on the theft of garden plants, three incidents of criminal damage, a burglary, two thefts and a stolen vehicle in Pilgrims Way. He hoped to progress the Smartwater scheme piloted in Lenham. Two calls about anti-social behaviour had been received. Community warden Martin Sherwood reported on dog foul- ing and was trying to find out who the guilty dog owners were. Mr Sherwood reported that


Cllr TomSamswas discussing a community hub with Age Con- cern.


Guest speaker Cllr Eric Hot-


son,Mayor of Maidstone, spoke about the Localism Bill and ex- plained that parishes would be offered training and support to take over roles devolved from the borough council, such as planning and licensing. Kent Highway Services was considering having a revised entrance to the Hook Lane de- velopment. Following problems caused


by lorries parking in Church Lane, it was agreed to find out about the regulations covering this.


There were also problems


with parking close to the village shop with a number of 4x4 ve- hicles blocking wheelchair ac- cess. A solid white line in front of the dropped kerb might help stop this, it was suggested. KHS would be asked to look


into flooding in Church Road caused by poor drainage on the Booth Field side of the road. A footpath along Church


Road would not now go for- ward owing to rising costs. Following discussion with


Paul Fisher, the legal adviser at Maidstone Council, it was agreed that the clerk be allowed to act as an independent party to determine the level of grant awarded to Harrietsham & Lenham Scouts. Cllr Stephen Morris reported


on the proposal to make a 30% cuttothe concurrent functions funding. He said that a 10% cut for three yearswould have been better.He also said that a full re- view of the system was possi- ble.


The village hall trust had dis- cussed the heating and hot water heater at the village hall and the parish council was workingwith the trust to renew the lease. Members heard that the post


office had reopened, but with reduced hours. Cllr Stephen Morris said the Post Office needed to be made aware of any negative comments about the reduced service. Cllr Morris told the meeting


about the excellent work done by the Joint Parishes Group with regards to KIG and it was agreed that Harrietsham stays


DownsMail In touch with your parish Leeds Council


part of the group. Viewsonthe new village website were sought and the meeting heard that the history of the village could be easily added as it was in electronic format. It was agreed that the annual parish council meeting would use the same format as last year and to ask the primary school’s headteacher, Julie Silk, to be guest speaker. It was agreed to renew the parish council’s subscription to the Campaign to Protect Rural England, which had helped with some contentious plan- ning applications.


Diversion damage


Hollingbourne Council


CHAIRMAN Mike Bedwell re- ported on traffic chaos after an accident on the A20. Traffic di- verted along Greenway Court Road had damaged verges, which, it was understood, would not be repaired until the gas mains in Eyhorne Street had been replaced. It was agreed to contact Kent Highway Services to bring this forward. It was agreed to continue Hollingbourne’smembership of the Joint Parishes Group. Cllr John Cobbett reported


back on a meeting about traffic concerns in the village. He said reactive light signs had been successful in some other vil- lages.


PCSO LindsayWoods had re- ported on criminal damage to fencing along part of Greenway Court Road. TheWIhad askedtouse the Cardwell Pavilion free of charge as it was raising funds for Hollingbourne Meadows Trust. KCC’s council tax charge would be frozen next year. The cost of the Freedom Pass


for 11 to 16-year-olds would double from £50 to £100. Mr Corbett agreed to act as


this year’s fete co-ordinator. Concern had been expressed


that lights were left on at night at the Cardwell Pavilion. It was explained that this was to im- prove security and CCTV recordings. The dumped spoil in Upper


Street had still not been cleared and the Hollingbourne Hill road surface remained badly dam- aged. Kent Highway Services would be asked to attend to both.


Outsourcing the parish mag-


azine was to be considered and it was likely the parish council would be asked to increase its contribution. The pantomime group was congratulated on a successful and enjoyable production.


Parking nuisance


PARKING at the playing field on Sundays during football ses- sions was causing problems. It was agreed that a letter would be placed on those cars re- questing drivers not to park there at weekends. The pavilion had been left in


a mess after football and hirers were to be reminded to leave it clean and tidy. Councillors heard that youth football training with Holling- bourne Football Club at the playing field was due to be taken over by a professional company. Concerns were raised that this could have implica- tions on the charges and that subscriptions might have to rise. A planning application for


the conversion of two former agricultural buildings to three residential dwellings at Abbey Farm, Lower Street, was dis- cussed and it was felt this would lead to increased traffic. Renovation of the Dove Cote


and the Slype at Abbey Farm, Lower Street, were discussed. As these were of historic value to the village it was agreed that Cllr Gill Fort would liaise with David Slack on this. The draft budget was circu-


lated and the 2011/12 precept was agreed. Two accidents in the village


on the same evening had re- sulted in a road closure by the police. A site meeting had been held


with KCC Cllr Gary Cooke to discuss the proposed pedes- trian crossing at the school. A suggestion had been made


for parish meetings to be held in the pavilion and it was agreed to try this for a trial pe- riod from April. Members heard that the vil-


lage’s overspill car park had become muddy and it was sug- gested the parish council con- sider covering the area with grass matting. Members spoke about the use


of the car park by the school and the security of the car park. Concernswere raised about the car park barrier being left open – thiswas to allow access to the school bus which parked in the car park when not in use. It was agreed to talk to the school head about this. The village design statement


was at its final stage andwould be published in the near future.


Lenham Council Spring clean


THE village spring clean was due to take place on April 9 and a cross cleaning working party on April 16. This was a joint initiative between the Lenham EnhancementAssocia- tion and the parish council.


The transfer of the Cherry Downs picnic site from KCC to Lenham Parish Council was progressing well. The CCTV system was being updated with new equipment. Apossible crossing was being investigated by councillors in conjunction with Lenham pri- mary school. The Age Concern community


hub was discussed. Once the additional needs of parish- ioners had been identified, the hub would work with estab- lished groups. Details of the local elections


on May 5 would be available from the clerk on 01622 859682.


Play area lighting Ulcombe Council


DETAILS of CCTV and lighting for the play area had been sub- mitted and a quotation for the work would be sought. A revised specification for a floodlight to cover the village hall entrance and oil tank had also been produced and quotes for this work would be ob- tained. No charge had been made for moving the village hall broad- band connection to the same place as the CCTV control unit. A query over the hire of fenc-


ing needed to be resolved be- fore a final settlement of the play area safety surface could be reached. The future of the KIG site re- mained open and parishes had been asked to suggest alterna- tive uses. A memorial park to Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart and/or a reservoir had been suggested and this would be supported by the council. Reserves in the anti-KIG fund


were enough to meet adminis- tration costs for 2011. However, parishes needed to budget for professional assistance in the event of the JPG needing to sub- mit a report to Maidstone Bor- ough Council or hold a public meeting about the site’s future. It was agreed to make provi- sions for this in the 2011/12 budget. The JPG needed to appoint a


new chairman and it was con- sidered that a candidate from a larger parish nearer the KIG site would be best suited to the po- sition.


Potholes requiring attention


were reported in Chegworth Road, Ulcombe Hill, Headcorn Road and at the junction be- tween Streetfield and The Street. Clerk Bridget Samuelson


asked for confirmation on win- ter salting for Headcorn Road and for Chegworth Road to be included in the salting sched- ule.


She also asked for an assur-


ance that the 59 bus route would be adequately gritted.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk East 47


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