Kennard clarified this to all present.


DownsMail In touch with your parish Fly-tipping was reported


along Scragged Oak Road, out- side Polly Field Cottage. The clerk was to report this to Maid- stone Council. A manhole was missing from Church Lane, in the verge near the A249. The clerk was to re- port it to Kent Highways. The financial statement was presented to members. It was agreed to accept it. Cllr Kennard reported on the


grants she had been looking into for the noticeboard for Monks Meadow. Cllr Kennard spoke about the mobility gate for Horish Wood. She said CTRL was willing to fund this and no grant was needed. Cllr Evernden said he had looked through the contracts for the three pieces of land that the parish council had recently taken ownership of and said the deeds showed the gates were likely to belong to the parish council. He said the address at the land registry needed to be changed to the clerk’s address. Cllr Clayton spoke of the need


to use the woodland for energy production. Cllr Kennard said Kent Downs had drawn up a management plan in conjunc- tion with the Forestry Commis- sion and they were going to come back to the parish council with their proposals. Concerns were raised regard-


ing dog mess in the woodland and the clerk was asked to seek advice fromMaidstone Council. Cllr Clayton reported that the benches at the playing field needed treating. He was asked to get a quotation for the work. Cllr Bowie said she was due to meet with a contractor to seek a quotation for play equipment. Cllr Housden said the cente-


nary ofWorldWar I would take place on August 4, 2014. He spoke about his idea of arrang- ing a day trip to the battlefields in France. Cllr Bowie suggested the parish council should liaise with the village organisations


Churchyard tree risk BOXLEY Parish Council has ap- plied to remove a yew tree in the churchyard, next to the war me- morial, at St Mary’s and All Saints’ Church, Boxley. A statement said: “The yew


tree is causing cracking and damage to the church wall.” Maidstone Council will de- termine the application.


Fraud charge A FORMER chief officer at Age Concern has appeared at Maid- stoneMagistrate’ Court accused of defrauding the charity of £217,500. Keith Austin, of Tovil Green, contested the amount of money allegedly taken. He was released on bail.


regarding their celebrations. It was agreed that Cllrs Housden and Bowie would coordinate an event.


Members were reminded that


the annual meeting would take place on May 21. It was agreed that due to the council’s open day in September, the annual meeting should instead take place at 6.30pm, before the an- nual council meeting, on May 7.


New councillor


Hollingbourne Council


URSULA Askew was co-opted to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Cllr Frank Stephenson. Anumberofeventswere planned throughout the village in support of the twinning with Templeuve – the main focus of whichwill be at the fete in June. The events include a French dining event at the Dirty Habit, a French quiz night, and possi- ble football and golf tourna- ments. Water draining off the land continued to be a problem but thanks were expressed to Mrs Penny Johnstone for her perse- verance in getting action to cure the problem in Greenway Court Road/Eyhorne Street junction. It was hoped the creation of a new kerb and drain would re- solve the problem. There had been 10 reported crimes in Hollingbourne during the previous month, including six at theM20 J8 services. The chairman thanked Cllr


John Cobbett for maintaining the momentum to improve broadband speeds and services to the village. The possibility of BT upgrading the exchange would appear to be remote. Remedial work to correct the damage at the entrance to the Lance Memorial Field was to take place on April 27 and vol- unteers were requested. An application had been


made to grant the war memorial listed building status. The ap- plicant was unknown and the


OWNERS of iconic and classic British and French cars are in- vited to display their vehicles at Hollingbourne’s summer fete. Taking place on Saturday,


