I'm back again for another fantastic interview.  Where do these people hide in Kent?

This week's special guest on my blog is the wonderfully truthful and exceptionally brave Sian Murphy, 48 from Hoo near Rochester, Medway.

Although the picture is quite clear, Sian would like to reiterate that she is a woman as her name is sometimes confused with Sean.  Don't worry Sian, they will never make that mistake.

Currently, Sian runs her own business, Stormchasers, with her husband Mark.  In conjunction with her work at Stormchasers, Sian works with 2 other professional to make up The Ruby Marketers.

If you are wondering exactly what the company is, I will tell you!  The company specialises in helping local business owners who are computer illiterate or did not have the priviledge of using a laptop when they were younger to market their business online.  The range of services they offer is so vast which can start from setting up a Business Blog for a business to setting up social media profiles and as Sian puts it 'Give them the confidence and know-how to start using it.'

If that wasn't already enough, Stormchaser is branching out in another field of their business.

'Another part of my business is run by my husband Mark and he builds starter websites for businesses as part of Stormchasers at AskStormchasers.'

I was intrigued to find out more and did a bit of 'Googling' and came across an interesting article on the following website:

http://leavingthearmedforces.com/stormchasers/

I found a great quote on this website which described Stormchasers as a business that  'Is about leaping forwards into the storm, and coming back out the other side into a brighter and calmer world.'

I think this is a great acknowledgement of Sian and Mark's hard work.

And for any potential new and bright minds that want to begin their own business, take this advice from Sian.  'My tip for setting up in business is to give it time.  Work out how long it will take you to get it all up and running and get work finished - and then double it!'

'Set goals and then plan how you are going to achieve them and don't give up too soon, but be prepared to bend and sway as things change.  Smile, laugh, share and have 1 full day off each week.'

Wise words and I think, sensible advice for new business minds in the making.  Thanks Sian!

Moving on to Kentish matters, Sian likes the diversity of the landscape in Kent.  'We have rolling countryside, inland waterways, estuary shorelines and seaside all within a 70 mile radius.  To top it all off we also have some fascinating industrial areas with some really unexpected hidden treasures.'

Sian particularly like Hoo Church Cemetery.  Before you feel a shiver go down your spine, listen to the reason.  'A bit odd I know but unlike so many graveyards, Hoo is full of life.  Despite the age of many of the gravestones, there are flowers and shiny windmills, some truly wonderful trees to sit under when it's raining and some well placed benches for when the sun is out.  There are often children playing or just hanging out in their hoodies chatting to each other, whilst other villagers walk their dogs.  It's the happiest graveyard I've ever been to!'

Maybe I could have saved this for Halloween but I think it is great to hear something out the ordinary in an ordinary day in our lives.  Plus, I have never heard someone describe a graveyard in detail without using the words 'depressing' and 'upsetting' before.

As you know, my avid readers, as of 2011 I introduced a new question to my blog in which my interviewees tell me a specific fact or snippet of information about our beloved county.  Sian had a really interesting and historical one this week!

'One day I'm going to walk the Saxon Shore Way.' Sian begins. ' The Shore Way follows the line of historic fortifications that defended the Kent coast at the end of the Roman era.  The Shore Way is 160 miles long and starts from Gravesend and goes right the way around to Hasting, East Sussex.'

'There's lots to see along the way from ports, coastline and stunning countryside and of course that sense of history that walking along an ancient footpath - following along in the footstep of goodness know who always amuses me.'

Further to Sian's comments about the Saxon Shore Way, there are also four Roman fort remains, dating from the 4th Century that line the trail.  The only one I am familiar with is the one in Dover.  Kent is very rich in history but it is always great to learn about new things that different Kent residents know from their own experiences.

One of my favourite parts of the blog is eating spots! 

Sian enjoys eating at two pubs in Kent, namely The Ringlestone Inn and The Pier at Upnor, Rochester.  'I like them because the food is good and so is the atmosphere.  We also like to take a little picnic along the shoreline at Hoo every now and then.' 

