Chairman elected


Boughton Malherbe Council


CLLR Robert Turner was elected chairman,with Cllr Ron Galton elected vice-chairman. It was reported that the sign-


post at the junction of Head- corn Road and Eastwood Road was fingerless. The signs had posted the way to Grafty Green, Headcorn and Ulcombe. It was considered that more frequent visits to the parish by PCSO Alan Beech would be beneficial and that a Saturday visit to the shop would reach more people. There had not been much Speedwatch activity. Headcorn and Lenham were both using their equipment, and the police only had one machine for train- ing and were reluctant to lend that. Councillors considered buying equipment,which could then be hired out. The equip- ment would cost £1,970 includ- ing delivery. Jenny Whittle had offered £500 towards the cost. If the insurance was in order, the equipment would be bought. There had been no response


from Ben Hilden regarding repositioning of the speed indi- cator device. The clerk was to contact Richard Emmett. Work had been completed on


the ditches and gullies in Woodcock Lane. The emergency plan waswell


under way and close to the first full draft. However, Cllr Galton said the finishing line could still be months away. The meeting heard that the preparation of the neighbour- hood plan was vital: it is about regeneration and conservation, and not just development. The development of a neighbour- hood plan for Boughton Mal- herbe was agreed. Cllr Turner told the meeting


he would welcome any thoughts and suggestions re- garding Henry Long’s generous legacy.


Bredhurst Council Flooding report


A RESIDENT’s report of flood- ing in Kemsley Street had been passed on to Kent Highways who would assess the problem. A bicycle was stolen from outside a building in The Street. The buffers on the aerial slide


at the playground had been moved byMaidstone Council to the position needed to meet its safety assessment requirements. This has made the seat difficult to reach and a number of resi- dents had commented on this. Bredhurst Council had still not received a reply from Maid- stone Council on a number of is- sues relating to the playground equipment. Cllr Vanessa Jones agreed to contact the borough council.


50 East


DownsMail In touch with your parish A report was still awaited


from Kent Highways regarding the review of street lighting in the village. No progress had been made


with the speed limit roundels, despite email requests. The first Bredhurst Informa-


tion Day was discussed. Feed- back from stallholders had been positive and it was decided to hold the event again next year. Chairman Cllr Charlie Hewitt


had received a toolkit for a com- munity-led plan fromAction for Communities in Rural England to help with the review of the parish plan. Borough Cllr Derek Butler advised the parish coun- cil to consider the development of a neighbourhood develop- ment plan. The allotment fencing had


been added to the insurance policy for theft and impact and some of the office equipment had been removed. A resident contacted the chairman to say they were pleased to see the dog bins/dog exclusion notice in the village and also asked if anything could be done about horse droppings. A resident expressed concern


about the possibility of street lighting being removed from the top of Dunn Street Road. The parish council is waiting for the report with recommendations from Kent Highways before any decisions are made. Southern Water have now moved the allotment meter to the correct location and plot holders could now access the water. The standing charge for the period September 2012 to March 2013 had beenwaived as a result.


Broomfield and Kingswood Council


Plan tenders


CLLR Terry Baker reported that tenders had been received from professional planners for the neighbourhood plan.Itwas agreed that Designscape would carry out the work. It was agreed that the parish council would have a stand at the village fair on July 6, with information on the neighbour- hood plan and neighbourhood watch. The stand would be manned by Cllrs Tina Clark and Mike Evans. Cllr Peter Page had had request


from residents in Broomfield that the clerk write to Mrs Wal- lace at Leeds Castle asking for information confirming the agreement that the garden field gate on to Broomfield Road would not be used by anyone using the “glamping” facility. It was agreed that the clerk should also include the parish council’s thanks for the landscaping work around the electricity substation. Councillors said goodbye to


Cllrs Mike Evans and Peter Corfield, who retired at the end


of the meeting. They were thanked for their hard work.


