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down a few days ago.Aresident of Stonewall thought they had been put in the wrong place. A parishioner had asked the parish council to contact MBC regarding suspected breaches of planning conditions at Little Clock House, George Street. Cllr Collins said an enforcement file had already been started on this property. The clerk was asked to write to MBC planning with de- tails of the alleged breaches.


Extension agreed PLANS for a single storey ex- tension to the village hall in Horseshoes Lane were ap- proved by Maidstone Council. The clerk advised the follow-


Langley Council


ing fault reports and mainte- nance items: potholes on the A274 through Langley, issues with public footpaths. The clerk was to contact KCC


to askifitwill cut the football pitch on request. It was agreed to appoint a con- sultant to advise on the next stage of the neighbourhood plan procedure which was respond- ing to Maidstone Council on the sites put forward in the parish. Using the quotes already re- ceived, it was agreed to appoint PMC for an initial three months at a rate of £60 an hour, with a maximum cost of £3,000.


Linton Council Records archive


IT would cost £70 a box to scan the old parish council records and there were currently three boxes. This expenditure was ap- proved. It was also agreed to have the hand-written minute books archived. The chairman had written to


Jerry Whitmarsh and thanked him for his work for the parish council over the years. Bonfleur Lane was closed due


to a drainage problem. Kent Highways was due to action this. Concerns were raised at the number of empty beer bottles that had been put in the hedges along Westerhill and Lacey Lane. A complaint had been re- ceived regarding the poor con- dition of the verges along Wheelers Lane. Residents would be asked to park with more consideration. Two new recruits to the Speedwatch scheme were being trained.


Marden Council Crime report


THE police were not in atten- dance but had sent in crime fig- ures. There had been nine crimes in the previous month, including four burglaries other than residential dwellings, one attempted burglary, one bur- glary from a home, one stolen vehicle, a theft from a vehicle and a case of arson.


Several arsons had been re- ported in fields from Marden to Collier Street. Men were said to be coming across the fields to Marden to use the train. There had been a spate of


shed breaks in Staplehurst, ar- rests had been made and en- quiries were ongoing. Speedwatch training had


been undertaken and further training would be arranged for other volunteers. Flytipping had been reported


along Sheephurst Lane and Railway Cottages. The application for local


needs housing in Pattenden Lane had been refused under delegated powers due to high- way reasons, and the Maidstone Road application was refused by Maidstone Council. Concern was raised over the level of de- bate by members for this appli- cation. An email had been received


from Taylor Wimpey over the condition of the changing rooms at the Rookery Court de- velopment. The clerk was ar- ranging for the graffiti to be removed. Epic Engineering had been in- structed to carry out the work on the door of the public toilets and this would take place shortly.


Councillors agreed to adver-


tise the two vacancies on the parish council on the notice boards and the website. Erika Lock had been offered


the post of assistant parish clerk and had accepted. She would work 10 hours per week.


Dog fouling issue Loose Council


COMMUNITY warden Liz Lo- vatt spoke about the problems with dog fouling at Campfield Cottages. Maidstone Council was in the process of changing bylaws, and was re-launching dog-fouling campaigns.Warden Lovatt said she was happy to as- sist with this, and had asked for the council dog warden to at- tend the site. Unfortunately most of the land in this areawas said to be private. Ward councillor Susan Grigg


said Loose Amenities Associa- tion was working to encourage dog owners to pick up after their pets. The clerk showed the new Smart Water signage that had been delivered. It was suggested that these go on the perimeters of the parish. This issue would be decided by the environment committee. A small sign had been provided for the cemetery. Ms Lovatt showed members an example of anewapplication she was working on that would help people to find information in a crisis. It was felt this would also reduce GPs’ workload. An email had been received from a resident in Old Loose


Hill, about a vehicle driving on to the allotment site. The clerk agreed to reply. Cllr Grigg spoke about the strategic housing and economic development land availability assessment. Maidstone Council had proposed to build 14,800 homes in the borough by 2026, and had called for potential sites to be suggested. Three sites had been suggested in Loose: Herts Farm; Well Street old quarry and Haste Hill Road/Hubbards Lane. Regarding the proposed junc-


tion layout and crash remedial scheme at Linton crossroads,it wasmentioned that the new de- sign should take into account the ultimate volume of traffic in the future. A member of public had said the lights at Cripple Street should be left as they are to aid traffic flow. It was sug- gested that this should also apply to the Linton crossroads junction. Cllr Jim Andrew said safety was the most important issue.


