Broomfield and Kingswood Council


DownsMail In touch with your parish tery.


Nuisance bikes RESIDENTS of Peter Pease Close had joined the Neighbourhood Watch.The clerk said motorbikes had again been reported in Abbey Wood, with one rider balancing a young child aged three or four on the handlebars of his machine, while riding at high speed. PCSO Richard Kirby told the meeting of the death of PC Steve Older, who had been the parish’s Neighbourhood Watch officer. It was agreed that a donation of £25 be made to a charity in his mem- ory.


Clerk SueWotton reported that


she had supplied three applica- tion forms for affordable housing and had received five emails ex- pressing interest. Dates for bids in relation to the empty unit at Peter PeaseClose had been extended to April 12. Cllr Peter Forster said Peter Cor-


field had been successful in the first bid to DEFRA for superfast broadband. There was to be an- other meeting of the three parishes to discuss the next move. Cllr Paul Beaney said the parish


forum received a steady number of monthly hits, but none from younger members of the parish. It was hoped more groups would use the facilities in the future. Cllr Terry Baker reported that


the initial meeting of the Neigh- bourhood Planning Initiative had been well attended by more than 100 residents.Twenty people had volunteered to be part of the steer- ing group and many others had asked to be kept informed of com- munity issues. Cllr Peter Coleman said the


parish would celebrate its 20th anniversary on July 31, and asked members whether the parish should mark the occasion. Mem- bers agreed that an article should be included in the June village news. Cllr Forster said the closing


spring on a gate in the Levercrest play area had broken, and he would see if he could repair it. Additional Playdale equipment had been installed. More than 20 children had at- tended a Charlton Athletic Com- munity Trust training session, which was enjoyed by all. StevenWaring had submitted a


quote for sports field mainte- nance, with minimal increases, and it was agreed that this should be accepted. Cllr Beaney said one of the goalnetshad broken, but he believed this was due to wear and tear. It was agreed that the goals needed to be moved again. The clerk reported that this


year’s pensioners’ outing to Hever Castle on May 15 was already oversubscribed, so places would go to those who had not been on the outing before. Remaining places would be allocated by lot-


30 South


Cllr Vince Cooper said he would be retiring at the annual parish meeting as he was due to move out of the area. Travellers had been showing in-


terest in two vacant plots at the north end of Ashford Drive, Kingswood. The owners of the land had been notified and were puttingmeasures inplace to make access difficult. Clerk Sue Wotton said that, in preparation for her retirement, the archiving and indexing of the parish records was nearing com- pletion. She thanked councillors for their support andGail Gosden for her work as assistant clerk. Councillors thanked Sue for her hard work and long service, and presented her with gifts.


Chart Sutton Council Drinks offer


GLORIA Adams had offered to provide refreshments at the an- nual parish meeting. Several re- ponses from speakers were still awaited, but the main speaker was to be Kim Fletcher, from ACRK, who was to speak on the digital switchover. Cllr ChrisWebb advised of the


theft of heating oil from a prop- erty in Green Lane. CllrWebb said the cost of a bar-


rel of beer for the Jubilee celebra- tions had been investigated. The village hall committee had been approached about a possible con- tribution toward the activities. Volunteers were still needed to


help out on the day. The Scouts had set the week-


end ofMay 5/6 to redecorate the pavilion. It was agreed to retain the existing colour scheme, andto allow a budget of £250 for paint and materials. It was agreed that the toilet pan and seat would be replaced. Chairman Peter Forknall said


parts of the play area equipment were rusty and needed rubbing down and repainting. Members agreed to think of someone who could do the work. Borough councillor Mike FitzGerald said the shop commit- tee was arranging for a CCTV camera in the shop. The clerk was asked to contact KCC about an external camera. A handrail might also be useful. Members noted that the Market


on the Green was set up before the shop opened, and if retained could take business away from the shop. Cllr Steven Waring asked why


the borough council had in- creased the figures for gypsy sites, and Cllr Munford said the origi- nal figures had not accounted for gypsies in stable accommodation. Cllr PaulWard reported that he


had on more than one occasion cycled through sewage being dis- charged directly on to the road from the gypsy site at the corners of Lucks Lane and Chart Hill


Road. The clerk was asked to re- port this to the Environmental Health Agency and Highways Services. Cllr Underdown said the final amendments were being made to the leaflets on walks in the area, and these were to be available at the next council meeting.


