Vacancy reported
DownsMail In touch with your parish Bredhurst Council
NO applications for the va- cancy of councillor had been re- ceived. The clerk was to report the vacancy to Maidstone Coun- cil.
The council voted to recom-
mend acceptance of a plan for the building of a bungalow at Orchard House, Dunn Street Road.
Councillors discussed a re-
vised scheme for demolition of buildings and the construction of four homes at Purple Hill Works, Whitehill Road, Bred- hurst. Concern was expressed that the site is in an area of out- standing natural beauty and would set a precedent for fur- ther development. However, as it is a brownfield site it was rec- ommended for approval. A qualified resident had agreed to look at the playground and report on his findings. Cllr Vanessa Jones had had one quote for repairing the play- ground surface and it was as- certained that, as it had been damaged by tree roots, it would be covered by insurance. A letter had been requested asking for permission to use the field for stalls during a Thai summer fete on July 14. This was a charity event and there were no objections. Aresident’s complaint to Kent Highways about the speed bump outside their house was noted. Cllr Nichola Carr had com- plained to EDF Energy after meter cards were left hanging out of letter boxes. The area manager had visited and apolo- gised. An application was to be con- sidered for Paths for Communi- ties funding. The missing litter bin at the
end of Blind Lane had still not been
replaced.Maidstone Coun- cil had had a problemwith sup- pliers and would replace the bin when stock was received. It was reported that footpath
KH49 was very overgrown and needed strimming. Cllr Charlie Hewitt and Cllr Steve Bowring were to organise it as they are trained to use the equipment. Cllr Ray Surridge was to re-
view the village welcome pack to see if anything needed to be updated. He had also been working on
a newsletter, which was almost complete.
Boughton Malherbe Council
New members
CHAIRMAN Robert Turner wel- comed new parish councillors Tony King and Barbara Pearce and expressed thanks to Sylvia Close and Shaun Wickens for their 15 and eight years service respectively.
50 East
Cllr Turner was re-elected chairman for the forthcoming year with Cllr Ron Galton as vice-chairman. PCSO Alan Beech reported
most crimes in the area had been oil thefts. The Speedwatch team had
been out several times, catching 15 to 20 vehicles a session trav- elling at 36 to 50mph. Delivery of the speed indica-
tor device was expected soon. Its location would be opposite Offen Farm gateway. Kent Highways had con- firmed that remedial work was necessary to a dangerous verge by Grafty Garden Centre and a works order had been raised. Following flooding at Crumps Corner, Headcorn Road, jetting and cleaning of the pipe work had been completed. The drain- pipe at Crumps Lane/Headcorn Road had been blocked since 1976.Willow tree rootswere in- terfering with the pipe, which needed digging out and re-rout- ing.
The ditch in front of Myrtle Cottage had been cleared, al- though the pipework would re- quire replacement. Concern was expressed at speeding vehicles along Head- corn Road, south of Grafty Green, where there are houses and hidden entrances. The wall around the yew tree planted by Queen Elizabeth I needs repairing again as it is cracking on two sides. Last time the cost was around £5-6,000. Possible funding would be in- vestigated.
Broomfield and Kingswood Council
Plan progress
CLLR Terry Baker updated coun- cillors on the progress on the Neighbourhood Plan, which was slow, due to the require- ments of Maidstone Council to publicise the proposal on its website. The steering group was hav-
ing an information stand at the school and village hall fetes. Councillors requested that the minutes of NP meetings be cir- culated to them and put on the parish website. Colin Sims was starting work
on the replacement of the stile at the recreation and sports field, and repairs to the bound- ary fence. Repairs had been made to damaged benches. Cllr Peter Coleman suggested
that Speedwatch needed to be carried out in Chartway Street, but volunteerswould need to be trained and the equipment would need to be hired or bor- rowed. Cllr Michael O’Neill said police had advised there was no safe location along the Lenham Road or Chartway Street, but the council could apply to the Speedwatch co-or- dinator for a health and safety
survey. It was agreed to arrange such ameeting, attended by Cllr Coleman.
