GravesendExtraGE

Big interest in consultation on new homes

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MAJOR housing schemes already approved in Gravesend and Northfleet will protect village life if the council has its way.

Numerous plans from developers and speculators have been considered as part of the council's long-running consultation of the future of the borough.

Everyone in the community had a chance to comment on the ideas put forward. They ranged from super developments such as th

HGV toll plan on foreign truckers s s -

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Paul Francis Political editor pfrancis@thekmgroup.co.uk FOREIGN lorry drivers could face a £10 toll to use motorways in a move that could help boost funding for key transport projects in Kent and the South East.

The government is planning to consult on introducing a British equivalent of the European vignette system in which foreign drivers will have to pay a fee to use roads

Adorable lurchers

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

OLLIE and Shadow are 14-week-old male lurcher puppies. They are adorable, fun and leggy as lurcher pups should be.
These boys can be homed together or separately but will need new owners who are around for most of the day and who have the time to train them. The boys are working on their house training with their fosterer but as they are young, `accidents' should be expected.
Ollie and Sha

Mick declines Cameron

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

DARTFORD-born Sir Mick Jagger backed out of a tea party to sell Britain after complaining of being used as a "political football."

The Rolling Stones star, who went to Dartford Grammar School, had been signed up to sell the nation at an international summit by Prime Minister David Cameron.
But Sir Mick said he has "always avoided party politics" and declined the invitation.

Clarification

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

WE have been asked to clarify that in a story in the January 20 edition of the Messenger Extra, references to problems overcome by two award-winning staff at St George's Secondary School occurred when the school was in special measures. St George's has since been removed from that list and is officially "satisfactory."

Don't forget your free Extra

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Messenger Extra is a FREE newspaper featuring a roundup of the latest local news and views.
As well as being delivered directly to thousands of homes across the region, it's also available for you to pick up at the following convenient locations: KM office, High Street, Gravesend Priory Shopping Centre, Dartford Sainsbury's, Stadium Way, Dartford Asda, London Road, Swanley Homebase, Princes Roa

OUR PRIZE-WINNING PAPERS

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

There are many ways you can get your hands on a copy of one of the KM Group's local titles: The Gravesend Messenger, The Dartford Messenger and Messenger Extra. The Gravesend and Dartford Messengers are multi awardwinning titles serving each individual area and packed with added extras including: What's On A weekly countywide leisure guide crammed with celebrity interviews, a seven-day TV guide,

YOUR CONTACTS

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

EDITORIAL: 7 High Street, Gravesend, Kent DA11 0BQ 01474 564327, Fax: 01474 564304, email: gravesendmessenger@thekm group.co.uk, website: http://www.kentonline.co.uk ADVERTISING: 7 High Street, Gravesend, Kent DA11 0BQ 01474 564327, Fax: 01474 564304, email: jpearce@thekmgroup.co.uk EDITOR: Bob Bounds; SENIOR NEWS EDITOR: Nikki White REPORTERS: Jamie Bullen, Rachel Hovenden, Alan Watkins and Har

Switch off and stay safe before you drive

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Andy Gray agray@thekmgroup.co.uk DRIVERS are being urged to "switch off before they set off " in a new road safety campaign.

The Kent County Council initiative is designed to raise awareness of the dangers of using mobile phones while driving.

It comes after a council survey showed 10% of drivers in Kent confessed using a hand-held device behind the wheel.

It also found 44% of motorist

Factfile

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Over the past three years in Kent, official figures show four people have died and another 40 have been injured in crashes where a driver was using a mobile phone.

Between 2008 and 2011, Kent Police issued 20,633 fixed penalty notices for drivers caught using a mobile.

An RAC report in 2010 showed drivers aged 25 to 44 were the worst offenders.

It also revealed one in five people admitted

Olympic flight numbers set to soar

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

HUNDREDS of flights will be allowed to take off and land at Kent's airports every day during this summer's Olympics.

Manston, Lydd and Rochester have been asked to take a share of the 500,000 international visitors expected during the Games.

In total, the airports could accept up to about 370 flights a day, as all three will be regulated between July 21 and August 15 to prevent overcrowding

Register reveals county's domestic violence shame

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Danny Boyle dboyle@thekmgroup.co.uk KENT'S domestic violence shame has been revealed by figures that show the county has hundreds of serial offenders.

As many as 425 people including 36 women are known to have assaulted at least two partners.

A team of Kent Police officers has created the register of repeat offenders in a bid to break the cycle of crime.

Detectives have put a ma

Promise of action to bring quieter crossing

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

TARMAC is to be replaced around the Dartford Crossing to tackle noise pollution.

The announcement comes after the intervention of local MP Gareth Johnson, who pressed the roads minister on the matter in a Commons debate.

