News | Sponsored parish council Boxley ParishMail


CHAIRMAN: BobHinderCLERK: Pauline BowderyASSTCLERK:Melanie Fooks ParishOffice, BeechenHall,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


Plaque to markWWI


PLANS for a memorial to com- memorate the end ofWWI are to be considered by councillors. The council erected a plaque at


the villagewarmemorial in 2014 to mark the start of the war, and also planted an oak and a linden tree on the verge at Grove Green. At the time, a budget was set


aside to erect a suitable plaque for 2018. At their December meeting, the


council agreed to a plaque, and memberswill discuss the content at thismonth’smeeting.


Salt bin heroes get thank you


RESIDENTS who put the grit fromthe salt bin on the road when snow has fallen or ice has formed have been thanked by councillors, as have residents who clear snow from footpaths and roads in front of their houses But residents are reminded that


grit is not to be used for private drives and garden paths. Empty salt bins can be replen-


ished via the KCC website or by calling 03000 41 81 81.


Amenity land


AN application for change of use from amenity land to residential garden landwas objected to by the council’s environment committee. Members heard at their Decem-


ber meeting that Maidstone Bor- ough Council


(MBC) had


confirmed that if planning consent is given, the parish council would be asked for its views on the sale of the land to the applicant.After dis- cussing green screening in large residential developments and the importance of retaining amenity landmembers refused the applica- tion.However, if the planning offi- cer is minded to recommend the application is permitted then the parish council requested it be re- ported to the planning committee. To ensure the remaining trees are protected Boxley ParishCouncil re- quests a condition, should the ap- plication be approved, that any erection of a fence or wall shall not commence until full details of tree protection measures have been submitted and approved byMBC.


24 Maidstone East January 2018


Concerns over traffic get backing fromMP


BOXLEY ParishCouncil chairman BobHinder informedmembers at the parish councilmeeting that he had met with Helen Whately MP concerning the traffic issues in the north of the parish. The parish office had produced a


briefing report for the MP, who would be liaising with fellow MPs Tracey Crouch, Helen Grant and Tom Tugendhat over the shared problems. The parish council’s report out-


lined the problems, gave informa- tion on recent and future development in the Lordswood, Walderslade andMedway area and included a five-year history of crashes resulting in injuries on the Junction 3 roundabouts and the


Reprieve for playground under threat


COUNCILLORS voted unanimously to take on a playground that was under threat of closure – and will carry out a refit of the equipment. The play area on Franklin Drive,


at Grove Green, was on a list of play sites deemed “not strategi- cally important” byMaidstone Bor- ough Council, which claimed that it was only a 12-minute walk to an- other play area. A plan for a blanket closure of all


of the sites was halted at the 11th hour by a council committee, with the sites instead to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. But CllrWendy Hinder, who sits


on both the borough and parish councils, was keen to see the site retained, and reported that the


THE parish council are hoping to welcome their Police Community SupportOfficer back tomeetings. The provision of PCSOs attend-


ing parish council meetings has been halted across the area due to a drop in their numbers. This prompted chairman Bob


CllrWendy Hinder with local resi- dentMalcolmBarber at the Franklin Drive play area


site could be taken over by the parish council. It is expected that annualmaintenance costs on the site will be, with some local volun- teer support for litter picking, about £675. Local firm, the Gal- lagher Group, has agreed to re- place the ageing pre-school play equipment on the site.


Welcome back


Hinder towrite toKent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott on the issue. Cllr Hinder said: “I received a call from Inspector Hedges at


A229 down to the Running Horse roundabout – of which there were 192, including two fatalities. The chairman informedmembers


that owing to funding issues, im- provements were on the back burner. Mrs Whately has written to the


transport minister Jesse Norman and will highlight the problem to relevant organisations, including KCC,which regularlymeetsMPs. The parish council has placed the


report on itswebsite and is encour- aging residents to send their views toMrsWhately. Mrs Whately provided the fol-


lowing statement: “The parish council considers that improvements to J3 of theM2,


the local highway infrastructure and the A229 are not only long overdue but urgently required. “The currentmotorway and local


highway infrastructure is grossly inadequate and there appears to be little or no local or national impetus to improvematters. “It is totally disgraceful that this


area has been ignored whilst Gov- ernment policies and initiatives in- crease traffic through huge-scale local development and national projects, like the Lower Thames Crossing. “Whilst recognising that there is


often a national need for change Boxley ParishCouncil requires that this should not be at the total ex- pense of local communities.”


Parish tour is a success


COUNCILLORS welcomed the latest parish tour. Several members took part in


the tour, and the feedback on it was overwhelmingly positive. With such a large parish cover-


ing three very distinct areas and numerous communities, the bien- nial tour allows councillors to get to know the areas they would not normally visit. It also allowsmem- bers to gain an overview of out- standing and future issues that face residents and the parish council. A small coach took members


around and a running commen- tary was given by the clerk, with members making requests for agenda items to discuss. As it was the November 11,


councillors tweaked the tour route to pay their respects at 11amat the Boxleywarmemorial.


Kent Police, who asked if we would like a PSCO to attend our meetings, and I said we would.” Six new PCSOs have been re-


cruited and and are expected to start in January, meaning Boxley is hopeful it will soon have its own designated PCSO.


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