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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Bartholomew Hall. Here are your top stories on Tuesday the 22nd of July.
00:34The end of our town. Anger as development proposed to connect Gillingham to Raynham.
00:39Shocked, disappointed, dismayed, but I want the local authority to do the right thing.
00:44A symbol of hope. Kent Legg of Baton Relay for suicide awareness is unveiled.
00:50I want to carry that baton in the name of everyone that's not just lost to suicide,
00:55but people battling with those thoughts.
00:56And celebrating care, we speak to the Canterbury Parkinson's active class handed an international award.
01:04What we think we're doing here is worth adopting across the country, in fact across the world.
01:09Good evening. Residents in Raynham have held a protest over plans to build 750 homes in a nearby orchard.
01:27Esquire wants to turn 126 acres of agricultural land into a new development,
01:33which could consist of new schools, a health centre, a care home and a nursery.
01:37While the plans have been previously fought, with similar applications being refused twice before,
01:43the difference now being that the land has been earmarked for housing by the council.
01:47Gabriel Morris has more.
01:48Speak to anyone in Raynham, and the chance is they might talk to you about the increase in new homes being built in the area.
01:56Now plans for 750 homes on these orchards have been proposed,
02:00which led to a recent protest at the first consultation event for the development.
02:06It is surrounded in part by other houses and by small country lanes either side.
02:11It's a small area, a green buffer between Raynham and Twiddle.
02:17Once that's gone, it will feel like all of those towns moved together,
02:20and it will highly impact the air quality of the local area and the infrastructure and the road networks.
02:27It's not the first time the campaign group has protested against this.
02:31Similar proposals for more than 1,200 homes were brought forward more than five years ago.
02:37At the time, Medway Council opposed the plan, refusing the application, which was upheld at an appeal.
02:43But now these fields are earmarked in the authority's next local plan.
02:47That's the blueprint for where new homes will be built for the next generation.
02:53I'm shocked, I'm disappointed, I'm dismayed that the local authority now want to, you know, build these houses here again,
03:00having had a previous inspector, you know, where Medway Council gave evidence to say
03:05the proposals for the 1,200 houses were unsustainable.
03:09So I'm shocked, disappointed, dismayed, but I want the local authority to do the right thing,
03:14to say, look, stand by what they said before.
03:17Building in this area, with the lack of infrastructure, is unsustainable.
03:23If you compare satellite images from 10 years ago to today, you can clearly see an increase in new developments.
03:32And here you can see where the proposed location is for these new homes.
03:36But if it's not housing residents are concerned about in Rainham, well, you'll probably hear them talking about traffic.
03:44Some are worried that these 750 homes will only make things worse.
03:49I'm a taxi driver. I've gone from the Strand to the bottom of Bering Grove Lane where I live.
03:56It's taken me an hour and a half to get home for a six, seven-minute journey.
04:00How can that be right? And now they want to carry on building more and more houses.
04:05Unless we invest in the infrastructure first and then build the houses, we can't just keep building houses.
04:10Now, these are only proposals and it's understood the plans for the 750 homes in these orchards won't be submitted to go through the planning process until Medway Council gets their local plan signed off.
04:25It's understood that will happen at some point next year.
04:29Well, Gabriel joins us in the studio now. Gabriel, what's been the response from Medway Council to all of this?
04:38Well, my colleagues from the local democracy reporting service today have been speaking to the council leader, Vince Maple, a little bit about this.
04:45Of course, we'll know from my report, you've just saw then, that Medway Council, back in 2019, when these plans were first put forward,
04:52albeit for a slightly higher number of homes,
04:55it was opposed by the council and the planning department and subsequently refused and that was upheld by a planning inquiry the following year.
05:05Now, these plans have come back in, slightly fewer, 750, but with more amenities proposed on those.
05:12Medway Council have said the facts have changed since that previous application.
05:15That's for Vince Maple, the council leader.
05:17He says, in the local plan, this land is allocated because they've had to make up housing quotas from different areas,
05:25which is not going to be tenable in other parts of Medway.
05:29So originally, it was hoped a lot of the new homes going into this next local plan,
05:35which is the blueprint for development in the area, would go onto the Hoo Peninsula.
05:39But that's no longer possible, according to Vince Maple.
05:42That's because they lost a lot of funding, which would be particularly for infrastructure, a couple of years ago.
05:47You might remember it was £170 million, which they lost to that area.
05:51And because of that, they're now having to look at building places, building new homes and communities in other parts of Medway.
05:57And Pump Lane is one of those locations.
06:00Well, there's clearly a lot of backlash to this.
06:02Lots of people not wanting to see these proposals go ahead.
06:05Similar proposals have been pushed down before.
06:08Obviously, you're saying here that there are a few changes.
06:10So what's next?
06:11Well, there is going to be another protest next Thursday at 5pm.
