DownsMail In touch with your parish


Addington Council Mole problem


A MEMBER of the public said they might be able to help with themole problem on Addington Green. The Angel Inn would also like the grass on the green cut more regularly and had of- fered to pay for the extra cuts. Cllr Pat Garrett was elected chairman and Cllr Stephen MacDonald-Gay was elected vice chairman for the next 12 months. PCSO Laura Bullen reported a


theft of fuel from the Jet garage in April. Enquiries were ongo- ing. Tools were stolen from West Malling Golf Club. A lawn mover was stolen from a rural location in Trottiscliffe. With regard to the proposed Speedwatch scheme, site in- spections had been arranged with Kent Police and a training session for volunteers had been held. Memberswereinfavourof


the addition of a roundabout and a pedestrian crossing in Seven Mile Lane, subject to a traffic restriction for a left-hand turn only out of Ford Lane. It was requested that the own- ership of East Street Green be transferred to the parish coun- cil.


Planning enforcement was


still preparing action against the unauthorised lights and land- scaping at Big MotoringWorld, London Road and would be is- suing planning contravention notices.


Planning enforcement officers


had met with the owners of Chocolate Raindrops and were awaiting a retrospective appli- cation for a change of use.West Malling Golf Club had been asked to submit a retrospective application for the construction of a new access that had been started in Park Road. The speed indication device


on the A20 near the junction with Trottiscliffe Roadwas to be recalibrated. KCC had arranged for the


Give Way sign at the bottom of Seven Mile Lane to be repaired. A large pothole on Park Road


had been filled. A dropped kerb and footpath


had been proposed to solve the problem of cars driving along the pavement near Cartref on London Road. Warning signs about fly-tip-


ping would be put up in Plowenders lay-by and St Vin- cents Lane following reports of problems there. If the problems continued, KCC would look in to the possibility of CCTV. The clerk had received the re- placement map for the display board in the Clearway. There was concern about the


state of the grass on Addington Green, which had been dam- aged by moles. It was also


noted that the new contractor did not seem to be strimming around the edges of the green. The clerk was to find out if the contractor could fix a leaning post on the green. Members heard that passing


traffic on the London Road was stopping to view cars for sale outside Stubblesdown.The clerk was to mention this to the highways steward.


Aylesford Council Memorial gifts


CLLR Gledhill said donations totalling £625 had been sent to the British Heart Foundation in memory of Andrew Flindell from colleagues and associates of the parish council. Members congratulated Cllr


Green and his wife on the birth of their son. The PCSOs had asked for sug- gestions for sites for a mobile police unit that the public could visit to discuss any matters of concern. Suggestions included Aylesford community cen- tre/parish council car park, Blue Bell Hill village hall car park and EcclesWalnut Tree lay-by. The rugby club had accepted


the parish council’s offer to fund their defibrillator and were working on the logistics. Borough Cllr Dalton said the evening 155 bus trial had been a success and would now run self-sufficiently without fund- ing from KCC. Borough Cllr Davis chaired a successful meeting relating to flooding issues in Eccles and Burham. KCC engineers were working on a permanent solu- tion for Mackenders Lane, al- though regular drain clearance was now taking place. Cllr Davis was to contact KCC engineer Andy Pageham about outstanding matters of speed counts for the Hill Farm bend and new guidance road mark- ings for the Pilgrims Way dual carriageway.


