Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Sofia Akin.
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00:00 Hello and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Sophia Akin and here are your top stories
00:28 on Monday 31st July.
00:31 A high speed dream or a waste of money, New Fannet train station met with criticism.
00:37 It's a mugger's paradise. Fancy being here in the middle of the night on your own, nowhere
00:44 to go for help.
00:46 A perfect ending, Gillingham finished pre-season with a win over Dagenham.
00:50 If you don't take those opportunities during the league season, then it will come back
00:54 and bite you on the bum at some stage.
00:56 And rock the boat, Maidstone celebrates its annual boat festival.
01:01 Everybody's friendly and they've come from miles around to this event.
01:16 But first tonight, the controversial £35 million Fannet Parkway station has seen its
01:21 first services arriving today. There'll be an hourly 17 minute service into central London
01:26 as well as a train to Margate.
01:29 But critics have branded the project a waste of money and have concerns over the safety
01:33 of the unmanned station as Gabriel Morris reports.
01:38 After years of planning and building, Kent has a new station.
01:43 But questions over Fannet Parkway's need have long been debated.
01:49 With its budget quadrupling to £35 million, where original plans quoted it at just £11
01:56 million.
01:57 "So I think any new station is going to create economic growth in the area. There'll be new
02:01 housing. It's 17 minutes to London which is great. It's the first station we've opened
02:06 in Kent for the last eight years so we're very excited about it and believe it will
02:09 bring a lot of economic development to this area."
02:14 South Easton has now taken over the station with services starting this morning.
02:20 "Really good isn't it? We'd be really excited to come and have a look around. Yeah it's
02:24 lovely."
02:25 "I'm not sure. I mean the first thing, no lose here."
02:28 So mixed reviews.
02:30 There are currently two trains an hour, one 17 minute service into London and then the
02:36 return to Margate.
02:39 But critics are concerned it just won't be used as there are already seven stations in
02:45 the area.
02:46 But the operator says the idea is in the name. It's a parkway station where people come by
02:54 car, something they say lacking in the area.
02:58 So it seems it's a case of build it and they will come.
03:01 But not everyone is convinced.
03:03 "It's going to absolutely be a white elephant."
03:08 "There's no proper facilities here. We were promised a five star station. This is a skeleton
03:15 of a station. And also more importantly it's dangerous. It's a mugger's paradise. Fancy
03:22 being here in the middle of the night on your own, nowhere to go for help. There's no proper
03:29 security cameras here. It's a disgrace."
03:32 South Eastern however say this isn't the only unmanned station in the area, insisting it
03:39 will be safe despite concerns.
03:42 "This station has got 11 help points. It's covered in CCTV. It's lit to a very high standard.
03:49 There's a regular train service here. So we will not tolerate antisocial behaviour at
03:54 this station. We have roving support from our own enforcement officers and the British
03:59 Transport Police. We expect this to be a well used station and to be a popular and safe
04:05 place for customers to travel from."
04:08 The operator hopes more than 100,000 people will use the station in the next year.
04:13 Minster, the next station down the line, achieves around 50,000 a year.
04:19 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Fannett.
04:23 Now sticking with train related news, Kent commuters will face further disruption to
04:28 rail services this week due to a ban on overtime by train drivers belonging to the Aslef Union.
04:34 15 train companies in England will refuse to work overtime from today up until Saturday
04:39 and then again from the 7th to the 12th of August. Earlier today we spoke to Aslef's
04:44 General Secretary Mick Whelan about this.
04:47 "To Kent commuters, to every traveller all across the country, we want a better train
04:52 service. We want fully staffed railway stations. We want fully staffed trains. I believe what
04:57 they're doing to assist the trade unions with closing ticket offices will make it less safe
05:00 for travelling public, less safe for the staff. And it shows the trend and what contempt this
05:05 government holds both the people who work within the railways, who were key workers
05:08 during the pandemic, and those who travel on our railways. They just don't care. And
05:13 after four years, they've hardly rushed to the table. On the two table times they've
05:17 made us offers, they've been derogatory, demeaning and deceitful offers where we've sat with
05:22 them, expressed our red lines. They then put the red lines deliberately into deals to make
05:26 them fail. And we'll continue to do this as long as our members wish to do it and want
05:31 to fight for a better future. I want to get back to fighting for cheaper fares, a cleaner,
05:35 greener, safer railway. I want to get back to arguing about a more staffed railway. I
05:39 want to get back to arguing about all the things I was doing before the pandemic and
05:43 before the government took this through, whereby they decided that the travelling public should
05:47 pay through the nose and that the privateers should keep their profits, but the people
05:50 who work in the industry should get nothing."