06:16That's going to be another protest from this group at a consultation event.
06:23Now, it's going to be slow moving.
06:25Esquire Development said they are going to listen to everybody's views and take input on that
06:30when it comes to their final proposal, which they'll put to the planning department.
06:33Now, what we understand is that's not going to happen any time soon.
06:37What they want to do is wait until the local plan has been signed off by the Secretary of State.
06:43That needs to happen.
06:44And we understand Medway Council will be submitting that at some point next year.
06:48So we're possibly talking two years until this gets a green light or not a green light, shall we say.
06:55So it's going to take a while.
06:56It's going to be kicking around for a while.
06:57And even when the homes get built, it's not going to be overnight.
06:59So if it does get given a green light, we could be talking at least half a decade until properties are put on there.
07:05But just to remind viewers, Esquire said they will listen to all views of those concerned about it.
07:11And they have got a series of consultation events which will give people the opportunity from Rainham
07:15and the local area to share their thoughts and that.
07:17And, of course, when it does go through to the planning portal, if it does,
07:22residents will be able to put their views in that as well.
07:24All right, Gabriel, thank you for those details.
07:27Two men have been arrested after assaulting a man in a nightclub in Rochester.
07:33Police were called to Casino Rooms Nightclub on Bluebourne Lane at around 2am on Sunday.
07:39I should say it was reported that a man was allegedly assaulted in the nightclub.
07:44A man in his 30s was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital to be treated after the attack,
07:50which was reported to have happened in the smoking area.
07:53Two men, a 22- and a 20-year-old, were both arrested.
07:57Both have been bailed pending further inquiries.
08:00Detectives are asking anyone with information to come forward.
08:04Four Kent beaches have been handed pollution warnings following a weekend of thunderstorms.
08:10Coastal spots in Whitstable, Herne Bay, Sheerness and Lays Down have all been affected,
08:14according to Surfers Against Sewage.
08:16The beaches were, namely, all suffered, though, from the storm sewage that we saw when that yellow weather warning came in place a few days ago.
08:25And it follows warnings from the Environment Agency already advising swimmers not to enter waters at some of our seafronts.
08:32Next, this evening, more than 130 people across Kent are set to carry an Olympic-style relay torch across Kent in aid of suicide prevention.
08:44This year's Baton of Hope will travel from Medway through to Maidstone before heading to Canterbury and finishing in Margate.
08:51Daisy Page has been finding out more about what the movement stands for.
08:54Hope will travel through Kent and Medway on September 22nd, as the world's largest suicide prevention campaign has the county placed on its map.
09:03The Baton of Hope Tour is a growing movement aspiring to a zero-suicide society, through training, boosting conversation to eliminate stigma,
09:12shining a spotlight on support, and much more.
09:15The day is set to start here at Mid-Kent College, before more than 130 baton-bearers carry it throughout the county.
09:23The torch will journey across the River Medway to Rochester Cathedral, then make its way on to Maidstone,
09:30where it will see a number of landmarks, such as Maidstone's United Gallagher Stadium, the County Hall and Mote Park.
09:37Then be in pass through Canterbury by Baton-bearers before making its final stop through Margate.
09:42The Baton's final county stop will be here at Dreamland, where there'll be the Evening of Hope.
09:48There'll be singers, dancers and poetry bringing the community together.
09:53The Baton is the only known physical symbol of mental health, and is hoped to send a message to the whole of the UK.
10:00The message for me, and I think the charity would agree, is just that you're not alone.
10:06And I think, as well as honouring our loved ones that we've lost, suicide, but also just the people that are struggling or have lived experience,
10:13you know, the survivors. It's just about saying that you're not alone, and just opening up those conversations.
10:18You know, talking about suicide, getting rid of that stigma and that taboo that, you know, if you talk about it, it's this, you know, dirty word.
10:25And I just think by having something physical that people can see and touch and hold, it just brings to life those conversations.
10:32Each Baton bearer, a part of the movement, carries it through the county with their own personal story.
10:39I want to carry that baton in the name of everyone that's not just lost to suicide, but people battling with those thoughts.
10:45There are so many people out there, especially that we work with in the charity, that they live with those thoughts day in, day out.
10:51And this, for me, is trying to carry that baton to say enough is enough.
10:55We need to stand up against suicide and prevent it.
10:58The nationwide baton tour is set to start in Blackpool on the 1st of September, visiting 20 locations before ending in Wrexham on the 4th of October.
11:08Daisy Page for KMTV.
11:11If you have been affected by the issues raised in this report, the Samaritans can be reached on 116 123.
11:21Yeah, very important message there.
11:23And we'll be hearing more about the Baton of Hope tour later in the programme and about just how you can keep up to date with it here on KMTV.
11:30Well, time for a very quick break now.
11:31But when we come back, we'll be hearing the story of a 65-year-old who's been jailed along with her accomplices in connection to a family-run drug dealing group.
