Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Thousands back stroke unit fight
More than 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for health bosses to reconsider closing Canterbury’s “top performing” stroke unit. The campaign follows plans to locate a new 54bed “hyper acute stroke centre” at the William Harvey Hospital in...
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£10m needed to finish new road
The county council is battling to find an extra £10 million to ensure works on a vital new road are completed, after a shock rise in costs. The council is waiting to hear whether it will be awarded a grant to plug the huge funding gap for the Sturry...
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Homes will help fund community hall for village
A major leap forward has been made towards creating a new community centre for a village. It comes as outline planning permission has been approved for 53 homes off Grove Road, Preston, between Canterbury and Sandwich. The land where the new homes...
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‘It was very different 50 years ago’
A nurse has hung up her uniform for the last time after almost 50 years caring for patients in Kent. Sally Foster worked her last shift at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital on Boxing Day, after first stepping onto a ward there in November 1978. The...
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Family’s heartbreak at death of ‘beautiful, kind and loving’ son, aged 28
The devastated family of an inspirational 28-year-old who bravely battled cancer for almost half his life say he was a “beautiful, kind and loving” young man. William France died peacefully at home in Canterbury earlier this month with his mum and dad...
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Old hospital ‘at risk of collapse’
A landmark city centre building could collapse into the river if £250,000 worth of repairs are not carried out, it has been warned. Volunteers at Eastbridge Hospital in Canterbury, formed in 1180, say the museum and almshouse is “increasingly leaning”...
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Charity cash stolen from festive house
The family behind one of Kent’s most festive houses have been left devastated after thieves stole money raised in memory of a premature baby. The display in Colonel’s Lane in Boughton-under-blean, between Canterbury and Faversham, has become a highly...
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‘It’s disgraceful’
The sorry state of the city’s former Debenhams store has been revealed - a year since the site went up in flames in a suspected arson attack. The derelict department store has since become a target for bored teenagers and vandals, with graffiti...
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Historic pub set to reopen after £500k makeover
A pub described as “tired and in desperate need of love" is set to reopen following a nine-month refurbishment costing £500,000. The Canterbury Tales pub, opposite The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury city centre, will open next week after undergoing a...
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Shop’s 24-hour booze delivery bid approved
A corner shop has been told it can offer a 24-hour alcohol delivery service in the face of police warnings it should not be allowed. Canterbury Wine Mart on St Dunstans Street had previously applied for similar permission in both 2015 and 2017, but...
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Fears over site’s new waste plans
Bosses want to double the amount of waste processed at a controversial recycling plant to half a million tonnes a year. The plan has sparked fears among neighbours, with a petition calling for the proposal to be blocked. The application for the...
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DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.
Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light. SCAN THIS QR CODE and complete the survey to #defendyourrighttoknow
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Paula’s 25 years transforming troubled estate
With a reputation for crime and dubbed ‘Little Beirut’, it certainly felt like a war zone when Paula Spencer arrived in Thanington 25 years ago. At the time, the troubled council estate on the edge of Canterbury was officially deemed to be one of the...
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Cathedral’s ‘ugly’ graffiti art display under fire
The US Vice President has reacted to an art installation at Canterbury Cathedral which features graffiti tags posing questions to God. The work has sparked a mixed reaction - with some saying it has made the historic building look like an “underground...
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‘My whole world just fell apart’
A mum whose four- year-old son has a rare terminal brain disorder says he remains “a very happy soul” despite the devastating diagnosis. As few as 500 children globally are believed to have Betapropeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN)....
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Change to towers traffic flow plans
The next phase of work around the Westgate Towers in Canterbury is set to start - but plans to manage the flow of traffic have been changed “to avoid confusion”. Vehicles will continue to travel in the same direction as the current diversion route,...
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Prison death of paedophile, 24, unexplained
Mystery surrounds the prison death of a 24-year-old paedophile said to have subjected his young victim to “one of the world’s greatest evils”. Jacob Bean had reported chest pains and that he was struggling to breathe a week before he was found...
