DownsMail In touch with your parish Continued from page 22


was planned for next March. The surface could not be laid if the temperature was less than 10 degrees. Salt bins at Masefield Road


and Brooklands Road would be funded by KCC but those at Fielding Drive, Upper Mill, Gilletts Lane and Stickens Lane had not qualified. They could be funded from Cllr Dean’s budget if supported by the parish council at a cost of £600 each.


Concern was expressed at the speeding vehicles in Lunsford Lane which, it was felt, were a knock-on effect from the by- pass. Cllr Dean said the £100,000 for improvements at junction 4 was to be used to tweak the line markings and there was no intention for traf- fic-calming in Lunsford Lane or New Hythe Lane. It was agreed to object strongly to the naming of the country park at Kings Hill as Warren Woods Nature Park as it had previously been made clear that The Heath should be included in the name. Warren Wood was only a small wood- land. Members appreciated all the work that had been done and the general way the area was being managed. Mark Hayton, who is a leader


of Larkfield Community Church and a police inspector, said the church had surveyed more than 50 young people on the streets of Larkfield. They said they were hanging around Martin Square, the recreation ground and on the housing estates, drinking alcohol and smoking drugs, simply because they had nothing better to do. In response, the church had launched “Chance?” - a youth group based at its community building on the Brookfield School site. This provided free activities such as pool, table tennis, air hockey and table football, as well as a large screen DVD, TV and CD player. The parish council agreed to


donate £200 towards equipment for fund-raising activities such as car washing.


Scam warning


East Peckham Council


IT WAS reported that cold callers were rife in the village and there had been an escala- tion in telephone and email scams. The community warden would be making a presentation to the young people on cyber bullying. The amount to be received by


East Peckham from the borough council under the Financial Arrangements scheme for 2011/12 would be £12,850. The borough council would


30 Malling


be advised that the cycle route from East Peckham to Paddock Wood needed to be improved. Kent Highways would be


asked for an update on plans to divert Satnavs from rural roads in East Peckham. Hale Street was still being used as a “rat run” by HGVs and KHS would be asked to consider restricting the width of the passing points and to deleting East Peckham from the signpost at Brookside so that more heavy vehicles were directed towards the by- pass and not the village. The clerk had written to some residents of Pound Road in- forming them that they had gained unauthorised vehicular access to the playing fields and would be asked to pay for any damage. Letters would now be sent to residents of even num- bered houses in Pound Road (number 98 onwards), advising them that such access was not permissible, neither was the de- positing of garden refuse there, and the parish council would reserve the right to charge for the cost of the removal and any repairs. It was noted that the barriers would be permanently concreted in to prevent them being removed and that a coun- cillor had already hammered in some reinforcement nails. Emergency door repairs had


been carried out to the gym club store at the sports hall. The gym club had advised the cleaning and maintenance team it was looking for alternative premises. The junior swing would be re- placed in 2011 and arrange- ments would be made to replace the missing and faulty parts to the fitness equipment. A building maintenance sur-


vey of the sports hall would be undertaken and a quote in re- spect of items needing attention would be obtained. Arrangements for the Christ-


mas lights and festivities were discussed and it was agreed to investigate the possibility of in- stalling solar lights. It was reported that Ikkle Pickles, the only parent and toddler group in the village, had experienced a drop in at- tendance levels as many of the older pupils had left in July to start school. Members resolved that the group would receive a 50% rate reduction off the nor- mal hall hire charge of £8 an hour, to be reviewed on a quar- terly basis. It was reported that many complaints had been received regarding dog fouling across the village and from dogs off leads on the playing fields. It was sug- gested that the council should consider a dog control order for its land. Members resolved that information on dog control or- ders be sought from those Ton- bridge and Malling parishes which already had them


There were no vacant allot- ments, with three people on the waiting list. Two grants of £100 each


would be made to East Peckham Primary School and the com- munity warden for tree and bulb planting projects in the vil- lage. It was noted that East Peck-


ham had been judged as one of the top 10 villages in the county by the Kent Men of Trees and had won a £15 tree voucher.


Kings Hill Council Bus solution


COUNTY Cllr Richard Long had received a number of com- plaints about the bus service from Kings Hill and school chil- dren often had trouble getting on to buses as they were full. After liaison with the bus com- pany, KCC hoped that Arriva would swap a single-decker bus to a double-decker to resolve the problem. Nuisance incidents were


high, particularly in Liberty Square. Sgt Kris Eberlein gave a report of a meeting with devel- oper Liberty to address this issue. Future meetings would involve the parish council and the youth club. The youth leader reported that the youths would like their own dedicated area and the ideal place would be the skate park with a youth pod next to it. Concern was raised about youth pods attract- ing other problems to the area. Borough Cllr Chris Brown


said surrounding villages had far more salt bins despite hav- ing far fewer roads or residents than Kings Hill. With regard to the skate park,


Tonbridge and Malling Council had raised concerns about it being close to the Nursery on the Hill. It was agreed to write to local businesses for funding support for the skate park. Concern was expressed that


the proposed Heath Farm leisure facilities were still all geared towards football.


Leybourne Council Tree appeal


INVESTIGATIONS were still ongoing over sponsorship of a village Christmas tree. It was suggested that the school might have a choir service around the tree to bring the community to- gether. Forge Engineering would be contacted for an update on re- pairs to the village pump. It was agreed to repair the bus shelter and repaint the wood- work at a cost of about £120. Members agreed to purchase


salt once a year and this will be stored in the village hall. Drainage works and the in- stallation of lighting at the multi use games area (MUGA) were


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discussed. It was suggested that the water be pumped to Castle Lake and that the council write, regarding the lighting, to Bridgewater Place residents whose homes backed on to the area. The new CCTV system would


not be in place before the start of the Bomb Hole play area proj- ect, so a temporary camera would need to be installed dur- ing construction. It was reported that the youth


meeting was very open and it was explained that the young people need to take responsi- bility for their own behaviour. They suggested the MUGA be opened later at night and agreed they would like to start a youth forum with help from youth workers. The clerk was to in- vestigate locking the MUGA after dark. A draft welcome letter to new residents at Birling Grange was discussed. It was suggested that a parish notice board be put up at the development and all new parishioners in Leybourne re- ceive a welcome letter. With regard to proposals for a travelling showpeople’s site at Castle Way, it was agreed that the objections raised to the pre- vious application still applied to this one.


Nettlestead Council Salt supplies


SALT bins had been placed at the top and bottom of Gibbs Hill and a one-tonne bag of salt would be delivered to the parish from Kent Highways for use if significant snow was fore- cast.


Laddingford Engineering had submitted a final quote for the village sign, which was agreed. It was noted that the street


lights and Belisha beacons at the new crossing at the village hall had been switched on. Planning applications were considered for a timber stable block with associated storage at Mount Pleasant Farm, Seven Mile Lane, East Peckham, and the erection of an annexe at Holly House, Maidstone Road, Nettlestead Green. Members did not wish to comment. Maidstone Cllr Rodd Nelson- Gracie reported on housing needs and gypsy pitches. The chairman pointed out that Syn- genta was proposing 35 units on the Nettlestead side of the site, which was substantially free from flooding problems. Mem- bers were told that the Green Belt was a factor in the parish, which had been ignored by MBC planners when it suited them. It was agreed that this amounted to a strong presump- tion against housing develop- ment. It was felt the only site available was by the riverside near the level crossing.


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