11:40And also we'll be hearing from the Digital Poverty Alliance as it's hoping to tackle the growing crisis of low-income families of school pupils not being able to access technology outside of school.
11:51All that and plenty more to come.
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15:13Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight, live on KMTV.
15:17Now, six people, including two from Kent, have been sentenced to prison as part of a family-run crime group, all led by a 65-year-old grandmother.
15:26Deborah Mason, who'd been dubbed a gangster granny, was the ringleader of a gang who supplied nearly a tonne of cocaine worth more than £80 million.
15:35Well, collectively, the members have received more than 100 years of prison time
15:39after Deborah was found guilty in April of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
15:45She was sentenced to 20 years herself less than a week ago.
15:48Well, the other members, including the youngest being a 24-year-old from Staplehurst
15:52and the oldest, a 66-year-old from Ashford,
15:56were apparently attracted by the idea of lavish lifestyles
15:59and the more than £1,000 a day that they started earning.
16:05The Great British National Protest has arrived in Dover,
16:09or should I say visited Dover, in the first weekend of the summer holidays.
16:13Led by police, the groups marched along the seafront,
16:16with many of the protesters arriving being part of anti-immigration groups
16:21that was held in the Dover area.
16:24Joining the protests were Dover's reform councillors, Paul King and Erla Thorpe,
16:28who stood by in solidarity, and they stated that quite a few of their branch members
16:33attended the event.
16:34Well, Kent police have stated those involved in the event
16:37have been reminded of their obligations to ensure the protest remains peaceful.
16:43Now, as the summer holidays have begun,
16:4557% of low-income families face difficulties with accessing devices outside of schools.
16:51It comes as one in ten pupils are forced to do homework on their smartphones.
16:55That's all according to the Digital Poverty Alliance in Kent,
16:57which is trying to tackle the growing crisis.
17:00We're here to find out more.
17:01I spoke with Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the group, about why it is so important
17:06and how they're aiming to fix the issue.
17:09Elizabeth, thank you very much for joining us today.
17:11It's good to speak with you.
17:13For people that this doesn't affect, could you just first of all explain to us
17:16what digital poverty actually is and what it means for those families?
17:19Absolutely. Digital poverty is the inability of an individual to be able to access online services
17:26when, where, and how they need to.
17:29So that most commonly means maybe they don't have access to a suitable device like a laptop
17:34for education.
17:35They might not have access to the internet at home, so no broadband or mobile data.
17:40Or they might be lacking the skills or the confidence to be able to get the best out of online services
17:47and use them effectively and safely.
17:49Some people might question that, though, going into the summer holidays.
17:52Some people might say, you know, we should be getting kids away from the screens
17:55and making sure that they are going out and enjoying the fresh air.
17:57But that's not always the reality.
17:59It's not the world that we live in.
18:00So what will it mean for families going into the summer holidays?
18:03So lots of schools across Kent may well have set their students' particular projects
18:10or bits of research that they need to do during the summer holidays.
18:14If you can't get online to either do those bits of research or write them up
18:18or you're trying to tap away on a little smartphone in order to present your findings back to school,
18:25that can really be a barrier.
18:26There's all sorts of educational platforms that students are being asked to keep using
18:31during the summer holidays.
18:33Because about three quarters of teachers are really concerned that children are going to fall behind.
18:39They're going to disengage from learning entirely during that summer break.
18:43And what we're also saying is if children have access to a laptop,
18:47they're using that in a family space.
18:49It's a bigger screen.
18:50Parents can much more easily, casually, just keep an eye on what their children are looking at online,
18:56which is a lot more challenging for the families who are telling us that actually their child is having to just manage on a smartphone.
19:05About one in eight kids, that's all they've got.
19:08And that's really difficult for parents to actually monitor what's being used and what's being looked at online.
19:13What is the next step then?
19:15Because I would suspect that for some of those pupils that have been given those tasks to work on over the summer break
19:21that require the use of a computer or a phone and they just can't do it,
19:25they're going to be left feeling quite excluded from the rest of class.
19:28There really are.
19:30And about a third of parents, again, have told us that actually their school just assumed
19:34that they would be able to provide internet access and a reliable device for their child to use.
19:40So for these children, they are going to be, unfortunately,
19:44the children who are going to be left behind over summer.
19:47They're going to be coming back to school in September less prepared than their peers.
19:51Potentially, they will have missed out on completing these tasks.
19:55That may not go down overly well at school.
19:58Some schools are much more understanding than others around digital exclusion
20:02and what that means for families.
20:04So we're asking schools to actually think about, for the next school year,
20:08how they can check in with parents,
20:11how they can check whether children will have access to a laptop
20:14and will they have access to the internet after school, at weekends, in the holidays.
20:19And then we're also calling on businesses to think about how they can help us
20:25to support children.
