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Barming Council Fears for trees
A RESIDENT reported that chainsaws were active on the Taylor Wimpey land and there were concerns trees opposite the Red Start may be removed. A resident reported the grazing licence for the field had been re- voked. Discussion was taking place between local residents andMaidstone Council. Cllr Fay Gooch was re-elected chairman with Cllr Martin Greenwood as vice-chairman. PCSO Rebecca Kemp reported
that a woman had been knock- ing on doors asking for money to pay an emergency locksmith as she had been locked out of her house. This was classed as deception/fraud and residents should be vigilant. Kent police were asking for information on an older man wearing a bobble hat who had been seen driving a white/silver flat bed truck near the water tower. Cllr Sandra Manser said she had been followed by a man in that area the previous day and this had been reported to the police. Cllr Gooch comfirmed that the
CCTV analogue camera on the Tonbridge Road had been switched off when the system changed to digital. The surveil- lance team now focused on problem areas with high levels of crime, due to budget con- straints. Cllr Gooch congratulated
PCSO Kemp on the news that sheistobecomeamumand wished her luck, as she will now have to be office-based. Cllr Vivienne Hyndman was co-opted back on to the parish council as the necessary forms had not been submitted to
Homes plan for
Tovil stud farm RESIDENTS in Tovil turned out in force for a public exhi- bition on plans to put hous- ing on the former Hayle Place Stud Farm. Taylor Wimpey wants to
put 132 homes on the site, as well as creating a 29-acre na- ture reserve. They bought the land in April and it already has outline planning permis- sion. The nature reserve will be
held in a trust, comprising Maidstone Borough Council, Tovil Parish Council and the Loose Valley Conservation Society. It would be handed over to the trust once 50% of the homes were occupied. Taylor Wimpey hopes to submit a full planning appli- cation next month. Building would commence in January 2013.
Maidstone Council before the deadline for the recent elec- tions. It was agreed that any expen-
diture on the parish field foot- path should be held back until a structural survey and electrical inspection had been completed at the pavilion. A resident sug- gested that the general view was that the parish council should be looking after the building it already has, instead of looking to build a new pavilion and path. Cllr Gooch reported that en- quiries had been made into a grant towards the cost of the path and County Cllr Paulina Stockell had indicated match funding may be possible. Infor- mation from Barming Youth FC regarding the resizing of the pitch was awaited. Removal/replanting of trees
along the western boundary would cost about £800. The noticeboard at Marlbor-
ough Parade was rotting and needed replacing. The clerk would progress this to a maxi- mum cost of £600. Cllr Gooch had been re- elected as borough councillor for Barming and Teston with a high percentage of the votes. She would be heavily involved in the forthcoming Core Strat- egy and preservation of the Medway Valley. Concerns were raised about
the damage that had been caused to the wall in the parish hall. The need for repair and re- decoration was discussed. The village hall was to reserve £10,000 and spend the rest on decorating and refurbishing the kitchen.
Plumbing repairs in the parish hall toilets were dis- cussed.
Loose Council Support thanks
THE chairman thanked borough Cllr Sue Grigg for her support for the celebrations tomark Cllr Roy Hood’s 40 years as a dedi- cated parish councillor for Loose. The setting up of a steering committee for Neighbourhood Planning was discussed. Cllr Grigg presented abou-
quet to the clerk in thanks for her assistance generally. All members of the Brooks
Field Project committee were thanked for seeing the scheme through successfully. It has now been signed off by the Big Lot- tery funders. Arrangements for the Jubilee celebrations were discussed. The clerk and a councillor
had conducted a walkabout in Brooks Field. Some items iden- tified had now been rectified, such as the removal of glass and barbed wire. The site where the extracted silt has been stored did cause some concern as there were deep ridges between the bags. The road sweeping in Loose village had not been completed due to the wet weather and would be rearranged. Cllr Hood suggested a reim- bursement toMr B Hill towards his petrol for taking him to Es- sential Stone to sort out require- ments for the village sign.A£10 donation was agreed towards costs. Cllr Hood thanked members
for organising his 40th anniver- sary at the Chequers and for the gift of a picture. The chairman presented him with a framed caricature picture of himself signed by friends and col- leagues.
Awards for sports clubs
TWOlocal sporting groups are among 11to receive cash from the Stan- ley Blowand Ole Kverndal Awards. The awards, organised annually by the Kent County Playing Fields As- sociation and this year to- talling more than £3,220, were presented during theKCPFA’s annual meet- ing at Tonbridge Castle. Among the recipients
were the Kimura Shukokai Karate Club, which has centres in Lenham, Kingswood, Charing, Marden and two venues in Maidstone. The club received £300
KCPFA president Geoff Cooke with Kimura Shukokai Karate’s head instructor Chris Simpson and clubmember Samatha Riddell
towards the cost of competing at the KSIWorld Karate Championships in Atlantic City, USA, in July later this year. Maidstone Squash Club also received £300 towards the cost of run-
ning summer squash camps. Otherawardsweremadeto theKentBowlingAssociation,BexleyPark Squash Club,CanterburySquash Club,Deal TownRangersFootball Club, SaltwoodCricket Club, Sheerness TownBowls Club andSwaleBorough Council.
Tovil Council Play quote
THE quotation stage for the play area at Woodbridge Drive had been completed and Maidstone Council was currently dis- cussing details of the contract. The clerk would contact Maidstone Council regarding the missing CCTV camera at Wharf Road/Church Road. The borough council had
been contacted about the dam- aged ragstone wall at the top of Teasaucer Hill. The new large litter bin at the riverside was expected within two weeks. The hoardings around the construction site at Launder Way had been reported as un- sightly. The site owners would possibly repaint the panels. It would be requested that the polling station returns to the Parish Centre for the next elec- tion in November. Parking in Courtenay Road
due to restrictions in Eccleston Road was still an issue. The boundary fence needs to
be rebuilt again. Persimmon Homes would be contacted. It was noted this was a persistent problem and a danger to the public. There had again been severe
traffic queues around the tip. Regarding the Neighbourhood
Plan, a joint plan was suggested incorporating Tovil Parish Council, North Loose Residents Association and the Valley Con- servation Society, being careful not to overlap the existing Loose Valley Conservative Area Management Plan. A steering group was needed and a meet- ing of representatives of the var- ious groups would be organised.
£500 reward
for lost dog AFAMILY is offering a £500 re- ward for the safe return of their dog, which they say was taken in Heath Road, Coxheath. The tan
and white dog was seen being put into a dark caratabout 1pmonSun- day, June 10. Owner Dar- ren Medcraft says she has been spayed and is micro-chipped. Mr Medcraft has heard there
have been a number of sight- ings of a dark car in the area, with a man and a woman tar- geting houses with dogs.He has also heard that another dog had been taken. Anyone who can help the Medcraft family can contact them on 07885 388349 and 07578 457452.
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