DownsMail In touch with your parish
Anew Code of Conduct was formally adopted. Aquote would be obtained for repairs to the allotment wall which could be paid for from the McAlpine budget. It was agreed that the environ-
ment committee should take over day to day running of the Brooks Field. Both co-opted members of the previous Brooks Field project committee had put in a lot of time and commitment towards de-silting the pond and would be thanked accordingly.
Marden Council Drugs arrest
PCSO Nicola Morris said aMar- den resident had been arrested in Coxheath and a quantity of drugs had been found in their possession and at their home. PCSO Morris said residents
had spoken to her about lorries and vans leaving the industrial site. She was to speak to the site owner. It was reported that several residents in Albion Road were happy to undertake SpeedWatch training. The clerk was to con- tact other parishes regarding hir- ing their equipment. The community warden re- ported that a children’s litter pick had taken place at the Golding Homes open day at the Cockpit and prizes had been handed out. There is an open evening at Staplehurst Village Hall on Fri- day, September 14, for drug and sexual health awareness,sothat parents know what their chil- dren are being taught. Charlton football coaching
was starting at Marden playing field on September 12. The public consultation on
local needs housing was held on September 4. More than 100 people attended and spoke to representatives. Register of Inter- est forms and comment forms were being analysed and would be sent to the council. The winter edition of the newsletter was due to go to print on November 9. Cllr Turner asked whether Kent Fire and Rescue could place an advert for their recruitment drive and Cllr Boswell suggested an item on overhanging vegetation at the re- quest of Kent Highways. The clerk had been asked for suggestions of species of tree to replace the tree in the High Street. Suggestions would be put to the clerk and forwarded to Kent Highways. The clerk was asked to speak
to Peter Hall about replacement trees in Millennium Walk and Colin Judge for advice as to whether any more trees were needed in Southons Field. Core Strategy was discussed at
the planning meeting, andmem- bers of the public gave their opinions. The clerk said she would be on sick leave from November 13
to January 2. Several councillors were able to help the assistant clerk with office cover and a HR meeting was arranged to discuss all aspects of the clerk’s work. Emptying the playing field lit-
ter bins was causing a problem. Maidstone council wanted to charge £25 per week for this job as they said they would have to make an extra visit. The clerk was to question this and look at the cost of a waste licence and a larger bin at the cemetery. An email had been received
from a resident about speed lim- its. A revised circular had been received from the Department of Transport which amended vari- ous criteria regarding the number of houses and non-residential properties to be included. Cllr McCarthy was to speak to the res- ident to explain the situation and to ascertain the number of houses on Hunton Road. Cllr Reid was to investigate
what gulleys needed emptying. It was suggested that no park-
ing leaflets be put on cars park- ing on pavements in Pattenden Lane.
Staplehurst Council Code of conduct
THE clerk advised that a group of parisheswas taking out a joint advert to notify the public of the Code of Conduct adoption in the DownsMail at an estimated cost of about £50. Councillors agreed not to participate and to confine announcements to the agreed channels. Chairman John Perry said the council, and not the Jubilee Field management committee, was responsible for the hedge. Cllr Simon Green said hedge works might damage the envi- ronment of the field. The clerk said much of theworkwould be on land next to the hedge, with the hedge only subject to some thinning. It was agreed that the chairman and the clerk would li- aise with the management com- mittee to take thematter further. The 2013 mowing contract
was awarded to the Jubilee Field management committee for the sum of £950. The clerk said the caretaker
had cleared the path between High Street and Chestnut Av- enue and the latest play area re- port was being checked. Cllr Paul Kelly said news
about the damaged churchyard wall was awaited from the in- surance company. It was noted that the consulta-
tion on the Core Strategy strate- gic site allocations provided little information about rural service centre sites. Cllr Perry said he thought the response re- flected the council’s position and thanked John Kelly, chair- man of the RSG for his work. Cllr TomBurnham said he had reviewed the integrated trans- port policy and felt it said little
