downsmail.co.uk Boughton Malherbe
Fire coverA Maidstone appliancewas to be stationed at Lenham every day for the foreseeable future. Itwas on standby at Lenham instead of Maidstone to cover the east of Maidstone. Highways Elmstone Lane had been resurfaced. Gullies in Liverton Hill had not been cleared although some red marks had appeared. Rainwater had run in to Ivy House yard during a storm. Therewas a pothole on Colebridge Lane. Some areas were patched. SpeedWatch There had been three sessions since the last meeting and 66 vehicles had been reported in total, 15 leerswere generated and 51 vehicleswere added to the police register. Therewere two new recruits to the SpeedWatch team.
Bredhurst
Recruitment The parish council had two vacancies and had on one occasion been unable to comment on a planning application as it had insufficient councillors to form a quorum. If the situation continued, the parish council would have to consider its future. One optionwas to hand over all responsibility to Maidstone Council. This would have consequences for residents as the percentage of council tax that currently came to the parish council would go in the borough council pot and decisions regarding the village would be made by people who do not live there. Anyone interested in becoming a councillorwas asked to contact the clerk. Woodland clearance An area of more than an acre behind Forge Lane/Green Court, The Street had been almost totally cleared of trees and vegetation by the landowners. Therewas concern that many treeswere protected by preservation orders. The site was also believed to support dormice, which are a European protected species. No ecology survey had been carried out prior to felling. Itwas agreed to email the landowners to express dismay at the clearance. Equine crossing Cllr Nichola Carr had followed this up and the parish council was awaiting an installation date. There would be additional road markings and new signs at the Dunn Street entrance to the village,warning drivers to slow down for horses. Village walk-round Cllr Carr had produced a detailed action plan to ensure that village maintenancewas ongoing. She would now work on incorporating this into the action plan of the revised parish plan.
Harrietsham
Warden’s report Communitywarden Martin Sherwood had completed house-to- house inquiries following damage to the tennis court fencing. Children aged 10-11 had been seen with shears earlier in the day, but there were differing descriptions. A new schemewas being organised by West Kent Housing to help unemployed people gain the skills they need to aend interviews. The association could also help with clothing for the interview. Operation Civic A resident said there had been a disappointing turnout for this event. Mr Sherwood said PCSO Siobhan Burca- Ousby had visited homes to make
54 Maidstone East October 2015
residents aware of the event. Police report There had been four crimes reported – three cases of criminal damage and a theft from the Mace shop. There had been 29 incident calls relating to Harrietsham. These included lorries parking on the A20, three reports of road accidents and an abandoned vehicle in Church Crescent.A number of sheep had been killed by a dog at Runham Farm – anyone with informationwas asked to call 101.
Neighbourhood planA resident commented on the withdrawal of the plan and asked whether the large number of homes at Pilgrims Retreat were to be included in Harrietsham’s housing number as the occupantswere using the facilities but had contributed nothing to the finances of the village. Cllr Amanda Chinnery said this would be discussed with Maidstone Council. Cllr Trevor Allwood said a working group would need to be established to move the plan forward. This was agreed. Stolen plantsA resident said 38 plants had been stolen from the planters by the old school site. These had now been replaced, but councillorswere asked to keep an eye on them. The police had been informed. Stream Itwas noted that the streamwas becoming overgrown with irises, right down to the culvert. This would cause a build-up of lier and would eventually block the culvert. Itwas agreed that this should be discussed by the environment commiee. Graveyard Cllr Glenda Dean remarked on the poor state of the graveyard with grass almostwaist-high. The clerk said thiswas the responsibility of the church and the parish council could not arrange for it to be cut without authorisation from them. Cllr Dean said volunteers would probably be prepared to help. The clerk said she would speak to Sarah Hill in the church office. Glebe Field The work had been completed to protect the Glebe Field.A bund had been installed behind damaged bollards and fabrication work had been completed on the bollards which could be unlocked to ensure that the padlockswere inaccessible. Cllr Tom Sams and Cllr MichaelWilliams had removed enough of the bund to allow access to the Rotary Club for the North DownsWalk the previousweekend. Cllr Colin Przystupa said Cllr Sams had had talks with residents near to the field about changing the position of the entrance.
Hollingbourne
Highways The clerk had wrien to Kent Highway Services regarding an evaluation of the Cotuams Hall entrance to the village and advice on the options available to make the section of the road safer. Driving on pavements Cllr John Cobbe asked the PCSOs if it was illegal to drive on the pavements as this frequently happened in the Eyhorne Street conservation area. PCSO Dave Rowley said itwas illegal but discretionwas sometimes applied. Parking Thiswas an ongoing problem outside the school, with parents ignoring the zig-zag lines, parking on the opposite side of the road and parking far too close to the railway bridge. The PCSOswere to monitor the situation and contact the school to see if they could keep a note of the regular offenders. Cllr Mike Bedwell
suggested that parents be encouraged to park in the Cardwell Pavilion car park when visiting the school. Roundabout Therewas a large increase of incidents with cars not stopping at the Great Danes roundabout. Cllr Bedwell had witnessed a number of near misses and driverswere not willing to giveway. The clerkwas to contact Cllr Jenny While to find out what signs could be put in place to stop this. Itwas concerning because many children catch school buses at this junction. Cllr Cobbe suggested that a light control pedestrian crossingwas installed along the road between the Mercure Hotel and the Leeds Castle roundabout. Vacancy Therewas a vacancy for a new parish councillor. The clerkwas to advertise the position and Cllr Cobbewas to put it on the website. Crime report The following crimeswere reported: criminal damage at Broad Street Hill; theft from a motor vehicle at Troys Mead; non-residential burglary at Eyhorne Street and criminal damage in Pilgrims Way; nuisance vehicle at Greenway Court Road, Hospital Road and Ashford Road. Cllr Dr Bauer said there had been an aempt to break in to her neighbour’s vehicle. PCSO Rowley advised that the police should be called at the time of the incident. PCSOs RyanWaring and Dave Rowley were now covering the North Downs area together with running Operation Innovate in the rural areas. PCSO Tom Maybank was now working the Leeds area. Speed checks had been carried out in the neighbouring villages and could be operated in Hollingbourne. Nuisance vehicles Twelve nuisance vehicles from south London, including motorcycles and vehicles for their transportation, had been located and stopped on byways and fields around the village, including Saywell Farm on Hollingbourne Hill. Some of the riders were known to the police. If caught again, the vehicles would be seized by the PCSOs. Name for homes Councillorswere asked to vote on a name for the housing development next to 103 Eyhorne Street. The following nameswere submied to Maidstone Council for their approval: The Hawthorns, Godfrey Meadow, Godfrey Close or GodfreyWalk. Stepahead The youth clubwas no longer operating from the Cardwell Pavilion but the organisation would like to donate a table tennis table to the parish council. It was agreed that this would be gratefully accepted. Cardwell Pavilion An audit of safety inspections had taken place.A full electrical test would be arranged together with the servicing of the emergency lighting and lighting circuits. All other areas had been checked andwere up to date. The clerkwas to get a quote for repairing the ceiling. Playground Safety reports from Maidstone Councilwere good and satisfactory. Motocross siteA Maidstone Council enforcement officer had contacted Cllr Daphne Parvin regarding the motorcycle events on Hospital Road. It had been very quiet at the site and the officerwas to contact Mr Abrehart to see if the events had stopped. Twinning The Bowls and Boules day had had to be cancelled but a trip had been
Parish Councils
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