DownsMail In touch with your parish Ryarsh Council


Kings Hill Council Bus noise


RESIDENTS expressed concerns and provided data about the bus route along Discovery Drive near Discovery School, particularly the frequency of buses, excessive noise caused when buses go over the two speed ramps, pollution, and damage to cars and snow ploughs and the ramp. The group had written to Terry


Drury of Kent Highway Services to ask for the removal of the ramps. Cllr Long reported on progress


with the third Kings Hill pri- mary school, which he supports. It was resolved that the parish council contact the steering group to become involved. Concern about the extremely


slow progress with the Discovery Drive crossing was raised again. Regarding the community cen-


tre and youth centre lease, there was likely to be a delay of around one month due to the legal process. It was agreed that new quotes should be sought for the CCTVfor the community centre, to avoid a delay in the installa- tion.


Quotes had been obtained for


the Discovery Drive bus shelter and the final design would be de- cided at the next planning meet- ing.


Cllr Sarah Barker was re- elected chairman for the forth- coming year with Cllr Sue Woodcock as vice-chairman. Amended plans were circu-


lated for the central area devel- opment. There were no objections. Liberty’s plans to develop the Control Tower cultural pod with the University for the Creative Arts were discussed. The coun- cil would write to Liberty to ex- press its concerns about the loss of the heritage aspect to the site. It was agreed to set up a formal meeting with Liberty and the borough council to discuss this further.


Leybourne Council Football nuisance


A RESIDENT raised the issue of footballs being kicked against residents’ fences andwalls in the open space atWillowmead. It was reported that, in another


area, the borough council had provided bushes to protect the fencing and the residents agreed to water them. It was agreed to investigate a similar solution at Willowmead. It was reported there had been


a notable increase in unautho- rised fishing at Castle Lake and at the end ofWillowmead. Trees had been cut down to make a clearing for this purpose. The parish council had asked


the neighbourhood police to in- clude the lakes in their patrols to deal with unauthorised entry and littering.


Paul Warnes and Barry Chap-


ple were co-opted on to the parish council. No date had yet been given for


the planting of the Christmas tree which had been donated to the parish by TaylorWimpey. The installation of “dog bones”


across the drives adjacent to the lay-by on the A20 London Road had been agreed and would be installed during the next few months to alleviate the problem caused by commuter parking. The royal wedding street party


had been a huge success and worked well as an informal gath- ering. It was agreed to ask the com- munity group to consider a simi- lar event for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It was reported that the newly founded Leybourne Athletic Football Club had asked for as- sistance with using the football pitches at Leybourne Grange. The council would contact de- veloper Taylor Wimpey to arrange to discuss options for leasing the pitches. It was agreed to fund three


extra litter bins at the Bomb- Hole. A planning application for an extension at 187 Willowmead was considered. It was agreed to object as parking would be inad- equate.


Mereworth Council Flytipping


A LEAFLET had been distrib- uted by Russet Homes to houses on theAirfield estate. This noted complaints from householders and an inspection which had taken place in April. Issues raised included flytipping (re- ferred to Tonbridge and Malling Council); overhanging trees (passed to Falmouth Estates); no- ticeboard too small (Russet homes to replace with larger one); play area (Russet to im- prove); road signs/street signs (to be cleaned by the borough coun- cil). It was also reported that houses


leased to theMinistry of Defence would be refurbished and of- fered for sale to Russet Homes. A donation of £50 was agreed


for the Heart of Kent Hospice. It was reported that there would be repairs to the pavilion at the church and itwas hoped it would continue to serve cream teas.


The Rectory was to be refur- bished before being occupied again. It had been agreed that the


slide be installed at the play area, at a cost of £3,745. The play area was being well used. There had been only one crime


in the previous month – theft from amotor vehicle. Cllr Jon Regan was elected chairman for the forthcoming year with Cllr Peter Corden-Dil- ley as vice-chairman.


Work could start


WORK would possibly start on the Ryarsh Brickworks site in October. The council was wait- ing to hear if allotments could be made available there. News of section 106 developer funded schemes had been given by County Cllr Sarah Hohler.The clerk was asked to find out what intentions there were for spend- ing this money and how the parish council could have some input.


PCSO Kim Hockey reported


one incident of theft from a garage. More material had been or-


dered to restore the contours of Workhouse Quarry. The summer fete was a great success with more than 40 stalls. A total of more than £3,000 was raised and the landlord of the Duke ofWellington pub donated all its profits –more than £800 – to the cause. Money will go to the Heart of Kent Hospice andQuest School. The parish council thanks everyone who helped, in particular Pam Coleman and Wayne Oliver. A councillor accompanied an inspector fromWicksteed around the play area. Issues requiring at- tention included cutting back fo- liage, work to swings and repairing damage to a picnic table.


Birling Parish Council had


seven Speedwatch volunteers and approached the committee about joining together. However, Birling did not consider that Ryarsh’s two volunteers would be sufficient. Work was taking place outside


The Hollies on The Street due to flooding problems. A resident raised concerns


about flooding in The Street. Properties had been flooded and pedestrians had been forced to walk in the centre of the road be- cause of the water flowing down it and the cars parked on the op- posite side. The clerk was asked to write to


Cllr Hohler, borough Cllr Matthew Balfour and Kent High- way Services to ask for some- thing to be done and to ask whether the team currently on the site could carry out the work. A bridge over Old School


Lane,which was originally built for cattle, had a post to stop cars using it. The post had been cut down and a vehicle was using it. The clerk was to contact KHS to find out if there were any weight restrictions. A complaint had been made


with the borough council about a number of properties along the A20 extending gardens into the fields behind. The parish council had not yet received official noti- fication of an investigation. It was agreed to object to a planning application for a two-


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


storey extension at The Street. Grounds included that it was a massive overdevelopment,did not fit in with the village and would destroy the quality of life for neighbours.


Snodland Council


Shop comments PLANNING committee members strongly objected to an applica- tion to alter the shop at 36 High Street and to make it into two shops which involves changing the Victorian frontage. The committee was particu-


larly concerned that the site is in the conservation area. Although the work has already been car- ried out and the shops have opened, this did not have plan- ning approval and is required to apply for permission which could be refused. Comment was also made on


the erection of wall signs for each shop, neither ofwhich have planning permission and again the planning committee objected to these as they are not in keep- ing with the rest of the area.


Private function


West Peckham Council


A REQUEST was made by the clerk, Claire Yearsley, to erect a gazebo on the village green for a private function at the Swan on the Green. A request was also made by a resident to erect three gazebos on the village green for a family fu- neral. Both requests were agreed. The council is to review op-


tions for protecting the village green for future generations with the use of by-laws. The borough solicitor would be approached for advice. County Cllr Richard Long con- firmed that none of the area’s bus services would be affected by any changes currently under re- view.


There was a continuing prob-


lem with gullies along Adams Well being blocked and also drains being blocked at Parsons Corner when it was thought these should be part of a routine maintenance schedule. The resurfacingwork at Swan-


ton Road had been delayed due to problems with machinery. The trees had been cut back


along Church Road so that the Children Playing sign was clearly visible. Mr and Mrs Pearce of Hazel Hall were thanked for arranging this. The application for broadband funding had been unsuccessful. Disappointment was expressed that a few larger parishes had re- ceived substantial funding but none had gone to smaller parishes, where itwas oftenmost needed. Cllr Long urged the parish to apply when the next round of funding is announced.


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