Birling Council Burglary call


PCSO Laura Bullen apologised for not attending the flower fes- tival as she had had to dealwith a burglary. There had been three incidents in the village in April – a car driver was warned for smoking cannabis in the car park behind the village hall, a property in Birling Park had been damaged during a domes- tic incident, and a Mini Cooper had been stolen from a property in Snodland Avenue. The car was recovered and three arrests were made. Regarding the traffic calming repairs, Kent Highways had is- sued a defect notice to the con- tractor and were currently in discussions about the work to be done. Cllrs Jacquie Westwood and Colin Grimmett agreed to locate


the fire hydrants and arrange the inspections. It was resolved to continue


with Tonbridge and Malling Council’s lighting contract at £10 + VAT per month. The provider had said that, due to the age of the lighting units, costs might increase. Denise Lingham spoke about


the village Jubilee community art project picture of the Queen, which had been hanging in the Church during the flower festi- val, but now needed a safe stor- age place. CllrWestwood offered her barn, Cllr Guy Nevill his oast, and Cllr David Hopper his sta- bles. It was agreed that the sta- bles were the best place as they were clean and dry and closest to the church. A permanent home would be considered. It was agreed that no posters


for profit-making organisations should be displayed on the no- ticeboard with the exception of the one for The Children’s House. Cllr Grimmett asked if a poster for a charity walk organ- ised by Malling Lions could be displayed. It was agreed that posters for charitable events could be displayed if space al- lowed. The clerk had received an


email about the message centre on thewebsite. Cllr Hopper had found that anymessages posted needed to be approved by the webmaster before they went live. This would now be done on a regular basis. The clerk had reported two is-


sues to Kent Highways. The lid of the salt bin in Stangate Road no longer closed. Highways had decided itwas more economical to replace it than to repair it. The bank of the ditch in Bir-


ling Road had eroded badly. Kent Highways were getting quotes for the construction of a sandbag wall to prevent further erosion and damage to the road.


Police patrols


East Peckham Council


PCSO Kim Hockey said regular police patrols were being car- ried out at the Jubilee hall and Spice Cottage car parks, which appeared to be deterring youths from gathering and dealing in drugs. Cllr Peter Street said he wished to step down as chair- man and was not seeking re- election. Cllr Graham Haycock was elected chairman. Cllr Tim Roperwas elected deputy chair- man. It was believed that arrests


had been made following the assault on the KHS contractors at the by-pass on April 30. An email had been received


from a resident regarding a foot- path hazard at Branbridges Road. The matter had been re- ferred to the KCC public rights of way officer and the resident


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informed. Residents had reported pot-


holes, drainage ditches and missing bollards – all incidents were referred to KentHighways. A resident drew attention to


the bridge on footpath 538, which had been vandalised. The resident had reported the damage to the PROW officer, and the clerk was to follow this up.


Cllr Haycock said he and the


clerk had visited the home of Mrs Kemsley, and while it was ascertained that she was at home, there was no response. They left a letter of resignation, which she was asked to sign if she had no intention of resum- ing her role on the parish coun- cil.


Regarding the Jubilee hall and playing fields, the premises were in use for 68% of the avail- able time by regular users. RBS would be attending to carry out the small appliance PAT test. Fresh Air Fitness was in the process of repairing and under- taking maintenance of the out- door fitness equipment. Tonbridge and Malling Coun-


cil would be relining the car park, filling in the potholes and clearing the gutters. Quotations had been invited


for the redecoration of the en- trance of the hall. Members supported the pur-


chase of a community defibrila- tor in principle and it was agreed that a representative from HeartSine would be invited to meet members. Cllr Street advised that the parish plan steering committee had got off to a terrific start and a draft document had been pro- duced. However, work had halted recently but he was keen to push ahead and complete the plan during 2013/14. It was agreed that all councillors would contribute towards the plan, following which there would be an agenda of issues which working groups would tackle over the autumn and winter. A draft report would be available in January/February and the final version would be launched at the annual parish meeting in 2014. Cllr Graham had attended a meetingwith residents in April. Some residents wanted the Hop Farm to close. The Hop Farm was changing the way sites were chosen for acoustic stud- ies and would be employing its own noise monitor. The farm was keen to engage and meet regularly with residents. A parish council surgery had


been held in May, when resi- dents drew attention to a wall at 102 Pound Road which was in danger of collapsing. The matter had been referred to Tonbridge and Malling Council who were liaising with the property owner.


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