about the areas outside Maid- stone. Cllr Green said the bor- ough council had not taken much interest in the train serv- ices through Marden, Headcorn and Staplehurst. Cllr Paul Butcher said he con- tinued to receive comment from residents concerned about Mo- toCross at Duckhurst
Farm.The clerk said the letter to residents requested responses by Septem- ber 24. At the time of the meet- ing only one of 27 contacts was in favour of increased activity, with 25 against and one neutral. Cllr Perry said he and Cllr Butcher had met MBC cabinet member Stephen Paine to dis- cuss gypsy and traveller issues. Cllr Barrett Manning said he
and Cllr Anne Gosling had met a resident at the library surgery who was concerned about gate- locking and dog-fouling at the Jubilee Field. New signs were to be put up advising that the gates may be locked at any time and Cllr Manning had contacted MBC environmental enforce- ment about dog bins. Cllr Kelly agreed to investigate the cost of a new gate for the main car park. Cllr Peter Spearink said the
WWII plaque was ready for col- lection from the signwriter and he hoped to collect it for a photo opportunity the following day. Aresident had asked about the parish services scheme and how action would proceed under the 1972 Local Government Act. Cllrs Perry and Butcher said the aim of the petition would be to make MBC re-address the fund- ing issue. PCSO Pete Gardner reported
seven
crimes.An arrest had been made for supply of drugs. Year- on-year crime figureswere down and the chairman said he had written to the chief constable in support of the work undertaken by PCSOs.
Changing rooms
Sutton Valence Council
FOLLOWING a presentation by the village hall chairman, the council resolved unanimously to support the proposed project to provide changing rooms. The estimated cost to Sutton
Valence of £37.98 for Feria to represent the Joint Parishes Group on Core Strategy was ac- cepted. The parish would also prepare its own response. A letter received from a parishioner about landscaping and fencing at Haven Close was sent to Maidstone Council and Cascade. The annual allotments in- spection was completed. Two plots (one tenant) at Bowhalls and one at The Harbour were not being worked. They would be informed that if not brought into cultivation by the end of September, then notice would
be given. Raw sewage hadbeenre- ported up Tumblers Hill, possi- bly coming from a local farm. The clerk would contact the farmer. A quote for £107.40 to replace
the glass in two noticeboards was accepted. It was reported that the police
were reviewing the worth of PCSOs. The council said that when PCSOswere allowed to be in the area, they were effective. However they would like to know why their presence ap- peared to have been greatly re- duced and how may hours in a month they were deployed else- where. The clerk had been informed
that the police had not sup- ported the decrease in speed limit on the A274 at the north end of the parish. It was agreed to go to the Joint Transportation Board with a petition.
Yalding Council
Bollard damaged THERE had been an incident of criminal damage on the tow- path where one of the bollards was removed. The contractor had been in- structed to install the light on the corner by the sorting office as soon as possible. Mark Pritchard, of Medway
Valley Countryside Partnership, reported that, due to this sum- mer’s growth, the condition of the land at Fowle Hall Green was ideal for snakes and lizards and asked that it not be cut until the end of October. The bronze plaqueswill be in- stalled on the war memorial be- fore Remembrance Sunday. Regarding broadband,four cabinets were now live. Call- flow had been experiencing problems with the software but themanufacturer was preparing a software patch to overcome the problem. New Speedwatch volunteers
had been trained and new sites approved. Collier Street now had a scheme and was sharing the parish’s equipment. There was interest in forming
a Yalding Playing Fields Asso- ciation and attempting to get grants to build a multi-purpose pavilion. A request had been received
for a memorial tree for Sally Constable. The chairman ad- vised there was no scope for planting trees within the village but suggested The Lees or The Kintons. The lock-up needed extra shelving and a budget of £300 was agreed. The total cost of the Jubilee, including coins, was £2,841.16 against a budget of £3,500. It was minuted as an excellent achievement to run the event under budget.
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