You can't beat a Ham and Colman's Mustard sandwich, a bag of kettle crisps and a healthy slice of Chocolate Fudge cake! Delicious.

When not working, Sian enjoys cooking and eating meal with the family with a good bottle of wine, which she finds is her 'favourite pastime.'

This is followed by watching a movie whilst nodding off on the sofa.  A pastime of many in Kent I assume.

But there is more!  'When Mark and I are on our own, we enjoy walking and can often be spotted meandering mindlessly around the haunts of Hoo with nowhere in particular to go.'

'I also make rag rugs from old clothes and cloth, mainly for decorative purposes.'

My blog now enters a more serious tone that I believe needs delicate and careful attention as I am writing it.  Normally, I take great delight in listening to my interviewees explaining a humourous story to me about themselves, whether it be of them waking up semi nude on a beach after an initiation ceremony at University or walking into walls for no apparent reason.

Sian tells me a story that she is currently closing in her life at the moment.  One that has me wanting to stand up and applaud her bravery and courage to be able to tell a volunteer bloggist she has never met a very close and personal chapter of her life which I greatly appreciate and hope you find I have describe in a way that is befitting to you.

'2 years ago Mark and I used to have jobs.  I worked in local Government and Mark was a Project Manager.  We were both unhappy with our jobs and spent years talking about leaving and starting our own business.  I'd already trained as an NLP (forgive me if I'm wrong - Neurolinguistic Programming) practitioner and copywriter but unfortunately we didn't plan properly and then in

2009 found ourselves so stressed and miserable that we just decided to hand in our notice and quit.'

So, on 1st August 2009 there we were with no salaries, but some rather grand business plans.  On 17th August, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  That stopped us in our tracks for a while.'

'It's now 2 years later and whilst I'm still on medication, our business is finally taking off after lots of false starts.  I could write a whole book on false starts but we have learned so much.'

'It sounds odd but whilst it might seem like the worst possible time to get cancer, in fact it was the best and it might even have been a lifesaver.  Had I been diagnosed whilst I was still at work I think I never would have left because of the security around the sick pay.  If I wasn't diagnosed just 2 weeks after we both left our jobs we would have just transferred our hectic lifestyles from jobs to businesses.  It would have been the same except now we wouldn't have been receiving monthly pay cheques!'

'Today we've both learned the lesson that money isn't that important, although of course that is also now our challenge because when you are in business you have to value money to some extent or you don't earn any of the damn stuff!'

'We also say thank you got what we do have instead of moaning about what we don't and we really do have so much.  Today we are working with some fabulous people the universe has sent us the perfect business partners and associates.  Our offices are up at the Innovation Centre and we have the most amazing fun.  It's all the good stuff about being at work in an office such as being around friends and having someone to share your triumphs and challenges, but without all of the grim stuff of having to dance to someone else's tune.'

As upbeat as ever, Sian claims ' We're having a ball!'

Now one of my favourite parts of the blog where my interviewees put the world to rights with their opinions on how to make Kent a better place.

"I would get planners in Medway to either change or introduce a required ratio of concrete to plants and greenery in the large housing development that are springing up around Hoo.  Many of the houses open directly onto the street, there are no gardens to speak of and the roads are so narrow they are like little brick tunnels.'

Sian likes to see 'a bit of green' when she looks out the window and whilst she doesn't live a development house, it still forms part of the landscape.

'Given that these estates have replaced fields, it would seem ecologically important at least to give a cursory nod to keeping some greenery around!'

I totally agree with that point and think that planners and developers should look closely at where they are building and how it will affect the local surrounding for both the locals and the wildlife.

So we come to my random question of the week and this one is a really good one!

If you could become any person in the world for one day, who would you become and why?

'I tried so hard to think of someone who wasn't too obvious but I couldn't, so I plumped for Oprah Winfrey, a bit of a cliche I know.'