20:27If you've got old laptops hidden away in cupboards,
20:29if you are about to do a whole laptop refresh,
20:34you know, don't chuck those devices away.
20:35Give them to a charity like the DPA,
20:38because we would love to get them out to kids across Kent
20:40who can really benefit from that kid.
20:43I suppose that's the important thing, isn't it?
20:45Because, you know, classes could turn around and say,
20:48right, we're going to do everything the old way, pen and paper,
20:50get the textbooks out.
20:52But if that's the way that the world's moving
20:55and if we need to be preparing the next generation
20:57for working in digital workspaces,
20:59it's just going to prevent a whole generation from being able to do that.
21:02So the work that you're doing,
21:04and from charities such as yourselves at the Digital Poverty Alliance,
21:08it means that we can continue moving as one.
21:11Absolutely.
21:13Out in the world, when children leave school,
21:16they will need these digital skills.
21:18They'll apply for jobs online.
21:1990% of jobs are only ever advertised online.
21:23You already see a divide between children maybe applying for an apprenticeship,
21:27which if they apply on a smartphone,
21:30it's going to be a very short application,
21:32as opposed to their neighbours down the road
21:35who might be applying and writing a whole CV and cover letter,
21:37and that's going to look far better to potential employers.
21:41Those digital skills are going to be absolutely vital in the workplace.
21:44Whatever job you're going into,
21:46you're going to need to use some form of tech,
21:49and that's only going to increase as we move to a more digital society.
21:53So we've got to prepare children,
21:55and we've got to also teach them how they stay safe,
21:58and the best time to do that is while they are the child
22:00and they've got the support of their parents and teachers
22:02to really help guide them through that.
22:06Now, don't forget, you can keep up to date
22:07with all your latest stories across Kent
22:09by logging on to our website.
22:11It's kmtv.co.uk.
22:12When you're there, you'll find all of our reports,
22:14including this one, about this year's Kent County show,
22:17where the weather was much like what we've been experiencing this week.
22:20The weather hasn't quite held out for this year,
22:24but let's slide in to the Kent County show 2025.
22:31It's a bit wet and rainy,
22:33but it won't dampen the magic spirit.
22:36Are you having a nice time at the county show?
22:38Yeah, lovely.
22:39Yeah, really good, really good.
22:40Actually, brilliant. Loving it.
22:41Apart from the weather, but who cares?
22:43We're English, though.
22:45We're used to it.
22:46So we're all used to it, aren't we?
22:47Yeah, we are used to it, hence the rain.
22:50Great time, yeah.
22:51Yeah, brilliant, it's lovely.
22:53Now the rain's stopped.
22:54Wilma, are you having a nice day?
22:55Yes.
22:57And clearly, she's not the only one,
22:59with hundreds of sheep, goats, cows,
23:03water buffalo, ferrets,
23:05and camels all racing for a medal.
23:09But year on year, the show highlights an important message.
23:13This is the one that Frank makes, the King Cop Blue,
23:15which is like a softer, milder blue.
23:17It's a real family-orientated farm.
23:19My brother and I milk the cows.
23:21Mum and Dad are involved in the farm and the cheese making.
23:23If we wanted to employ,
23:24minimum wage has gone up,
23:26national insurance has gone up.
23:27It makes things a lot harder to employ and grow our business.
23:31More and more people like that local thing.
23:33They like to go to different areas
23:34and get something that they can only get there.
23:37I mean, obviously, I'm happy to sell this anywhere,
23:39but for us to be able to promote this in Kent is brilliant.
23:41You use lots of Kent produce as well that go into the drinks?
23:44Yeah.
23:45So we use a lot of Kent produce, especially the Kent apples,
23:48because people have our drinks
23:49and they've got this look on their faces.
23:51And we're like, oh, it's from the Guardian of England, you know?
23:55With more than 60,000 people entering the gates,
23:59it's a chance for Kent charities to shout about their cause.
24:03This is something Bell Screening did about 10 years ago,
24:06and we've wanted to do it again since.
24:08And what difference do you think this makes to young people as well,
24:11who might not even understand what something like bowel cancer is,
24:14but to actually see it as well and give it a visualisation?
24:18I think it just gets them talking to the parents,
24:20and then it opens the parents up a little bit more for conversation,
24:23so it's been a great talking piece to have at the show.
24:26This is Dory, and she's been specially trained to tell her owner Sophie
24:30when she's either got low blood sugar or high blood sugar.
24:33Like most charities at the moment, we are struggling, really, really struggling.
24:36We don't charge the families either, but the money's got to come from somewhere.
24:40Unless we get support, we have to have a waiting list.
24:43If we have a waiting list, those children that are on it,
24:45it's just one hypo and the consequences could be fatal,
24:48so we really don't need to close that puppy programme this year.
24:52We're a massive animal centre, rescue centre in Tenham.
