DownsMail In touch with your parish


Broomfield and Kingswood Council Planning ahead


IT was resolved that the vision- ing exercise be carried out as a precursor to the Neighbour- hood Plan. If sufficient interest was garnered from the exercise then the council would need to apply for funding to research and produce a plan. Project manager Peter Cor-


field updated members on the progress of the application for super-fast broadband.The deadline for applications had been January 26. Councillors agreed that the parish precept application for 2012/13 be maintained at £33,000, as last year. Regarding the bus shelter in Cayser Drive, this issue had still not been progressed, al- though the damage by a vehicle happened last March. Gal- lagher’s insurers maintained that Maidstone Council had not provided relevant paperwork, but the borough insisted it had. It was reported that during


the recent highwinds, the dam- aged roof of the shelter was seen to represent a potential danger to the public. The clerk wouldmake the borough coun- cil aware of the deterioration of the roof and associated safety concerns. A resident had raised the problem of litter and fly tipping in the parish and the associated public costs, and requested the parish council address this issue with Maidstone Council. The resident would be advised to contact Maidstone Council environmental department. It was also noted that several parish councillors already took time to collect litter whenever possible as part of their Big So- ciety commitment and would encourage other residents to do likewise.


Horse rugs


Chart Sutton Council


THERE had been only one crime incident – stolen EDF ca- bling. However, the community warden asked residents to be aware of a person inquiring about a stolen horse as this may be linked to thefts of horse rugs and equipment from neigh- bouring areas. M. Brownwas co-opted to fill


the vacancy on the parish coun- cil. A meeting was held with


KCC, Jacobs contractors and five representatives of local business affected by the pro- posed closure of Hertsfield Bridge for maintenance. The high usage of the bridge was discussed and various options including a Bailey bridge were suggested, but none was suit-


30 South


able. Further consideration would be given by Jacobs and KCC. It was agreed that the pro-


posed diversion of part of foot- path KH555a was in the landowner’s interest andwould not negatively impact on public enjoyment of the route. The plumbing work at the pavilion had been done and one shower was in and work- ing. The Scouts would be con- tacted with a view to re-decorating in the summer for one of their badges. The litter bin at the side of the pavilion had vanished and the clerk was asked to purchase a new one. The next village clean-up would be on Saturday, March 31, starting at 10am from the village hall. It was agreed to set the parish precept for 2012/13 at £17,000, an increase of £1.83 per band D household per year.


Volunteers needed


East Farleigh Council


THE council was keen to get Speedwatch up and running again. Anyone who could spare a few hours on a regular basis to help was asked to contact the vice-chairman Peter Beasley on 07709 592079 or email peter- beasley1@aol.com or the clerk Sarah O’Callaghan on eastfar- leighpc@googlemail.com. No crimes were reported in


the village over the last month. An independent chairperson


had been found for the pro- posed public meeting which was expected to take place in March. Tovil Parish Council has been


given permission to borrow the money to purchase the Old School site in Tovil. East Far- leigh is not joining them in this acquisition, but Tovil has asked if the council wished to hire space there for parish use, as an office or formeetings. Council- lors felt this needed to be an agenda item for the next meet- ing and all the options would be investigated. If anyone in the village has of-


fice and storage space available for hire, the parish council would like to hear from them. The recent damage to East Farleigh bridge was discussed. The two main issues hampering progress on the problem of HGVs using the bridge were ac- cess and, more significantly, money. However, the recent damage had not been caused by an HGV. It was suggested that a petition was the best way for- ward and that there were two ways to keep lorries away from the bridge – a county-wide pol- icy on re-routing lorries or put- ting up physical barriers. The council received a reply


from Ben Hilden of KCC to its request for a 30mph speed limit to extend the length of Dean Street to its junction with Lower Road. He stated that, as those personal injury crashes which had occurred were not speed re- lated, Kent Highways could not justify the expenditure on re- ducing the limit. The clerk would clarify the situation, given that County Cllr Paulina Stockell had agreed to pay for signage.


East Sutton Council Clean sweep


REGARDING the employment of a street sweeper, it was agreed that the clerk would put together a job description and advert for the notice boards and contact Kent Highways to ascer- tain the current road sweeping schedule. The following planning ap- plications were recommended for approval: Boyton Court, Boyton Court Road – erection of glasshouse to replace existing shed; HM Young Offenders In- stitute, East Sutton Park, East Sutton – listed building consent for replacement of existing gym- nasium roof finishes and roof lights. A parishioner complained


about lorries getting stuck when they tried to come through East Sutton. He agreed to monitor the situation and re- port back.


Headcorn Council New posting


THERE were 17 crimes reported for December. PCSO Siobhan De Burca was thanked for all her work and wished well for her future posting in the North Downs area. It was announced that Alan Beech would be the replacement PCSO. It was resolved that the pre-


cept for 2012/13 for a band D property to run the village would be £36.27. In addition, the precept was agreed of £25,000 or £16.17 per band D property for the village hall re- payment of the Public Board Works loan over a 25-year pe- riod. This is an increase of 9.78% from 2011/12. A letter was received from


John Robson, churchwarden of St Peter’s and St Paul’s, request- ing the council reconsider its decision not to put funding to- wards the felling of the tree in the churchyard. It was agreed that no action be taken unless a motion be put forward under standing orders. The youth forum had agreed


to carry out a risk assessment of the Thursday youth group ac- tivities to make sure that suffi- cient insurance cover was in place. The business forum had many active members and continued


to meet on a regular basis. It was reported that Headcorn aero- drome was to hold a celebratory event on March 10 to mark the anniversary of the first woman to fly across the Channel. This would involve more than 150 planes landing and would pro- vide excellent opportunities for the business/tourism network in the village.


Hunton Council Solar heating


NEW quotes were to be ob- tained for solar panels on the village hall roof to generate en- ergy, as equipment costs have dropped following the recent government announcement on tariffs. Planning permission has been granted for the work. The parish council plans to authorise workmen to dig out the ditch at the side of the vil- lage playing fields by the road- side from the foot of Hunton Hill to the village hall. Exca- vated earth would be used to re- inforce the hedge by West Street. It was felt that the work would ease pressure on the car park which frequently suffered from water damage. A free pack of 105 small trees


was being obtained from the Woodland Trust for planting on public land, possibly between West Street and the village play- ing fields. A spate of thefts of under- ground earthing cables had been reported across the Maid- stone area, including Water Lane and Bishops Lane, Hunton.


PCSO moves on Marden Council


PCSO James Austin was leaving the parish and moving to Tun- bridge Wells. His replacement would be Nicola Morris. A thank you letter was re- ceived from the Kent Air Am- bulance for the donation from the Christmas raffle. Council- lors also wished to pass on thanks to the children who helped on the day: Reuben and Jodie Causer (Christmas elves), and Elspeth Smith, Abby Bris- tow, Daisy Banfield, Charley Banfield and Rachel Harvey for helping on the parish council raffle stall. A letter of thanks was re- ceived from David McFarland for the Christmas fayre and do- nation of Christmas presents. Thanks were expressed to Amanda Causer for sourcing the grotto presents. The budget was agreed with


the concurrent functions grant at £9,000. It was agreed that the 2012/13 precept would need to be set at £69,500 due to the un- certainty of the concurrent fuc- tions grant, which was due to be decided in March. The booking office at Marden


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