DownsMail In touch with your parish Continued from page 34


Members were advised that


the last contact either Cllr Peter Street or the clerk had with Cllr Kemsley was in February. Ton- bridge and Malling Council’s monitoring officer had con- firmed that her qualification for co-option was that she lived in the parish when she became a parish councillor. Therefore the rule of non-attendance for six months would trigger a vacancy. The Hop Farm had confirmed


that Mrs Kemsley was due to va- cate her property in May. Cllr Graham Haycock said he and the clerk would visit her home and if she was there, would ask her about her intentions as far as the parish council was con- cerned. It was reported that Tonbridge


and Malling Council had re- ceived two separate premises licences for the Hop Farm. One covered the oast houses and barns, the petting farm and other children’s attractions. The capacity was less than 5,000. The second covered 350 acres of land surrounding the Hop Farm country core area and capacity was less than 39,999. The li- cence application had been due to be heard on May 17. It was agreed that the council broadly supported the Hop Farm and took the view that the newmanagement team must ac- knowledge the views of East Peckham residents and estab- lish dialogue with them. The noise levels must be monitored and controlled in accordance with the conditions Tonbridge andMalling Council. Tonbridge and Malling Coun-


cil had received an application for a sexual entertainment venue licence at the Harp pub- lic house, covering the hours from noon to midnight,Monday to Saturday. The licence appli- cation was due to be considered on May 30. The clerk was to col- late any comments and circu- late them to members before submitting them to the TMBC. With regard to the Jubilee


Hall and playing fields,itwas noted that the redecoration of the corridor was going to tender, the external rendered panel needed attention and the build- ing maintenance contractor would be asked to inspect it. One of the changing room toi-


lets had been repaired,the sports hall flooring needed at- tention and the flooring in the corridor was breaking up. Fresh Air Fitness was assessing and repairing the fitness equipment. The snack and hot drink ma- chines were being well used and £207 had been banked at the end of March. The family of a recently de- ceased resident had requested permission to install a memo- rial bench on the playing fields. Approval had been granted and


the clerk had offered tomeet the family to discuss requirements. A complaint had been re- ceived about the heating in the sports hall, saying it was too cold. Members noted that more users had complained itwas too hot, and resolved to write to the user explaining the issues. Several items had been brought up during the April surgery. A request had been made for damaged bollards in Hale Street to be referred, and for the ditch from Hale Street to OldRoadtobeclearedout.It was also requested that the ash trees should be checked. It was reported that Chroma


Vision were to complete the work to upgrade both of the CCTV systems. After that, Cllr Street would train councillors on their use and operation. Cllr Jenny Macdonald had reached agreement with KHS regarding the installation sites for the signs and they were due to be installed by May 18. The clerk was in discussions


with Vision ICT regarding the update of the parish council website and was looking at in- corporating a virtual tour of the village. Cllr Nicola Kearns said shewould like to be involved in the project. It was reported that a concrete


street light column had col- lapsed in Crown Acres. KHS had attended immediately to re- move the debris and fill in the hole. Replacing it with an alu- minium one was considered, at a cost of about £775 plus instal- lation charges. Confirmation had been re- ceived that the post office would move to Orchard Road where it would operate as one of the new local style post office branches. The date of the relo- cation was still to be confirmed. The Royal Mail would be ad- vised of their obligation to sup- ply a post box for the new post office.


Members were advised that


the Apples Bowls Club had been in the village for over 20 years but was experiencing dif- ficulties as a reduction in mem- bers had meant a drop in income. Members agreed that a 50% reduction in hall hire charges would be offered, to be reviewed in six months.


