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


Resignation THE parish council received with regret the resignation of Cllr Kevin Perry due to work commitments, Thanking Cllr Perry for his


hard work and dedication over the past 13 years, chairman Ivor Davies said: “Kevin has con- tributed more and more as the years have gone by and will be sorely missed.” Cllr Wendy Hinder said he


had been a “fantastic help” to her in her role as environment chairman during his service on the committee,most recently as vice-chairman.


Vacancy to fill FOLLOWING the resignation of Cllr Perry, there is now a va- cancy on the parish council. Although this may be filled


by any resident of the parish, as Cllr Perry’s local knowledge, es- pecially of Grove Green, had been invaluable, councillors have agreed that ideally this va- cancy should be filled by a SouthWard resident. Anyone interested in playing


an interesting and rewarding part in the life of the local com- munity should contact the parish office.


Church hall plan MEMBERS of the environment committee decided that, while they did not wish to object to a planning application to convert Boxley Church Hall into two dwellings, they would draw at- tention to the hall’s use as a polling station and ask for a suitable local alternative should the application be ap- proved.


Scouts’ tent agreed THE parish council approved a grant to the Grove Green Scouts for the purchase of a new mess tent. It is understood that one of its first uses will be at the Kent International Jamboree at Detling in July.


Nature reserve role CLLR Vic Davies was congratu- lated by fellow councillors on his election as chairman of the trustees of the Vinters Valley Nature Reserve. He reported that its recent open day had been very successful.


Parish to get first allotments


APIECE of land south of Boxley village, acquired last year by the parish council to protect from possible residential develop- ment, is to be used for allot- ments. These will be the first allot-


ments in the parish. In discussion before the coun-


cil agreed unanimously to the proposal, Cllr Kaz Macklin de- scribed the project as “a really exciting prospect” and chairman Ivor Davies said: “As there is a crying need for allotments in the


parish, I think itwould be a great shame if the land is not used for this purpose.” Cllr Bob Hinder, leader of the working group which had been set up to work on this possible use, reported on discussions with the Royal Engineers who, it was hoped, would undertake ground work for the entrance and access road to the site. Work had already been car-


ried out by the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, mem- bers of the working group and a


friend to clear shrubs and low branches on the boundary to en- able machinery to gain access. Pauline Bowdery, clerk to the council, has stressed that, be- cause of the considerable amount of infrastructure work necessary in setting up the al- lotments (access road, fencing, water supply, etc), it would be several months before the coun- cil was in a position to receive applications for plots. A further announcement will be made in due course.


Park and ride plan for TV studios


A PARK and ride system and advance warning of major productions were among ideas put forward during a discussion on parking issues at Maidstone Studios, Grove Green. Boxley Parish Council chairman Ivor Davies re-


ported on the meeting with the studio company’s chairman GeoffMiles, which was also attended by CllrsWendy Hinder, Vic Davies and assistant parish clerk Melanie Fooks. Itwas suggested that publicisingwell in advance


the performance dateswhen large audienceswere expected might be helpful, as residents could then plan ahead. A simple way would be to erect a large sign by


the roundabout near the studio gates. It was also suggested that Maidstone Council and KCC could be approached to have this information on the elec- tronic traffic warning boards. The possibility of a mini-bus service to ferry audi-


ence members from the park and ride sitewas also discussed. CllrWendy Hinder said concerns were expressed


that the transfer of filming of the Jools Holland show from London to Maidstone would increase congestion at production times, but Mr Miles had insisted this should not be a problem.


Assurances over store parking


THE parish council has asked for assurances regarding a potential parking problem in the residential area opposite the proposed NEXT store at Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road. In commenting on an amended planning application for the store,


the council noted that only four car-parking spaces have been des- ignated for use by staff. It has therefore sought assurances that the adequacy of this provision has been thoroughly investigated so as to ensure that NEXT employees do not add to the parking problem in the vicinity. Many staff and visitors to businesses at Eclipse Park appear to use


the park and ride and neighbouring areas because of inadequate park- ing provision on site. There was no wish to see this position worsen. Noting that there was a green travel scheme for the site, the coun-


cil also requested that Maidstone Council ensure that it was both fit for purpose and rigorously enforced.


THE parish council has backed the proposed two-classroom ex- tension at St John’s C of E Primary School, ProvenderWay, as long as replacement trees are planted at the site. Members agreed with the borough council that the loss of land- scapingwas regrettable.A“green” roofwas suggested,which would be valuable for the environment and the children’s education.


Green fears over school extension


Speedwatch help THE parish council is inter- ested in hearing from any resi- dent interested in joining the Speedwatch volunteer group. If you can spare time to work with others monitoring the speed of vehicles in the parish please contact the parish office. Training will be given.


Cuckoo Wood IT has been reported that peo- ple were camping in Cuckoo Wood, The PCSO had visited the privately-owned site, and the situation was being moni- tored.


Tree champions KENT Heritage Trees Project needs help to record “Heritage Trees” within the Maidstone area. For more information, go to www.tcv.org.uk.


The parish council extends a heartywelcome to all newresidents of the parish andwould like to remind you thatwe are here to serve


YOU. Details of the role of a parish council and specifically what Boxley Parish Council does can be found on the council’swebsite. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the parish office. If you do not have access to a computer, our other contact details are at the top of this page.


30 East Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735


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