.
24:27This included getting the grip down.
24:29So again, left hand goes in, thumb point pretty much straight down, back of the left hand
24:34faces towards the target, stick the forefinger out, little finger slides in, but only into
24:38the fingers.
24:39And then you're going to come over the top.
24:41So the right thumb touches.
24:42Perfect.
24:43We'll just tweak this finger.
24:44Yeah, just a little bit round.
24:45Only because if you hit the ground, that might give you a jarring sensation and we don't
24:48do pain in golf or any mental anyway.
24:53That's okay.
24:54Nice stance.
24:55From this position here, what we're going to do is say, yeah, club's coming into belt
24:57buckle area.
24:58So we're just going to swing it nice and short.
25:00Just feel comfortable and just see whether we can get you to feel a little bit more ease.
25:04Okay, sure.
25:05And my swing.
25:06Much the same way as a thrower would work or a racket sport player would work.
25:11What we're basically trying to do is turn to the right side, load the energy, turn to
25:15the left side and release the energy.
25:16And then from there, we're just going to try and get the club to do the work for us.
25:19Okay.
25:20Nice and easy.
25:21Yep.
25:22Let's give it a go.
25:23Rich explained to me that the new players simply tend to go for power over precision
25:27and the clean strike with the club, making sure that the bottom of the head gets a good
25:31connection with the bottom of the ball, is the most basic of building blocks for playing.
25:36Throughout the day, I noticed I'd begun to hit more and more consistently until I was
25:40getting a decent enough connection to send the ball past the trees.
25:43Hope you enjoyed it.
25:44Happy golfing.
25:45Definitely.
25:46Thanks so much for having me.
25:47No, enjoy it.
25:48Take care.
25:49You too.
25:50Finn McDermid for KMTV.
25:51Well, Bartholomew joins me, the show's producer now.
25:56How do you think Finn did?
25:58Good at golf?
25:59I think he did all right.
26:00Yeah, for a first time.
26:01I must say, I'm really jealous.
26:02I was actually due to go.
26:03I couldn't go in the end.
26:04So Finn took my place.
26:05And I'm very jealous.
26:06I still, that's one of the sports I'm yet to try out, golf, but they do look quite cool
26:09when they're swinging.
26:10When you finally get that technique, as hard as it is, it does look quite cool.
26:14Exciting stuff, especially with all the summer sports we've got ahead, including obviously
26:17currently in the Euros, England playing again on Sunday against Slovakia, but it's not looking
26:25great, is it?
26:26Well, it's not looking great, but they did top the table in Group C, and they've made
26:30it through to the last 16 now, and going up against Slovakia, they are the favourites
26:34to win.
26:35And of course, big shout out to former Gravesend schoolboy Mark Gahey, who has been making
26:40great headlines for himself.
26:41More on that coming on Monday's episode of Invictus Sport.
26:44Have a lovely weekend.
26:45Bye bye from us.