Detling Council Legal fees paid
A RESPONSE to the parish council’s letter regarding the SE Water works at Horish Wood had been received. The firmhad agreed to recompense the legal fees paid by the parish council for legal advice on the access to the site. County Cllr Jenny Whittle re- ported that the Armco barrier at Hockers Lane was due to be removed in the near future. She was keen to find a solu-
tion to the parking problems at the junction of Hockers Lane but felt that yellow lines were not the solution. The police would be monitoring the situa- tion for a while. Cllr Geoff Cosgrove was elected chairman for the forth- coming year. The new PCSO Quentin Moss introduced himself. He was fully aware of the continuous problems with anti-social be- haviour at The Larches andwas monitoring the situation. A resident had requested a plaque be erected at the village hall to remember the Villagers of the Year. Members would also like another plaque to re- member chairmen. The clerk would liaise with the hall man- agement committee to ask for its support in placing two plaques. John Monk informed mem-
bers he had straightened the vil- lage sign. However, the area around the sign needed clearing of overgrown vegetation. A kissing gate was needed at
the entrance of Horish Wood at acostof£270toallow pushchair access. The clerk would seek permission from CTRL for this. Repair of the damaged fence
at the Old School Field atacost of £114.44 was approved. Cllr Janice Kennard had planted the village planter with Jubilee colours as agreed. The purchase of six benches
for Monks Meadow and Horish Wood for a total of £200 was agreed. A village open day would be
held on a Saturday in autumn. CTRL had approached the council to offer a piece of land in Hockers Lane for £14,000. There was no access to the land and members considered it was notworth the suggested price. It was agreed not to purchase it, but should it fail to sell at auc- tion, the parish council would be willing to take on the owner- ship to preserve the land for the local community at no cost.
Downswood Council Group reports
REPORTS were given to the an- nual parish meeting by represen-
To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330
tatives of local organisations. PCSO Jim Stevens said Downswood was a very safe place to live with low levels of crime.
Parish council chairman Roz Cheesman reported on the year’s events and progress. The outdoor gym, installed at
The Mallards in February was still proving very popular and the council continued to press for upgrading the Foxden Drive play area. Plans were in hand for the Downswood Olympicnic on Sat- urday, July 14, at The Mallards. This is amiddle-of-the-day, bring your own picnic, informal com- munity sports event. Cllr Cheesman was re-elected chairman at the parish council’s annual meeting with Cllr Bill Greenhead as vice-chairman.
Chairman elected CLLR Gill Fort was nominated for the role of chairman and ac- cepted the position. She signed the declaration of office. Cllr John Govett was nominated for and accepted the position of vice chairman. The clerk reported that she
Leeds Council
was currently awaiting confir- mation from Maidstone council that the council could fill the vacancies by co-option. Cllr Govett said he had sought
a quotation for the redesign of the website. There were no objections to
plans for a new fascia sign at the Mercure Hotel, or to plans for fencing and a gate on the west boundary of Caring paddock. It was reported that little progress had been made with negotiations with the village hall management committee concerning block hire. It was agreed to liaise with the hall secretary.
Lenham Council Water recycling
A RESIDENT asked if a system could be installed to harvest the rainwater off the community centre roof to help with the wa- tering of plants around the parish. The chairman advised the request would have to be put to the centre’s management com- mittee to see if it was feasible. The Speedwatch team had
been out recently and had a de- sired effect on speeding mo- torists. The Lenham Enhancement Society was responsible for the planting of the areas in the High Street opposite the Chi- nese restaurant and would trim back foliage to provide a better sightline for motorists. PCSO Dave Rowley reported
on five crimes – all thefts –in the previous month, of various items from diesel to a vehicle. He was looking into resolving the overnight parking problem
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