Podcast: A La Turka restaurant boss hit with hefty court bill after ‘gaslighting’ Kent County Council over illegal enclosure in Herne Bay

A restaurant boss who built an illegal outdoor dining area before “gaslighting” authorities for years with promises to pull it down has been fined and ordered to pay court costs totalling more than £40,000.The glass-fronted enclosure outside A La Turka in Herne Bay was put up in 2019, despite there only being planning permission for awnings.Also in today’s podcast, a public meeting's been held in Tunbridge Wells to discuss the recent water crisis.Around 100 people showed up last night to express their frustrations following a number of outages before and after Christmas.Controversial plans for a solar farm have been approved - despite residents warning it will despoil a “historic, rural agricultural landscape”.Covering 40 hectares - roughly the size of 55 football pitches - the site on Romney Marsh is currently used to grow crops.A sports and social club with more than 650 members will close at the end of the month.The facility in Maidstone is set to shut following a “difficult decision” by the organisation that runs it to cease its affiliation.And a school with pupils from more than 80 nationalities has launched a community campaign to celebrate togetherness and belonging.  Ashford’s John Wallis Academy has put up flags, banners and posters around its grounds – you can hear from their Head who says it’s come at a time when we know the world is increasingly divided. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.