DownsMail In touch with your parish A litter problem in the village


Continued from page 29


the village and entered into the Pilgrims village magazine once full details had been agreed. BirlingVillage Hall Charitable


Trust (BVHCT) had decided on a 1950s-themed street party to be held in Ryarsh Road. Fund- ing would be required, but as yet there was insufficient infor- mation to make an application to the borough council’s en- hancement fund. The closing date for bids to be received by the parish council wasMarch 1. BVHCT had asked for the clerk’s assistance in arranging for the road to be closed.


Hinge resolution Ditton Council


IT was noted that the issue of new hinges on the doors of the Cedar Room had been resolved between the builder, the youth centre and the Guides and Brownies. PCSO Robert Sayer advised


that, although he was not on duty, he wanted to attend the meetingasitwould be hislast before he left his post as PCSO and started his police training. His replacement was due to start at the beginning of March. Cllr Bill Cordwell thanked him for his work and members wished him well for the future. A letter had been received


from the borough council, invit- ing applications of up to £2,000 for the next round of commu- nity enhancement fund grants. It was noted that funding for a jubilee beacon of £500 or other jubilee or Olympic events of up to £1,500 could be applied for. The council decided to apply for £2,000 towards the cost of re- placing the chairs at the Oaken Hall, and a meeting was arranged to discuss a jubilee event.


Lights refund


East Peckham Council


THE council had asked Gala Lights for a 50% refund on the installation of the Christmas Lights, due to the delay in switching them on and various problems including inconven- ience to residents when the lights were taken down. No re- sponse had been received from the company. Several events were being planned to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on June 4, in- cluding a street snooker event, dog show, barbecue, outdoor theatre production, stalls and a bouncy castle. An application had been submitted to the bor- ough council for a grant of £1,500 towards the event. An application had been sub- mitted to the borough council for a £500 grant for a Jubilee beacon and an order placed with Bullfinch for a church


tower beacon. An application had been sub- mitted to theWoodland Trust for a community pack of trees. These would includemore than 100 trees, including a RoyalOak sapling, for planting on the play- ing fields and in the village. The head of the primary school thanked the council for the donation towards the school trip – the pupils were due to visit the Albert Hall on March 16 for a Classical Spectacular event. The mayor of Chereng, East Peckham’s proposed twin town in France, had suggested that members of the Chereng council and their families visit the vil- lage on March 25. Members re- solved to make themselves available for the visit and to hire the village hall for a civic recep- tion. The signing of the friend- ship charter would be done in two stages, possibly in East Peckham in June and then Chereng in September. There would be an exchange of trees as a mark of friendship, and the mayor of Tonbridge andMalling would be invited to attend the signing of the charter. East Peckham had been in-


vitedtoattendthe Chereng Car- nival on April 1, and a 53-seater coach had been hired for the oc- casion, the cost of which would be covered by those booking places on the trip. The Chereng Jumelage (twinning association) had asked if the council could arrange for morris men to attend the carnival. The Hartley Morris Men had agreed to attend and the council agreed to cover their transport costs. It was agreed that places on


the coach would be offered at £30, with a subsidised rate of £20 offered to the primary school and youth organisations. If demand exceeded spaces available, a second coach would be booked. Members heard that theWeald


of Kent Gym Club had asked to extend its premises, giving per- manent access to the small area off the sports hall, which was currently used as a store and re- fuse storage area. The council was agreeable to the request. The council heard that the


gym club would be running a free session for children, aged between four and 10, onApril 4. The council agreed to provide the sports hall at a concession- ary rate. Cllr Peter Street reported that


KCC was recruiting new war- dens. The current police officers, PC Andy Sergeant and PCSO Simon Liston, remained as- signed to East Peckham, al- though restructuring meant that PCSO Liston would have greater responsibilities and an increased presence in the village. PC Ser- geant remains the key officer in the case of emergencies, with support from two other officers.


had been captured on CCTV, which would be handed to the community warden or police. Cllr JennyMacdonald said she


had placed an article in the an- nual report in a bid to recruit adult volunteers to help run the youth group. Cllr Lorraine Baselden was ex- pecting to receive quotes for the installation of the skatepark, and a Facebook page had been set up for the project. She was hoping the cost of the project would be covered by external grants. Cllr Esmond White reported


that he had attended a flood plan workshop and was aware that funding which had been promised for the Little Mill flood relief plan had been with- drawn.


