DownsMail In touch with your parish Residents at the meeting said


they wished to remain part of Ryarsh. Councillors agreed that the houses on London Road should be part of Ryarsh parish and the Downs and Mereworth ward.


Regarding the neighbourhood


plan, the clerk was asked to in- vestigate local parishes who had already completed a plan, what this involved and whether they were pleased with the results. The meeting heard that five people had attended the gar- dening day butalotofwork was completed. A member of the public re- ported that the website was out of date. The clerk was asked if she could update the Kent parishes website with the agenda and minutes. The issue of the footpath on


OldSchoolLanetotheA20 was raised by County Cllr Sarah Hohler after a request for im- provements from a member of the public. The land across which the footpath runs is owned by three different peo- ple, all of whom would need to give their permission for it to be widened. It would be a major exercise to repair it, install a gate, lighting and a bridge over the stream, and it would still not be wheelchair accessible. Although the footpath is used regularly by walkers, the parish council did not think it was vi- able to surface and improve it. A complaint had been made


about the condition the recre- ation groundwas left in by foot- ball teams: rubbish, the bushes being used as a toilet, and swearing. Members agreed that such behaviour was unaccept- able. The football teams have a contract with the Ryarsh Rural Community Council, who should penalise them if they be- have badly or do not clear up rubbish. Cllr Storey, on behalf of the RRCC, said they were aware of the problems and would deal with them. He would also re- spond to the resident who had complained.


Snodland Council Church service


IT WAS agreed that new litter bins should be bought to re- place the bins in various loca- tions that are rusted. It would be preferable if these could be metal as they are less prone to vandalism, but metal bins run the risk of being stolen for scrap. It was agreed that a fun dog


show could take place at the Cricket Meadow later in the year. This would be organised by the borough dog warden who would co-ordinate with the council on a date for the event. The new pitches at Potyns


were not yet suitable for use. In some areas the grass was not growing as quickly as was


needed and the pitches might not be ready for use in 2013. It was agreed to charge £550


for kerb stones in the cemetery. Electrical checks for the ceme- tery lodge and chapel were agreed. New Christmas lights would


be installed between the Corvette Garage and Zelda’s Cafe at a cost of around £400. The lease between the town council and Snodland Football Club foranareaoflandatPo- tyns to be the new home ground of the club was signed. The cost of installing some


new play equipment at the recreation ground was agreed, together with alterations to the fencing of the existing play area at a cost of around £15,000. The council was also applying for a grant to buy an adventure trail for the playground. The existing toddler playground was to be removed. A new gate from the existing Potyns Field into the new Po- tyns would be installed at the northern end of the field to allow access for vehicles and pedestrians. A new container would also be located in this area.


Brooklands Lake cafe had


been closed for some months and it was hoped that it would be re-let shortly. Permission had been given for


a small performing circus to take place at the Cricket Meadow during the week of the August bank holiday. This would be a circus without ani- mals but would feature juggling, balancing and other circus tricks. Master classes would be available for children. Full de- tails would be circulated as soon as they are finalised.


Trottiscliffe Council School report


ELIZABETH Stevens, who took over as headteacher at the pri- mary school in 2013, said there were 70 pupils, with the cap being 84. Shewas looking at the management of contracts and hoping to use local people. She was also looking at possible linkswith the village for mutual benefit. The school was forging links with the church and get- ting involved with festivals of the church year. Arrangements had been made


for the school to use the tennis courts and the possibility of using the courts for netball was being investigated. Cllr Ann Kemp said the Trot- tiscliffe playgroup would close in July after more than 40 years. The village hall committee


was thanked for providing the monthly afternoon teas, which were appreciated by the vil- lagers. The flooding of Addington


Lane had caused concern and the council agreed to speak to


Highways again on the matter. The chairman said the Satur-


day bulk refuse collection would now take scrap metal and electrical goods. Tonbridge and Malling Coun-


cil had been unable to provide any additional dog bins,but ad- vised that litter bins could be used for the disposal of waste and provided notices for the bins, which itwas hoped would encourage people to clear up after their dogs. The clerk was to contact County Cllr Sarah Hohler again to see if she could help with the cost of the signs in Pilgrims Way, advising that it was un- suitable for HGVs. The clerk was asked to con-


tact Kent Highways regarding the replacement of the tempo- rary plastic drain covers in School Lane. The council agreed to support Stansted Parish Council in their request for a reduction in the speed limit on the A227 from Wrotham to the crossroads at the top of Vigo Hill. It was agreed to contact Kent Highways regarding the alter- ations to the road layout at the junction of the A20 and Seven Mile Lane. The parish council preferred the roundabout to traf- fic lights, but was still con- cerned that “keep clear” road markings should be put in at the end of Ford Lane. Cllr Mike Day said the see-


saw had been installed in the playground and thanked Mick Sherman and his father for doing this. He also said the hedge between the tennis courts and the recreation ground had been cut. Cllr Martin Collins said there


was just one person on the wait- ing list for allotments. Itwas felt that to install an additional standpipe at the other end of the allotments would be too costly. A communication had been received from Climate Energy regarding the Warm Rural Homes initiative.Atraining ses- sion was to be held for people who could advise residents on making their homes more en- ergy efficient and save on bills.


Fete success


Wateringbury Council


THE village fete was considered by all to have been a great suc- cess, andwas well supported by local organisations and resi- dents. The chairman thanked all who had been involved, par- ticularly parish clerk Sue Cock- burn, Mike Witts and Dennis Stones, for coordinating the event and preparing the field. The crime report mentioned problems with vehicles causing an obstruction in Glebe Meadow, illegal fishing in the Mill Pond and the theft of lead


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


in Canon Lane. Patrols of the cemetery were being carried out, following reports of intrud- ers late in the evening. A survey had been carried out


to find more building land,but none had been identified in the village. However, land in Teston and Barming had been identi- fied, with the potential to build more than 960 homes. If these were built, it would increase the traffic through the village.


Events clash


West Peckham Council


A CLASH of fixtures had oc- curred on July 21 between a cricketmatch and the Boughton Monchelsea Morris Men’s an- nual Picnic on the Green. The cricket match would take place but unfortunately the other event had to be cancelled. The dates for the next five years of the Picnic on the Green had been sent in to ensure the situa- tion did not happen again. The clerk was to ask for details of all future cricket matches to be sent to the parish council. Oil thefts continued to be a


major concern in the village and also Mereworth. New PCSOs were becoming available and West Peckham and Mereworth had been put forward as considerations for a new mobile police station. County Cllr Matthew Balfour


was congratulated on his recent election. Questions regarding funding for the taxi voucher scheme and the Diamond Ju- bilee bench on the Green were raised and he requested they be put in writing. Letters had been written to Fairlawn Estate and Beech Farm Partnership regarding the in- crease in extremely large vehi- cles travelling through West Peckham. It was agreed a letter should also be sent to Tregoth- nan Estates as they were doing a large amount of tree felling in The Hurst. KHS had confirmed that it owned the grass triangle out- side Forge Cottage. The restrictive guards had


been removed from the tree on the village green and an approx- imate quote of £30 for the oak to repair the bench had been ob- tained.


Regarding the village history


and archiving project, the com- mittee had met several times this year and all the interviews with local residents had been placed in a storage cloud. More people were due to be inter- viewed and other ideas had been discussed, including adding historical talks and pos- sible walks/visits to places in the village. Both the village green bye-


laws signs were due to be in- stalled.


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