June 15, the fete will feature a motorcade through the village from midday. Members of the classic car


club in Templeuve near Lille in France, which has recently twinned with Hollingbourne,


clerk was awaiting further in- formation. County Cllr Jenny Whittle re- ported that Greenway Court Road would be top-dressed dur- ing the summer, following pot- hole repairs which would be completed shortly. The number of applicants for


the primary school was 24, with 15 places. There could be com- munity consultation on any pos- sibility of a school expansion. Borough Cllr Daphne Parvin undertook to find out more about the proposed recycling arrangements. It was hoped to recruit a


grouptolookata neighbour- hood plan for the village. The public rights of way from


the railway station across the field to Jack’s Alley and at the end ofMusket Lane towards the service stationwere both in dire need of attention. Cllr Mrs Parvin was asked to intervene in delay by Maidstone Council in providing the neces- sary paperwork for the Millen- nium Green. The roof valleys of the Card-


well pavilion had been cleared. New locks had been fitted to the gas meter housing and central heating system controls. The ex- ternal lighting had been checked. A request for £50 for rewards


for the fete sports activities was approved.


Crime-free month THE PCSO had been unable to attend the rescheduled meeting but he had advised that there had been no reported crimes for February to March in the parish. Areminderwas given that the annual parish meeting would be held in the village hall at 7pm on Tuesday, April 23. MBC had circulated a list of


Ulcombe Council


sites in the borough that landowners had submitted for possible development under the Strategic Housing and Eco- nomic Development Land Availability Assessment. The parish council will ask for fur-


Cars bring French flavour to fete


will bring their vehicles, in- cluding a number of Citroen 2CVs. Visitors to the fete will be invited to ride in them in ex- change for a donation to the HollingbourneMeadows Trust. MGs and a rare 1924 Citroen Biarritz are among the cars ex- pected. The fete will have an Anglo-French feel with chil- dren’s fancy dress, a dog show, stalls, music and a hog roast.


New identity for friends of park THE friends and volunteers of Mote Park will soon re-launch with a new name – the Mote Park Fellowship. The group held an open day at Maidstone Leisure Centre, Mote Park, where guests enjoyed tea and cakes, speeches and a guided walk.


ther details for local sites. MBC had not yet made any decisions on which sites might be recom- mended for development. The possibility of producing a neighbourhood plan was dis- cussed. The matter would be re- ferred to two meetings at Ulcombe Primary School at 7.30pm onWednesday, April 24 and at the village hall at 6.30pm on Tuesday, April 30,whenMBC would attend. Both meetings would be open to the public. The parish traffic calming re-


port had been sent to John Burr, Kent Highways, for his com- ments. As many of the issues raised were speed-related, a copy would be sent to Kent Po- lice and they would be invited to the annual parish meeting. The report would also be re- ferred to the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board for dis- cussion at their next meeting. Ameeting would be held with


Cllr Jenny Whittle and Kent Highways to discuss outstand- ing highways problems in the parish as well as traffic calming options. Kent Highways had ad- vised that a number of resurfac- ing repairs would shortly be made around the parish. The need for all gullies in the village centre to be cleared had again been notified. The damaged fire hydrant on Headcorn Road would be re- ported. A site meeting had been held with KCC Lorry Watch to agree where to position Lorry Watch warning signs along Chegworth Road. Cllr Whittle had advised that


the Saturday bus service sub- sidy would remain in place for the foreseeable future, but could give no further details until it was known if central govern- ment would be making more cuts to funding. Notice had been received from


the Boundary Commission that the 2013 Parliamentary Con- stituency Boundary Review (for which the parish council had submitted a recommendation) had been postponed until 2018.


Bomb blackmail A MAN has pleaded guilty to trying to blackmail a supermar- ket to the tune of £10,000 by planting a fake bomb in one of its aisles. David Williams, 49, of Knaves Acre, Headcorn, ini- tially denied blackmail but later changed his plea. Bomb disposal experts discovered the package at the Morrison’s store in Sutton Road on December 10 and the building was evacuated while they carried out a con- trolled explosion. Williams was bailed and will


be sentenced from June on- wards following psychiatric as- sessment.


Support YOUR local paper — and we can support YOU - advertise on 01622 630330 East 55


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56