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Historic pubs up for sale
Two pubs with centuries of history will stay open despite the buildings going up for sale. The Seven Stars in Canterbury and Sheldon’s in Margate both appeared on the market last week. However, despite the trend of pubs closing across the country,...
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Wildlife park boss suspended as charity trustee amid investigation
Wildlife park boss Damian Aspinall has been suspended as a trustee of the Howletts Wild Animal Trust amid a long-running investigation into two Kent-based conservation organisations by a government regulator. The Charity Commission confirmed Mr...
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Inquest opens into death of boy, 4, struck by bus
A four-year-old boy died after running into a road and being struck by a bus, a coroner has heard. Zaahir Jan Feizi, from Canterbury, was involved in the tragic collision in the grounds of QEQM Hospital in Margate on Thursday, August 7. He was rushed...
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Sherry rounds to smoke-filled rooms: Nurse looks back on 50 years in job
A grandmother who began her nursing career when patients could smoke in the day room and enjoy a sherry with their evening medication has celebrated 50 years in the job. Sue Baker started her training in August 1975 – four years before the William...
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‘It could have ended ugly’
A mum on holiday with her family when her car went up in flames says the suspected arson attack could have “ended really, really ugly”. Ana Blanco Ibañez was abroad with her husband and two children when she was told her blue Ford Focus was set on...
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Drivers spared long detour on busy road
Major roadworks linked to a new housing estate are set to start on a main route for three months. But a “ridiculous” full closure of the A257 Littlebourne Road in Canterbury, which was initially scheduled, has been averted. The scheme was abandoned...
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‘Toilet and ashtray’ planters scrapped
Part of the council’s £1m high street transformation is being scrapped after officials admitted defeat in stopping people from using it as a toilet. As part of the St George’s Street renovation in Canterbury, the city council installed planters across...
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Solar farm on edge of village approved
A sprawling solar farm on the edge of a village has been given the nod by planning chiefs. Renewable Connections asked Canterbury City Council (CCC) for permission to build the facility, alongside a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) late last year....
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300-home village scheme rejected
An application for the estate between Bekesbourne and Littlebourne, near Canterbury, had previously been deferred by councillors despite saying they had a “gun to their head” to approve it. But they were unanimously rejected last week when the plans...
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Doctor jailed for decades of abuse
Gregory Manson has been convicted of performing unnecessary and unjustified genital examinations on men and teenage boys over two decades while practising at Cossington House surgery in Canterbury. Some of the victims were attending his surgery for...
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Estate plan for old council HQ
Military Road offices were vacated last year after they were deemed too large and expensive to run, with staff relocating to Rose Lane and Whitefriars. The seven-acre brownfield site is now under offer, but planning approval would pave the way for...
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Police inspector got ‘handsy’ at party
A high-ranking police inspector who got “handsy” with two junior female officers during a work Christmas Party in Canterbury has been banned from the force. Inspector Steve Dunnett, who worked in north Kent and Sittingbourne, was seen to...
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Big boost for shopping centre
A £155 million takeover of Whitefriars seems to be paying off after yet another big brand revealed plans to move in. Canterbury City Council came under fire after it spent millions buying the shopping centre in 2018. But a turnaround in fortunes has...
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Council ‘baffled’ by petition over orchard trees
A campaign to stop more trees being planted in a historic riverside orchard has left council bosses “baffled”. They say a petition to stop the scheme in Canterbury misrepresents its plans and may have lured people into supporting it “under false...
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Setback for city ‘Boris bike’ plan
Plans for a ‘Boris bikes’ type rental scheme in Canterbury aimed at cutting traffic congestion and pollution have failed to spark any interest from an operator. That is despite the city council setting aside £338,000 to pay for the bikes and docking...
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Kent student in court following fires at Prime Minister’s house
A Kent university student is among three people accused of arson at properties and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer. Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, of Chadwell Heath, east London, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday...
