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Addington Council Village green


PROPOSALS for deregistration of the trackway round the vil- lage green were discussed. Councillors voted unanimously to pay for a formal legal request to be made on behalf of the parish council that KCC should exercise its deregistration pow- ers under the Commons Act for the track. Plans for traffic signals and pedestrian crossing facilities at the junction of Seven Mile Lane with the A20 were discussed. It was noted the scheme would cost £190,000 and would be funded from KCC’s crash reme- dial budget.Members submitted several concerns, including the problem of lorries exiting Ford Lane and the prospect of the junction becoming even busier with large new developments at Leybourne Lakes and Kings Hill. Members were also con- cerned about air quality at the junction. The local government bound-


ary commission had been per- suaded by evidence presented to it that the parish of Adding- ton should not be divided be- tween borough council wards and would be completely within the Downs and Mere- worth ward. KCC had checked the crash record for Trottiscliffe Road and there had been no recorded incidents in the last three years which could be attributed to traffic speeding. KCCwould not therefore fund a speed indica- tor. County Cllr Sarah Hohler would, if re-elected, be happy to finance the project out of her grant for 2013/14. Bulbs commemorating the Di- amond Jubilee were planted around the village in October. Following the closure ofWest


and East Malling police offices, councillors expressed a desire to keep communication chan- nels open between Kent Police and parish councils via the PCSOs. The clerk was asked to find out about the roles of the PCSOs and whether they were meant to attend parish council meetings. Possible changes to the web-


site were discussed. Statistics suggest that on average, six members of the public viewed the site each week. The clerk would liaise with the website administrator to update and re- fresh the information on it. PCSO Laura Bullen said an operation was underway fol- lowing burglaries to high value dwellings on the A20 corridor between Ightham and West Malling. Police would be pa- trolling and carrying out spot checks.Aburglary of a dwelling at Offham where jewellery was taken was also being investi- gated.


there were a number of other crimes in the area including he theft of golf balls from West Malling Golf Club. Members remained disap- pointed about the investigation and reporting of crime in the area particularly as this problem had been raised at the last meet- ing, which was attended by Sgt Simon Barnes. The clerk would write to Chief Inspector Jon Kirby, seeking reassurance that crimes were being investigated and reported thoroughly. Patricia Richardson described


her new book on the history of Addington. Details would be placed on the parish website. A few members of the public expressed support for the own- ers of 999 Logistics operating out of Shelmerdine, the Green, Addington. Two representatives of the residents association for the vil- lage green


commented


favourably on the parish coun- cil’s decision to apply for the register to be amended. Regarding The Caravan, East


Street, itwas expected that a re- port requesting enforcement ac- tion would go before the borough planning committee in October. The clerk was asked to report that a structure on the site, originally just a few posts and a roof, now had a back on it, and garden fencing had been erected. A quote of £1,050 was ac- cepted to clean and refurbish the bus shelter in Trottiscliffe Road.


Following the spate of recent


thefts at the recreation ground, an upgrade of the CCTV and the installation of LED lights were being considered. A quote of £820 was accepted for work on the old oak tree on the village green. A planning application would be made to Tonbridge and Malling Council for reduc- ing the crown and applying a phosphate herbicide to combat canker on the trunk. KCC had given permission for


a new tourist sign at the junc- tion of Trottiscliffe Road and the A20. Members expressed disap- pointment as KCC had just re- moved a sign from this location at the council’s request, in an at- tempt to declutter the area.


