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 fromthe parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website ‘Sandwiched by development’


BOXLEY Parish Councilwas extremely disappointed in the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the development of 450 market and affordable homes at Gibraltar Farm.


The proposals include the provi-


sion of access, estate roads and open space, and section 106 payments from the developers will be required towards education, healthcare and other infrastructure. The parish council has criticised


development planned for the Cap- stone area, with thousands of houses and mixed development proposed on its borders with Medway and Tonbridge and Malling. Both councils are consulting on


their local plans, which include de- velopment either close to the bound- ary or development which will


Kestrel boxes


THE parish council can at last go ahead with its plan to place kestrel nesting boxes after a lengthywait for advice from Maidstone Borough Council on planning permission. The scheme was suggested more


than five months ago but was de- layed after a borough council official advised that a planning application, which could cost £100, might be needed. The borough hasnowadvised that permission is only required if the poles on which the nest boxes are sited are at least 4m tall. Parish chairman Cllr Bob Hinder


said: “Iampleasedwe have got ade- cision at last.” The boxes, made by Grove Green Scouts, will be sited at Weavering Diamond Jubilee Orchard,Dove Hill allotments andWeavering Heath.


Spring clean


THEparish council thanked the vol- unteers who undertook litter picks to spring clean the area during the weekend of March 4 and 5. Volunteers got into the under- growth before the shrubs, brambles and trees start to grow again. Sixteen bags of rubbish and a large


pile of flytipping were cleared from the woods edging the footway of Walderslade Woods. A helper in Boxley Road,Walderslade, reported that they had never come across so many discarded alcohol bottles. Please do not drop litter and ex- pect someone else to pick it up.


34 Maidstone East April 2017 Cash for road projects


BOXLEY Parish Council has allocated from its reserves a sum of up to £40,000 that could be released to match fund or fund highway improve- ments. Recognising the impact of financial cutbacks on local services, the cash


could be used for projects that it considers are needed on the grounds of health and safety and which are not being undertaken by Kent County Council (KCC). Parish councillors and residents are being invited to put forward projects


for consideration and a copy of the policy and application form is available from the website or parish office. In recentmonths the parish council has unsuccessfully approached KCC


for funding to install yellow lines on ProvenderWay and Grovewood Drive South. Boxley Parish Council has previously worked with County Councillor Paul Carter to fund improvements in Grove Green andWalderslade. Projects which have already been identified as needing consideration include yellow lines at Grovewood Drive South and ProvenderWay, yellow lines or other action at Grovewood Drive North and nearby closes, road/verge design improvements at Old Chatham Road, Sandling and a safer crossing point at Grovewood Drive North. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 21. Please contact the parish clerk, Pauline Bowdery for advice and information.


increase traffic on local roads in the parish. The parish council’s responded to


Medway’s Local Plan consultation that whilst it welcomed the unitary council’s response for the protection of the natural environment, it felt that the statementwas at odds with Medway’s decision to allow the re- lease of greenfield land at Capstone. The parish council felt that the Capstone site should be withdrawn from the Local Plan, as Medway Council’s transport approach crite- ria was to “refuse development where its residual cumulative im-


pacts are severe.” Proof of traffic congestion and lack


of capacity for more vehicle im- provements at junction 3 of the M2 and the Gleaming Wood Drive/Lords Wood Lane junction was provided in the response. Members also highlighted that,


having recognised thatMedway is in an area of water stress, Medway Council should strengthen its policy approach by including a require- ment that all future developments should be designed to include grey water recycling and otherwater-sav- ing measures. Its policy also made


no mention of renewable energy. Boxley Parish Council chairman


Bob Hinder said “I must acknowl- edge the hard work of the parish of- fice and councillors in working through the documentation. It is a nightmarewhenthe local authorities all seem to put consultations out at the same time but it is vital that all are considered.” The parish’s environment com-


mittee meeting onMarch 13 decided its response on the Tonbridge and Malling Local Plan consultation, which can be seen on the parish website.


Concern over


dogwaste bins PARISH Councillors expressed concern that the use of conven- tional bins for dog waste has not worked and could lead to health problems and smells. Resident Brian Grant said that


the majority of dog walkers really did keep areas clean, but the with- drawal of the dog waste bins had made matters worse. He suggested that the problem could be im- proved by emptying the black bins everyweek instead of fortnightly. Cllr Ivor Davies said: “Now the


bins are being emptied fortnightly, there could be hygiene problems in summer. The dog waste smells in summer, even in a closed bin.” The parish council is to write to Maidstone Council to express its views.


Lorries back BOROUGH CllrWendy Hinder re- ported that the problem of lorries illegally parking in Old Chatham Road, Sandling, was beginning to creep back. She had written to KCC leader


Paul Carter after receiving com- plaints from residents that drivers had been moving the bollards to park their vehicles and that the amount of litter had increased. The parish council agreed to


place warning signs for drivers in four languages at the site.


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