Detling Council New officers


CLLR Mark Housden was elected chairman and Cllr Jan- ice Kennard was elected vice- chairman. The meeting heard that the manhole cover in Church Lane had been replaced by Kent Highways. Cllr John Clayton said the re- furbishment of the benches at the Old School Playing Field would cost £40. This was ap- proved by members. Cllr Kennard said the grant application submitted for the Monks Meadow sign had unfor- tunately been unsuccessful. It was reported that detail-


swere still being sought regard- ing the mobility gate for Horish Wood. John Monk said there was a problem with household rubbish being put in and around the bin at Horish Wood. It was agreed that a sign should be placed on the bin. Cllr Irene Bowie had received


two quotations for play equip- ment at the Old School Playing Field, and these had been in the region of £15,000 to £20,000. Cllr Kennard said that a quo-


tation of £240 had been re- ceived for the honours board.It wasagreedthatCllrMike Denny would take this further. Cllr Housden reported on the


plans for the 2014 anniversary of the beginning of World War I, and it was agreed to promote this at the village open day.


Downswood Council Fence repairs


CLLR Roz Cheesman said that work on the broken fence in Reinden Grove was in hand. Sockets and timers for lights needed to be replaced once new street columns were complete. The climbing frame in Mal-


lardsWay was to be painted by the OSC. A tree had been cut down in


the BMX woodland area of pedestrianised Spot Lane. The “jump hole” had been dug out further and despite the area being cleared during the spring clean, it once again had a lot of rubbish strewn around. The clerk was to report this to Maid- stone Council and the police. Cllr Cheesman said she was disappointed at the number of daffodils on display in Dering- wood Drive. OSC said more would be planted at the end of the year, along with crocuses. A replacement alder had


been planted at Mallards with protective cages fitted to the new and existing trees. Three silver birches had also been planted and had cages fitted. Grass at the Jubilee Tablet needed attention and the OSC hoped to undertake this work. It


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


was agreed that the clerk would insure the Jubilee Tablet for a sum of £5,000. It was agreed that the parish council could buy further play equipment for the Foxden Drive play area, and the clerk was to look in to match funding. It was agreed that the three picnic tables for Mallards Way would be put on hold. This would give an opportunity to monitor how much the existing tables were used during the summer and whether the extra tables were required. The money thatwas set aside for the tables would go to the Foxden Drive project. The clerk reported that Fox-


den Drive noticeboard was in poor condition and the door would not open. It was agreed to see a quotation for repairs. Cllr Cheesman reported on


the spring clean, and said it was gratifying that some members of the public had attended this year. Some large items had been removed from the River Len. Cllr Bill Greenhead said the


OSCwanted to recruit residents for a Green Fingers Club, which would help to clear fly-tipping in areas such as Old Church Road andhelptokeepover- grown vegetation under control. The Red Cross quotation for


the Olympicnic had been agreed. The generator was to be provided by Cllr Newton, and the white board would be pro- vided by Cllr Weeks. Cllr Roberts was to order 100 medals as prizes. Richard Young said he would provide batons and a tape measure, and Cllr David Nuttall would provide the rope for a tug of war. Cllr Cheesman said wellies, belts, eggs and spoons would be available. Cllr Roberts was to source an ice cream seller.


New councillor


Hollingbourne Council


IT WAS agreed that Ursula Askew would be co-opted on to the council to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Mr Stephenson. Anumberofeventswere planned in the village in sup- port of the twinning with Tem- pleuve, including a French dining event at the Dirty Habit, a French quiz night, a football tournament and a golf tourna- ment. Water draining off the land continued to be a problem, but thanks were expressed to Penny Johnstone for her perseverance in getting action to cure the problem in Greenway Court Road and Eyhorne Street. Cllr David Ardley said the


gulley cleansing by KCC would be undertaken on a parish-by- parish basis and the programme would be published shortly. PCSO Siobhan de Burca-Ousby


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