News | Sponsored parish council Boxley Parish Mail


CHAIRMAN:Bob Hinder CLERK: Pauline BowderyASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU


Tel: 01634 861237 email: clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website: www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained from the parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website Vacant seats


TWOcouncillor vacancies have been declared in the South ward of the parish (Grove Green, Boxley and Sandling). Details of how to apply are being displayed on noticeboards and on thewebsite. Chairman Bob Hinder said: ”This


is a particularly exciting time to be- come involved as the parish council is planning some major projects that will directly affect communities.”


Time to prune


THE parish council is appealing to residents to check and prune garden boundaries for overgrown trees or shrubs that are encroaching on foot- ways and highways. The parish council recognises that sometimes you may not walk past your boundary but it is asking you to be considerate of other people who use the paths and roads. If you pass a garden that is over- flowing on to the footway or high- way, please report it to the KCC Highways website or the parish council.


Ground work


BOXLEYParishCouncil has listened to its residents and has allocated funding for extra ground mainte- nance work in 2017/18. The parish council is also liaising


with the Community Payback Scheme to try to get regular work groups into the parish. Residents can nominate areas that


they feel need work and the parish council will be happy to investigate. Any recommendations must be made via the councilwebsite.


Plan oppposed BOXLEY Parish Council has strongly objected to a planning ap- plication for an extension to unit 33 on Lordswood Industrial Estate, in Gleamingwood Drive. The council objected on highway


issues, impact on ancient woodland, insufficient on-site parking and the impact on protected species.


Be in the loop


ALL the articles on this page have been publicised on the parish coun- cil’swebsite and emailed directly to residents who have signed up to the parish council’s alert system. To sign up, send your e-mail de- tails to the parish office.


30 Maidstone East March 2017


Freight action plan response is agreed


THE parish council’s environment committee has agreed its response to the KCC Freight Action Plan consultation. The responses were critical of


KCC’s lack of immediate or timely response when HGVs park on resi- dential streets and the fact that it fails to effectively use its planning and development control powers. The parish council has experi-


enced two occasions in the North ward where KCC failed to object to large-scale planning development, even though KCC recently recog- nised in an email to the parish coun- cil that: “These junctions [M2 and A229] have greatly exceeded their design capacity and handle volumes of traffic for which they, and the sur- rounding road network,were never intended.


“There are no suitable options for improving traffic flows through the adjustment of signal timings; phys- ical works on the highway network are required. Some options are being considered but these have sig- nificant cost implications and take time to implement.” The parish council has also high- lighted that, whilst KCC may have been engaging with other authori- ties, it does not effectively engage with parishes and the communities who are experiencing the problem of HGV parking and congestion. Boxley Parish Council has been campaigning for any on-streetHGV parking to be made a criminal of- fence, with drivers forced to pay a fine or have their vehicle im- pounded, as it believes that without this, there will still be an issue.


Cllr Wendy Hinder, chairman of


the environment committee, said: “Responding to consultations is a vital part of the work of the parish council, as residents and commu- nity views need to be made known to the people who are responsible for putting together policies and ac- tions.”


Boxley Parish Council has a policy


of including reports, summaries and briefing notes within its agenda. Cllr Hinder added: “By sharing


this information with residents, not only can they see their views are being noted but it might encourage them to make their own individual responses.” The agenda, draft minutes of the meeting and the response to the consultation are available on the parish council’swebsite.


£40k pot to tackle safety issues Report focuses on


BOXLEY Parish Council, recognising the impact of financial cutbacks on local services, has allocated up to £40,000 to match fund or fund im- provements that it considers are needed on the grounds of health and safety but which are not being undertaken by KCC. The parish council is inviting resi-


dents to notify them of projects they think should be considered, and has produced a leaflet, Funding for KCC Highway Projects, and an applica- tion form which are available on its website. The parish office should be con-


tacted initially to ensure that there is no duplication of work and advice can be given or sought. If they can, residents should make


an initial complaint to KCC by its website or by telephoning 03000 418181 prior to contacting the parish office, and the reference num- ber for any complaint should be re- tained. As public money is involved, a qualifying project needs to meet a few criteria.  Theremust be a clear health and safety reason for the work.Work


that is solely for aesthetic/cosmetic reasons will only be considered in exceptional circumstances;  Benefit must be to a number of residents, not just one or very few;  Normal KCC Highway funding is not available;  The work is legal and KCC ap- proves the project. Projects that will not be consid-


ered include potholes, white lines, di- rectional signs, new lamp posts etc. because KCC has a legal responsibil- ity to deal with these as the High- way Authority.


highway concerns FRUSTRATED at the lack of action, the parish council has produced a report on the highway problems faced by many of the residents and sent it to KCC leader Paul Carter. Parish chairman Bob Hinder said:


“It is a sad fact of life thatwhat the parish council and communities see as issues that need resolving are not deemed high enough up the KCC list of priorities to get action, so the parish council is trying a dif- ferent approach.” The report, which highlights park-


ing issues, HGV parking and the need for KCC to work with parishes will also be sent to the Maidstone Joint Transport Board. Called Boxley Parish Council


Highway Issues, it is available on the website. The frustration and concern


raised by residents and councillors has also led to the parish council deciding to take some drastic ac- tion to attempt to get some work done.


downsmail.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48