Aylesford Council Bus service


THE 155 evening bus service through Aylesford and Eccles was running successfully. Mem- bers were asked to support and publicise it. Borough Cllr Roger Dalton re- ported that 2,700 timetables had been distributed. It was antici- pated that an average 31 pas- sengers per evening trip would be required to make the service viable. Members were referred to a website called Friends of


the 155 Service which had been set up by a resident. Cllr Dalton said the council would not be asked to continue funding the service beyond the trial period. If it was successful, KCC would take back full re- sponsibility, and if it failed, the service would be discontinued. Final recommendations for


Tonbridge and Malling Council ward changes for the 2015 elec- tions had been submitted by the Boundary Commission. These suggested Eccles be incorpo- rated with the new Aylesford North and Walderslade three- member ward. It was noted that the proposed parliamentary


constituency


boundary changes would affect Chatham and Aylesford in that it would lose Lordswood and gain Malling/Ditton/Larkfield/ Wrotham areas. PCSOs and the dog warden would be attending the Tunbury Avenue/Marlow Copse area to deal with dog fouling issues. County Cllr Peter Homewood confirmed that Woodlands Road, Aylesford, and Lower Warren Road, Bluebell Hill, had been put forward under the KCC £6 million scheme avail- able for road surfacing projects in the county. Jacobs had agreed a warning chevron could be placed at the Mill Lane/Warren Road junc- tion.


Birling Council Council tax


BOROUGH Cllr Matthew Bal- four said the parish base would not be affected under the coun- cil tax benefit changes and the council tax would be frozen for 2013-14. He spoke about the new planning system and ad- vised that Tonbridge and Malling Council would take four years to complete its neigh- bourhood plan. Duetocostmostparishes


were deciding not to prepare a local neighbourhood plan. The Boundary Commission re-


port had been finalised and Bir- ling would remain as it is, but a small part of Ryarsh would be in- cluded in Leybourne. Cllr Balfour announced that


he had been chosen to stand for Malling Rural East in next year’s KCC election. The clerk had been advised by


Kent Highways that, as a report on a long-term solution on the condition of the bank was being prepared by KCC Cllr Sarah Hohler, it was unable to carry on routinemaintenance. Having been subsequently advised that Cllr Hohler’s grant had been used, there was now some con- fusion. The clerk was asked to investigate further. Regarding reduced visibility exiting Birling Park, the clerk had discussed the problem with the owners of the property and


the trees had been cut back. The owners had asked who was re- sponsible for the stream, as they were concerned the bank was eroding. Kent Highways had ad- vised it was responsible for the road but not the verge or stream. It suggested that further cutting back the yew and laurel to the owners’ boundary would in- crease visibility and allow plants to self seed, strengthen- ing the bank of the stream. The churchyard had been ti-


died. There was still no news from the diocese regarding the collapsed wall, and coping stones on another section had fallen off. An estimate was being sought for this. David Hopper was co-opted


to fill the vacancy on the parish council. No objections were made to


an application to remove a lean- to and construct an extension at 29 Ryarsh Road, Birling. How- ever, it was considered that the footprintwas larger than the ex- isting structure and closer to the neighbour’s boundary and therefore subject to possible comment by the neighbour.


Ditton Council Vacancy filled


PETER Dalton was co-opted to fill the vacancy on the parish council. Areviewofthe allotment


rents had not been taken this year. It was resolved not to in- crease them. A resident from Ragstone


Court had advised that some trees growing in the quarry were putting a strain on his gar- den fence. He asked if the coun- cil would consider selling any of the quarry land to even up his boundary. The grounds su- pervisor would be asked to in- spect the trees. The resident would be advised that the coun- cil had ruled several years ago against selling any more of the quarry land because of legal im- plications. Thirty-five visitors from France had come over for the annual petanque match, which had been a great success. The parish council was thanked for its continued support for Ditton Twinning Association. County Cllr Peter Homewood reported that resurfacing work was to begin shortly in Brad- bourne Lane.He confirmed that grant donations would be made to the heritage centre and the in- door bowls clubs. Funding was in place for thework at the ford. Anti-social behaviour at


Woodlands Parade had im- proved in recent weeks. How- ever the area would continue to be monitored and patrolled. No objectionswere raised to a planning application for an ex- tension and alterations at 454 London Road. However, the council said it would like to see


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