05:53 In a statement in response, a Department for Transport spokesperson said this government
05:56 has played its part by facilitating fair and reasonable pay offers that would see generous
06:01 increases for rail workers and said the union leaders should stop blocking their members
06:06 from having a vote on these offers and give them the chance to help resolve this dispute.
06:11 Next tonight, ultra-low emission zones will soon be expanded into Kent and four other
06:15 home counties after a High Court has ruled it lawful. It comes after five Conservative-led
06:20 councils lost their legal campaign against the Mayor of London's plans to expand ULEZ,
06:26 so as of next month, the zone will encompass five million more Londoners. I caught up with
06:30 Dartford Borough Councillor Danny Nicklin and Gravesham Borough Councillor Shane Mockrey-Cox
06:34 earlier today.
06:35 Well, thank you both for joining us tonight. So, just wanted to start off by saying the
06:41 ultra-low emission zones, what they are, firstly. So, it's for certain cars which don't adhere
06:47 to certain standards could receive a fine. Now, this could now be stretched into the
06:55 border of Kent and that's significantly going to be impacting Dartford where you are, Danny.
07:00 So, we actually saw 30,000 people signing a petition against ULEZ being expanded into
07:06 Kent. So, how are local people going to respond to this?
07:10 Well, obviously, it's hugely disappointing to hear the judgment last week, which means
07:18 that ULEZ can proceed. Public feeling in Dartford is that why is something being imposed on
07:25 residents of Dartford where we have no democratic ability to voice our view, we don't get a
07:30 vote for the Mayor of London, we get no say, but yet residents are going to be massively
07:34 impacted by this policy and being penalised for driving just over the border into Craeford,
07:41 Bexley. And you can understand why people are frustrated. They're being penalised for
07:46 going about their business. Businesses will be affected, especially now of all times where
07:50 people are feeling the precious cost of living, businesses especially. So, you can understand
07:55 why people are disappointed and why we had so many people sign the petition.
07:59 This is essentially to have fewer polluting vehicles on the roads and to reduce emissions.
08:05 So, can you see any positives in this scheme at all?
08:10 I understand the reasoning about cleaning up the air and making sure we've got clean
08:16 air in which we want to breathe, but we've got to think about these policies in the measure
08:21 of how they affect people economically as well. So, I do understand and have sympathy
08:27 with the argument, but there has to be some way in which those who are affected, especially
08:32 those in places like Dartford just outside of London, that have a say on these policies
08:36 and contribute into them. I mean, the Mayor's consultation himself showed that the EULA
08:41 expansion is going to have a minimal impact on the pollution levels. So, the argument
08:46 does start to unravel. I mean, the question has to be said, even Keir Starmer is starting
08:50 to think that EULA needs to be relooked at. And it's the Labour Party itself that can
08:55 stop Sadiq Khan from progressing with this policy.
08:58 Well, I'd like to bring Shane in now as a Labour councillor. As you said there, Danny,
09:03 this is a Labour policy. So, Shane, firstly, what are your thoughts on this? It's created
09:08 some division within the Labour Party, but what do you think of it?
09:15 I think Sadiq is doing the right thing by wanting to tackle a crisis in air pollution
09:21 that affects so many lives. But what I do think needs reflection on is the cost of living
09:26 crisis that we do currently exist, the infrastructure that isn't in place outside central London.
09:33 And what needs to be also reflected on, and this was a request from Grant Shapps, the
09:36 Tory Secretary of State for Transport at the time, in a letter published on 14 May as part
09:42 of the COVID support for TfL due to the changing of transport habits. So, there is a right,
09:50 a moral right to do it, but it does need to be reflected on the impact that it will have
09:55 on people that cannot afford to make the changes, the habit changes that are required at this
09:59 particular time. And also the fact that we don't have all that infrastructure that is
10:04 needed to move to those electric cars. And that requires significant investment that
10:08 no local authority, not even the Mayor of London, can afford for the wider country.
10:15 And sticking with you, Shane, do you think there is some confusion for motorists of where
10:20 the boundaries actually come in? We've seen the boundaries in Kent change. Is it something
10:25 that people are going to be able to get used to?