'I chose Oprah because I want to know how it feels to be her.  She had a difficult childhood, dealt with racism and has overcome so much to get where she is.  She has such a clear vision about her life, that I want to know how that feels so I can recreate it for myself.

Well, this has been one of my most intense blogs yet, with highs and lows, cheerful quips and serious tones but overall I have enjoyed writing this one very much.  I hope Sian receives the recognition she deserves, not just through this blog but through the business world too.

Sian - my very best wishes for your future and a speedy recovery and I hope your business will continue to bloom!

So that's it for another week folks! (No Looney Tunes pun intended) but check in again soon for my newest interviewee.  Who knows, it could even be you!

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

Many years ago in fact as far back as 1264 there was a town called Meregate, which later became known as Margate. Steeped in maritime history it also became a very popular holiday resort for both rich and poor.

Inventions such as the bathing machine a contraption that was wheeled out to sea for both men and women to change into their costumes, made the experience of swimming ‘proper’ and drew more and more holidaymakers.

Margate was on the rise and both the famous and not so famous made a beeline for the stunning beaches, warm sunshine and good old Kentish beer. Songs and poems and films were made about Margate and families enjoyed each other’s company. Life was good for Margate. Well, if we ignore the mods and rockers having a pop at each other in the 1960s…

But in a cruel twist of fate Margate fell out of vogue. Gone were the wealthy tourists, and instead, Margate became home to desperadoes’, and many economic migrants, as well as many disenchanted Londoners sent to Margate by the various councils of London to enjoy the town and live free. Well almost.

The Victorian pier was largely decimated by a storm in 1978, mysterious fires destroyed buildings, unemployment started to climb and property prices headed south.  The UK was in financial turmoil in the 1980s, and Margate began to suffer more than most.  One newspaper called Margate ‘Britain’s Top Ghost Town’ and they didn’t mean of the spooky kind.

But hey presto, a glimmer of hope was there in the Noughties. But some evil landowners, it was said, decided to offer ‘incentives’ or might have been ‘bribes’ to some land and estate agents and not to pass on offers from buyers to sellers.  It was so they could buy them on the cheap! Boo I hear you say, and you would be right. Allegedly.

Huge government grants became available and suddenly the money was gone and some evil people might have trousered the lot. Allegedly.

Humble shopkeepers were asked for more rent and when they could not pay, they were chased to the end of the globe for the funds. Allegedly.

A huge gallery then appeared in 2011 with much acclaim, and with the gallery came the crowds. Many coming down to Margate yet again in mechanically propelled vehicles, as well as something called HS1. 

With the crowds came the sunshine, but beneath Margate’s rebirth, a few of those who felt wronged and a few with morals decided to start to expose those people, which they thought were responsible. Their aim is to make Margate the great place it deserves to be, without the alleged corruption. Like all good stories, there is bound to be a happy ending…

As an asthma suffer I do have a keen interest in air quality and pollution. But Cllr Martin Vye of the Liberal Democrats, do you honestly think a congestion charge for major Kent towns is a solution to my problems?

People need cars in their daily lives. Fact. There is no viable alternative for them and the lack of investment in this countries infrastructure is not the fault of drivers; inexcusable apathy from countless governments are to blame. Kent has some of the worst roads in the whole United Kingdom and the neglection has gone on for far too long.

A congestion charge is not a solution to the problem. I'm still waiting to see the benefits in London, which has not lead to a psychological change in drivers. In fact, Ken Livingston was unpopular for wanting to expanding the charge to other regions of London. Subsquently went on to lose to Boris Johnson in the Mayoral elections. Manchester rejected the preporsal.

It is unpopular and completely unjustified.

Here's some alternatives:

1. Improved road layouts

2. Better junctions

3. Ending the nightmare of poor town management

4. Funding public transport and investing in sufficient vehicles.

The solution is not another tax for over taxed individuals.

You might think that now the council is in Purdah, there will be no more meetings until after the election.

Wrong!