Staplehurst Council Grass-cutting


A QUOTATION of £590 from Forestry First for grass-cutting and hedge trimming at the youth club was approved. Cllr John Perry was elected chairman for the forthcoming year with Cllrs Tom Burnham and PaulKelly as vice-chairmen. A quotation of £279 from SafePlay was accepted for re- moving the damaged rotary disk at Surrenden Playing Field andmaking good the safety sur- face. It had been repaired before and it was felt that it was not worth replacing, considering the cost of around £622 to £958. The chairman asked about the council’s quarterly payments of £212.50 to KCC in respect of the youth club. It was confirmed that the payment related to the 2000 youth club land lease pur- chase agreement and that pay- ments represented part rent and part capital instalment. The caretaker had advised


that the hedge and verges on Surrenden field required atten- tion. This would be addressed at a suitable time. Proposals for a new church-


yard agreement were consid- ered. The next step would be a meeting with the rector. Cllr Anne Gosling reported on


a busy surgery at the library with residents raising issues in- cluding waste bins at the Pa- rade, leaving dogs outside the Parade shops, Surrenden Play- ing Field events, Tesco’s appli- cation, advertising on Headcorn Road, the parish office and the condition of the Staplehurst- Marden road. Cllr Peter Spearink had at- tended a meeting of Lime Trees residents with borough Cllr Richard Lusty and Jeff Kitson


(MBC parking). The residents had presented MBC with useful documentation. Cllr Paul Butcher said there


were parking issues in Station Road on Sunday morning. A meeting with the new play scheme leader from Play Place would take place in June when a visit would be made to the venue (Kathie Lamb Centre). The clerk was awaiting com-


ments from the solicitor acting for owners of the Marden Road strip about the location map they had submitted with the transfer document. Councillors praised the flower displays in the planters.


Thanks for support


Sutton Valence Council


RELUCTANTLY, the parish council accepted the resigna- tion of Cllr Roger Peverett.He was thanked for all his support. Cllr Eileen Riden was elected chairman for the forthcoming year with Cllr Barry Armstrong as vice-chairman. There was a clash of dates be-


tween a wedding to be held at the hall and Peter Shayler’s fair that were both taking place on June 22. The parish council sug- gested that the wedding party inform the fair when it would like themusic turned down and suggested asking for the speak- ers to be turned away from the village hall. Mr Shayler had offered to or- ganise the parking. The clerk would arrange for the public toilets to be open until 9.30pm. Ameeting between the wedding party and Mr Shayler was sug- gested. Cllr Peter Coleman agreed to


be responsible for the weekly checks at the war memorial play area and field. The clerk was to arrange clean-


ing of the Sutton Valence sign. Sutton Valence would next


have the Speedwatch equip- ment in July. The clerk had asked Chart Sutton for training in its use. TheQueensHeadOddfellows


had asked to use the green for Day on the Green on July 20. The clerk would liaise with Cllr Robinson, ensuring that the school had been asked and neighbours had been informed. Two applicants had come for-


ward for the position of handy- man. The clerk would ask for qualifications. The last vacant allotment at


The Harbour had been rented. The table was to be trans-


ferred from the old play area at the War Memorial field to The Harbour. Crimes reported in the previ-


ous month were a burglary in the High Street and three thefts – one in each of Headcorn Road, High Street and Maidstone Road.


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