PCSO recruiting PCSO Richard Kirby said he looked after five parishes but a recruitment drive for new PCSOs had recently ended and hope- fully Boughton Monchelsea would soon get one. Community warden Liz Lo-


Monchelsea Council


vatt reported assistance had been given to vulnerable peo- ple, including help completing application forms for support. Several residents had raised concerns about debt and had been referred to the consumer credit counselling service. Arrangements had been made


for socially-isolated residents to go to coffee mornings, receive a call or visit from a befriending service, shopping trips and other assistance to improve their quality of life. Thirty-two sacks of rubble


were fly-tipped in Cliff Road, Forge Lane and Lower Farm Road. Anyone who witnessed this should contact Liz. A burglary took place in


Green Lane and there had also been some shed breaks-ins. Res- idents should ensure everything was kept secure and report any- thing suspicious. There had been two recent doorstep callers in Church Street. One was very intimidat- ing and used aggressive sales tactics. Residents should notify Liz of doorstep callers in the area so that she can check they are legitimate. There had been a persistent problem with dog fouling in the Brooker Close area and com- plaints about mess on the pub- lic footpath next to Campfield Cottages and the BeresfordsHill footpath. Civil enforcement of- ficers had been asked to visit from time to time. Maidstone Council had re- cently awarded £1,000 for the Socket and See scheme and an- other £1,500 was awaited from KCC. A resident asked if the speed


limit in Marlpit could be low- ered, as seven accidents had oc- curred in the last three years, with two this February. She ex- pressed concern at turning in and out of her driveway with vehicles travelling so fast. Kent Highways had previously stated that the speed limit could not be reduced because there was no history of accidents causing in- jury. If requested by a resident, a site could be assessed for the in- stallation of mirrors. If ap- proved, the cost would have to be borne by the applicant. County Cllr Eric Hotson had agreed that the £7,500 highways grant money he had awarded could be used towards the Park- wood Farm reservoir scheme, relieving flooding at the Quar- ries.


DownsMail In touch with your parish Boughton


The time of the last bus had


now been put back to 5.45pm.A letter of complaint would be sent to the bus company about buses having recently been late, broken down or failing to arrive. The Church Hill verge issues


had been discussed with KCC Highways and the parish coun- cil had stated the intention was to preserve the country feel. The possibility of installing grass- crete type blocks was discussed but itwas agreed that, due to the useofthe vergebyparentsfor school parking, it was unlikely that grass would ever grow up through the blocks. The chairman had previously


stated at the highways meeting that the bollards in front of the black weatherboard church building were not appropriate and should be removed. It had been agreed to look into the le- gality of these and take any ap- propriate enforcement action. KCC had asked for comments


on the proposed crash remedial scheme at Linton crossroads. The parish council offered its full support, but said the scheme should make additional allowance for vehicles to queue side by side on the B2163 on both the Boughton Monchelsea and Coxheath sides of the junc- tion. The parish council had re- ceived reports of vehicles passing through the junction well after lights had turned green for opposing motorists. The phasing of the lights needed to be checked and ad- justed accordingly. Four sites within the parish


had been put forward by landowners to Maidstone Coun- cil’s strategic land availability assessment. It was agreed that sites on the list provided by the borough council should be re- viewed by the neighbourhood plan committee. The newly-formed Maidstone


Tourism Association had in- vited the parish council to join at a cost of £50 a year. It was agreed not to do so. Plans to extend the existing churchyard at St Peter’s Church, BoughtonMonchelsea, for interment and a remem- brance garden were considered. The parish council felt the soil report did not contain sufficient detail and that consideration should be given to the possibil- ity of contamination to ground water. The new Speedwatch site past


the garage on Heath Road had proved a very suitable addition. Eleven vehicles were recorded at 46mph or more on a Saturday morning session. The four recent Speedwatch sessions in the parish had noted 21 vehicles ex- ceeding the speed limit. A letter had been sent to key bodies within the parish about the parish council’s plan to form an emergency response