10:30 I still have constituents of mine that the boundaries of Gravesend and the North Fleet
10:37 changed in 1974, and lamenting the fact that the boundaries changed. I think so. I think
10:42 the changing of the boundaries of the Greater London Authority, Backway Wayne, are still
10:48 in living memory, I suppose. So, I think there is an understanding that it affects up to
10:53 the London border, which is just up the road from Danny and I in Gravesend and in Dartford.
10:59 I think we're clear where it is, but I think there is, I think the boundaries between us
11:05 are quite fluid. We are able to travel into London and backwards and forwards for a variety
11:10 of things because actually economies aren't separate. It's an imaginary line, for lack
11:16 of a better term. It isn't a hard and fast line and border, because actually our services,
11:22 we work together in partnership with our London colleagues across from Kent into London, and
11:26 so we should, and that should continue.
11:28 Well, thank you very much to both of you for joining us.
11:33 Thank you.
11:34 Thank you.
11:35 It's time for us to take a quick break now, but coming up, teachers across Kent and the
11:39 UK have accepted a pay offer by the government and have called off future strikes. I'll see
11:43 you in just a few minutes' time.
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15:10 Hello and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV. Now, teachers across Kent and the
15:16 rest of the UK will not be striking in the autumn term after accepting the government's
15:21 pay offer. Members of the National Education Union voted overwhelmingly to accept the 6.5%
15:27 pay rise. They're just one of a number of teaching unions to accept a government pay
15:31 rise. The Education Secretary said the offer being accepted was good news for teachers,
15:36 parents and pupils. Mary Boosted, Joint General Secretary of the NNU, said the deal meant
15:41 the average teacher's salary would increase by £2,500.
15:45 Next tonight, a 5G mast in Ashford has angered locals after it was left inactive for 10 months
15:52 after being put up. The mast left some locals appalled due to its sudden and unexpected
15:57 appearance, with some calling it an eyesore with no benefits. Last year, 140 locals signed
16:03 a petition calling on better connection in the area, but this was refused so residents
16:08 were shocked when the mast appeared a month later. The Three Network have said that ABC
16:12 didn't refuse the application for the mast within the deadline, so construction still
16:17 went ahead. A spokesman for the Three Network have said that while the mast is not live
16:22 yet, it will be soon.
16:24 Now, four people were involved in a serious crash at Badmunster Rifle Road early this
16:29 morning, with emergency services attending the scene. Highways reported a car carrying
16:34 four people left the carriageway, leading to parts of the road being closed and blocked
16:39 off from the Flanders Field roundabout. The roads have since been reopened. Six fire engines
16:44 and two height vehicles attended the scene, and crews used various cutting tools and hydraulic
16:49 rescue equipment to free casualties. Kent Police will remain on the scene to carry out
16:54 collision investigations.
16:56 Well now it's time for the sports roundup with Bartholomew Hall. He joins me now.
17:02 So, lots of football going on this week, isn't there?
17:05 That's right. I mean, it's come round quite quick. The summer is over for football fans.
17:10 This weekend, the football season begins. But also, the World Cup's on. England back
17:14 on the pitch tomorrow against China in their final group stage game of the Women's World
17:19 Cup. But first this evening, we will be starting with the final of Kent's pre-season friendly
17:23 game against England.
17:25 We start off at the Gallagher where newly relegated National League South side Maidstone
17:32 set off on their last pre-season endeavour against Isthmian Premier side Lewis FC. Just
17:37 11 minutes in and the number 20 new signing Connor Kelly secured the ball for the Stones,
17:42 which found its way to quick-fire.
17:44 The first goal of the game was scored by a goalie who was a bit too far away from the
17:48 goal.
17:49 Just 11 minutes in and the number 20 new signing Connor Kelly secured the ball for the Stones,
17:54 which found its way to quick-thinking Levi Amanchi for a smash in past the trialist goalie
17:58 for Lewis.
18:00 And the early goals kept on coming for Maidstone as Razek Coleman de Graaft, up against his
18:04 former club, passed a tight one inside the box to Lamar Reynolds, who swiftly found the
18:08 back of the net.
18:09 30 minutes on the clock and the Stones capitalised off a poorly executed clearance, leaving Reynolds
18:14 to secure a brace.
18:18 Second half now where Maidstone continued to look strong against the visitors and scored
18:22 for the fourth time in the 49th minute where Amanchi got his second of the day.
