Boughton Malherbe Council


Oil thefts rife


DownsMail In touch with your parish Cllr Turner discussed the in-


ning permission had been applied for.


THEcrime figures recorded three thefts from homes, one burglary at a home, one theft from a vehicle, and two thefts from Chilston Park. There had been an increase in oil thefts from homes in remote locations. It was noted that oil tank alarms, which cost about £100, could save a lot more in stolen oil. The council heard that the na-


tional Speedwatch software had been installed. Grafty Green Speedwatch had trained seven parishioners. The clerk reported that the final pothole in Woodcock Lane had been repaired, and the pothole on the road to Egerton was to be made safe in April. The clerk had met withAlastair Coleman who had advised that surface water below Stream Farm would be investigated when the hill is closed for patch- ing. Liverton Hill was said to be mainly free of leaks, but any small leaks would be addressed when the hill was closed. Signs had now been erected at Bowley Lane. Kent Highway Services had


said stones on the grass verges at Woodcock Lane were not a safety hazard. The clerk had enquired about


the cost of a speed indicator de- vice and had got a special price of £3,500. Cllr JennyWhittle had of- fered to meet 50% of the cost from her member’s fund. The order had been placed. A water leak at the junction of Eastwood Road and Headcorn Road had stopped. Rubbish in Church Road had


been dealt with. A meeting to formulate an emergency plan had decided that parishioners should be invited to take part.Anotice was put in the magazine asking for volunteers, and Chris Wheal had come for- ward.


Therewas to be ameeting in the village hall to discuss Jubilee cel- ebrations. A new hog roast sup- plier was being sought. Joan Davidson said the church would be holding a footpaths walk fol- lowed by a cream tea on June 2. It was reported that tyres had


been dumped in Church Road. Councillors raised no objection


to a plan for a photovoltaic park at East Lenham Farm, Lenham Road.


There was no objection to a


plan at Judge House Farm,Wood- cock Lane, for a three-bay two- storey building for parking cars and the storage of equestrian equipment.However, a condition was recommended that the stor- age area should not be used for any other purpose. Chairman Robert Turner asked


about the new gates at the Mead- ows, and Cllr Gibson said plan-


46 East


crease incouncil tax, and said the parish precepthad risen by 9.6%. ChrisWheal said verge marker


posts werenowinplace,hydrants had been traced and were opera- tional. Cllr Ron Galton said he had not received one reply to a request in the Malherbe Monthly for parish- ioners to test their water pres- sure. He said the main through the village was old, and could be damaged if pressure was in- creased. He said he would con- tinue to discuss this with SouthernWater. Cllr Turner said the village hall


was doing well and a bowling club was to be set up. The clerk had ordered a new


sign for Chain Gate. A CCTV survey had show the


pipe work in front of Myrtle House to be infested with roots. This was to be investigated. Cllr Galton said the results of


the newt survey at Ivy Farmwere awaited. He also reported on his visit to


the Solar Park. He said the sys- tem was enclosed, safe and well screened. He said there could be no valid objections and it was likely to be approved. Cllr Turner noted that clerk Pat Anderson was to retire at the end of March, and thanked her for all her hard work. He presented her with a gift from the parish and a bunch of flowers, and welcomed the new clerk, Christine King, and wished her well in her new role.


Bredhurst Council Fire hydrants


FIRE hydrants have now been marked and maps provided for reference. Cllr Nichola Carr was thanked for organising this work by Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Quotes were awaited for re- placing rubber flooring at the playground and new swings. A bid for a grant had been made to County Cllr Paul Carter. A quote has been received for resurfacing footpath KH49 and the byway to DayValley, alsonew fencing along Kemsley Street Road. Research into funding was needed.


Approval was recommended


for a planning application for a single storey extension at Colin- dean, Dunn Street Road, Bred- hurst. Councillors objected to an application for a detached re- placement dwelling at Bio, Forge Lane, and requested referral to the borough planning committee. Maidstone Council planning department had tried unsuccess- fully to contact the landowner re- garding development in the field next to Oaklands, Dunn Street Road. The landowner had stated that he needed more time to pro- duce the necessary plans. In the May parish council elec-


tions, six nominations were sub- mitted for the seven vacancies. Election was therefore automatic. The chairman thanked all who helped in the village tidy up when27 bags of rubbish were col- lected.


Councillors agreed to split de-


livery of the Downs Mail in the village. Previously it had been un- dertaken by the clerk. The concurrent functions grant


from Maidstone Council for 2012/13 would be £2,990 – the same as last year. A meeting would be set up to discuss an email from a local business about its various plan- ning applications. Cllr Bob Hinder would not be standing again as a Bredhurst councillor, due to pressure of commitments. He was thanked for his work and advice. The annualparish meeting was to be held on May 8.


Broomfield and Kingswood Council


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.


Cllr Evans said that despite


being made Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator in January,he had received just one message in nine weeks from Lorraine Hemphrey, and had consequently resigned. Chairman Peter Cole- man asked him to reconsider and he agreed to see if things could be resolved. 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 PeterCor-


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


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


asked to be kept informed of com- munity issues.EmmaHickley has offered the primary school for meetings. Cllr Baker proposed sending out a questionnaire by email. 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 Baker agreed to become the council representative at Kingswood Primary School. 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- tery.


Cllr Vince Cooper said he would be retiring at the annual parish meeting as he was due to move out of the area. Travellershad 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 and Gail Gosden for her work as assistant clerk. Councillors thanked Sue for her hard work and long service, and presented her with gifts.


Downswood Council Jubilee planting


THE planting scheme provided by Medway Valley Countryside Partnership for the Jubilee project was agreed. Additional items in- cluded a log pile, schools work- shop, groundwork preparation and ragstone border. A donation of £500 was made


for the hog roast at Downswood Community Asssociation’s cele- brations. The parish council re- quested a stall and information point at the fete. Borough Cllr Gordon Newton would be happy to sponsor prizes.


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