Kings Hill Council Police response


THE police response to an inci- dent at the community centre was discussed. Other anti-so- cial behaviour in Kings Hill was discussed. An update on primary schools in Kings Hill was dis- cussed. The possible location of the third school and its location was discussed. It was reported that pollution reducing equipment was being installed on bus route 72. The


council supported this new ini- tiative. A request for an extra PCSO


to serve Kings Hill was sent and noted by Kent Police. There were insufficient gas


and electricity supplies to serve all the kitchen equipment pro- posed for the Heath Farm sports facility. Liberty Property Trust (LPT) had stated that the parish council would be charged to bring in these additional serv- ices as they were over and above the facilities originally of- fered and in addition to their planning obligations. After much discussion it was re- solved that additional supply be installed and the cost of £3,163.08 would be paid to LPT. It was suggested that local brewers be approached about providing some of the equip- ment in the bar area free of charge. Public attendance at the an-


nual parish meeting had been disappointing. How future pub- lic engagement would be arranged was discussed. It was resolved that the formal annual parish meeting would now take place up to an hour before a full council meeting in 2014. Public consultations or open


days on specific topics would be introduced to allow the parish council to respond to is- sues of concern to the commu- nity. The first would be the Phase 3 consultation, possibly in May. An incident involving young


adults trying to gain access and interrupting a social event at the community centre was re- ported. It was expected that the CCTV to be installed shortly would help deter or apprehend offenders.


Leybourne Council Crime report


A REPORT was read out from PCSO Ed Moore, who was un- able to attend. Just one crime had been reported in the last month – a shed had been bro- ken in to in Barleycorn, but nothing had been taken. Cllr Bob Ulph said Chief In- spector John Kirby had said PCSOs should be visiting parishes on a weekly basis and should provide a full report to the clerk if they could not attend a meeting. The last time a PCSO attended a meeting was Novem- ber 2012. Members were disap- pointed that the neighbourhood police were not meeting Ch Insp Kirby’s expectations. Borough Cllr Sophie Shrub-


sole had met with PCSO Moore who said he was moving away from attending parish council meetings,which was a direction from his superiors. He split his time between Leybourne and West Malling, but could be called to anywhere in Kent. PCSO Moore said Leybourne


did not have a drug problem. He added that the main issues


were parking, but there wasn’t much he could do about this. The clerk was to write to Ben Hilden of Kent Highways Serv- ices to proceed with the prior- ity signage on Castle Way and to ask for clarification of DoT guidance that states 20mph zones only require give way signs on the road. Borough Cllr Luker said the proposed A20 parking restric- tions were awaiting confirma- tion to proceed from West Malling Parish Council. Another access road was planed on Leybourne Chase, along from Teddington Drive, to allow access to the special needs school. The streetlights from the M20 junction 4 roundabout to the RSPCA centre were being switched off between the hours of midnight and 5am. Cllr Luker was against this as it was a potential accident blackspot. Should this pilot scheme be successful, it would be rolled out across Kent. County Cllr Sarah Hohler said


there was a speeding issue in Rectory Lane South and sug- gested residents put up posters to remind drivers to slow down. Complaints had been received


from residents about parking at the school and Cllr Hohler would be working with Cllr Shrubsole and PCSO Moore to hand out penalty notices to of- fenders. Work was due to commence


on the chicane priority signage in CastleWay. Drivers were continuing to


abuse the no entry signs on the south section of Birling Road and deterrents were being in- vestigated. Dirty signs and dam- aged lamp posts were being repaired. Cllr Keith Holmes asked


when the new wave swing would be installed at the Bomb Hole, and Cllr Ulph confirmed that it had been done. It was noted that a new CCTV camera with total night vision would shortly be installed at the Bomb Hole.


Nettlestead Council Romanian find


PCSO Nicola Morris reported there had been a burglary at a home in Maidstone Road.At the last meeting she had re- ported motors had been stolen from Bow Bridge Marina. She confirmed that these had been recovered in Romania. The cost of a new bus shelter would be £3,600, but members said the parish did not have enough funds. A seat was sug- gested and the clerk would con- tact Maidstone Council and KCC about this. The new gate had been in- stalled on the KM178 footpath.


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