18:28 The visitors would have their first real attempt in the 66th minute, threatening with a curl
18:32 from just outside the box. Luckily for the hosts, the ball reflected off the crossbar
18:36 and the score stalled at 4-0.
18:38 The Stones finished their pre-season with a dominating performance and now look towards
18:42 hosting Slough on the 5th of August.
18:45 Sticking with our National League South sides then where we saw a few Kent derbies on Saturday.
18:49 One of note was Dover versus Ashford at Crabble. The Whites came back from a 2-2 draw at half
18:54 time to secure the win with a further two in the second half. They are now looking forward
18:58 to welcoming Torquay on game day one.
19:00 Elsewhere, Gillingham visited Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday. New signings Shadrach
19:05 Ogie scored the only goal of the game. The defender broke the deadlock after 52 minutes
19:09 of play, heading one in from yards out.
19:12 Neil Harris' side now look ahead to a visit at Stockport on their first League Two game
19:16 of the year.
19:17 On the whole I thought we grew into the game. I thought, you know, very bitty for 20 minutes
19:21 and then we completely controlled it until probably about 70 minute mark. And then we
19:26 only grew up seeing the lads, you know, got to be more clinical. You know, we had four
19:29 or five guilt-edged chances, we've not put the ball in the net and if you don't take
19:33 those opportunities during the league season, then it will come back and bite you on the
19:37 bum at some stage.
19:38 As for Kent's only National League club, Ebbsfleet welcomed a youthful Chelsea side
19:42 and despite taking the lead twice, suffered a 6-2 battering.
19:46 And finally, Kent's Isthmian Premier sides finished their pre-seasons with wins for two
19:50 out of three of them. Folkestone and Victor won the Sid Burville Trophy, the annual pre-season
19:55 fixture in memory of the former Folkestone Gatesman who died in 2000. A commanding victory
20:00 over Hythe who took part in the trophy game for the first time in its 21-year history.
20:04 And that's it with an exciting season ahead, that's your final pre-season round-up. I'm
20:08 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
20:10 Next and we look to the Oval for the nail-biting finale of the Ashes. Kent's Zach Crawley finished
20:18 his solid Ashes run at the weekend with a second innings half century. The batsman helped
20:23 England rapidly whip away at the Aussies' 12-run lead in their opening innings. Today
20:29 however, and a rain-affective final day has seen England eat away at Australia's wicket
20:33 in the past few hours as they try to chase down England's 384 runs. Crawley's fierce
20:39 fielding saw Marna Slabershane caught off of Mark Wood's bowling and the key catch of
20:43 Steve Smith off of Chris Wokes' delivery just before we went on air. As things stand, Australia
20:49 require 85 runs to win with two wickets remaining. We'll be keeping an eye on that as the day
20:55 continues. Next up and Kent's representatives in the British Touring Car Championship made
21:00 their way to Croft at the weekend. Routem team Napa Racing were in a commanding form
21:05 as Dan Camish, Ash Sutton and Dan Robotton won qualifying with a 1-2-3 respectively.
21:12 The trio went on to sweep the podium on races one and two, with championship leader Ash
21:17 Sutton taking the second chequered flag by a whopping seven seconds. Elsewhere and Tunbridge
21:22 Wells-born racer Jake Hill, you can see him on the screen right now, couldn't quite return
21:26 to podium form this time around, finishing fifth, eleventh in race two and eighth in
21:32 the final. The Kent driver described the weekend as disappointing and pointed towards two self-inflicted
21:37 mistakes in the races that led to the less-than-average results. And finally from me, Tunbridge Wells
21:43 croquet club's Robert Fulford has won his sixth Association World Championship final.
21:48 The man from Wadhurst came from two games down to beat American opponent Matthew Essek
21:53 in a match that lasted seven and a half hours. After the Tunbridge Wells member levelled
21:57 the score, a mistake by the American left Fulford with an easy-ish break to win 3-2
22:02 and land his sixth World Championship. In celebration, Tunbridge Wells are holding a
22:07 free open day this Sunday, the 6th of August to welcome more beginners into the sport.
22:12 And that's it from me today.
22:22 Thank you very much Bartholomew. Now time is running out for many across Kent to use
22:27 up standard non-barcoded stamps as today is the last day that they can be used to post
22:32 items. After today, customers sending mail with these stamps could be charged £1.10.
