DownsMail In touch with your parish Fencing at the rectory had


been replaced on one side, and it was hoped that the other side would also be replaced. A resident had contacted the council regarding the postal service in the village, and it was agreed that RoyalMailwould be asked about rounds and times. The cricket club was to be


asked if it would like the parish council to apply to the commu- nity enhancement fund for a £2,000 grant for new cricket nets. A canopy and new storage


area were to be installed at the village hall. A quote had been accepted for a replacement ramp for the front of the hall and a grant had been obtained to meet the cost.


Field inspection FOLLOWING an inspection of the King George V field, it was reported there were a few patches of grass growing up through the surface on the BMX track. This would be inspected again in a few weeks. Nicola Morris was appointed


Nettlestead Council


the new PCSO for the village. Cllr Jackie Bennett said there


had been two new members at Chatterbox and they had also re- ceived support from a church in Medway. The clerk had spoken to the borough council regarding litter along Hampstead Lane.It was also noted that there seems to be a lot of litter being deposited alongMaidstone Road. The clerk was to contact the borough about this and to establish if there was general litter picking undertaken in Nettlestead, especially Maid- stoneRoad, and to see how often it is taking place and who was responsible for it. The February newsletter for


the village hall was available to view on their website.


Ryarsh Council Constant traffic


A RESIDENT from Roughetts Road reported that vehicles were travelling to and from Ryarsh Park 24 hours a day, seven days


aweek. The installation of a cat- tle grid had created even more noise. The parish council had re- ported out-of-hours operations in the past and would contact the borough council again. Bor- ough Cllr Matthew Balfour agreed to contact the enforce- ment department about this problem. PCSO Kim Hockey was mov-


ing to a new area and her re- placementwas to be announced. There had been several inci-


dents of burglary or attempted burglary in the village. The contractor who had un- dertaken recent work on street- lights in the village had offered a monthly maintenance contract at £97 plusVAT, which would be considered by members. Roger Murray-Evans had re- signed from the parish council. Two residents had expressed an interest in the vacancy and this would be considered at the next meeting. A public question time took


place with members of KCC’s drainage team on the flooding relief works at The Street. The road would be closed for thema- jority of March. Brookline Coacheswould have access dur- ing the work and would run a temporary timetable. The works were aimed at en-


suring water is caught at the top section of The Street before it gets to the residential area, which is why there are more gul- leys in the top section than at the bottom. There was not a double gulley at the bottom section, but if houses were still being flooded in six months, a double one would be installed. A member of public asked if


road markings could be used outside the school to show where to cross from the village hall. A zebra crossing could not be allowed, but a designated crossing might be. The clerk was asked to contact the high- ways steward about this.


Trottiscliffe Council Village picture


THE council heard that a steer- ing group had been organised


ANEWone-stop shop for children’s services in theMaidstone borough is about to launch in Coxheath – apparently after minimal con- sultation. From early April, children’s therapy serv-


ices, community paediatricians and child and adolescent mental health services will move to the refurbished Heathside House in Heath Road, previously a dementia clinic. The services are currently provided in Pre-


ston Hall in Aylesford, Gatland House in Fant, Maidstone Hospital and Foster Street and Union Street, which are both in Maid- stone town centre. The Kent Community Health NHS Trust insistsmany of these sites are out of date and do not offer modern fa- cilities. It has been known for many years that Grade II-listed PrestonHall was to close – all


for the Queen’s Diamond Ju- bilee celebrations. There were plans for a concert on Saturday evening, a street party on Sun- day with family lunch, and a church service. On Monday evening there were plans for a safari supper or DIY supper, fol- lowed by the lighting of the bea- con in the recreation ground. It was suggested that a photo- graph of all the people in the village should be taken and the names of the villagers at the time of the Jubilee be recorded and displayed. The council agreed to under-


write the estimated cost of £1,000 if necessary, although the community enhancement fund would be an option to help fund the beacon, and it was hoped that the Trosley Society might help. The council also felt that something should be given to the parish’s children to mark the occasion. PCSO Kim Hockey reported


two incidents: the post box in Taylors Lane had been stolen and a vehicle had been stolen, the tools removed and the vehi- cle was found burnt out. PCSO Hockey told the council she would shortly be moving to the Tonbridge area towork. Shewas thanked for the help she had given to the council and resi- dents, Car parking at the tennis courts was still causing con- cern, especially when large numbers of ramblers used the area as a starting point for their walk. It was agreed that dis- abled parking signs should be put out when there was a large function in the village hall. Quotations had been received


for replacing the hall’s damaged front doors, and work was due to commence. A quiz night was planned for March 17. Complaints had been received


about bonfires on the allot- ments. Allotment holders had been asked to light bonfires in moderation, and late in the day. A safety gate hadbeenin- stalled at the children’s play- ground in the recreation area.


services are due to be out by the end of March, a planning application for around 300 dwellings was due to be submitted by the end of this month – but service users were not told that many of the services would be transferred to Coxheath, fourmiles south of town. Ailsa McMahon, manager of charity M4S Maidstone Special Needs Support Service, said: “If we can access comprehensive serv- ices in one place with co-ordinated appoint- ments, this can be helpful so they may benefit from the move. “However, the Coxheath location may be difficult for familieswho do not have a car. It would have been useful if families had been consulted about themove in advance.” The independent chairman of Maidstone Children's Board, Alex Turner, said: “The


Pavilion talk


Wateringbury Council


MEMBERS of the sports and recreation association gave a presentation with full details of its draft plan to renovate the ex- isting pavilion and extend it to create storage for equipment, to extend the car park to the nearby boundary fence and remove the storage cabins from the bottom section of the field and landscape the area. Councillors unani- mously supported the plans. The budget for 2012/13 was unanimously approved. Thiswill mean a slightly lower village pre- cept than last year. An estimate for replacing and


fixing the missing roundel on the crossroads signpost had been re- ceived, and was just under £400. Councillors agreed to write to KCC to ask it to meet the cost of the replacement.


West Peckham Council


Private party


A RESIDENT who had been in- tending to organise a small festi- val in the village had now decided to make it a private event and was in consultation with a village landowner. She was wished every success with the event, which will coincide with theDiamond Jubilee celebrations. The council heard that the Neighbourhood Watch group now covered 80 homes, all of which received regular updates, appeals and warnings, with in- formation passed to the police where necessary. There was a burglary at a property on The Green, a theft from a farm, and a mopedwas stolen from Swanton Road.


There were two reports of dumped rubbish being set alight in Swanton Road. The village had seen an in-


crease in litter; particularly beer cans along Church Road and in the centre of the village. The village history and archiv-


ing group was continuing to in- terview villagers, and was due to meet in March.


New hub for children’s services - but where was consultation?


local children’s board has not yet been en- gaged in talks and was not aware of any changes at its last meeting in November. In- deed, most other services in the town have been surprised that these important moves are going to be in place around Easter.” He welcomed the bringing together of serv-


ices under one roof, adding: “I’m sure that we will work well with them all once they settle in.” A spokeswoman for the trust said patients from as far afield as theWeald used the services, so Coxheath was ideally lo- cated, and added that refurbishing the cen- tre would create a customised, modern facility to meet children’s needs. “We expect the move to happen during


April.We are speaking to families about the changes and we will be making sure that they are fully informed,” she said.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk Malling 31


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