The councillors - about a fifth of whom are standing down - will hold their final coven on Thursday April 14.

Unfortunately, although the hurley-burley is nearly done, the battles will never be lost or won. They are certain not going to meet again.

The Inner Cabal, otherwise known as the Cabinet, will.

It has a final meeting on April 19, while the planning committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday April 27.

Who was it suggested there is now peace for the wicked?

***

The team responsible for enforcing parking restrictions in the Medway Towns have recently excelled themselves in Chatham.

At half term they turned out in force to try to catch non-existent (and therefore non-errant) mums and dads who were not taking their children to the closed grammar schools in Chatham.

Then last Friday there were no less than four parking officers checking the massed cars in the car park behind Chatham Central Theatre.

Maybe they were expecting large audiences at the theatre for After Miss Julie. They (and presumably the council) were disappointed at the turn out. Only 10 cars were in the car park - and the theatre was virtually empty, I am told.

***

I have been advised that while most of the other councils in Kent have published the provisional list of candidates following the closure of nominations on Monday at noon, the slow train on the Medway Line is not scheduled to arrive until midday on Thursday.

This may be rehearsing for the late night count on May 5/6.

While most councils have got their acts together and made their declarations by 2am (Gillingham and Rochester City both used to complete their counts by that time) Medway has got slower and slower. It is getting to the stage where it could vie for the slowest election count.

Just totting up the three sets of votes for the MPs two years ago took eight hours. By the time the mayor announced the results the PR benefits to the winning party had long been lost.... which just might be the reason the staff were not told they could pack up until 6am on the Friday morning.

Nice to see that the severe cuts planned by Maidstone council haven't extended to the annual media breakfast at the town hall. But those of you thinking this might be an extravagance in the age of austerity should not be alarmed as we're not talking about buzz fizz and fresh salmon. However, a bacon buttie and coffee is still a very civilised way to start the working week as we collectively put the world to rights with the likes of council leader Chris Garland and his senior colleagues as well as officers.

While it was unsaid, let's assume Chatham House Rules applied, suffice to say we hurried through the key issues of the day - the future of the hospital, concerns about planning, whether CCTV should stay in Maidstone, oh, and the future of our County Town. It's clear that as the council gears up for some tough decisions in the next financial year that it regards the PM's Big Society vision as a way of keeping many of its services going. It's organising a major gathering of local movers and shakers to discuss how this can make a contribution locally at the end of this month. Apparently the KM is on the guest list.

Just so you don't think that editing a local newspaper is just one free lavish meal after another, sandwiches and crisps were the order of the day during a working lunch with Maidstone United FC. The ownership of the club is now resolved with Oliver Ash and Terry Casey at the helm and the familiar faces of Bill Williams and Mike Cogger still involved in day-to-day matters. It's pleasing that the future of the club is now secure (as much as any soccer club can be) and there can be renewed impetus into the dream of 'bringing the Stones home'. Watch this space.

A couple of Kent MPs have been mentioned in dispatches in the national media recently. I caught the tailend of a Radio 4 programme yesterday on the history of the Social Democrat Party (SDP), and discovered our very own Greg Clark, and now communities minister, is a former member. Right up to date and in Medway, Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, is rates by the Observer as measuring 9/10 in the Tories' awkward squad of rebels. I remember hearing his victory speech at the General Election and thinking that 'Eurosceptic' didn't come close to describing his views on Brussels. You'll remember that he succeeded Labour's Bob Marshall-Andrews, who wasn't exactly known for toeing the party line.

Again the cold, winter freeze has made its way across the county causing more chaos but I have still managed to track down one of you lovely Kentish folk for an interview.

This is Katie Smith, 31 from Maidstone.

Katie is currently on a career break from teaching so that she can look after her 2 children.

In the previous 10 weeks I have noticed a pattern developing amoungst Kentish residence.  A pattern that is similar to the amount of times I lose to my nan at cards when she's dealing!

