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layby along Maidstone Road. Field The clerkwas asked to contact the grounds maintenance contractor to ask if it was possible toweedkill the edge of the King George V field and the BMX track again. The clerk would ask for the council to be notified when the first cut of the seasonwas due as the parish would like to install new football nets after this. Cllr Anita Van Hensbergen said she would also be sweeping the steps.
Staplehurst
Toilets Tenders for the Bell Lane toilets cleansing contractwere considered. The quote from Paxman Services (UK) Ltdwas accepted. Surrenden playing fieldA quote of £500 from Capital Drainagewas approved for preliminary inspection and cleaning out of the first 100m of the two drainage pipes in Surrenden Field. Neighbourhood plan Feria Urbanism would be asked to redraft the plan as soon as possible, removing reference to potential development along George Street and expressing opposition to development of sites of two or more homes north of the railway line and outside the village envelope. The redraft should also define the village envelope to include the Hen and Duckhurst Farm and Fishers Farm sites and to form its northern edge south of the railway line. Cllr John Perry confirmed that the maximum number of houses allocated in the draft local plan to Fishers Farmwas now 400. He suggested engaging Feria Urbanism to provide an assessment of the site’s capacity and constraints. Itwas agreed that the steering group would seek an initial view from Feria Urbanism at its next meeting. Bins Maidstone Council would replace the old lier bins at The Parade although maintenance responsibility would remain with the landlord. Hedges The clerk reported that hedge- cuing had started at Surrenden and Jubilee fields. Calendar Ken Collins reported that sales of the 2015 Staplehurst calendar showed a surplus of £1,521 divided equally between All Saints’ Church, Staplehurst Free Church and the United Reformed Church. Planning In the absence of news from Sainsbury’s itwas agreed that another approach be made to seek information about the proposed supermarket. Street lights The lights in Crowther Close had been upgraded to LED lights which was now KCC policy.
SuonValence
Warden’s report Communitywarden Dawn Riach Brown said stencilswere to be put down where therewas a dog-fouling issue. She also said the youth clubwas goingwell andwas looking for a 12-week boxing programme. Dawn had won a High Sheriff of KentAward. Post office Thiswas to close on March 21.A tea partywas booked for March 15. Southfield Stables The clerk had wrien to the owner and asked her to repair the fence in the field she rents from the parish council next to the Harbour field. She agreed to complete the work in beerweather. War memorial The new bin at theWar Memorial fieldwas in place. Car park The clerk had received several communications from parents saying that the head of the primary school had told them to park in the village hall car park as the school gates would be closed in the morning and afternoon. The chairman had met with the head. The clerk had contacted the insurers who said that if the car park was used for anything other than itwas intended, the parish council would be responsible for any insurance claims. The clerkwas to write to the school saying the parish council could not give permission. Bowhalls Cllr John Davis had repaired the leaks. One allotment holder who had moved out of the area had been asked if he wished to keep his allotment andwas given aweek to respond. Cllr Daviswas to show the people on thewaiting list around the allotments. Lighting Kent Highway Services had reported that the lamps it had repaired contained non-standard bulbs. In September 2013 the parish council had paid the contractor £1,061 for a complete lamp change. Itwas agreed to ask KCC what bulbs theywere taking out and councillors were to ascertain whether timerswere still in. Village hall car park Itwas proposed that the village hall commiee be asked to add a charge to the users of the hall towards use and maintenance of the car park. The commieewas not prepared to levy the charge but would consider running a quiz to raise funds.
West Farleigh
Public forumAresident spoke about an issue with dogwalking, sheep farming and the poor state of some stiles along footpath KM21 from Church Lane to Teston Bridge. Aresident said the stile which had been fied near the cricket fieldwas appalling
Musical ‘worthy ofWest End’
YOUNGSTERS from Stage Theatre Society put on a spectacular per- formance of “Ghost – The Musical” at the Hazlitt Theatre, Maidstone. The show was worthy of the West
End stage. The performers, all aged between seven and 19 years old, treated the packed theatre to an ex- travaganza ofmusic and dance. Stage Theatre Society, which re- hearses in Medway, is a registered charity run by school teachers
Richard Hillier and Daniel More. Every member of the team, from di- rectors, set designers and choreogra- phers, is a volunteer. Stage Theatre Society’s next per-
formance will be “Singing in the Rain” at the Hazlitt Theatre from June 23-28. For further details visit their website
www.stagetheatresoci-
ety.co.uk.
Review by Jo-Anne Brown Picture by Andy James, Photo3 Solutions
Maidstone South March 2015 47
and thiswasmaking dogwalkers unhappy. Itwas felt that three kissing gates should be installed along KM21 to replace the current stiles. Itwas agreed that the parish council would pay for these to be installed. PCSO Ma Judges introduced himself. No crimes had been recorded since the last meeting. Lorries PCSO Judges asked if the parish council would be interested in starting a LorryWatch scheme. Cllr Martin said many of the drivers could be quite abusive and would prefer to pay the £30 fine rather than pay for the extra diesel which would be required to come though the centre of Maidstone. East Farleigh Parish Council had commissioned a report to look at the issues with East Farleigh bridge and itwas suggested a copy be obtained. Problems with vehicles crossing Teston Bridge from Tutsham Farmwere discussed. Sheds Parishionerswere asked to be vigilant following a series of shed break-ins in East Farleigh. Broadband The broadband service in the villagewas said to be geing worse. The Government had given BT funding to improve the
service.MPEd Vaizey had also been complaining about the broadband issues in theWeald. Annual parish meeting This would follow the same format as last year with the normal meeting being an hour long and starting at 6.30pm, followed by the annual parish meeting. Refreshments would be provided at a cost of £40 as this gave residents an opportunity to discuss any issues with councillors in an informal manner. The meeting would be held on Monday, May 18. Footpath The footpath from Tutsham to Wateringbury had been ploughed up by tractors. Dogwalkers needed to be vigilant on the same footpath because people had been aacked by large dogs in the area. The dogwardenwas
investigating.Aresident said the footpath to the north east of Tutsham had been moved. This needed to be inspected by the public rights ofway officer. Charlton Lane The clerk said South East Waterwas considering drilling rather than trenching which caused much less disturbance. The companywas aware of the parish council’s concerns about the green being ruined and stated that the area could still be used and should reinstate extremely well. Workwas expected to start in mid- March and should take threeweeks. Budget Councillors felt a rise in the parish precept for 2015/16 was required to ensure the current level of service without the risk of a referendum. The preceptwas set at £16,000, an increase of £9.56 per band D household per year.
Parish Councils
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