22:38 Well earlier today I caught up with a Kent stamp expert to find out whether these old
22:42 stamps are worth anything. Thank you for joining us. So firstly I wanted to ask you about these
22:48 new stamps that are coming out and non-barcoded stamps are no longer going to be able to be
22:55 used from tomorrow. So are people going to be able to get used to that do you think?
23:00 Well the barcoded stamps are basically the same design as the old ones, the ones with
23:08 the Queen's head and now with King Charles' head on. But what they do have is in addition
23:13 to that they have a piece on the side which has what we call a barcode but is in fact
23:19 a QR code and within that code is a lot of details about how the stamp was produced,
23:25 the time it was produced and importantly it has a post office number which is unique to
23:30 that stamp. So the theory is that when those stamps are used they get scanned as they go
23:40 into the sorting process and within the code the numbers are recognised by the database
23:50 in the sorting machine. If the numbers match one which has been in the sorting machine
23:55 it goes through. If the number has already been used before it indicates that the stamp
24:01 has been used before and therefore will be rejected and if the number doesn't exist at
24:06 all it's assumed that the stamp is forged and that will be rejected and the rejected
24:11 stamps will then be charged an additional charge of I think it's going to be £1.10
24:16 so effectively double the rate for first class stamp.
24:19 Is this not all getting a bit too technical and taking away from how traditional stamps
24:24 always have been?
24:25 Well it is and it isn't and I think the problem that I can foresee, this may be me being a
24:32 bit cynical, but there's no doubt that Royal Mail has a big problem with fraud. Basically
24:39 either stamps which are forged or stamps which have been used before but haven't been cancelled.
24:47 Now theoretically they don't have to be cancelled now of course because if the numbers
24:51 don't match then they'll be thrown out. But the problem I think we will have is that
24:57 the customer won't know that when they're purchasing stamps. So if they're buying a
25:02 forged stamp from some corner shop or wherever which is traditionally where they've come
25:06 from the customer won't know that at all. They'll just buy the stamps in all good faith,
25:11 use them on their envelope and the person actually who will pay the fine will be the
25:18 recipient.
25:19 Well you're quite a stamp expert aren't you? So are these non-barcoded stamps worth
25:24 any value? Can somebody say they won't be able to use them from tomorrow of course,
25:28 could they sell these? Are they actually worth anything?
25:31 Well it depends. I mean for people like me who have been collecting stamps for a long
25:35 long time lots of them do have value. Many of them are still worth, until today anyway,
25:42 the face value of the stamps. But going forward in terms of the ordinary member of the general
25:49 public, no they will have no value so they won't be able to be used. It's worth mentioning
25:55 it's only the little square everyday stamps, we call them definitives, that are going to
26:00 be invalidated. The commemorative stamps that we're used to having without barcodes on,
26:08 not the most recent ones but the ones previously, all those can still be used and things like
26:13 the stamps you buy from machines in post offices called Post and Go, they can still be used.
26:18 Well thank you for joining us and for talking to us about that today.
26:22 Thank you.
26:24 Well you still have a couple of hours if you do have any stamps left to use. Now it's time
26:28 for us to take a quick break but coming up a new train station has come to Thanet costing
26:32 more than £30 million but it's been met by some opposition with some concern for safety
26:38 of the unstaffed station. Gabriel Morris will be here to tell us a bit more. I'll be back
26:43 in just a few minutes time, I will see you then.
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30:07 Hello and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV. I'm Sophia Akin and here are your top stories on Monday the 31st of July.
30:31 A high-speed dream or a waste of money, New Fannett train station met with criticism.
30:37 It's a mugger's paradise. Fancy being here in the middle of the night on your own. Nowhere to go for help.
30:45 A perfect ending, Gillingham finished pre-season with a win over Dagenham.
30:50 If you don't take those opportunities during the league season, then it will come back and bite you on the bum at some stage.
30:55 And rock the boat, Maidstone celebrates its annual boat festival.
31:00 Everybody's friendly and they've come from miles around to this event.
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31:08 Now for a look back at tonight's top story.
31:18 The controversial £35 million Fannett Parkway station has seen its first services arriving today.
31:24 There'll be an hourly 70 minute service into central London as well as a train to Margate.
31:29 But critics have branded the project a waste of money and have concerns over the safety of the unmanned station.
31:35 Well, Gabriel Morris has this report.
31:38 After years of planning and building, Kent has a new station.
31:44 But questions over Fannett Parkway's need have long been debated.
31:49 Its budget quadrupling to £35 million where original plans quoted it at just £11 million.