Like most before her, Katie enjoys the quaint villages of our county, how we have an open countryside around the different parts of Kent and the links we have to our beloved capital city, London.

The appeal to most of us who live here is that we have the luxury of public transport that can get you into the capital in just over an hour so if you want to work, shop or just visit, it is not an inconvenience.  Additionally the countryside we do have available to us is ideal for hiking or just a stroll.

So despite the similar response I receive from interviewees, I understand where they are coming from.

As always though, we have tasty food and drinks and we all like to indulge ourselves once in a while.  Katie is no different.

"I like The White Horse on Bearsted Green. It has good food and a good atmosphere and is a brilliant place to sit outside in the summer."

We all like to sit indoors though, on the cold winter nights and watch a good film or a bit of t.v.

"I like to watch Miranda, Desperate Housewives and Coronation Street.  My favourite movies have to be The Thomas Crown Affair and Dirty Dancing."

I always like to get to this part of the interview because I enjoy to find out funny stories about people to see the real them.  Katie's is just superb and kind of makes you wish you were around when it happened.

"When I was at Primary School I thought I would see what would happen if I pulled the pin out of a fire extinguisher and squeezed the handle."

Wait!!!! It gets better.

"Needless to say water started spraying everywhere, I panicked as I was in the school library and I didn't want the books to get wet so I aimed it at myself."

I can't stop grinning because I think that everyone at some point has wanted to try and spray the water or foam from a fire extinguisher around without any repercussions.  I'm sure there was on this occasion but I always wanted to try it!

After this incident though, I'll think I will steer clear.

Back on a serious matter, I asked Katie how she would make Kent a better place and in my opinion the first part is spot on!

"I would reduce the number of demolitions to old buildings that are replaced by 'cardboard' flats and offices."

I 100% agree that tearing down historical buildings in certain spots to be replaced with housing flats is just crazy.  Building complexes on any spare piece of land or by knocking down other buildings instead of properly planning out a good location is ludicrous."

It seems all sensibility is going out the window.

And finally I have, as always, my random question of the week:  What is the scariest thing, in your own opinion, you have ever faced and successfully overcome?

"Learning to drive was pretty scary as I was rubbish.  It did not help that I booked my test for 5 days after my 17th birthday. I failed!"

Although Katie failed, she eventually overcame the fear and can now drive.

A huge thanks to Mrs Smith for her time and best of luck on the career break with her family.

It still remains to be seen who is my interviewee from week to week, but who knows, it could be you next!

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

As the title suggests, on my own weekly deadline, this interview came just at the right time.

This is Nicholas David Turrell from Maidstone.

Most of his life has been spent in Maidstone, primarily in Loose and Boughton Monchelsea but he did venture south to Portsmouth for a 3 year stint at University.

He believes that he will spend all his life in Maidstone due to his family and friend ties but who knows what the future holds?

Nick enjoys to go on holiday with the lads and has a passion for watching and playing football.  Currently he plays for MGS Allstars 6 aside team at Armstrong Road, Maidstone and unfortunately supports Liverpool FC.

Aside from these two hobbies, he is a fully signed member of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale).  This 'entitles' him to try new ales around the country as well as visiting beer festivals when he can. 

When asked what he liked about Kent, Nick responded "I think it's quite a good place to live.  There is a good mix of large towns, nice little villages and countryside, especially around Maidstone."

Being able to see a change a scenery quickly is another thing Nick likes about Kent.

"One minute you can be in the centre of a town and a 10 minute drive later you can be in the countryside.  It's also close to London and not that far away from the major airports and ports so you can get away from it all fairly quickly if you want!"

Local cuisine is a favourite of Nicks and knows of some great places to eat in Kent.

"I believe Kent has 4 or 5 Michelin Star restaurants.  I personally enjoy The Chequers in Loose.  It is close to my family home and is set in the Loose Valley.  The food is pretty good, pub-style food and the portions are generous."

He likes The Chequers because it satisfies his healthy appetite.

