DownsMail In touch with your parish


She had been chairman of the parish council, a member of many village groups, trustee of the village hall, and even after ceasing practising in 1990, still saw some patients. Borough Cllr Jill Anderson re- ported that another mast had appeared at Springfield Place and planning enforcement would investigate. Following the accident in the village square when a car went into the Portuguese restaurant, Cllr Anderson had requested pavement bollards. Concerns over student safety remained and an investigation into reducing the speed limit by the college to 30mph and in- creasing street lighting, was on- going. The council was applying to


Tonbridge and Malling Council for £2,000 towards the replace- ment of the wooden fence at the Signpost Field play area with bow top rail. Aloanof£1,500 was agreed


for the Jubilee event. Hadlow Senior Table Tennis would meet on Wednesday evenings at the village hall.


Kings Hill Council Parking problem


A REGULAR parking obstruc- tion was reported on the round- about with Discovery Drive and FortuneWay, and PCSOWendy Stanley was asked to check the area on patrols. The skate park working


group had been consulting busi- nesses and would report to the next meeting. Members heard KCC would


be required to save a further £100 million in the next finan- cial year. Highway fund requests for re- placement trees in Worcester Avenue and the flashing lights on the pedestrian crossing for Kings Hill school had been ap- proved by KCC. The council had received pos-


itive comments from residents about the winter plan. Suggestions from Liberty Prop-


erty Trust for benches to mark the Diamond Jubilee were dis- cussed. It was decided that four benches should be sited around Kings Hill and engraved. The finance and HR commit-


tee suggested that an applica- tion should be submitted to the borough council’s community enhancement fund for the benches, and this was agreed. A request from Kings Hill and Larkfield first responders for help with room hire was agreed. It was agreed to submit an ap- plication to KCC members’ highway fund for an anti-speed- ing project and a replacement tree in BraeburnWay. Security issues were reported


at the community centre, and these were to be discussed at the next committee meeting.


The council supported the re- duction of street lighting in Kings Hill. The clerk was asked to ascertain if street lights used low energy bulbs.


Youth club talk MEMBERS of Kings Hill Youth Club spoke about the club. They had some members from Mere- worth and wished to involve more. Volunteers were needed, especially musicians. It was agreed to buy a 2.5m-


Mereworth Council


3m Jubilee oak tree at £124. A warning was issued that a


group was going door-to-door, claiming to be from Hadlow College and offering to set up a milk round, but the college was unaware of them. The white lining on The Street


was complete and progress on the gateway was awaited. Cllr Jenny Thorogood apolo-


gised that she was now unable to have the Jubilee Beacon in her garden. Alternative sites would be investigated. The village fete and Jubilee


party is on Saturday, June 16. The clerk hadwritten to the li- censees of the Queen’s Head, asking that the banner be re- moved from the recreation ground hedge, and offered the use of the signpost at the junc- tion of The Street/Butchers Lane. RoyalMail would be contacted


as the letter box in The Street had no timetable displayed. The annual parish meeting would be on May 22, with a speaker from KentWildlife Trust.


Litter clearing MAIDSTONE Council had been contacted about litter through- out Nettlestead and had con- firmed it would be litter-picked but was not on the list of regu- lar areas for this. The clerk would inspect the


Nettlestead Council


area regularly and members were asked to contact her about any problems which would be reported to the borough council. A councillor had inspected


the King George V field and there were no problems. However, people had been


using the bin for dog waste bags when therewas a special bin for this in the far corner. The coun- cillor had been emptying the bin as it was the parish’s re- sponsibility. The clerk would try to obtain heavier duty sacks to make it eas- ier to empty and would ask the grounds maintenance contractor if it could dealwith the bin and if there would be a charge.