31:57 So I think any new station is going to create economic growth in the area.
32:02 There'll be new housing. It's 70 minutes to London, which is great.
32:06 It's the first station we've opened in Kent for the last eight years, so we're very excited about it
32:10 and believe it will bring a lot of economic development to this area.
32:14 Southeastern has now taken over the station with services starting this morning.
32:21 Really good, isn't it? We've been really excited to come and have a look around. Yeah, it's lovely.
32:25 I'm not sure. I mean, the first thing, no lose here.
32:29 So mixed reviews. There are currently two trains an hour, one 70-minute service into London and then the return to Margate.
32:39 But critics are concerned it just won't be used as there are already seven stations in the area.
32:47 But the operator says the idea is in the name. It's a parkway station where people come by car.
32:55 Some think they say lacking in the area. So it seems it's a case of build it and they will come.
33:02 But not everyone is convinced.
33:04 It's going to absolutely be a white elephant.
33:09 There's no proper facilities here. We were promised a five-star station.
33:15 This is a skeleton of a station. And also, more importantly, it's dangerous.
33:20 It's a mugger's paradise. Fancy being here in the middle of the night on your own.
33:26 Nowhere to go for help. There's no proper security cameras here. It's a disgrace.
33:35 Southeastern, however, say this isn't the only unmanned station in the area,
33:39 insisting it will be safe despite concerns.
33:44 This station has got 11 help points. It's covered in CCTV. It's lit to a very high standard.
33:50 There's a regular train service here. So we will not tolerate antisocial behaviour at this station.
33:56 We have roving support from our own enforcement officers and the British Transport Police.
34:02 We expect this to be a well-used station and to be a popular and safe place for customers to travel from.
34:09 The operator hopes more than 100,000 people will use the station in the next year.
34:15 Minster, the next station down the line, achieves around 50,000 a year.
34:20 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Thanet.
34:25 Well, Gabriel joins me now to tell me a bit more.
34:27 Now, the thing that struck me the most from your report there was that there are already seven stations in Thanet.
34:32 Do we need another one?
34:33 Well, this was one of the concerns raised by Barry Lewis and other critics of this.
34:38 And it's long been raised concerns. I mean, this has been in the works since about 2011.
34:42 Construction began a few years ago, slowed down a little bit by the pandemic.
34:45 But, yeah, you're right. Seven stations in the Thanet area. That is quite a lot.
34:49 Now, the argument Network Rail, who built the station itself, Eastern Rail, who now manage and run the station,
34:55 you can train, you can see there on the screen. Their argument is this is a parkway station.
35:01 There are around about 300 car parking spaces.
35:06 This is designed for people who actually want to maybe live in a little bit of more of a rural area and can't easily walk to the train station.
35:15 This is someone where they can easily go and drive, park their car, get the train in to London.
35:21 It could also operate, I was speaking to some people who are using this,
35:24 as a park and ride into the seaside towns of Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate, easily park your car up and go into the towns.
35:32 I've driven around the beached areas there before on a summer's day.
35:36 It can get rather busy. So it is attractive for that reasons.
35:40 However, this is in an area where it's quite isolated, as you saw in my report.
35:48 Barry Lewis, a local Labour councillor, he's worried on safety concerns.
35:52 But from South Eastern, it seems like they've got some measures in.
35:55 They've got CCTV cameras and a number of help stations.
35:59 So that is all in place.
36:03 And the idea of this whole scheme is as well as having those car parking spaces to be a ride, it's hoping to attract investment.
36:11 This area might not look at the screen now, but there are a number of houses being built in the area.
36:17 There are a number of new builds and it's hoped this would be a solution to help ease congestion in a town centre,
36:24 as well as being a local place for them to go to.
36:28 So there are a number of issues with this.
36:30 And let's not forget it did cost £35 million to build.
36:34 £10 million of that coming from Kent County Council.
36:37 So there is some taxpayers' money which has gone into building this.
36:41 Is it value for money? That's the big question.
36:44 Well, it's a bit of a cliche in journalism, this one, but I think it is on this one really going to be a matter of only time will tell.
36:51 We'll soon get some data of the footfall numbers on the station.
36:54 We'll have to see how it goes. Thanks for bringing us those details.
36:57 Now that's some news on the rails over to the roads, where drivers have been reporting issues with paying the toll for the Dartford crossing.
37:04 Last week, National Highways announced the charge automatic payment system would not be in place for a few days,
37:09 due to improvements being made to the payment system.
