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West Malling Parish Council West Malling Christmas Festival was a great success despite the threat of Storm Clodagh. Fortunately, the local weather on November 29 was seasonal rather than extreme and local shops and attractions, including a temporary ice rink, provided an afternoon of excellent entertainment. The day was seasonally rounded off when the Christmas Lights were switched on. The parish council awarded the Best Dressed Window shield for large and small windows to two local businesses, The Hungry Guest and Soles with Heart for their impressive window displays. West Malling Flowers, Kent Hospice, Shine, Franks, Lucas and Paul Miller Dental Surgery were also highly commended, and the council would like to thank all the local retailers who took part with such enthusiasm.


Manor Park Country Park is one of nearly 400 locations across the country that now hosts a Junior Parkrun. These started in Manor Park, West Malling on October 11, 2015, and since then 120 different runners, including participants from seven athletics clubs, have completed 333 runs covering a total distance of 666k. With hot drinks and light refreshments available at the on-site cafe, why not come along on a Sunday at 9am to blow away some of the cobwebs while supporting your children (aged from 4 to 14) running 2k, or simply to enjoy the open space of Manor Park.


Community Speed Watch is run by volunteers to highlight excessive speeds on local roads by using a speed indication device at the roadside. Kent Police started the scheme in 2006 and Speed Watch records over a wide area are retained by the police. Activating a Speed Watch


Major works ahead


DISRUPTION is expected to be considerable during construction of the extension to the eastern overbridge at junction 4 of the M20.


The project is due to start in mid-February and last 36 weeks and the contractor will need to use the outer lane of the roundabout for equipment and materials. The construction


Come to the Green Cafe


THE Green Cafe at Manor Park, West Malling has now re-opened under new management.


Set in one of the most beautiful parks in the area, the Green Café is open at weekends from 9am to 3pm in good weather and serving the best of British breakfast snacks including butchers’ sausages and smoked bacon, served in fresh bakery bread from East Peckham.


Give it a try this weekend.


compound will be in the field to the north of junction 4 where a controversial planning application for a travelling showman’s site was refused on countryside grounds. The scheme is being financed from section 106 developer contributions.


LOCAL CONTACTS


Trudy Dean, Malling Action Partnership chairman E: trudy.dean@kent.gov.uk T: 01732 843 119


Citizens Advice Bureau – T: 01732 440488


Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council main switchboard – T: 01732 844522


Pothole


reporting – T: 08458 247800


Travel Enquiries Trains – T: 08457 484950 Nu-Venture Buses – T: 01622 882288 Arriva Buses – T: 0871 200 22 33


device leads to a letter of advice being sent to the registered owner of the vehicle and repeat offenders can expect to have their letters hand-delivered by the police. If you are aged 18+ and would like to volunteer for roadside duties in West Malling, check the Kent Police web page for more details of what’s involved, then contact the parish clerk to register your interest.


Community Right to Bid Under the Localism Act 2011 and the Assets of Community Value (England) Regulations, the parish council is charged with identifying assets of community value. These include land or buildings that provide a use or service that furthers the community’s current or future social well- being or interests. Any proposed loss of these buildings and services, usually by sale, triggers a six-month delay on sale to enable the community to consider a purchase. To protect buildings and amenities which are of local significance, the parish council is compiling a list which will be submitted to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council this January. More information about the Community Right to Bid Process is available on the www.gov.uk website or contact the parish clerk if you would like to suggest a site for consideration.


Saturday bulky waste service Tonbridge and Malling Council will provide its next monthly services for the disposal of household waste and bulky items between 8am and 9am at West Malling Village Hall on January 23 and February 13 and 27.


Alongside this, the borough council is running a trial service to collect electrical items and scrap metal for recycling. A


smaller vehicle will park next to the Saturday freighter and will collect household appliances (kettles, electric toothbrushes, cookers, fridge/freezers and washing machines), as well as electronic games and toys, TVs, monitors, computers and batteries, including car batteries. Please contact Tonbridge and Malling Council’s waste services team on 01732 876147 for advice before visiting the Saturday service. Please do not leave any waste, at any time, at the Village Hall as this will be regarded as fly-tipping.


Christmas trees Please dispose of your old, undressed, real Christmas trees in or alongside your domestic green-lidded wheeled bin for composting. Leaving them anywhere else, including borough or parish council car parks etc or West Malling Village Hall car park, will be regarded as fly-tipping and could result in a hefty fine.


West Malling Farmers Market returns to its usual schedule of the 4th Sunday of the month starting from Sunday, January 24.


New parish clerk's office is now open noon-1pm, Monday to Friday, in The Clout Memorial Hall main building. To gain entry, you will need to buzz the keypad by the main entrance door on the High Street (you may wish to phone first to arrange a suitable time).


Otherwise, it is business as usual in 2016. Parish councillors can be contacted via the parish clerk on 01732 870872 during office hours or why not come to one of the monthly meetings in the village hall in Norman Road. Full details of the 2016 schedule are available from the parish clerk’s office.


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