Wednesday February 5 | 2020
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Inquest hears that photographer died from an overdose
Inquest She had been reported missing the day before and following the discovery of her body a local man in his 30s, who was known to Ms Goacher, was arrested. He was later released without charge. A post-mortem conducted immediately after her death failed to find a cause of death, which the police at the time described as ‘unexplained’. At the opening of the inquest into Ms Goacher’s death at Maidstone’s County Hall yesterday [Tuesday], Coroner Roger Hatch was told further toxicology tests revealed the cause of death to have been a propranolol overdose – a type of beta blocker usually prescribed to people with blood pressure or anxiety problems. Mr Hatch adjourned the hearing into her death until a later date. Miss Goacher, who was a front of house supervisor at West Kent College during the time before her death, was described by colleagues as being ‘well-liked and a valued member of the team’.
AG F A EB ZI R N UA E R – Y FR ’S EE SO IN SI D
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A21 closure lasts for ten days not four but now it’s during half-term
By Richard Forrester A TALENTED young photographer found dead in woodland in Tunbridge Wells, died from an overdose of beta blockers, an inquest has heard. The body of Sabrina Goacher, 30, who worked at West Kent College, was discovered in a secluded area near Mount Ephraim on Monday, August 19.
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THE urgent repairs to the A21, which will see the road shut in both directions, will take twice as long as Highways England initially proposed. The total closure of the dual carriageway for seven miles between the north and south junctions for Tonbridge will run from 10pm on Friday February 14 to 6am on Monday February 24. It will last for nearly ten days rather than four, as was planned last month, and promises to cause chaos in Tonbridge with all traffic being diverted through the town centre.
UNDER THREAT River Lawn could now be sold
River Lawn set to go on market after village green bid rejected By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk THE campaigners who are trying to stop River Lawn being sold to developers have been given six weeks to find a buyer for the site. The deadline comes after the Barden Residents’ Association had their application to have the site designated as a village green turned down by Kent County Council [KCC] last week. Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC] responded to the decision by inviting prospective purchasers to put forward bids to secure the land. This results from the campaigners having already registered the site as Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011. The half-acre plot was valued at
£2,125,000 in April 2018, which campaigners claimed was an inflated figure. If no buyer can be found before the deadline expires, the council intends to put the land on the market. TMBC’s Cabinet voted to sell it to developers for housing in 2017. In the immediate aftermath of KCC’s
There will now be a sixweek period during which community interest groups can register their interest judgement on January 21, TMBC tweeted: “This decision means we can now push ahead with our plans to see this land put to good use. The proceeds from its sale will also help fund vital council services.” It later deleted the reference to ‘put to
Concerns
good use’ after the comment attracted widespread criticism on social media. A TMBC spokesman said: “We are very aware of the strong feelings of some local residents about the future of River Lawn. “However, this area has been part of our plans for development of Tonbridge for some time and was included it in our proposals published in 2008. “KCC’s regulation panel agreed that this meant it could not be registered as a village green so we now intend to pursue our plans to sell the land, using the proceeds to invest in council services.” He added: “There will now be a sixweek period during which community interest groups are eligible to register their interest in buying the land. “If no such expression of interest is
Major repairs will be undertaken on the Medway Viaduct flyover above Haysden after faults were identified a year ago. Highways England will also rebuild Manor Farm subway near Leigh. The surface of the bypass was breaking up due to problems with the movement joints in the viaduct. Seven cars were damaged by one pothole on January 14. The works, previously scheduled for January 8-13, were postponed because of supply chain issues. The latest timing runs during the half-term holidays. Around 35,000 cars use the route between Hastings and the M25 every day, and drivers now face a half-hour addition to their journey time. Local MP Tom Tugendhat and Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Leader Nicolas Heslop previously voiced their concerns about doing the work during term-time.
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