Like Adam last week, Nick is a keen comedy watcher and wrote a 10,000 word dissertation on comedy parodies for his Film Studies university course.  Films such as Airplane & Hot Shots he enjoys in particular.  He was correct in saying they were classics.

Nick, like a few of us, has experienced the feeling of being drunk.  Where most of us cross the line and then stop, Nick will cross it and then keep going.

"I was leaving the Lockmeadow complex in Maidstone, having had more to drink than I should have.  Basically I ended up in the River Medway."

Wait! It gets better.

"What makes it worse is that I couldn't get out because the bank was too steep.  I had to swim across the river and clamour out on the other side.  After that I had a 45 minute trip home dripping wet because it was clear no taxi would've entertained the notion of picking me up."

I think we have all once been a little worse for wear but Nick has missed the benchmark by a mile!

Kent is the county we all live in and all want the best for.  Nick is in agreement with this too.

"Finances for Kent should be better used.  We have a strange pole that lights up at night beside the Maidstone one way system and it does not serve any real purpose.  That money should have been better invested into Maidstone Hospital or a cause that really needs it.  Heathcare, for me, would come before 'art'.

Here, here!

And as I always like to give my interviewees something fun to finish with, I asked Nick my random question of the week:

If you were told you had a day left to live, what would you do for that whole day?

"Probably just not worry about what others think anymore, tell people what I think of them, good or bad, without having to worry about how it would affect your relationship in the future.  It would be quite empowering if you think about it."

For better or worse, this is a risky 'last thing you ever do thing' but refreshingly honest!  Cheers Nick.

Once again a big thanks to my interviewee of the week, Nick Turrell, and watch out because you could be next!

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

I cannot contain the excitement of the news I heard yesterday – quite ecstatic. Seriously cannot wait for the prospect of the glamour, joy and romance of the event. And even more fantastic, the whole country is united in the glorious comradeship and enthusiasm of the British people. Even the world has been discussing the announcement too.

Many hours of preparation will have to go into organising, arranging transport and dialogue with government. Even The Crown will have to be consulted. This is before we talk about the crowds of people, who will want to be apart of a historic event.

I have started my planning now – will, hopefully, be central part of the operations on the very special day.

After all, it is not every year we get to partake in a referendum on changing the voting system and your favourite blogger has been put forward to lead the local campaign. Here, right in Kent. Excited, yes?

Oh...did you all think I was refering to the Royal engagement? Alas, one is a passionate and fearless republican.

This week's interview took place over a cuppa, the nation's favourite hot drink and on a cold November night, it hit the spot.

This is Debbie Elaine Collins, 53 from Maidstone.

Debbie works as a partner in her own company with her best friend  and together they make up K & D Cleaning Services. (It's a household name).

During the minimal free time available to her due to her long working hours, Debbie enjoys being outside, tending to her garden.  When the cold weather hits though, she enjoys sitting in front of the T.V, tuning into to one of her favourite shows or heading off to town for a bit of retail therapy.

Her favourite T.V shows include Emmerdale, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, The Only Way Is Essex and The Apprentice.  I can't agree with many on this list but I do enjoy watching Lord Alan Sugar firing candidates that think a motto like "I taste success in my spit" is going to win them the competition.  I love it!

When asked what she liked about Kent, she responded "Kent has a beautiful countryside which sometimes is helped by some nice weather. Also Kent has a good and rich history."  I knew by the emphasis on the word 'sometimes', that Debbie meant to say that in Kent the weather is very much like the Gillingham F.C. week to week scores.  Unpredictable.

Debbie named quite a few places in Kent that she liked to eat at but highlighted a few that she highly recommends to others.

"There is a great Beefeater at Eureka Park in Ashford.  I have been there with my son before and the food was really nice and the service was great.  Also I enjoyed eating at the Thomas Wyatt on London Road, Maidstone (A20)."

Aside from her soaps and reality television, Debbie enjoys to watch the Twilight Saga, Dodgeball and Disney's Up.