37:12 Yesterday, some drivers claimed they were waiting upwards of an hour.
37:16 However, those trying to pay for their journey and update their car details this morning have been left unable to.
37:22 National Highways apologises for the delay and says they're trying to ease the pressure with a virtual queue.
37:28 Now, don't forget you can keep up to date on all things going on in Kent by visiting our website, kmtv.co.uk.
37:34 There you can check out some of our latest stories, including this video about a basketball camp in Rochester, hosted by a former NBA draftee.
37:42 Basketball is not a game for the faint-hearted.
37:45 It's a fierce and spirited sport, and these young ballers from all over Kent are proving just that.
37:51 They're hitting the court at a two-day basketball camp in Rochester,
37:55 led by none other than the former NBA draftee and Kent local, Ryan Richards.
38:00 Ryan, with his signature Richards Elite camps, which he's taken across the world,
38:05 aims to give back to his hometown and be the mentor that he wished he had during his own journey to stardom on the court.
38:11 In 2010, Richards had his shot at the NBA when he got drafted by the San Antonio Spurs,
38:17 but unfortunately a double shoulder surgery slashed his hopes of making it into the team.
38:21 Nevertheless, his career has since flourished, playing in numerous countries at the top levels.
38:27 In 2019, Richards first brought his camps to the UK and spoke to KMTV all about it,
38:32 so I asked if he's seen a change of attitude towards basketball in Kent since then.
38:37 Covid. Covid affected a lot of things. I mean, I wanted to do a lot of camps and stuff.
38:41 I mean, I've done stuff in Japan. I've done stuff in America because of I've been there for, you know, work and seeing my family.
38:47 But I think this is the start. Richards Elite is the start.
38:52 We're coming together. We've made great strides in the short time we've had.
38:56 When they came in, I feel like they didn't know what to expect. I think they were nervous.
39:00 I think they were shy. But as we've kind of given them drills that are going to kind of get those juices flowing
39:08 and get their competitive nature flowing, everyone's just gone up.
39:12 And every player, every drill, these kids have competed harder and harder. And I can't ask for more than that.
39:16 In the US, basketball is one of the most popular sports to follow and watch.
39:20 But here in the UK, some surveys place it as low as tenth, way below the likes of football, cricket or rugby.
39:27 But these youngsters clearly show that there is a market even here in Kent.
39:31 So why don't we see it quite as often on our screens?
39:34 Well, the media exposure of basketball has never been strong. It's never had that kind of, I would say, media appeal almost.
39:43 But the recent events with the 777 investment into the BBL, the British Basketball League,
39:50 and that's only going to grow the interest for the kids that are playing and hopefully in the future give them a pathway to play in their own country.
39:59 And these youngsters have been proving their passion throughout the day. Like Summer, who's been playing for just over a year.
40:05 She told me that being one of the only girls at the camp hasn't pushed her back, even against some of the expectations from the boys.
40:12 Well, at first they thought I couldn't play very well until I beat most of them.
40:20 But for now, the hope is that by expanding accessibility for young players,
40:23 the future market for the sport can widen here in the UK and lead to a more prominent following in the mainstream.
40:30 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV.
40:33 Well, if you like sporty stories, our sports reporter, Bartholomew Hall, will be back with a sport roundup in just a few minutes time.
40:40 But for now, we're going to take a look at the weather forecast for the coming days.
40:49 It's going to be a dry and fairly mild evening tonight with highs of 16 along the east coast and low winds.
40:55 The rain will disappear tomorrow morning with bright and sunny skies when high teens across the board.
41:01 Warming up even more tomorrow afternoon. 22 degrees in North Kent, staying pretty dry.
41:07 But enjoy the sunshine while it lasts because the rest of the week is a mix of rain, lightning leading us through to the weekend.
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41:23 Well, it's time for the break. As I said just then, Bartholomew Hall will be back with a sports roundup.
41:28 But other than that, coming up, Maysorne River Festival is back and took place this weekend.
41:33 Our reporter, Henry Luck, went along and will also be joined by David Nargi, chairman of the festival, to find out more.
41:40 And stick around to find out about the changes to our scheduling with some exciting programmes coming to your screens very soon.
41:46 I'll see you in a few minutes.
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45:11 Hello and welcome back to Kentsonite live on KNTV.
45:15 Now it's time for us to take another look at the sports headlines as they've updated a little bit since last time.
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