Boxley Parish Mail
CHAIRMAN: Ivor Davies CLERK: Pauline Bowdery ASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU
Tel: 01634 861237 email:
clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website:
www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained from the parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website Response to
Core Strategy AT the time of going to press, the parish council was still considering its response to the Core Strategy and Integrated Transport Strategy consulta- tions. The deadline for replies was September 30. The council said the pro-
posed strategies had raised a number of questions, to which the answers were not clear-cut, and it was having to consider carefully what is best for the community in general and how best this can be achieved. The council stated it “most certainly does not wish to see unrestricted wholesale com- mercial development in or near the parish, and is conscious that residential developments elsewhere in the borough are likely to impact on traffic movements to and from M20 Junction 7 and thus Grove Green.”
Retail concerns BOXLEY Parish Council has ob- jected to proposals for the build- ing of a single-storey building containing four retail units, each of 117 sq m, at Penhurst Close, Grove Green. A number of residents at- tended the council’s environ- ment committee meeting to emphasise their opposition to the scheme, which includes 12 car parking spaces and land- scaping. Their objections included in- appropriate design, and likely problems with noise and anti- social behaviour. Councillorswished to see the application refused by Maid- stone Council, but sought sev- eral mitigating conditions, should it be approved.
New councillor DENNIS Holmes was wel- comed as a member of the parish council after success- fully applying for the vacancy in South ward. His co-option means the council now has no further va- cant seats.
Litter picker wanted MEMBERS agreed to advertise the vacancy for a litter picker at Weavering Diamond Jubilee Or- chard. The successful applicantwill
work for one hour aweek at the minimum wage adult rate.
26 East Backing for pitch decision
A PROPOSAL to expand the use of football pitches in Bred- hurst, which was opposed by Boxley Parish Council, has been refused by the borough council. The original change of use to
allow pitches at Bredhurst Nurseries in Dunn Street (which is actually just within Boxley parish), was allowed be- cause it was considered the fa- cility would be a valuable resource for youngsters from Bredhurst Juniors Football Club, who would be from that village. A subsequent application to
allow other teams to use the site was refused by Maidstone Bor- ough Council as users of the site would travel to the pitch in cars.
A condition was placed two
years ago, restricting the use to Bredhurst Juniors or other under 18 clubs based in the parish, after the applicant failed in her appeal against the bor- ough’s refusal to allow teams from Rainham, Hempstead, Walderslade, Boxley and Maid- stone to use the ground for home matches. The planning inspector con- sidered this would encourage “unsustainable forms of travel”. The latest application was to overturn the restriction to allow teams based in Boxley to play there, resulting in players from four adult teams accessing the site by car. The applicant stated that the
players all live “locally to the site”.
However, Boxley council said
it was likely that some players from FC Wouldham, Bredhurst Rovers and Reserves and Swal- low Rise 93, would be drawn from further afield, resulting in unsustainable travel. The parish also said that adult
teams were noisier and likely to causemore nuisance to residents. Its views were backed in the borough council’s decision no- tice, which said: “The use of the site by more teams is likely to cause a significant increase in noise and disturbance experi- enced by neighbours to the detriment of their residential amenity.”
Royal thanks A LETTER of thanks has been received from Bucking- ham Palace for the CDwhich the parish council sent to the Queen, following the open- ing of the Weavering Dia- mond Jubilee Orchard by the Earl and Countess ofWessex. The disc was recorded by children from St John’s CE Primary School, in Proven- der Way, who sang a spe- cially-written song during the visit of the royal couple. Sales of the CD have raised
AFTER much lobbying andwith financial contributions from the parish council andCounty CouncillorPaul Carter,BoxleyRoad/BeechenBank RoadinWalderslade (above)nowhasa40mphlimit. Local residents, cy- clists and pedestrians will all be that much safer following this reduc- tion from the national limit of 60mph for single carriageway roads.
Victory as speed limit is cut
Work on Boxley Warren REPORTING on the August meeting of the Friends of BoxleyWar- ren, parish council chairman Ivor Davies said theWarren had had a great summer and has re- sponded well to the work done during the winter, with several new species found. An updated management
plan and task list were await- ing approval by the Boxley Warren Local Nature Reserve Advisory Committee. The Friends will be holding monthly task days and two Scout troops have offered to help.
Obstructing non-Public
RightOfWay footpaths to deter mountain bikers was considered to be of high priority. Leaflets were in hand which would include self-guided walks, and butterfly and reptile-monitoring days were being organised.
£200 for Maidstone Mencap, who were also involved in the celebrations.
Parish tour BOXLEY councillors will soon be taking to the road for a close look at progress and concerns throughout the parish. A day’s tour is being organ-
ised in October,with stops at various points to cover such issues as car parking, traffic andspeedingaswellas neighbourhood development plans and the Core Strategy.
Union flag IT HAS been agreed that only the Union flag would be flown from the new Jubilee flag pole at Beechen Hall. Because of staff rosters, it
will normally be flown con- tinuously, as is becoming common practice and will be flown at half-mast on na- tional days of mourning.
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