24:55We've just over 300 animals, and it grows more and more every single day.
25:00Where are you rescuing the animals from?
25:01From people.
25:02So at the moment, the pet trade is a bit of a mess.
25:04People can't afford to keep their pets.
25:06We get contacted all the time about taking on animals.
25:09Even breeders all over the UK are contacting us and saying,
25:12can you take these animals?
25:13So could she bite?
25:15Yes, she could bite, but you could bite as well.
25:17You're choosing not to.
25:18Do you know what I mean?
25:18It's how you act with them that actually makes them do that.
25:21What an amazing animal.
25:23They are misunderstood, very mistreative.
25:25Even spiders are very misunderstood.
25:27So this year, I've faced my fears, both of heights and potentially spiders too,
25:34but it's nothing compared to the challenge these charities have in front of them
25:39and for the 94th Kent County Show to make it even bigger and better next year.
25:46Abby Hook for KMTV at the Detling Showground.
25:57And plenty more just like that over on our website.
26:01Time now, though, to take a look at what the weather's looking like for the coming days.
26:09Well, tonight's looking cloudy with temperatures reaching 17 and 18 degrees for most of us.
26:14Some low wind speeds along with it.
26:16And as we go into tomorrow, day starting off partly cloudy.
26:19Some light rain in the east of the county with temperatures around the same.
26:23But then as we go towards the afternoon, things heating up just ever so slightly
26:27and that rain moving westwards, temperatures rising, as I said.
26:31And as we go towards the rest of the week, staying rather cloudy, temperatures in the 25 range.
26:45Time now for a very quick break.
26:47We'll have plenty more to come after this.
29:56Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV.
30:16A reminder of your top stories on Tuesday the 22nd of July.
30:21The end of our town.
30:23Anger as development proposed to connect Gillingham to Rainham.
30:27A symbol of hope.
30:29Kent Legg of the Baton Relay for Suicide Awareness is unveiled.
30:33And celebrating care.
30:35Here we speak to the Canterbury Parkinson's active class that's been handed an international award.
30:41Now to our top story this evening.
30:47Rainham residents have held a protest over plans to build 750 homes in a nearby orchard.
30:53Esquire wants to turn 126 acres of agricultural land into a new development, which could consist of a new schools, a health centre, a care home and a nursery.
31:03Well, the idea has been previously fought against, with similar applications being refused twice.
31:09But this land is now being marked, earmarked for housing by the council.
31:13Gabriel Morris has more.
31:14Speak to anyone in Rainham and the chance is they might talk to you about the increase in new homes being built in the area.
31:22Now plans for 750 homes on these orchards have been proposed, which led to a recent protest at the first consultation event for the development.
31:32It is surrounded in part by other houses and by small country lanes either side.
31:37It's a small area, a green buffer between Rainham and Twiddle.
31:42Once that's gone, it will feel like all of those towns moved together and it will highly impact the air quality of the local area and the infrastructure and the road networks.
31:54It's not the first time the campaign group has protested against this.
31:58Similar proposals for more than 1,200 homes were brought forward more than five years ago.
32:04At the time, Medway Council opposed a plan, refusing the application, which was upheld at an appeal.
32:10But now these fields are earmarked in the authority's next local plan.
32:14That's the blueprint for where new homes will be built for the next generation.
32:19I'm shocked, I'm disappointed, I'm dismayed that the local authority now want to, you know, build these houses here again,
32:27having had a previous inspector, you know, where Medway Council gave evidence to say the proposals for the 1,200 houses were unsustainable.
32:35So I'm shocked, disappointed, dismayed, but I want the local authority to do the right thing, to say, look, stand by what they said before.
32:44Building in this area, with the lack of infrastructure, is unsustainable.
32:49If you compare satellite images from 10 years ago to today, you can clearly see an increase in new developments.
32:57And here you can see where the proposed location is for these new homes.
33:03But if it's not housing residents are concerned about in Raynham, well, you'll probably hear them talking about traffic.
33:10Some are worried that these 750 homes will only make things worse.
33:15I'm a taxi driver. I've gone from the Strand to the bottom of Bering Grove Lane where I live.
33:23It's taken me an hour and a half to get home for a six, seven minute journey.
33:27How can that be right? And now they want to carry on building more and more houses.
33:31Unless we invest in the infrastructure first and then build the houses, we can't just keep building.
33:37Now, these are only proposals and it's understood the plans for the 750 homes in these orchards won't be submitted to go through the planning process until Medway Council gets their local plan signed off.
33:51It's understood that will happen at some point next year.
33:56Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Raynham.
34:00Well, joining me on the line now is Kate Belmonte from the Medway Green Party.
34:05Kate, thank you very much for being with us this evening.
34:08You're, of course, in the group of people who are against these proposals.
34:11You was there at that protest.
34:13Can you just take me through some of your main arguments?
