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Complaint over delay in decision on lights
THE parish council has sent a formal complaint to Maidstone Council over
Big clean-up THE parish council is having a purge on cleaning up Bearsted. The council’s environment com-
mittee has had ongoing talks with Maidstone Council and Golding Homes regarding the fly-tipping at Cross Keys. The rubbish has now been re-
moved and all steps will be taken to prevent a re-occurrence. The council is also keeping its eyes
peeled for unwanted graffiti, litter- ing, dog fouling and fly posting – in- deed, anything which spoils the beauty of Bearsted. Later in the year, there will be a Bearsted in Bloom contest and also the Beautification of Bearsted proj- ect. Councillors hope as many resi- dents as possible will get involved with both of these.
Royal picnic
THERE is to be a gigantic picnic on the Green to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday. The picnic, which is open to every-
one in the village, will take place on Sunday June 12, when everyone is invited to roll up with their chairs, rugs and picnic hampers for an af- ternoon of jollity and fun. Although the Queen celebrates
her real birthday in April, her official birthday is in June, when the annual Trooping of the Colour takes place. It’s also likely to be warmer
weather and more conducive to a picnic in the great outdoors! Further details will be released closer to the date.
Ideas please
THE parish council is planning to organise an event for the more sen- ior citizens in the village. Ideas on the table so far include an
Old Time Music Hall or tea dance but a date and venue have yet to be confirmed. Parish council chair Fiona Red-
man said: “This year, we have put the sports day on hold to cater for a different section of the community. All ideas arewelcome.”
its failure to decide the planning application for lights on Church Landway. The council has been trying to get permission to install new column lighting along the path since the be- ginning of October last year and had hoped to have it in place before the depths of winter. However, despite submitting de-
activated by a light sensor, and would be set to go off at 11pm. The path is used by members of
tailed plans of the columns and the type of lighting planned, Maidstone planners continue to request more information. The current low-level lighting
along Church Landway (pictured), which links the church car park and Ashford Road, has been repeatedly vandalised since its installation sev- eral years ago. The parish council believes seven four-metre tall columns, with LED lights at the top, will be preferable to the present 23 bollards – and be
vandal-proof. The council has some Section 106 money in its budget and KCC Cllr Paul Carter has also offered a grant towards the cost of the lights, de- signed to create a safer atmosphere for pedestrians who use the path after dark. The lights would come on at dusk,
the tennis club, bowls club and the church, as well as the Scouts and Guides,manyofwhomhave written letters in support of the application. However, there has been some opposition regarding the environ- mental impact of the lights in a con- servation area and their possible effect on wildlife and bat move- ments. The clerk has now written to Maidstone Council chief executive Alison Broom to complain at the delay in reaching a decision and warned that it will lodge an appeal with the Secretary of State on the basis of non-determination if the matter is not dealt with speedily.
Plans for summer playscheme Pothole app
PLANS are being put in place for this year’s summer playscheme atMadg- inford Hall. The playschemewhich will run fromJuly 25 to August 5, every weekday from9am to 1pm, is for children aged five to 11 . The play scheme offers awide range of activities to keep your little ones
entertained with field sports and a sports day, a themed dressing-up day, dance workshops, arts and crafts, library visits, cake-decorating, picnics on the school field, temporary tattoos and nail art bar, workshops with the emergency services who come in and visit and a talent show. The cost is £35 for the week, or £7.50 per day. Single or multiple sessions can be booked. For further details go to the
parish council website or contact the clerk on 01622 630165 or 07436 791709.
Cash grants
THE parish council has ap- proved grants to four groups. Madginford Seniors will re-
ceive £500 towards the cost of hiring transport and speakers for their weekly Wednesday meetings; Heart of Kent Hos- pice, which has supported 147 patients and their families from Bearsted, will receive £500 for help with its care athometeam; Bearsted and District Girl Guides will receive £300 to- wards the upkeep of the guide hut and the Friends of Thurn- hamSchool will receive £250 to- wards the costs of having the playground re-lined.
This page is sponsored and edited by:
Bearsted Parish Council
www.bearstedparishcouncil.gov.uk
Circus date JOHN Lawson’s Circus makes its annual visit to Bearsted from April 22-24, when it will set up on the vil- lage green. The circus has been voted best
small circus in Great Britain and will be bringing the usual fascinat- ing array of skilled showmen and women, acrobats and other artistes.
Alley closed
THE alleyway linking Ragstone Road to Egremont Road in Madg- inford is to be closed for aweek for essential gas main repairs. The alley was due to close on
March 29 and should re-open on April 8, if all works go to plan. Southern Gas Networks (SGN) has issued alternative routes.
RESIDENTS who want to see speedy action on potholes in the village have been urged to contact Kent County Council highways de- partment. With holes in Yeoman and Roseacre Lanes, Tower Lane and the Landway, the parish council was told some were in danger of damaging vehicle tyres. Cllr Richard Camp advised- downloading the free app “Fix My Street” which allows photographs and reporting of potholes.
New warden
BEARSTED has a new community warden, SallyWilliams. Sally worked previously in
KCC’s contact centre and prior to that with Kent Trading Standards. She is already getting acquainted
with community groups and resi- dents on her beat. Sally takes over from Martin Sherwood who will be concentrat- ing on Harrietsham and Lenham.
School talk THE chair and deputy vice chair of the parish council, Cllr Fiona Red- man and Cllr Dan Conner, together with Cllr Paul Young, have been in- vited to speak to children at Madg- inford Primary School in May on the subject of democracy.
Council Office: Madginford Hall, Bearsted Telephone: E-Mail: Chair:
01622 630165
clerk@bearstedparishcouncil.gov.uk Fiona Redman
MEETINGS HELD SECOND TUESDAYOFMONTH (7.30PM) AND THE PUBLIC IS VERY WELCOME
Maidstone East April 2016 31
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