DownsMail In touch with your parish


the roof pitched to match the neighbouring property.


Good submission


East Peckham Council


THE parish council’s comments on the redevelopment of Mar- villion Court had been submit- ted to the borough council. Cllr Howard Rogers said it was by far one of the most professional submissions from a parish council.


Following a report that trav-


ellers had tried to access the site, Russet had been asked to make it more secure. Russet would con- tinue to carry out regular site in- spections and liaise with the neighbourhood police team and community warden. Two wooden seats had been relocated from Marvillion Court to the playing fields. The first monthly newsletter


had been published with copies placed in the Jubilee Hall, the village stores and the library. It was also on the parish notice board and the website. Part of the vinyl in the Jubilee


Hall hallway had been replaced but cracks were appearing else- where and the whole area would need replacing shortly. After a successful start the Russet Players had outgrown the hall and had relocated. New inquiries were being received. The Hadlow and East Peckham Children’s Centre would be holding a weekly session in the meeting room. The gymclub had increased usage of the sports hall and meeting room and French lessons had resumed. The commemorative plaque


for the Queen Elizabeth II Field had been received and arrange- ments for its installation were being discussed. The chairman reported that


the CCTV system was undergo- ing a maintenance review and he was looking at the reconfigu- ration of the cameras to ensure it continued to meet the parish council’s requirements. He ad- vised members that he was the only person who knew how to operate the system and asked if they would consider becoming involved.


Leybourne Council Outdoor gym


SEVERAL members of the pub- lic addressed the meeting and voiced concerns about the out- door gym proposal in Baywell open space. The consultation process was discussed and it was agreed to re-consult with the public. The parish council was await-


ing plans for the CastleWay pri- ority signage. It was noted that re-lining would be carried out during the works. Borough Cllr Sophie Shrub- sole reported on correspon-


dence about the Leybourne Chase development and associ- ated funds with traffic calming and bus routes. She confirmed that there was pressure on Arriva to provide a shuttle bus between Leybourne Chase andWest Malling station and for a service to Tesco at Lunsford Park. No objections were made to planning applications for an ex- tension at 9 Grange Close, tree pruning at 3 Hayfield, and a conservatory at 51Woodlea.


Nettlestead Council Crime report


SIX crimes had been reported since the last meeting, of which three had taken place at the Re- treat Caravan Park. These were two separate attempted thefts frommotor vehicles and vehicle interference. PCSO Nicola Morris said the


police intelligence team had at- tended the site to see if CCTV could be placed there and this was being looked into further. The other crimes were theft of a petrol strimmer from Gibbs Hill, theft of two pushchairs from Waterside Mews and a non- dwelling burglary at Bow Bridge. KCC had confirmed that Net- tlestead Place owned the hedge opposite and had been notified that it should maintain it. The clerk was also still trying


to confirm ownership of the ditch in Hampstead Lane. The chairman spoke about the re-surfacing of Gibbs Hill which should have taken place in 2011 and that it did not look like this would be done in the near future. The clerk was to contact KCC about this. KCC had confirmed that the


speed limit in Bishops Close was 30mph and always had been. The King George V field had


not been cut recently, but this could possibly be due to the in- clement weather.


Offham Council PCSO surgery


THERE was only one crime to report–aburglaryinTeston Road. PCSO Laura Bullen held a successful surgery in Spade- work, and hoped to make it a regular event. She was to con- tinue monitoring traffic using North Meadow. It was reported that traffic through the village started at 4.45am and was causing a seri- ous disturbance to residents.It was thought these were vehicles from Kings Hill using the area as a rat run. They were said to be very fast and noisy. The council met with Highway Services to discuss solutions and the only agreed option was for the council to pay for speed indication devices. Sgt Brigden


was to arrange for officers to carry out speed checks in the village.


Concerns were raised about


the proposed traffic lights in Seven Mile Lane, fearing it could cause jams at peak times, encouraging traffic to come through the village. Concerned residents should write to High- way Services. The clerk was asked to report motorcyclists using the road as a race track. The council agreed to set up a working group to manage the contract to resurface the tennis courts. The members were Cllrs Frankling, Oliver and Begbey and Andrew Field. The club had obtained three quotes and it was agreed that the contractor would be Charles Moon of Four Seasons. The approved budget was £16,500 plus VAT. The definitive map statement


and public rights of way had been displayed on village notice boards, but no responses had- been received. An eight-year-old boy had contacted Cllr Nelson to ask for a dog bin to be put on the path to Offham school. The clerk was to contact the dogwarden about this. There was a dog bin in the woods that might be better moved to Pepingstraw Close. Cllr Franklin hadmended the


bench in Teston Road playing field but the legs were rotting and might need replacing. Cllr Williams and Cllr Pierce were mending the pole on the Burma frame. Cllr Oliver was unable to keep updating the website so the clerk was asked to take over. The clerk had prepared a let-


ter for Liberty Property Services asking for financial support to help with traffic problems in the village which wouldworsen as Kings Hill expanded. This would be forwarded to council- lors for approval. The clerk had received a num-


ber of enquiries about the steam rally, and although this was not a parish council event, there might need to be assistance with parking if numbers got big- ger. Cllr Stretton was to ap- proach the Lions for help. Spadework could also offer parking and could hold its farm- ersmarket on the same day. The insurance company had been notified and Cllr Stretton was to carry out a risk assessment on the green.


Field celebration FOLLOWING the general meet- ing in September, councillors discussed details of the village celebrations planned for June 2, 2013, to mark the granting of QE2 status to the playing fields. A quote to repair the fencing around the play area was ac- cepted. There were two crimes in the


Wateringbury Council Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


previous month – the theft of wheel trims from a parked car in Bow Road and the theft of outboard motors from boats in dry dock at the marina. MikeWitts gave details of the


phase 2 renovations planned for the playing fields this au- tumn. An area of 3,000 sq m would be stripped, levelled and re-seeded. It would be cordoned off for a few weeks while the grass grew. Other areas would be rejuvenated with fertiliser. Volunteers would help. No objection was made to a planning application for alter- ations and refurbishment at Milford,5LoveLane.


West Malling Council Music festival


THE organisers of the second Music@Malling Festival were congratulated on its success. The chairman thanked Mr


West and the Macey’s Meadow volunteers for allowing their- barbecue to be “taken over” to celebrate the Kent Community of the Year success for West Malling. A streetlight in Station Ap- proach was obscured by foliage and this would be reported to Network Rail. John Collins’ employment on


a trial period of two months as litter picker was reported to be extremely satisfactory. The clerk had found him to be very help- ful. He would be asked to carry out litter picking on weekdays, subject to a new applicant being appointed to cover weekends. The Malling Society was hop-


ing to install a blue plaque out- side the Twitch Inn. The village pump had now


been repainted and refurbished free of charge by the SIM Group Ltd ofWest Malling. County Cllr Trudy Dean had arranged ameeting for residents of St Leonard’s Street to discuss concerns about speeding traffic. Any traffic-related measures would have to be funded from her member’s highway fund as the lack of sufficient serious and fatal crashes meant KCC would not finance any improvements. The improvements suggested by residents would be put into map form which she would share with the highways com- mittee and councillors before submitting an application for funding. Surface treatmentwith micro asphalting had been applied to Sandown and Epsom Close in West Malling and Eagle Close in Larkfield and led to a number of complaints. Cllr Dean had taken the matter up with KHS. A list of snagging works had


since been completed and an in- formation pamphlet would be issued in future when this sur- facing was to be used.


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