34:16Of course, we've heard there the lack of infrastructure, the type of impacts it would have on the Medway towns.
34:22What's your main argument?
34:24I mean, you showed the map on the screen and it really highlights the fact that this plot of land is sandwiched between two roads
34:33that cannot be extended, cannot be widened.
34:36It's already at gridlock along Lower Raynham Road.
34:39Motney Hill is already struggling to process the waste water that's currently being processed.
34:46So regardless of the homes, the actual location is just not suitable.
34:51It's grade one, most best and most versatile agricultural land that we desperately need to retain within our country.
35:00Because if we don't, we are going to struggle even more in the future to grow food for our residents.
35:06This isn't the first time that a plan of its, you know, a plan similar to this has been put forward.
35:11Two previous ones were put down.
35:13The difference being this time, one of the main differences is that there will be some benefits in the size of a school, a nursery, a care home that wouldn't come without a development like this.
35:23Of course, that would be beneficial to the local area.
35:27They would in the right place.
35:29But if we add, you know, 2,000 pupils onto the potentially 1,400 to 2,000 residents, you know, that's a lot of traffic to get down very slim roads.
35:42And at one point, it's a single lane.
35:45There is not the ability to create a pedestrian road, the full length of Riverside, Lower Raynham Road.
35:51It's just not possible.
35:52And so the schools, we need them, but let's not put them tucked away inside a rural agricultural farm that has been there for centuries, that provides both Medway and the UK with valued calories.
36:08Let's look at places that are more sustainable to build, that aren't going to be digging up the green fields that we desperately need.
36:16Well, of course, Medway Council has its local plan.
36:18It has its issues with population size increasing.
36:21We're hearing that young people are struggling to get on the housing ladder and at the same time being told that that's due to a lack of supply.
36:28So where would the ideal place be to put these new homes?
36:32So first of all, what should be happening is our council should be petitioning parliament to reduce the house numbers that they have said that we need to build locally because the local need is not there.
36:47We have demonstrated through the census and through the migration details within Medway that we do not need 24,000 plus homes by 2041.
36:57In terms of affordable homes, my oldest son is 14, in six years, I would like to think that he will be able to get on the housing ladder.
37:07That's not going to happen with the rent that we've got here in Medway and the type of properties that are being built, which are not afforded by current residents unless huge mortgages are taken on.
37:19So we are producing homes for people that currently do not live in Medway.
37:25So let's look at the entire housing availability and let's build our starter homes, our one-bed flats, our two-bed flats, our one- and two-bed homes for our young families.
37:38Let's get three-bedroom homes that are council-owned and affordable.
37:42Let's not look at putting £900,000 plus properties within a beautiful orchard with beautiful views that are going to make it an absolute nightmare for everyone that is currently living here.
37:55And once they move in, they are going to experience the extreme backlog that the roads have along Lower Reynon Road, Yerkes-Soko Way, Otterum Key Lane and along the A2.
38:08We are becoming gridlocked.
38:10It's quite simple that we can't build there and where we are going to build needs a lot more thought about it to make it affordable for local people.
38:21OK, Kate, thank you very much for joining us there.
38:22I should say Medway Council says that during the consultation it will look at all views.
38:27But thank you very much for sharing yours this evening.
38:32Next, a cottage on the Kent Seafront, once owned by the author of the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming, has gone up on the market for almost £2 million.
38:41This is the view of Mermaid Cottage in St Margaret's Bay near Dover.
38:45The 1920s property has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gym and a balcony.
38:51It's said to be the location that Fleming wrote Moonraker.
38:54It's the only Bond book set entirely in Britain.
38:57Well, the Art Deco-inspired property could be taken up by any Bond lover, just as long as they have a healthy £1.75 million to spare.
39:06Next, an animal rescue centre has launched a £500,000 fundraiser to buy the land that it's currently renting before they're evicted.
39:17The owner of the Happy Pants Ranch has battled local authorities for years to turn its land into an official area for rescuing animals rather than what it currently is as agricultural land.
39:27Well, we can hear from the owner now, Amy James, on how it's affected her and her animals.
39:31To be handed another lifeline will be, well, you know, nothing short of a miracle, to be honest.
39:40And it would literally save, you know, I don't mean to sound dramatic, but it probably would save my life and save the animals' lives, you know.
39:50And a lot of people who come here, you know, we don't just help animals.
39:54We've been doing help in the community for, you know, nearly 10 years now.
39:59The amount of people we've helped with, obviously, rehoming their animals, people that come here for well-being and a bit of animal therapy.
40:06You know, everyone, we've built up a real lovely, you know, network of support over the years.
40:12And I'm just hoping we can maybe, you know, pull something magical out of the bag.
40:17Well, I'm joined now by our reporter, Kai Way, to tell us more about this situation.
40:22Kai, look, this is a big ask, £500,000.
