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ten volunteers are needed to get the scheme up and running and Cllr Greenwood said hewould have this added to the next Lenhamagenda to try and find additional volunteers. Lift plans Cllr Stanley had circulated a very detailed report into the six companies that had been approached to supply a lift for the newparish office. Therewere three types of lift to consider. Itwas noted that the space providedwas not quite big enough so some buildingworkwould definitely be required. Cllr Stanley requested that he be able to have a second meetingwith the chosen contractor before the order is
placed.After discussion, itwas proposed to go for Invalifts Ltd to install a chain drive lift at a cost of £14,250, subject to Cllr Stanley being satisfied following a furthermeeting.A further £5,000was set aside for the buildingwork. Carpets Itwas agreed to accept a quote of £1,982, inc VAT, for the carpets at the new Parish Office fromDesigner Contracts. Annualmeeting TheAnnual Parish Meeting is to be held in St John the Baptist’s Church onApril 25 at 8pm, straight after the parish councilmeeting. The speaker for this yearwill be a representative fromKCC Fostering Services. CPREmembership Itwas agreed to renew the council’s annual subscription to Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) at a cost of £36.
Hollingbourne
Housing plans Cllr Bedwell had been in communicationwithMonique Bonney, the chairman of RodmershamParish Council with regard to a proposed development of 11,500 houseswhich is seeking planning permission on land next to Kent Science Park. It is in the council’s interest to support the neighbouring parish as itwill generate amuch higher volume of traffic passing through the village to reach the M20. VolunteerWarden CllrArdley confirmed that there is not a closing date for the opportunity to adopt a Volunteer Support Warden. The council decided theywould like the opinion of the villagers as to whether theywould like one,with informationmade available on the parish website. Artificial grass The clerkwas seeking a third quote for the provision of artificial grass in the outside play area at the Cardwell Pavilion. Benchwork The clerkwas tomeetwith MBC staff to discuss the replacement of the
INBIRLINGAvenue, Bearsted, a residential propertywas broken into. Aresidential propertywas broken into at
CharlesfordAvenue,Kingswood, by forcing
door.Nothing appears to have been taken and enquiries are ongoing. InHeatherwood Close,Kingswood, a van
parked in the roadwas broken into.AJasic welder, two grinders (9in and 5in), and several drillswere stolen. Attempts to steal roofing lead, has
32 Maidstone East March 2018
bench seat near the StationApproach and the installation of another bench at the Ashford Road village entrance between the M20 and CotuamsHall. Traffic lights The clerkwas to speakwith KCC councillor Shellina Prendergast regarding the parish council’s hopes for newtraffic lights at the Great Danes and Leeds Castle roundabouts. Itwas felt that the volume of traffic can be a very big problem, particularly in themornings and a peak-time trafficmanagement system, such as lights,would be helpful. Itwas understood the lights can be triggered by traffic sensors reacting to the volume of traffic. PCCmeeting Borough councillor Patrik Garten advised that Kent’s Police and Crime CommissionerMa�hewSco�would like tomeetwith the council, and had suggested various dateswhichwill be forwarded on to the clerk. Parish plan Cllr Benne� felt that other members and organisationswithin the village needed to be involvedwith the production of the Parish Plan and that it should not solely be the responsibility of the parish council. The information advertising thiswas to be passed on to Cllr Cobbe� to place it on thewebsite. Li�er bin The clerkwas to investigate the replacement/repair of the li�er bin at the end of StationApproach. Pavilion update CllrWardwas a�ending courseswith regards to fire safety in order to produce andmaintain a fire safety policy for the Cardwell Pavilion. CllrArdley requested thatmore health and safety signage be put in the pavilion regarding not drilling into thewalls of the building and using blu-tac in the paintwork. The clerkwas to look into this. MillenniumGreen CllrWard reported that the pondwithin theMillenniumGreen does require cleaning out,which is a time- consuming job. Fete plansA fete planningmeeting took place in
January.Most of the fete participants fromprevious years have confirmed theywould like to a�end this year’s event,which takes place on June 9. CllrArdleywas pursuing the provision of ice-cream, extra income and newgames. Volunteers needed Cllr Benne� and his wifeAnne are looking formore volunteer drivers to take people to and fromthe X10 bus stops outside the Great DanesHotel on a Tuesday,which ismarket day in Maidstone. If you are interested, contact the clerk on 01622 880526 or email
pchollingbourne@gmail.com. ParishAssembly The ParishAssemblywill be held on TuesdayApril 10 in the village
hall andwas to be an agenda itemat the next parishmeeting.
Otham
Communications Cllr Trench had carried out further updates andwork on the
website.Workwas progressing on the new noticeboardwhichwas to replace the existing one inWhiteHorse Lane. Charity policy Cllr Gray had proposed a charitable giving policymeaning that all donation requestswere considered once per year at the
previousmeeting.After reviewing the policy itwas unanimously agreed, and all donation requestswill now be considered at theMarch councilmeeting each year. Budget CllrMoon put forward the Finance Commi�ee's suggestion for a 2%increase on the Precept, equating to £240. Thiswas agreedwith the Precept set at 12,268. Quiet Lanes The clerk had spoken to CPRE Kent regarding Quiet Lanes as the current information did not appear to be up to date. CPRE confirmed thatwhile some of the sections are nowout of date, the principles and campaigning techniques remain valid. The bestway forwardwas to consultwith residents to identify Quiet Lanes and once they had been designated, appropriate signage is available to encourage drivers to slowdown. Following discussion,members agreed not to purse this line of enquiry. Church Road Cllr Gray, Cllr Cheesman fromDownswood and the clerkmetwith DHA and BellwayHomes to discuss the proposal for Church Road.An indicative site layoutwas presented. The council raised their traffic concerns, and Bellway said theywould look to create pedestrian access fromother areas of the site. The council also spoke on landscaping, views of the church and their hopes for a traditional and rural feel to the development.A site meetingwas to be arranged for early 2018. Li�er pick TheAnnual Village Li�er Pick is to be held on SundayMarch 4. Information was to be displayed online. The clerkwas to request 20 li�er picking sticks, hi-vis vests and bags fromMBC. Play area Three quotations for replacement fencing for the play areawere discussed and CllrMoon suggested an alternative, so was to provide details to the clerk. Considerationwas to be given to the possibility of seats being donated by residents inmemory of loved ones. Neighbourhood plan Itwas agreed for members to contact local landowners to find outwhat their aspirations are for the plan.
NeighbourhoodWatch Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police
resulted in damage to a roof of a building in the Landway, Bearsted. The front and rear number plates had
been stolen froma VauxhallAstra parked on the road, in SylvanGlade, Boxley. InMills Court,Harrietsham, aAStihl disc
the front door of a residential property. Two unknownmaleswere seen breaking
into a vehicle in RiversWalk, Lenham. The males drove offwhen challenged. Enquiries are ongoing. Avehicle parked in the roadwas broken
cutter and a generator had been stolen from into in SouthfieldsWay,Harrietsham. Maidstone East March 2018 33 Call for the
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