Coxheath Council Dog attack


THE parish council was to re- search bye-laws but was unlikely to introduce dog control orders, following the recent dog attack, because of the practical difficul- ties of enforcement. However, a publicity campaign will be mounted to encourage residents to report any inappropriate or ir- responsible behaviour through the community warden, the PCSO or the parish council to the appropriate authorities at Maid- stone Council. The draft Neighbourhood Plan


had been approved by the parish council with a view to formal registration and public consulta- tion. It was likely that a public consultation/exhibition would be held in May, once the data had been collected from the cur- rent exercise to refresh the Local Needs Housing survey. Discussionshad been held with


the parking services manager at MaidstoneCouncil to increase the level and frequency of parking enforcement visits to Coxheath. Concerns had been registered through the Locality Board at the likely effects of the reduction in funding to Kent County Council youth services, particularly in rural areas.


East Farleigh Council Minibus theft


PCSO JoWatts was unable to at- tend the meeting, but said in her report that there had been one crime in the lastmonth – the theft of aminibus from theWalnutTree pub in Forge Lane. A second planning application


for one home at Faren House was considered, and the council rec- ommended refusal as it was out- side the village development and the application was not detailed enough.


Residentswanted toknowwhat


was happening about the traffic calming agreed with Ben Hilden from Highways Services in No- vember. The clerk is to investi- gate.


Cllr Glyn Charlton said half an


acre of land inVicarage Lane had been offered to the council by ownerMrSharp for £15,000, plus his costs. The land would be used as a car park. MatthewWoodhead agreed to draw up plans up to a maximum cost of £2,000, before discussions could begin. The Village Plan Action Group


said they would take no further action on the feasibility study until the Vicarage Lane car park


issue had been explored. Nine nominations had been re-


ceived for the parish council elec- tions and there were nine vacancies, so there would be no election. The Best Kept Garden compe-


tition will be judged on June 8. The Save our Bridge petition


was to be made available for sign- ing at all the village pubs. The date of the annual parish meeting was set forMay 1, in the Old School Hall at 7.30pm. The mayor and mayoress were to at- tend.


East Sutton Council Email address


THE council’s email address would be transferred to Free- zone, which has an online back- up service, atacostof£2per month. The clerk has contacted the governor of East Sutton Park to report the damaged walls. The bus shelter has been in-


sured for £3,4000. Cllr Graham Edmed would check the condi- tion of theTarmac at the bus stop. A bus stop sign would be re- quested from Arriva. Regarding planning permission


for a tennis court at Charlton Court, the clerk has contacted MaidstoneCouncil about the con- sultation process


Headcorn Council Road repairs


CHAIRMAN Timothy Thomas had met with Kent Highways and said new contractors had been taken on to carry out road repairs. Gully emptying was also being donewithin the parish but jetting lines would be done separately if required. Verge cutting had been reduced to once a year and road junctions would be done three times a year. Maidstone Council had moni-


tored Wheeler Street but there was not enough litter to warrant a new bin. The civic parade and service


was to be held at All Saints’ Church on May 20. Four horse chestnut treeswere


to be felled along the footpath in the churchyard, whichwould re- quire road restrictions.


Hunton Council Crime report


PCSO JoWatts reported a theft of lead from a property in Amsbury Road, a burglary at Hunton Hill, and the theft of cabling from Water Lane. She said cabling and lead were being targeted by thieves and suggested residents who wished to switch to other materials should contact her. ChairmanRoger Sawtell said he


had been contacted by David Smith, of KCC, who intended to install the bridges onthe footpath between Bensted Close and the village hall. Once they were in place, the matting wouldP38


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