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School secures top ratings in every category
A primary school has been rated ‘Outstanding’ across the board following its first Ofsted inspection in 10 years. Wickhambreaux Church of England Primary School, near Canterbury, was visited by the education watchdog at the beginning of last month. It...
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Plans for ‘one of UK’S largest’ tiger houses unveiled
One of Kent’s largest animal parks has unveiled ambitious plans to build one of the country’s largest indoor tiger houses. Two tigers are set to move to a new home in Wingham Wildlife Park, near Canterbury, from the former Sandwich Wildlife Park site...
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Homeless encampment cleared out
A dangerous homeless encampment has been dismantled and fenced off as “mounding work” is set to get underway to stop it returning. Rough sleepers set up tents perilously close to the edge of Canterbury’s busy ring-road last summer but the city council...
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Hobbycraft store among nine to shut
Hobbycraft has confirmed it will be closing its store in the city as part of a company-wide restructure. Nine “loss-making” stores across the country will close, including the branch at Riverside Retail Park in Canterbury. Sky News reported that its...
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Temporary 20mph order on A299
Traffic on the A299 New Thanet Way will be reduced to a crawl when a 20mph speed limit is imposed next month. The daytime restriction is due to come into force for two weeks between the St Nicholas roundabout near Birchington and Herne Bay. Kent...
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Fan loses licence after drink-driving
A football fan has lost his licence after drinking pints while watching his team at a pub - and then driving home in the dark without headlights on. Paul Gower was stopped by police at the wheel of a Vauxhall Corsa in Whitstable Road, Blean, near...
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Blind and homeless thief stole food after spending benefits on hotel room
A blind and homeless thief who was released from prison with nowhere to live went out stealing alcohol and food after spending his benefits on hotel costs. Tony Dawkins, who has issues with drink and several medical problems, has been given another...
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Anger as units blocking iconic city view remain
A university has still failed to act on an enforcement notice ordering the removal of rooftop ventilation units which are blocking out historic views of Canterbury Cathedral. Canterbury Christ Church University fell foul of planning regulations when it...
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‘Building on uni land will destroy our countryside’
Plans to build 2,000 homes on land owned by the University of Kent would destroy a vast swathe of countryside, campaigners say. A site to the north of the university’s Canterbury campus has been earmarked for a large estate in the city council’s new...
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Bid for massive battery storage site passes first planning step
Plans for a battery facility the size of nine football pitches near a hamlet are progressing. In January, Sky UK Development Ltd submitted paperwork to Canterbury City Council (CCC) for a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) half a kilometre from...
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Leisure complex set to be full after three years
A multi-million-pound taxpayer-funded leisure complex is finally on track to be fully occupied almost three years after it launched. Two new tenants have signed leases while a third is in discussions to move into the Riverside complex in...
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Sadness as one of county’s oldest pubs shuts
A pub dating back to the 15th century has announced its sudden closure - with plans to sell it in motion. Last week, Bosses confirmed The Abbot’s Fireside in Elham, near Canterbury, would not reopen after celebrating its final hurrah the Sunday...
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Hotel given green light to expand
A popular hotel has been given the green light to create two new holiday lets and a treatment room out of shepherd huts. The Pig at Bridge Place in Canterbury, once ranked one of the best boutique hotels in the UK, put forward the proposals in 2022....
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Women ‘forced into sex to pay debts’
Three people at the centre of a prostitution and brothel ring which had spread across the “whole of England” will be sentenced later this year. Lina Wang, Chung Fu Wang and Yuan Hang, helped run more than 36 sex sites around the country, including in...
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Green light for for new £10m primary school
Work on a new £10m primary school in Kent is expected to start in the summer after being granted planning permission. Thanington Primary School, just under two miles from Canterbury city centre, will eventually have capacity for 420 places for pupils...
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Work starts on luxury gym complex
Work on a state-of-the-art leisure complex larger than two football pitches has begun as bosses reveal plans for the grand opening. David Lloyd Leisure, which charges monthly membership fees from £139 elsewhere in Kent, has begun building its third...
