DownsMail In touch with your parish The clerk was asked to find


out how far a bird scarer should be situated from a footpath. There was a loud birdscarer be- tween Brook Farm and the church, which made a noise early in themorning and late in the evening. It would not be possible to control a horse on the bridleway if this went off. Cllr Dave Storey met Liz Guthrie from Tonbridge and Malling Council about the tree at the corner of the car park.It was not a listed tree. The best solution was to said to be to use Tarmac to create a gentle slope where the roots of the tree were damaging the path.


Snodland Council Playing fields


IT was reported that the new playing fields at Potyns were unlikely to be ready to play on at the beginning of the season in September and depending on the weather and the way the surface responds to fertiliser and general maintenance, they may not be ready until the start of the 2014 season. It was agreed that in the light


of the cost of building the pitches, it would be foolhardy to allow them to be played until they were fully ready. The situ- ation would be reassessed regu- larly. The Scouts had asked to have


a waste paper collection site at the community centre, but it was felt this would be the target for fires and could not be con- sidered. The Scouts had also offered to


clean the war memorial as part of their community week proj- ect, but as this is a highly spe- cialised job it was suggested that the CEO go back to the Scouts with other suggestions of how they might help the com-


munity in their project. Cllr Anne Moloney was elected as town council chair- man for the forthcoming year and Cllr Peter Misy as vice- chairman.Membership of coun- cil committees was agreed together with representatives to outside bodies. The council had been consid-


ering placing some new play equipment for toddlers in Wil- lowside Park and had asked for views of local people. There was strong local opposition to this proposal on the grounds that it would attract vandals and could cause increased park- ing problems. The committee decided that


as there was so much opposi- tion to the plan it would be bet- ter to put the new equipment in the recreation ground next to the existing equipment in the centre of the park and look to possibly removing the old equipment near to the Malling Road entrance when finance al- lows.


Fencing work


Wateringbury Council


AN area had been fenced off for parking at Drayhorse Meadow and all new electrics in the sta- bles had been completed. A quote of £345 for renovation work on The Stables at Dray- horse Meadow from Terry Smith was agreed Cllr Mike Cayzer was elected chairman for the next 12months. The chairman introduced the county councillor,


new


Matthew Balfour, to the meet- ing. It was agreed the public would be asked, at the annual parish meeting, for their sup- port on drawing down addi-


tional funds from the Public Works Loan Board. Repayment of any additional funds would not affect the precept, but come out of surplus. MikeWitts said 10 people had helped at the workforce week- end. It was reported that vehicles parked on the pavement in Glebe Meadow had prevented pedestrians from passing, and some warning letters had been sent to drivers. A spate of vehi- cle crimes and investigations were continuing and a number of people had been spoken to. Three young men had been stopped from fishing in the Mill Lane pond and contact details were taken. Speedwatch volunteers had recorded 158 drivers travelling at 35mph or above, 16 warning letters had been sent by police for a second offence and four for a third. Six letters were sent for driving at excessive speeds. One new volunteer had come forward. Charles Stroud was asked to investigate the cost of upgrading the Speedwatch equipment It was reported that water had


been coming from a manhole cover at Maidstone Autos. There had been complaints about the smell coming from the water.


West Peckham Council


Picnic plan


A REQUEST had been received from Boughton Monchelsea Morris Men to hold their annual Picnic-on-the-Green on Sunday, July 21, as in previous years. The council agreed unani- mously, but asked that all rub- bish is removed after the event. There had been recent inci- dences of motorcyclists and al-


cohol consumption in the woods along The Hurst. PCSO Toni Matthews advised that the details had been passed on to the police bike team. The chairman advised that the asbestos that was fly-tipped weeks ago had been secured but not yet removed. The PCSO was to pursue further. Due to the increased number


of large lorries (including large logging wagons) passing through the village,itwas agreed that letters should be written to Tregothnan Estate and Beech Farm Partnership, to see if sometimes it might be possible for smaller vehicles to be used.


Following the election, it was hoped that the new county councillor would be able to as- sist with some additional sig- nage for lorries. Regarding a planning applica-


tion for a single storey rear ex- tension at 3 Church Road,West Peckham, Cllr Ron Wright de- clared an interest andwithdrew from the meeting. The remain- ing councillors discussed and agreed unanimously on com- ments to be passed to Tonbridge and Malling Council including concerns over the quality and accuracy of the drawings. Two working parties would


meet to install the two new by- laws signs, remove guards from tree trunks and repair the bench near the kissing gate. Cllr Wright, previously vice- chairman, was elected chair- man for the forthcoming year. The outgoing chairman, Mark Freed, was thanked for all his hard work over the previous years. He said that while the role had at times been challeng- ing, it had also been rewarding, and wished Cllr Wright all the best in his role as chairman.


Ramblers on track for annual railway walk Police investigate shooting


RAMBLERS from allover Maidstone met at Watering- bury Station to enjoy the annual Medway Valley Community Rail P a r t ner ship SpringWalk.


Led by Bob and


Christine Tolson, participants en- joyed a leisurely guided walk to Teston CountryParkalong thenorth of the River Medway before returning along the south bank.


Plenty of fresh air and welcome sun-


shine en-route ensured the group had a healthy appetite for the splendid cream teaavailable at the RiversideRestaurant upon return.


The event was one of a number arranged by the rail partnership to pro- mote use of the Medway Valley Line for leisure purposes and it also served to


highlight the Rail- TrailWalk- pac k s available, giving full details of wa l k s from each sta t i o n along the line.


Two other events being held this sum-


mer are a music train and commentary train when an invited historian speaker will be on board to provide a live com- mentary.


Refreshments will be available and


both events will be on – hopefully – sunny Sundays.


For a copy of the station walkpack or


further information on future events please contact Ian Paterson on ian.pa- terson19@btinternet.com or 07917 841005.


A 24-YEAR-OLD man fromWest Malling suffered a gun- shot wound inMaidstone. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Detective Inspector Lee Whitehead said: “I would like


to speak to anyone who visited or was near Arundel Street, Fisher Street, Perryfield Street and Peel Street be- tween 8am and 11am on 4 June and saw or heard any- thing suspicious. We are also looking to identify the owner ofwhat is described as an Iveco flatbed truck that was parked in Arundel Street at the time.”


John’s new role in cabinet reshuffle


TONBRIDGE and Malling Council leader Cllr Nico- las Heslop announced a reshuffle of his top team at the authority’s annual meeting. A new portfolio was cre-


ated with Cllr John Bal- combe joining the cabinet with responsibility for economic regeneration. Cllr Matthew Balfour, formerly portfolio holder for innovation and service delivery, stepped down


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


from the cabinet after being elected to KCC. Former finance portfolio holder Martin Coffin has added innovation and property to his responsi- bilities. The other cabinet members and their roles will remain unchanged. Cllr Heslop said: “I am confident that John has the skills and experience to further strengthen our focus in this very impor- tant area.”


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