"I like anything action / thriller based."

Now at times Debbie can sit up a little too late at night watching her television or movies and nothing accomodates them better than a nice, big bar of chocolate.  Chuck in a laptop and falling asleep and you have a receipe for Debbie's story.

"One night I fell asleep whilst on my laptop and left some chocolate on my lap.  As you can guess, the chocolate melted all down me and all over my laptop."  Blushing a little, I couldn't help but laugh even when she added that she dribbled a little too.  Sorry Deb, I had to add that, it was too good to leave out.

I have probably embarrassed Debbie enough so I will move rapidly on to relay Debbie's ideas for a better and cleaner Kent.

"I think Maidstone Borough Council should give some of the town centre streets a good sweep and tidy, some are really messy and unappealing to look at.  Additionally I think people who leave their front gardens like a waste ground, should be made to tidy it up and make it more presentable."

Despite the plan to open new shops in Maidstone and Kent, Debbie feels that the money that would be used to achieve this could be better placed elsewhere and spend more wisely.

"The money should be spend on roads, particularly Bishop's Way given the amount of cars that go through there on a daily basis.  They [town officials and councils] keep squandering money on needless projects when they should focus on the issues that need improving.  Parking where I live is an example of one of these issues that need addressing."

Debbie feels that the money lost on these 'needless projects' should be injected into the towns and cities of Kent to help it cope with the future growth of the county.

I totally agree with Debbie, money is spent extravagantly and, in my opinion, not put to best use.

Although she was satisfied with her interview, Debbie thought I had wrapped up. But of course none of my interviews are over before I ask the week's random question of the week:

If you could travel to 5 destinations on a round the world trip, where would they be?

"Australia."  Straight away Debbie came out with this.  "I'd like to go to America, the Caribbean, I would like to go back to the Balearic Islands and it may sound odd but I'd like to go to Ireland."

Not odd at all Debs, a good variety of places to visit and the Irish know how to celebrate their patron saint's day in style so why not.

Once again, a huge thank you to Debbie who was my person of Kent this week. 

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

I get really annoyed about the quality of many plans that come before our councillors.

They pay (at best) lip service to the council's continual call for quality designs.

You can almost guarantee it will be skated over - to the delight of many officers.

Buildings can look spectacular and turn an area into a stunning location. But they can also drag it down.

Once approved the rest of us are saddled with those buildings for 50, 100 or even more years.

There are blocks of flats around Medway that were built in the 1960s. They were distasteful when they were planned. They stay up but they have gone downhill ever since.

There are housing schemes - estates and tiny developments - where the same has happened.

All too infrequently, there are also buildings where you want to stop and admire, to dream of living in them, or where your enjoyment of a street suddenly goes up after the contruction hoardings are taken down.

Attending many of the meetings of the planning committee one hears time and again councillors criticising the appearance of a development being proposed to them.

The development has often spent hours and days, weeks and months being poured over by council officers who should be hammering home to the developer the message of quality, quality, quality.

Too often, instead, you will hear them making apologies for developers. These multi-million (even billion) -aires intimate they can't make a profit out of improving the street scene.

They can - and if they can't Medway should be saying they (and their plans) aren't wanted.

We have seen too many houses squeezed into gaps too small for the cat to stretch to its full length let alone be swung.

Occasionally you hear councillors splutter in disbelief.

"It looks like a guardhouse!" is one comment I recall of a tiny rural house that was being proposed. The comment was absolutely spot on.

Sometimes plans come forward which make slab-sided warehouses almost irresistable.

Many developments are permitted without proper consideration of the impact on the community in which it will be built.

What happens is the rules are not being enforced by the officers... rules that have already been set - or are about to be set by the LDF.

It is going to establish conditions on height, quality, design, environmental impact - and a set of design orders that should be engraved on the hearts, minds and skins of every planning officer.

Fail to meet those rules and the developer must be told to go away and think again.