committee to represent Hunton bowls club. Quotes had been received from three local com- panies for the repair of the parking facilities, in the range of £35-36,000. The committee wanted to obtain funding for the work but the holes would be patched as a temporary measure. Sources of funding would be investigated. It was reported that Barbara


Wright had washed the East Street noticeboard andithad cleaned up well. Members agreed the glass did not need to be replaced. The board will be recoated at a cost of £35. The village sign had been


taken down for repair work. Members recommended no objection to proposals for a garage conversion and first floor extension to provide liv- ing accommodation at Lin- stone, East Street, but were concerned about the increase in the height of the bungalow. Notification had been re- ceived from Maidstone Council of an appeal against planning refusal for the change of use on plot 5 land at Lughorse Lane for two gypsy homes. The Barn Hill group would be informed.


Service to return REGARDING the youth bus,it was noted that once another member of staff had been re- cruited, the Langley sessions would again be a regular occur- rence. The clerk was asked to keep a diary note of its return. A response of no comment


Langley Council


was agreed to a planning appli- cation for a single-storey exten- sion and raised decking at 23 Dickens Close. Cable from a power line in


New Road had been stolen and a pedal cycle had been taken from Green Lane. No requests had been made


for the phone box in Heath Road to stay but there had been two telephone calls for it to be removed. BT would be asked if it could be removed. Concern was expressed that


waste bins may not be emptied as detailed on Maidstone Coun- cil’s schedule. An item would be placed in the newsletter, re- questing feedback from resi- dents. A quote was being sought for repairs of bent seats and loose support bars on the swings at the playing field. It was agreed to proceed with


a quote for £67.50 plus VAT for removing dead plants in the play area hedge and replacing with 16 hawthorns. The village hall management committee was arranging a party to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on June 4, 2012, and had requested the parish council to consider con- tributing up to half the cost of


DownsMail In touch with your parish amount.


£800 worth of fireworks. Mem- bers decided against the request but asked for more information on the display and the beacon. The possibility of purchasing commemorative mugs for the children and a tree planting would be considered at the next meeting. The council agreed to donate


£100 towards presents for the village hall children’s party. Following requests from two


hall hirers, members agreed to a bouncy castle outside the hall on the playing field, subject to insurance and supervision. It was reported the hallwas in


the top 10 for the VillageHall of the Year competition.


Better sightlines


Staplehurst Council


A RESIDENT’s complaints of speeding traffic, accidents and damaged bollards on Church Hill were noted. The latest crash would be reported to the police and borough Cllr Eric Hotson. Cleaner Staplehurst would be asked to clean and clear vegetation from speed limit signs on Church Hill to improve sightlines. Complaints from residents re- garding dog mess and mud at Bathurst Road walkway and dog mess around Headcorn Road were discussed in detail. It was noted that the dog war-


den was on the case of the known individual in the Head- corn Road area. Improved assis- tance from the borough and a visit from the dog warden would be sought. It was agreed to purchase two PoleCat CCTV cameras with monitoring by Maidstone Coun- cil, at a total cost of year 1 of £12,390. A new light column which would be needed at the entrance to Jubilee playing field, was not part of this


Members agreed to purchase


eight salt bins with two pallets of salt at a total anticipated cost of £1,470, subject to landown- ers’ permission for the sites being agreed. Councillors discussed the dif- ficulty of getting volunteers to lock the toilets and that the council should consider paying a going rate for the work. The contract for cleaning would be reviewed before January 2011 and itwas suggested that clean- ing and closing in the evening with a local resident to open in the morning should be speci- fied.


Proposals for a series of fundraising events for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee cele- brations were discussed. These included quiz nights, a porce- lain auction and a fair.


Return to nature


Sutton Valence Council


IT was decided not to maintain the Tarmac on public footpath KH495 from Castle View to School Lane but to allow it to become green. The formal ceremony for the


sun dial in memory of former council chairman Larry Mul- heirn, which will be located at Bowhalls, will be held on Octo- ber 31. It has been donated by his family and friends to the parish council. A parishioner had raised the


issue of bins stored by the church noticeboard.Onlytwo houses were unable to store the bins in their back gardens be- cause of access problems. A suggestion had been made that the parishioner build a struc- ture to house the offending bins either where they are kept or in the parking area. While sympa- thising, the council could not allow the use of parish land for


News in brief


Storage plan leaves them cold PLANS to use nearly a third of an extended cold store at Chart Sutton for non-Kentish produce have been opposed by the parish council.


Councillors previously objected to the extension of the build-


ing at Lested Farm, Plough Wents Road, as it said there was lit- tle evidence of fruit growing on the farm and not enough to justify a much larger storage area. Having won approval for the scheme, the applicant has asked


to alter a planning condition so that 30% of the floorspace may be used for produce from outside the county. However, the parish says it would be impossible to “police” this arrangement.


Councillor’s best-ever run COUNCILLOR JohnWilson has completed his fourth Great North Run in Newcastle, in his best time ever, crossing the line in 1 hour 48 minutes. He runs with the official Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research running team, The Banana Army – so called because of their bright yellow shirts. To date, John has raised £1,500 and is well on the way to reach-


ing his target of £2,000. You can still sponsor him on his Just Giv- ing fundraising site: http://original.justgiving.com/johnwilson3.


this purpose, as it would set a precedent and also hamper any future project at the site. Blue Eagles informed the council they did not intend to use the football pitch this sea- son.


The light in Captains Close, which was unsafe through a youth climbing it, had been re- paired. No comment was made on a retrospective application for the erection of a summer house and raised decking at 3 South Bank. An application for extensions


at 10 The Platt had been ap- proved.


Speed checks CONCERNS were expressed by a resident about speeding along Benover Road. The chairman explained that the road had been surveyed as not being suit- able for an interactive sign. More Speedwatch sessions and police speed checks would be requested. The Syngenta application for


Yalding Council


site 1 was due to go to planning committee on October 13. St Modwen had asked for an in- formal meeting with the parish council to discuss site 2. Residents of Kenward House


had painted the play equip- ment and suggested they come twice a year to keep it looking good.


Suitable sites had been iden-


tified at Kintons Path to erect anti-dog fouling signs. The spare black waste bin


was erected adjacent to the back gate to the church, only to be ripped off the next day. A new more secure pole had been installed. The council agreed to help


with funding, following a re- quest from the Friends of Laddingford School who wish to install removable goal posts on the football pitch on Jubilee Field, costing £585 plus VAT. The KCC public rights of way


officer had received a complaint from a resident that the gap in the fence to the pony field on the Lees was not suitable for mobility vehicle access. The footpath officer had discovered that this was not deemed the public footpath entrance but was there to allow horses onto the field. The public may con- tinue to use this entrance, but at their own risk. The original en- trance, which was much further along towards Laddingford, would be reinstated by the foot- path officer. Work on desilting the River


Beult upstream from Town Bridge was likely to start before the end of October, with plant accessing the site from the east, via The Elms. The material will transport to Cheveney to help solve bank erosion there.


Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735 South 35


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