Headlines Last Updated:

CCTV Centre Moved To Save Money

As previously reported Swale Borough Council's CCTV Unit has finally moved out of Swale House as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

Swale's 70 dedicated cameras will now be monitored by Medway Council's CCTV Control Centre in Rochester. Swale Borough Council has initially had to invest £150,000 to fund the switch-over and will pay an ongoing fee of £194,000 per year for the service, but it is estimated that the move will save the council £46,800 a year after the first 3 years.

Police officers at Sittingbourne can download CCTV images locally to prevent "operational difficulties" as the Medway area falls outside the Mid Kent policing area, which covers Swale. Councillor John Morris, the portfolio holder for community services at Swale BC, told SFM News that this "will provide the best value for money for local council tax payers and will be a more efficient and cost-effective service".


Police Appeal After Petrol Station Robbery

Swale Police are appealing for witnesses after a large quantity of cigarettes were taken during a burglary at a petrol station in Faversham.

Officers were called at around 3.25am on Tuesday 27th July to the Macknade service station on Canterbury Road. It is estimated that around £5,000 worth of cigarettes were taken after offenders gained entry to the front of the store. Two men are thought to have been involved in the incident and are aged between 18-25 years. The first is described as slim and wearing a grey hooded top, brown trousers and black trainers with white laces. The second is described as medium build and was wearing a dark Adidas hooded top with gold writing, black tracksuit trousers and black and white Nike trainers.

Police are currently looking at CCTV from the petrol station to gather more information on the incident but are hoping people will come forward with information. Anyone who can help with the investigation should call Sittingbourne Police Station on 01795 419354 quoting reference CY/11894/10.


Early Academy Approval For Local Schools

Both Fulston Manor and Westlands could be academies by as early as the new school year this September.

The Department of Education confirmed that both schools, recently rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted inspectors, have been given "early approval" after registering their an interest in changing their status. The change of status could see decisions over admissions, pay, what is teached at the schools and the power to change the length of the school day and term times, taken away from County Hall and becoming the responsibility for each school respectively.

Jon Whitcombe, Head of Westlands and Executive Head of Woodgrove Primary School, told SFM News that they were going "to use this opportunity to further develop fantastic opportunities for young people. It is a recognition that outstanding schools have the capacity to fully manage their own affairs in the interests of the communities they serve. As a result of academy status, Westlands and Woodgrove will benefit from significant additional financial resources hitherto retained by the local authority".

Kent County Council told SFM News it was concerned by the move as the Department for Education has yet to explain how it would plug an estimated £3.5 million funding gap the county could face if its 15 outstanding schools all became academies.


Former Paper Mill Site £95m Plans Unveiled

The new owners of the former M-Real Sittingbourne Paper Mill have unveiled a £95 million plan for a total makeover of the site.

Essential Land, who purchased the Mill for £5.65m last year, want to create 250 homes on the site along with a food store and retail park, subject to planning consent. Swale Borough Council confimred to SFM News that they had conducted "preliminary informal discussions with the landowner, as is normal before they submit formal plans".

Demolition of the site has begun as there are no listed buildings on the site. The Kent Historic Buildings Committee have raised some concerns but the owners have confirmed that they realise the significance of the mill in Sittingbourne's history and that they have commissioned an historian to document the demolition and to produce a photographic record, which they hope to display in the form of a museum.

It's understood that the owners are eager to re-open the Sittingbourne & Kemlsey Light Railway and celebrate its 40th anniversary. Plans have been instigated to remove the asbestos from the station and it has been confimred that the viaduct is not part of the demolition on the site.