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Mereworth Hedge clearance A letter had been re- ceived from a resident regarding the land behind the Queen’s Head. The boundary hedge had been cleared and there was con- cern that this reduced security of the site could be preparations for a change of land use. Therewas no information on this but the parish council would monitor the situa- tion.
Fencing Three quotes had been requested for fencing the eastern side of the grazing land in Kent Street, with the remainder being made secure where needed. Two quotes had been received so far and it was agreed to defer the matter to allow a site visit and to see whether the metal, wire and tiles had been removed from the site. Defibrillator Mereworth village hall com- mittee had agreed to purchase a defibrilla- tor for the hall and had reimbursed the cost to the parish council. Highways Therewas no further informa- tion on traffic lines and signs for The Street. The chairman had discussed parking issues with the headteacher whowas investigat- ing installing a turning circle in the school grounds. Allotments The chairmanwas negotiating with Mr Frampton regarding the renewal of the lease for Great Fowle Meadow, whichwas due to expire in September. Airfield estate sink hole The clerk had re- ported this to Circle Housing several times and had been informed that itwas to be in- vestigated. However, it had still not been repaired and the clerk would contact Circle Housing again. Fete Volunteerswere need to help with Mereworth Fete.
Oam
Homes query The parish council had re- ceived an enquiry from an agent acting for the owner of a small parcel of land behind some houses in Offham asking if there was a local identified need for housing. The land is outside the built confines of the vil- lage and itwas agreed that in principle the council does not support development out- side the village envelope. Right of way Solicitors acting for the seller of Ramblers had requested that a right of way be granted to the purchasers. The parish council agreed there was no objec- tion to this. The clerkwas to contact the seller’s solicitor. Machinery store The Cosgrave Field ma- chinery store being built by the cricket club was discussed and itwas noted that work had begun after the planning permission had lapsed. The club should also have sought permission before removing a tree. The clerkwas asked to find the original cricket club lease and it was agreed that access to the store should be formalised. Blaise Farm County Councillor Sarah Hohler reported that a five-year plan for work and restorationwas due to be sub- mitted whichwas subject to consultation and did not extend the quarry. The maxi- mum charge and vibrationswerewell within the limits imposed by the planning permission. Any impact on the villagewas likely to be reduced as the blasting moved away from the village. If therewas an in- crease in charge it would still be within the permitted limits but the frequency of blast-
42 Malling January 2016
ing would be reduced. Cllr Hohlerwas to send over details of the revised plans to the parish council. Landfill site KCCwas not aware of the flooding whichwas raised at the last parish meeting. The clerk would forward an email raising various issues with FCC Environ- ment to Cllr Hohler. Defibrillator CllrWendyWilliams said she had applied for a defibrillator from the British Heart Foundation. If that was not successful, Cllr Hohler would consider an application for funding from her member’s grant. Police report There had been no reports of crimes and one call regarding two off-road bikes being ridden through a field but no action could be taken. Steam rally There had been one or two complaints about parking but therewas not much that could be done from a police point of view. It had been inconvenient but there had been no real obstruction. The parish council received a complaint about traffic but as it did not organise the event there was nothing it could do. However signs could be put up on roads into the vil- lage saying access through the villagewas restricted due to an event. Itwas agreed that these steps would help villagers. The Malling Lions had been asked for help in the past but did notwant to take part. North Meadow PCSO Boydwas towatch traffic in North Meadow and arrange for speed checks in the village. Parking on kerbA resident had com- plained about vehicles parking partly on the kerb outside the pub and the butchers on Teston Road. PCSO Boyd said the police had no powers to deal with parking, which was now a borough council matter, unless the pavementwas fully blocked and some- onewaswaiting to get through but could not. Cllr David Frankling was to speak in- formally to people at the neighbouring properties to see if they could encourage customers not to park on the pavement. Farm trafficA group of residents had cir- culated a survey and a summary of the re- sults had been provided to the parish council. Concernwas expressed about farm traffic and the flow of traffic to and from Kings Hill, but itwas hoped the environ- mental plan would help with this. Stephen Betts said the damagedwall on the corner of Church Road had not yet been repaired. Thiswas being dealt with by Staplehurst Transport through its insurance company. Maintenance contract Itwas noted that the contractor had invested in a grass mulcher so there would not be the same issue with the grass cutting on The Green. Itwas agreed to offer the contract to Marchant Garden Services. Community awards Itwas agreed that Offham would take part in the KALC com- munity awards scheme and would also run its own awards. Play area CllrWilliams met with the owner of the play inspection company to discuss the report. Most issueswere minor and low risk but required attention. CllrWilliam Piercewas to look at the gate, which closed too quickly. The two seatswere rotten and needed to be replaced. CllrWilliams had filled the holes as a temporary measure.A quote for £1,435 to repair thewet pour sur- face had been received and it was agreed that the work should go ahead as soon as possible so that the surface did not worsen over the winter.
Rubbish bin Itwas reported that the bin on Cosgrave Field had been taken off the fence. Cllr Piercewas to check it. Teston Road play area CllrWilliams had moved the goal posts and padlocked them so that they could not be lifted out of the ground. She had also put a sign up and Cllr Pierce had completed the paintwork. Hedge The hedge by Pepinstraw Close had been cut back. Planting CllrWilliams had been given an- other bag of daffodil bulbs and had planted them on The Green. She had also donated crocus bulbs.
Ryarsh
Defibrillator The parish councilwas suc- cessful in its application for a free defibril- lator to the British Heart Foundation. This would be installed in the phone box on Chapel Street. The parish council would arrange for training in how to use it and would advertise its location. Village fete The fete will be held on June 18. Anyone who would like to get involved should contact David Storey on 01732 872113. Signs Kent Highway Services would be asked to repaint the slow signs and white lines throughout the village, which are fad- ing. Tree Councillors agreed to plant a tree in memory of Mary Brooks who had sadly passed away recently. Tree Councillors paid a contribution to- wards the Christmas tree and fireworks display which a villager donates every year.
Snodland
Road worksAt the full council meeting, KCC Cllr Sarah Hohler reported that the anticipated road works at Junction 4 of the M20 at Leybourne are likely to commence in the late spring. The work will entail widening the roundabout on the eastern side to allow an extra lane of traffic Lorry park She alsowelcomed the recent announcement about Government funding for a new lorry park to reduce the chaos when Operation Stack takes place. Cllr Hohler also advised that she hopes that ad- ditional space will be provided to take pressure off local villages where lorries fre- quently park and cause obstructions on country roads. Budget The meeting agreed the draft budget for 2016/2017 in which it proposes to increase the budget for new street light- ing by £5,000, providinga total of £17,000 for new lights. It is expected that the budget could increase the council tax by about £4.80 a year on a band D property. Play scheme Councillors discussed a pro- posal from the borough council to consider changing theway the summer play scheme is financed. The council agreed to write to the borough council stressing the impor- tance of the play scheme, especially in the Snodland area. Thank you The Christmas in Snodland committee would like to thank all those groups and businesses that supported the recent Christmas event. Particular thanks to Sandhole Vets, Snodland Medical Cen- tre, Buchannans, A&D, Berkeley Homes, Russet,Waitrose, Tesco, Bobbys, China Chaps, the Chamber of Commerce and KCC Cllr Sarah Hohler.A big thank you
Parish Councils
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