Kings Hill Council Dog nuisance


THE council heard that crime had been reduced. A number of incidents involving a dog were noted, and the clerk was asked to find out whether the same dog was involved in all the inci- dents. Concern was also raised about dog fouling on the village green in PippinWay. The council heard that a com-


plaint had been received from a resident about the Waitrose store alarm going off, nuisance cars in the car park, headlights shining into residents’ property and the lack of a pedestrian en- trance from Fortune Way. Lib- erty Property Trust confirmed that as the car park was leased to Waitrose it was unable to do anything about the problems. Cllr Chris Joselin raised con-


cerns about damage to the bus shelter. It was agreed that the damaged panels would not be replaced, but the shelter would be monitored. Damage to the Kings Hill pre-school notice board was also noted. Cllr SueMorfill suggested that


the council marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by planting an oak tree. The council agreed to investigate two oak trees and two benches marking the ju- bilee.


Leybourne Council Broken fence


A MEMBER of public reported that the fence on Oxley Shaw Lane by the traffic lights on the A20 was broken and could be dangerous. The fence was owned by private householders but the parish council would en- sure that Kent Highway Services followed this up. PCSO Ed Moore reported there


were three crimes during the month – lead stolen from the school roof, theft of a pedal cycle in Birling Road and criminal damage to the fences in Castle Way. This compared to 21 in East Malling, 10 inWestMalling


and 13 in Kings Hill. The chairman asked about the


crime figure comparison as the numbers reported at the parish council meeting did not match those listed on the “police.uk” website. PCSO Moore said there may


be different methods of collect- ing data. Also, some of the crime reports placed on the website might be sensitive, therefore he censorswhat he re- ports to the parish council. Income from the village hall


had risen thanks to a lot of hard work from various people, and bookings were still increasing. A request had been received


from the cricket club for £750 towards part cost of a wicket motor roller, but it was felt this was too much given current fi- nances and a £300 donation was agreed. A councillor raised concern


that the CCTV pole at the Bomb Hole could be hit by sledges as it is at the bottom of the slope. It was suggested that some tyres could be placed round it. A big band night was being


held on Sunday, June 3, to cele- brate the Queen’s Diamond Ju- bilee. At least 170 houses were now occupied in Leybourne Chase, which was above the criteria for a bus service. There had been an increase in


cold callers in Leybourne and the clerk was asked to investi- gate making it a “no cold call area”.


Mereworth Council Elizabeth field


AS part of the Jubilee celebra- tions, it was agreed to dedicate the recreation area as the Queen Elizabeth II field. A fete and Jubilee party was


to be held on June 16. It was agreed that any street parties should be organised by resi- dents, rather than the parish council. An oak tree, to be known as


The Elizabeth Oak, is to be planted in the recreation area on June 2. School children would be invited to join in the tree planting, and the Mike Set- ford commemorative bench would be placed beneath the tree. The Jubilee Beacon would be lit from 10pm-10.30pm on Monday, June 4. The council heard that the


new Kent Policing Model was now in place, resulting in more police presence in the parish. Therewere now five neighbour- hood officers to cover the local villages from 7am to 4pm. PC Andy Sergeant and PCSO Toni Matthews would still be avail- able in Mereworth, with four other officers at certain times. During the last month, five crimes – one theft, two burgla- ries and two assaults – had been detected.


30 Malling Support YOUR local paper — and we can support YOU - advertise on 01622 630330


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