Snodland Council Carnival plans


THE carnival meeting heard that Eagle Heights had been booked to display in the arena and it was also hoped that the American Civil War re-enact-


ment group would be coming. There was concern about policing the carnival procession as the police will no longer do this. Any local people who may have experience in traffic con- trol and who would be willing to help asked to contact the council on 01634 240228. Preparations for the Jubilee celebrations are well under way and will include a 50s style fete in the recreation ground on June 1, which will include games and races, cake tent, plants, fancy dress parade and face painting. There will also be a craft tent and anyone with a craft skill who would like to demonstrate their work is asked to call the council on 01634 240228. Other events over the week-


end include be a civic service at All Saints’, a picnic in the rec- tory garden on Sunday, the Scouts will be running a street party in the Cricket Meadow on Monday, and there will be a dance at the community centre and the beacon will be lit on Holly Hill. On Tuesday, STARA has a


buffet lunch and a pensioners’ strawberry tea will take place at the Devonshire Rooms. Watch out for advertising and a special Jubilee Town Talk. Tonbridge and Malling Coun-


cil’swaste services team was re- ceiving more and more reports about dog fouling on the foot- paths around St Katherine’s School and other areas. This is causing problems within the schools and distress to residents as well as being a potential health risk. Although most dog owners pick up after their pets, a few do not. Despite increasing patrols of


the area, and increased cleaning of the footpaths, the council’s dog warden and environmental enforcement officer have not yet been able to catch the offenders. The borough council is asking residents to report anyone they see failing to pick up after their dog. Call 01732 876147 or email waste.services@tmbc.gov.uk, giv- ing as much information as pos- sible – date, time, description of the dog and the owner. The council will follow up on


all information received and tar- get patrols and issue £50 fixed penalty notices when they find the culprits. Repeat offenders will certainly be prosecuted.


Jubilee medals


Wateringbury Council


THE school had been asked to proceed with ordering the Ju- bilee medals for the children. Head teacher MrsNoreen Vinall had not yet advised of the cost. A vehicle had driven over the


grass near the North Pole and knocked down bollards. Funding of £7,031 from County Cllr Richard Long’s


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


highway fund was confirmed to cover installation of a speed in- dicator sign at Red Hill. Kent Highways had been quoted £350 for a new finial for the fingerpost at the crossroads andwould ask County Cllr Long if he would fund this. Aresident had asked to put 10


yards of spoil from his garden along his fence line on the play- ing fields side in return for a payment of £500 to the parish council. The Wateringbury Sports and Recreational Associ- ation had been consulted. It was agreed not to accept the offer as it would set a precedent. It had been necessary to ob-


tain a performing rights licence for the village hall, costing about £1,000. Because of the ad- ditional expense and other ris- ing costs, it was necessary to increase the hire charges by 50p per hour (around 5%) from Sep- tember 1. This was the first in- crease since April, 2010. The size of existing cremated remains plots at the cemetery was 2ft wide by 4ft long. It was agreed to reduce the width to 1ft 6ins, and when the present row was full, the length of new plots would be 3ft 6ins. All costs would remain the same. A resident had requested a


waste bin at the top of Pizien Well Road near the bus stop. The parish would have to cover the cost of £296 and it was agreed to monitor the situation.


Rubbish cleared


West Peckham Council


SOME dangerous rubbish in- cluding asbestos roofing had been cleared after being dumped in Forge Lane. Farms and rural areas were


still being targeted by people in vans and lorries, who when challenged, would say they were looking to buy scrap metal. Incidents should be re- ported to the police. A letter was being sent to the owner/driver of a vehicle with a trailer attached who had been driving close to horse riders and not reducing speed. Concern was raised about drivers crossing Seven Mile Lane from Mereworth Road and how the traffic island and lack of signalling could result in a serious accident. A resident had complained


about litter in Mereworth Road. The clerk was to contact bor- ough councillors to see if the road was on a litter picking schedule and to place an advert in the Record for volunteers for a litter-picking work party. Sharon Potter was thanked for organising “One Dark Night” at the village hall. A request would be placed in


the Record for ideas on how the parish should commemorate the Diamond Jubilee.


Malling 31


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