Parish Councils


Crime reports


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hedges from the church car park to the village hall had been cut by Stru and Parker, but the street lightswere still obscured and debris had been left on the footpath and road. The clerk would liaise with Stru and Parker about this. Fly-tipping Cllr Ford said she had asked for cameras for the areas prone to fly-tipping and she would chase this and request enforcement of the area. Play area Cllr China had received two positive emails from residents supporting the refurbishment of the play area. Cllr Springford had inspected the site and the equipment appeared to be in a good condition. Cllr China said the fixings and bearingswere worn and the equipment should be replaced. Itwas agreed that the funding bid would be progressed and Cllrs Springford and China would seek further quotations for the replacement of the play equipment. Playing field The white lining of the church car park, playing field car park and tennis courts had now been undertaken. The Loose Lions Football Team had carried out work at the playing field pavilion – Cllr China said he would thank them on behalf of the parish council. Street lighting Cllr China said there had been a delay in replacing the next phase of LED lights due to a delay in the supply of the lighting. Beacons of Light The chairman asked if the parish council wished to take part in this. It was agreed to register an interest. Bird scarers Concerns had been raised about the use of bird scarers in the area. Although the PCwas aware of these, no action could be taken as therewas no evidence of where theywere coming from. Salt bin Cllr Springford said the salt bin in Forge Lane had never been replaced. Cllr Cooke said he would look into the maer.


Lenham


FootpathAparishioner reported a possible trip hazard on the Maidstone Road footpath. The chairman said the boundary marker stakes, which could be a problem for pedestrians, had been reported to the land agent.


A HONDA CBF 125 motorbike was stolen from the road inWillington Street and later found burnt out. Two large ornamental potswere stolen


from a garden in Hook Lane, Harrietsham. An IforWilliams twin axle trailerwas


stolen from a field in Roundwell, Bearsted. A fencewas damaged to gain entry. A garden shedwas broken into in Holly


Farm Road, Otham, and a Kanaka strimmer, Kanaka leaf blower and Honda lawnmowerwere stolen. Itemswere removed from the front of a property in Monkdown, Downswood, without consent. A vehiclewas removed from a driveway


in Maidstone Road, Lenham, without consent. In Gravelly Boom Road, Kingswood,a garden shedwas broken into.A red ride- on Honda mowerwas stolen. Damagewas caused to a vehicle parked


in the road in The Street, Bearsted. A grandfather clockwas stolen from a property whichwas broken into in Caring Lane. One the back of the clockwas


wrien: “Made by Alan and Ben in 1997”. A shedwas broken into in Lenside Drive, Bearsted, but nothing appeared to have been taken. Someone stole a set of iron gates from a


driveway in Church Road, Otham. A Giant mountain bike was stolen from outside a shop in CharlesfordAvenue, Kingswood.A Ford Focus parked in Mill Close, Lenham,was broken into and a Samsung mobile phonewas stolen. A garden shedwas broken into in Lower


Street, Broomfield, No high value items were stored in it and nothing was taken. A Ford Transitwas damaged in the hotel


car park in Ashford Road, Leeds. A works yardwas broken into in Old


Mill Lane, Boxley, and toolswere stolen. A garage at a house in High Street, Lenham,was broken into. Nothing


appeared to have been stolen. A shed at a property in Broomfield Road, Kingswood,was broken into. A caravan tourerwas stolen from a


driveway in Boxley Road, Boxley. A shed and garage at a house inAvery


Lane, Otham,were broken into. Vehicle parts including a baerywere


stolen from the yard at Station Approach, Lenham.


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Overhanging treeAresident reported an overhanging tree close to the picnic site of the left hand bank. He offered to prune the cobnut trees and later the apple and cherry trees at the picnic site. Itwas agreed this would be helpful and hewas thanked for his offer. Police report Communitywarden Martin Sherwood apologised on behalf of PCSO Rowley whowas aending a traffic incident. Mr Sherwood reported five crimes in February and highlighted increased incidences of thefts of lawn mowers and plants in rural areas. Communitywarden Doorstep cold callers and telephone scamswere reported. The wardens now had access to a formalised information system which could be linked to police if appropriate. Dog bins Cllr Ballard said the installation of the dog binswas almost complete. Cllr Nye was to organise the position of the bins at Plas Heath and Sandway. Neighbourhood plan CllrWalmsley reported on the meetings and said research would be undertaken into seing up a Lenham Amenity Trust, which could create a buffer zone around the village, which would ensure long term protection to land in the trust. Notification had been received about the appeal for the development on land northwest of Loder Close. The NHP groupwas concerned thiswas premature development with several issues. Green spaces Negotiations to buy the allotment sitewere progressing, following a meeting with Maidstone Borough Council. Ideally, the parish council would like to register the whole site as an asset of community value. Cllr Greenwood wished to record that theWilliam Pi field could be in the middle of potential development sites. CllrWalmsley would inform Lenham Wanderers FC, who use the field as their home ground, of possible options to relocate. Tree audit Cllr Cocke offered to compare two quotes for a parish tree audit and report back.Athird option would be sought in conjunction with Harrietsham Parish Council, whichwas also undertaking a tree audit. CCTV Itwas agreed to install the CCTV


equipment in a local shop, subject to a site visit.


Toilets Following discussions about the options for improving the facilities, itwas agreed to instruct the architect to draw a sketch of two new WCs with parish office above, for pre-planning advice. Tourismwebsite Cllr Smith-Essex raised concerns about the lack of progress being made with the tourismwebsite. He would contact Falcon to ask if the project could be completed with the domain name purchased and the site going live as soon as possible, as the tourism seasonwas imminent.


Ulcombe


Leave of absence Itwas agreed that Cllr Shellina Prendergast be given a three-month leave of absence due to increasing work commitments. Fly-tippingAresidentwas concerned about the flytipping in the area and said an area on a public footpath in theWater Lane area had not been cleared. Jubilee CornerAsite meeting had been held to formalise the placement of logs to protect the site. Tree work Following reports of a tree leaning into the carriageway, SteveWaring had been instructed to fell the tree to hedge level and this had been done. Traffic surveyAdatewas still awaited from Kent Highways for a meeting to discuss the findings of the speed traffic survey in Chegworth Road and Lenham Road. The clerk would chase this up. Cllr Titchener would contact KCC Cllr While to ensure that funding would remain in place when she retired in May. Verges Emails had been received from residents about the poor state of the grass verges along the Lenham Road from heavy vehicles. Itwas noted thiswas a prevalent condition on many of the county’s rural roads. Itwas felt that therewas very lile road management that could be implemented during the winter months to prevent this from happening. Highways Blocked drainage ditches near Pye Corner would be reported to Kent Highways.


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