Malling Mail 7 Where I live... West Malling Parish Council
The new West Malling Parish Council has elected committees, which are chaired by Alan West (planning), Ron Parker (highways and street lighting) ,and Jim Galloway (amenities, which includes playing fields, allotments and churchyard).
The council has asked for replacement bollards in Swan Street and Town Hill.
Age Concern is to receive a legacy of over a million pounds from the estate of a local resident.
There is to be a review of the costs of providing the allotments, and a new rate of rent will be set in September.
The council agreed the installation of a second meter to ensure allotment tenants paid only for water used on the site. A suspected leak is to be investigated including possibly using water divining! The tenants association has installed a new gate paid for by the parish council.
Access to Woods Meadow ancient woodland at the bottom of Town Hill is often blocked by commuters' vehicles and in, recent weeks, cars marked for sale have appeared. The ownership of the land is unclear. It was resolved that West Malling and Leybourne parish councils should request Kent Highway Services to take action to prevent commuter parking.
A recent unfortunate incident concerning a dog attack in Manor Park was discussed and the clerk was requested to contact the ranger with the council’s concerns on the behaviour of dogs in the park, particularly during the nesting season.
The initial stages of the borough council's Character Area Appraisal for the parts of West Malling that lie outside the conservation area have gone well. Public consultation is scheduled to start in September, with responses, including the parish council’s, being reported back to the borough meeting on November 16, 2011. The report will list the characteristics which make each area of the parish individually attractive and which should be protected.
Hire charges for the village hall football pitch will rise to £25 per game. An unauthorised match took place when newly-seeded goalmouth areas were damaged. Enquiries are being made locally to discover which team was at fault.
The parish council had donated funds towards a High Street party to celebrate William and Kate’s wedding on April 29, 2011. Over 2,000 people in the High Street attended at its height, and the event was declared a great success by many who attended. Plans are being promoted for a similar celebration on the Saturday of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations on June 2 to 5, 2012.
The Town Malling Cricket Club in Norman Road has successfully increased its sporting activities, most notably
by offering a wide programme of matches and coaching for boys and girls of all ages. The parish council is supporting its work by agreeing a new draft lease to the club, which would extend its lease to a further 100 years.
The monthly Farmers Markets are a firm fixture on the events calendar and continue to attract increasing numbers of regular shoppers who sometimes have to brave the worst of the British weather! Over 2,000 visitors attend each market. New sites for advertising banners are needed.
The Malling Society has successfully organised a full and varied programme of Heritage Open Days in West Malling over the weekend of September 10 and 11. The Abbey, the Pilsdon Community at Water Lane, St Mary's Church, the Twitch Inn at Douces Manor, and a photographic exhibition at the Clout Memorial Institute will all be open to the public. This is the highest number of attractions of any village in the borough. The society also intends to expand on the World War II information already available at The Twitch, to include more general history and information. St Leonard's Tower will not be open to the public as English Heritage has not been able to clean it of dead birds.
The council agreed a donation towards the costs of a weekend Music@Malling 2011 festival of music to run from September 28 to October 2, 2011. The proposal includes an education project with school visits and workshops in the run-up to the start of the recitals programme, which will be held in St Mary's Church, Mereworth Church and Pilsdon Community tithe barn. Works by Mahler, Mozart and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf will be featured and the weekend will be rounded off by a post concert jazz set.
The parish council agreed to include Royal British Legion Industries in its invitations to tender for grounds maintenance work in the autumn.
Finally, a reminder about Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s Saturday household waste service. If you have large, bulky household items or green garden waste that is too large for your wheelie bin, the bulky refuse tanker is available for free at West Malling Village Hall on the following dates: July 23, August 13 and 27, September 10 and 24, and October 8 and 22. If you want further information, or a fridge or freezer collected free of charge, please contact the council’s waste services on 01732 876147.
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