40:26Take us through why they're in this situation.
40:28Of course.
40:30So, the Happy Pans Animal Sanctuary and Rescue near Sittingbourne, as you said, is facing an eviction deadline in less than seven weeks.
40:38Swell Council told the owners back in December that they only had nine months before they had to move out,
40:43with the final date set for Wednesday, the 3rd of September.
40:47Now, the owners now say that their only hope is to actually buy the land that they're currently renting to save the ranch
40:53and the more than 400 animals that they currently house there.
40:57Amy, the owner, initially launched a £250,000 fundraiser as soon as she received the refusal of her appeal to the eviction.
41:08But she's since been working with her legal team on a backup plan.
41:12And they've now launched, as you said, a £500,000 fundraiser after a three-year battle with the local authority
41:18to turn the land from an agricultural space to an animal rescue space.
41:23And the fundraiser is currently at £22,000.
41:27And just very quickly, what's next for some of these animals if this doesn't get to go through?
41:31And the animals are, of course, the main priority in the situation.
41:35The next steps, the owner says, is that all the money that she does raise,
41:39if she doesn't manage to get that £500,000, will go towards buying a new plot of land
41:45or, at the very least, rehoming the animals.
41:49So, yeah.
41:49Well, Kai, thank you very much for bringing us those details.
41:51We'll have plenty more after the break.
46:42I think the charity would agree it's just that you know you're not alone and I think as well as
46:48honouring our loved ones that we've lost suicide but also just the people that are struggling or
46:52have lived experience you know the survivors it's just about saying that you're not alone
46:56and just opening up those conversations you know talking about suicide getting rid of that stigma
47:01and that taboo that you know if you talk about it it's this you know dirty word and I just think by
47:06having something physical that people can see and touch and hold it just brings to life those
47:12conversations. Each baton bearer a part of the movement carries it through the county with their
47:17own personal story. I want to carry that baton in the name of of everyone that's not just lost to
47:23suicide but people battling with those thoughts there are so many people out there especially
47:27that we work with in the charity that they live with those thoughts day in day out and this for
47:32me is trying to carry that baton to say enough is enough we need to stand up against suicide and
47:37prevent it. The nationwide baton tour is set to start in Blackpool on the 1st of September
47:43visiting 20 locations before ending in Wrexham on the 4th of October. Daisy Page for KMTV.
47:51If you have been affected by the issues raised in this report the Samaritans can be reached on 116123.
47:58Well a very important cause and Daisy's here with us in the studio now but when this actually happens
48:07there's going to be lots to see and lots of ways that people can get involved. Yes there's going to
48:11be lots happening on the day as we can see this is the breakdown of the day when it does visit Kent
48:16and Medway and I must add it's first started in 2023 and 2025 it's going to be visiting 20 different
48:22locations and it's the first time that it's going to be coming to here Kent and Medway. So as we can
48:28see here it's going to be starting at mid Kent College and it's going to have opening speeches by
48:35the founder before moving on and it'll go actually on a speedboat across the Medway yeah the Medway River
48:43all the way to Rochester Cathedral and Rochester Gardens as well and at each different location it's
48:51kind of an event in itself so at Rochester Cathedral there's going to be music Zumba and
48:56well-being activities happening on the castle grounds as well so that's going to be happening
49:00until 1 30 p.m. it's going to be arriving at Medway at 9 a.m. so it'll be here in the morning before
49:08moving on to Maidstone now in Maidstone it should be arriving at around 11 40 a.m. and it will be going
49:16to the football stadium and on the day as I said at each location is like its own separate event
49:23and there's going to be football matches happening and when the baton actually arrives footballers are
49:28actually going to greet the baton as it comes on to the pitch and once it's finished off at the FC
49:35it's then going to be going to the county hall and it's actually going to be greeted by public health
49:39leaders there itself before moving on to Moat Park and when it goes to Moat Park we'll see
49:46individual people will be carrying the baton between these places but whilst it's traveling
49:52to Moat Park there'll actually be Samba drummers following it through and there it'll be Hope in
49:58the park where there'll be different events happening there between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that timing is
50:03and then we're going all the way down to Canterbury and Canterbury it'll be arriving
50:08from around 2 15 to 3 p.m. and there they're going to be going to the Together for Hope event
50:15at Canterbury Christchurch and there will also be speeches by an award-winning mental health
50:21campaigner Ben West and finally it'll be stopping in Fanet and it'll be multiple different stops there
50:27along the Margate Beach steps and there'll be an evening finale at Dreamland
50:33lots to look forward to and of course we'll be following it along this journey here at KMTV as
50:37well thank you very much for bringing us those details now time to take a look at a report from
50:44our website now it's kmtv.co.uk there you'll find all of our reports including this one after years of
50:50debates 16 and 17 year olds will now be given the right to vote in the next general election under new
50:57government plans this makes it the first time the UK has seen the age lowered since 1969 when it
51:03changed from 21 to 18 in a poll done by the Merlin strategy 500 16 and 17 year olds revealed a near
51:10even split on whether or not they think the voting age should be lowered to 16 with 51 percent for it