team.All parties had responded favourably and a request had been made for volunteers with 4x4 vehicles, medical and building experience. The parish council would eventually need to source emer- gency kit such as high visibility clothing, wet weather suits, torches, VHF radios and stand- pipes. It was hoped to arrange a meeting with KCC to discuss the way forward. The annual parish meeting would be held at 7pm on Tues- day, May 21. Nominations for the Parishioner of the Year award were requested. Plans had been made for the village fete on June 1. As it was now an annual event, some profit would go to charity with the remainder carried forward each year to allow the fete to be- come self-funding. Concern was expressed that lorries on Heath Road were causing vibrations in houses. The problem was caused by the weight and speed of the vehi- cles, but was increased by the poor quality of the road surface. The clerk would write to KHS asking that rubberised surfacing material be used when the road surface is renewed. A letter drop would be carried out along Heath Road asking for affected residents to get in touch.


Broomfield and Kingswood Council


Vacancy filled


CHRISTINA Clark was co- opted to fill the vacancy on the parish council. The councilwas now up to full strength. County Cllr Jenny Whittle


said a resident had complained about the Swadelands School bus service drop-off and collec- tion point which had changed with a new contractor. Cllr Whittle had contacted the de- partment responsible for school transport and was asking for the bus point to revert to the origi- nal location. PCSO Richard Kirby advised


that recruitment for an addi- tional PCSO was in progress and hoped his area of responsi- bility would be returned to the original four parishes soon. PCSO Kirby was asked to con-


sider recommendations for traf- fic calming around the village in readiness for a meeting with KCC Highways. A meeting had been arranged with Ben Hilden. Cllr Mike O’Neill raised ongo-


ing concerns regarding the man- ner of people parking around the primary school and re- quested that PCSO Kirby and team approach parents and ad- vise them accordingly. The pensioners’ trip had been arranged for June 25 for a river trip including lunch. Each par- ticipant would be asked for £10 towards the cost,with places re- served on a first come, first


served basis. The clerk advised that Mary Poultonwas happy to help manage the trip. The annual parish meeting


was being held on May 20. Efforts to improve broadband


had been initiated by John Cob- bett, writing to Hugh Robertson MP. He had written to the CEO of BT to ask for the issues raised at the meeting at Leeds Castle. A further approach to the problem was being studied, to- gether with the other two parishes looking at working with CallFlow wireless broad- band, potentially siting a trans- mitter on the Downs above Hollingbourne, receiving sig- nals from Boughton Malherbe. Thecostingslookedasifthis might work, involving the three parishes sharing the initial costs. More work was being done on this idea and would be reported to the next meeting. The Edmed family had given


their approval to limited devel- opment on the Triangle Field between Chartway Street, Duck- pond Lane and Gravelly Bottom Road.


Maidstone Council had ap- pealed to the public for sites for development, and two within the parish had been identified. The annual RoSPA safety


check for the recreation and sports field was booked with Playdale for the first week in July.


The clerk had asked Kent Highways why the large potholes in Broomfield Road had never been repaired, despite two work orders being submitted.


Chart Sutton Council Crime report


THERE were three crimes re- ported: an attempted burglary, a burglary and a theft from a motor vehicle. There had also been a theft of fuel from Boughton service station and a hubcap had been stolen from Orchard Cottages. PCSO Richard Kirby intro- duced himself and said he would be covering the area until new recruits were trained. He said he had a heavy workload but had been well supported by community warden Liz Lovatt. Community warden Lovatt


said flytipping had been re- moved from three sites. It had taken longer than usual due to a change in procedures. Cllr Peter Forknall said rub-


bish had been dumped in a ditch at Babylon Farm, Cllr Steven Waring reported flytip- ping in a ditch near Rabbits Cross and tyres in a ditch fur- ther along Chart Hill Road. Mary Underdown had offered


to provide refreshments in the interval at the annual parish meeting. Cllr Valerie Under- down was asked to put a notice in the Shop on the Green adver- tising the meeting.


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