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Pair deny murder of ‘respectful and brave’ 23-year-old
Two men have pleaded not guilty to the murder of a 23-yearold in Canterbury city centre. Mohammed Hgar and Kemal Ibrahim denied the offence during crown court proceedings today (January 10). Hgar, 31, of no fixed address, and Ibrahim, 24, of Long Acre...
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Storm shuts attraction indefinitely
A historic tourist attraction has been forced to shut indefinitely after stormy high winds reduced part of its garden wall to rubble. Visitors have expressed their sadness after bosses at Belmont House and Gardens near Faversham revealed the extent of...
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Family deletes ‘tasteless’ parody song
The Marsh family have taken down their new song about Gisèle Pelicot’s rape trial after critics accused them of being “remarkably tasteless”. The married couple and their four children, who live in Faversham, this week released a parody of Paul...
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Boxer spent the night in custody after court error
A court blunder led to a suspected drug dealer being arrested and hauled before the courts in error over a breached curfew. Sam Whittle is currently on bail after being charged with supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Ashford and was given strict...
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Man pleads guilty to artist’s murder
A former pub chef has pleaded guilty to the murder of artist Claire Knights. Harrison Lawrence Van-pooss had been awaiting trial for the brutal attack on the 54-yearold mum from of Upstreet, Canterbury, while she was walking her dog in Minnis Bay,...
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Council pays out £100k after legal battle
A cash-strapped council must stump up £99,000 of taxpayers’ money on legal fees after shunning its own expert advice over a planning bid. Canterbury City Council’s (CCC) planning committee rejected proposals to expand a caravan park near Whitstable –...
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Make your Christmas at Canterbury Cathedral
Join us for worship, events, and the historic Christmas Market
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‘She was exposed to world’s greatest evil’
The devastated father of a 10year-old girl groomed on Snapchat and Whatsapp by a paedophile posing as a teenage boy told a court he feels he has failed as a parent. In a moving statement read out at the sentencing hearing of Chartham resident Jacob...
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Dog almost mauled to death in attack
A Jack Russell has been left needing surgery after being attacked by two “large fluffy dogs”. Jacko came to Guardian Angels Dog Rescue after his elderly owner passed away and was given a foster placement in Chartham. But while out with his temporary...
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At girl ‘believed to be vinegar’
A substance thrown at a girl which caused a school to be evacuated amid a huge emergency response is believed to have been vinegar. Senior teachers at The Orchard School in Canterbury raised the alarm after a pupil threw an “unidentified liquid” at...
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Fast food joint to open after three-year delay
A fast food takeaway which has faced constant backlash since plans were first announced three years ago is finally set to open. Wraps and Wings is launching its first Kent branch in Palace Street, Canterbury next to The King's School entrance. The...
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Tributes after death of former Cathedral dean
A former Cathedral dean whose morning prayer videos featuring his crafty cats went viral has died. Tributes have flooded in for Dr Robert Willis – who retired as the Dean of Canterbury two years ago – after he died “suddenly and peacefully” last...
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£300k fund will help improve six cycle paths
Almost £300,000 is to be spent improving cycling routes across Canterbury with six schemes getting the go-ahead from the city council. The project - made possible with Levelling Up Fund money - is aimed at encouraging more short journeys through...
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School reveals plans for 400year-old tavern
The world’s oldest school has confirmed plans to transform a 400-year-old pub into a study centre for pupils. King’s, founded in 597 AD, bought the Jolly Sailor in Northgate, Canterbury, in 2019 but the site has remained empty since. If given the...
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Drug-fuelled knifeman guilty of
A drink and drug-fuelled knifeman who stabbed a dad of three to death in a violent confrontation outside a village pub has been convicted of murder. William Cosier had claimed he had simply wanted to “scare off” Adam Pritchard, only to come under fire...
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MP says no to by-election calls
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has rejected calls to stand down and trigger a byelection following her shock decision to quit the Labour Party. The 53-year-old announced her resignation in an excoriating letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the...
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