51:15and 49 percent against so I'm here in Maidstone to speak to young people who could be casting their
51:21vote at the next general election to find out what they think about the change I feel like I'll be quite
51:25excited to vote if I could vote now because I think it's good for everybody to have a say in like
51:30what's happening with the country I think it's good because like it will show that it will give you
51:35like a chance to do something before like you're 18 I'm pretty excited to vote because I feel like
51:41this generation is becoming more and more like aware of like politics and they're becoming like
51:45they've fallen I think that it's really great the 16 year olds get to vote in the next election
51:51because I think young people have probably more opinion than people who are older I think that
51:58is really good that we're like the first generation to vote because it really shows like all the older
52:01generations like an insight on how like we can improve the world it's quite crazy because you've
52:06got to pay like the government for all this stuff and like you've got to then like you have the same
52:09what everyone's doing around you but you can't drink alcohol I do think that that's going to be an issue
52:13and that people are going to be influenced especially by MPs because they think that
52:18because we're younger that they can influence us I feel like they should like make younger people
52:22more aware because like in school we don't know much about it like at all drinking and voting are
52:27two very different things like I mean drinking is like obviously it's bad for you like um it's not
52:33great it's like it's addicting but like voting is like voicing your opinion while young people
52:38in Midstone feel confident about the change some parties disagree yeah I think it's a desperate
52:43decision from a desperate government you know you can't marry you can't get married at 16 you can't
52:47go to war at 16 you can't drive at 16 you can't buy alcohol you can't buy cigarettes can't go into
52:53lottery you can't even be a jury and you can't even view an 18 plus film at the age of 16 but the idea
52:58that you're going to get the constitutional right to then vote in elections which is a very is a massive
53:04massive thing you know something which cannot be taken for granted and this idea we're going to give
53:10it to people whom quite frankly irrespective of how talented right they may be having got the
53:15necessary experience and are not classified as adults I don't think that's right this wasn't the
53:19only change that's been announced as now bank cards will be accepted as voter id under the new proposals
53:26the government hope that overall this will make a huge difference to voter turnout as the last general
53:31election seen the lowest figure since 2001 sitting at just under 60 so whether or not 16 and 17 year olds
53:38will turn up to increase the turnout it's up to them kristin hawthorne for kmtv maidstone
53:44thanks this evening parkinson's disease can be a confusing one for those who uh who who end up being
53:53uh who have the disease and it can also bring a lot of mental strain as well as physical difficulties
53:58but a center in canterbury for those with it has received an award for recognizing and bringing
54:04awareness to the issue winning a prize for its community outreach at the global health awards
54:092025 well presented to them and the whole team at the house of commons judges say that the center
54:15had an exceptional commitment to engaging and supporting the parkinson's community well to
54:21find out exactly why that is kristen hawthorne went down to meet them parkinson's is a disease that
54:26with its diagnosis often brings a lot of misconceptions making it difficult to get treatments that go beyond
54:32just physical needs but at the university of kent in the parkinson's center for integrated therapy
54:37which has been open for just two years they've been working and researching to change this so much so
54:42that they've already gained global recognition for their work the current support and provision for
54:47people with parkinson's isn't really enough people need ongoing support not just therapies but
54:54well-being activities access to social community social opportunities to lead the richest fullest life you
55:02can with parkinson's it's a cheap but really effective solution and we really think that
55:06actually looking after people with parkinson's in this way is the way to look after people with all
55:12sorts of long-term neurological conditions not just parkinson's this place now is it's much more than a
55:17research hub it's not a research hub it's a it's a hub for therapy and well-being and hope the singing
55:24really helps with maintaining the voice strong and being able to project the voice obviously dance is really
55:30good for that as well because it works on posture and that really helps with with having a strong
55:36voice too and yeah so I think it helps a lot with confidence and also helping the people to feel more
55:44relaxed this is just one of the facilities that they have but they also have things like singing
55:48dancing a cozy room a sleep clinic a gym but one of the main things that people enjoy here is the sense of
55:54community you know one of the things was that you felt quite alone even though I've got family and that
56:02I didn't know anyone else who got parkinson's but one of the best things about this place is
56:08it's the social aspect of it everyone's very supportive I'd probably be sitting at home watching
56:15television reading a book thinking what am I going to do with the rest of my time kind of thing whereas
56:22this it it as well as all the therapies and everything around here it gives me a purpose
56:30by providing community in what can be a lonely disease members here get the chance to not only
56:35raise their voices but raise their confidence Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV Canterbury
56:40you've been watching Kent tonight live on KMTV we'll be back tomorrow bye
56:46bye-bye
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