During question time with the minister, the Dartford MP, who is also fighting toll increases, said noise was often forgotten when concerns were raised about pollution caused

...but the light's still too bright to see stars

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MILLIONS have been tuning into the BBC's Stargazing Live programmes featuring Dara O'Briain and Brian Cox.
The urbane Prof Cox has sparked a upsurge in interest in science and astronomy, creating a new legion of amateurs keen to find out more about the night sky.
But how easy is it to explore from our gardens and bedroom windows?
Well not very if our `light pollution map' is anything to g

Owners cashing in by renting homes during Olympics

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

HOUSEHOLDERS in Dartford and Gravesham could be cashing in this summer by renting out their homes during the Olympic Games.

With London 2012 less than six months away, residents are taking advantage of the areas' prime locations and high speed link to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and advertising their homes for weekly rental during the games and Paralympics.

Some are offering spectators

Coat keeps Nero cosy

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A BABY alpaca is proving to be a little fighter.
The females don't usually have their offspring until April but this cria, as the young are called, was born just a few weeks ago.
Owners Kirstie and Andy Brown have been making sure the male alpaca called Nero survives the cold weather by putting a special coat on him to keep him warm.
For the last week they have also carried out checks on

Is your birthday on Leap Day?

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

THIS is a leap year and we want to speak to anyone whose birthday falls on Wednesday, February 29.
We want to know, for example, if you have a special party planned to mark the event, or how many times you have celebrated your real birthday.
February 29, known as a leap day in the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are evenly divisible by four such as 2004, 2008

It's no Usain Bolt or Tom Daley but...

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

SERIOUSLY, we are looking forward to the weightlifting.

For failed gym-bunnies like me, muscle-bound giants roaring defiance as they try desperately not to topple over backward with the dumb-bell bars bending above their heads is a spectacle of amazement and amusement.
Oh, sure, we would have liked to have seen the 100m final, maybe some swimming, or even Tom Daley, but weightlifting, and vo

Hidden treasure gets pride of place

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

THERE'S a new face behind the bar at the Leather Bottle, in Cobham.
When Bryan and Susan Treleaven took over the pub, immortalised by Dickens in The Pickwick Papers, they embarked on a spring clean. Mrs Treleaven said: "We have got so much memorabilia in the pub we needed to have a good old clean up. I came across a big picture of Charles Dickens. It was filthy and really mouldy.
"I didn't

The singer with a soul-soaked voice returns for a sell-out show

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Paul Carrack The Orchard Theatre, Dartford CAN there be a more complete and accomplished performer than Paul Carrack? I would need plenty of convincing that there is another singersongwriter and multi-talented musician of his calibre.
He may not have the universal recognition of big hitters of his era like McCartney but he has a solid following that will always fill theatres.
And so it was a

Reporter Alan wins journalism title

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MESSENGER reporter Alan Watkins has been named one of the best in the county.

Alan, who works at the Gravesend and Dartford Messengers, was named the Shepherd Neame Best Newspaper or Online Journalist of the Year at an award's ceremony on Friday.

His stories about a long-running youth club row plus his recollections of notorious killer Fred West were picked out for praise.

Alan's award wasn'

Grand tour of the Emerald Isle

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Chris Hunter chunter@thekmgroup.co.uk IF THE great figures of Irish history got together and decided to set off on a tour of their mother country, and the discussion turned to their preferred mode of transport, what could they possibly agree on?
The debate would be fierce. The 6th century explorer monk Brendan the Navigator would surely plump for something plain, like a coracle, while

Three bedrooms in desirable area

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

First Avenue, Gravesend PRICE: £320,000-£330,000 THIS detached three bedroom house has been maintained to a high standard by the present owners to provide spacious and versatile living accommodation.
There is an entrance porch, spacious living room, dining room, kitchen with separate utility room, cloakroom, three double bedrooms and shower room/wc.
The property has a driveway, pedestrian

Top concerns not covered by agents

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Buyers are most concerned about the safety of the neighbourhood and whether their close neighbours are noisy, yet neither of these factors is really covered by official documents, a new survey says.
According to the survey from conveyancer 1st Property Lawyers, more than nine in 10 buyers (93%) would like information which is not normally revealed by an estate agent, property survey or property

Seaviews with beach access

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

With a stunning outlook and balconies facing the sea, the house that will one day stand on this plot could be a dream for someone who loves the coast.
The plot with planning permission, at the Parade, Greatstone, Romney Marsh, has direct access to the long sandy beach and is on the market with a guide price of £150,000. Steve Donnelly of Land and Property consultants Chapel Place said Greatst

Heated mirrors add to Leon's appeal

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As the harsh winter temperatures set in, Iain Dooley tested how his Seat Leon SE Copa 1.2 TSI handled the cold. Never underestimate the power of heated exterior mirrors. Sure, it only takes a minute to manually de-ice them along with the rest of the car but, if you're already warm and cosy inside and realise you can't see, it could be a disaster.
OK, so it's never really going to be a disaste