downsmail.co.uk Bredhurst


Resignation CllrMalcolmGreer handed in his resignation.A le�er explaining his decision to stand down due towork and other commitmentswas read out.Members thanked Cllr Greer for his strong support overmany years. It leaves the councilwith four of its complement of sevenmembers. Itwas agreed to advertise the vacancies with posters, in the press and flyers through residents’ doors. Bridge Cllr Carr reported that Kent County Council (KCC) had been reminded again about the subsiding path on the bridge. BungalowCouncillors heard an application to demolish and replace the bungalow, StockinsMeadow, in Blind Lane with a detached house and a garage.As a close neighbour Cllr Carr, left the roomfor the discussion. The applicant confirmed the living arrangements and itwas noted the ridge height had been reduced.A resident suggested a limit should be placed on the size of lorries permi�ed to use the lane. It was agreed to comment in favour of the application,with a condition that lorries over 7.5 tonnes, except concrete lorries, should not be allowed. Playing fieldMembers heard itwas taking longer to prepare the lease for the playing field than had been expected. The parish council had received a draft of the terms and comments had been sent back. Savills had agreed the newrentwould be effective fromJanuary 1, 2018. Concernwas expressed that the village hall commi�ee had not confirmed to several parties as to whether a tree survey had been carried out, incorporating the shared access. Cllr Carr and a residentwere to progress plans for posts and three plastic signs – a large sign for the entrance and two to cover the vehicle access gate and the toddlers’ play area – up to the value of £400, plus VAT. TreeA cheaper quote than last year had been accepted for the annual tree survey, with the hope of receiving the results by the end ofMarch. Abbo�s Court Residentswere to be asked howmuch theywerewilling to contribute towards pothole repairs as the road outside was unadopted and KCC had confirmed it was not responsible for thework. Schoolmoney Itwas agreed to give £100 to Bredhurst School for allowing the council tomeet there this financial year. Data Protection The clerk had a�ended training on a newlawthat gives consumers more rights over their data – howit is obtained, used and stored and for how long – and the implications for the council. SpendingA precept of £12,418was agreed, meaning a Band D charge of £71.37. It follows agreement of the budgetwhich includes £3,000 for playground repairs and a bill for £996 to cut the grass and a total projected spend of £13,612. Roads KCCwas to be contacted and told about councillors’ dissatisfaction about the quality of pothole repairs. Cllr Jones had reported a number of craters had been filled, although theworkwas not of a particularly high standard. Cllr Carr had reported the broken bollard on the build out in Dunn Street. AdminAn email regardingHGVs in Forge


34 Maidstone East April 2018


Lane had been received and responded to and a request had been received to use the playing field for the village showon September 1. The clerkwas towrite asking formore details.


Broomfield&Kingswood


Buses The bus consultation has been suspended after considerable concernwas raised. KCC financially support needed bus services to stop community isolation, however there is a key pledge for provision of community buses. Trafficmanagement Councillors unanimously agreed for the execution of “keep clear” roadmarkings near the village hall, alongwith single-track signs. Itwas to place four on theA20/Broomfield Road, one nearAshford Drive, two at either end of Gravelly Bo�omRoad and two at either end of Pi� Road. The broken road signs had been replaced at CharlesfordAvenue and Cayser Drive. Road broken The recently-resurfaced road in Chartway Street and LenhamRoad has already broken down, KCC advises this happened due to an early cold snapwhich compromised the newsurface, once all risk of frost has gone thiswill be repaired. Manhole covers KCCwill be carrying out work to clear the carriageway beforeApril 6 in both Gravelly Bo�omRoad and Pi� Road. The condition and surfacewill be reviewed and the raisedmanhole covers have been reported to SouthernWater to take action. Play area Councillorswere updated on funding proposals byMaidstone Borough Council (MBC) for strategic play area improvements.MBC have advised the matching funding schemewill be open for applications afterApril. Councillors agreed to no longer delay the installations of play equipment at the sports field. Itwas unanimously agreed that the installation of a halfMUGA and roundaboutwill be scheduled to be installed end ofApril. VillageHall The sign had been completely obscured by trees andwas in a bad condition. It had been requested that the handyman checks the sign for damage and considers the logistics of transferring to an alternate location.MBC require payment for pre-planning advice for development of the village hall. Pensioners outingNumberswere disappointingly lowfor theNovember 2017 trip to Brick LaneMusical Theatre, with a number of last-minute cancellations meaning therewas no chance to refill the seats. Itwas decided there should be a break fromthe event this year butwould consider if to organise an occasion to commemorate the end ofWWI and the village hall had been contacted to see if it was available onNovember 11. Recycling Centres The councilwas updated on changes to the operations of KentHouseholdWaste Recycling Centres, including trailer size limits and newrules on tyres. Donations £50will be donated to the charities that requested donations, Involve inMaidstone, Three Su�onsHelpline in Su�on Valence, DemelzaHouse Children’s


Hospice in Si�ingbourne and Friend of FiveAcreWood School. Twoweremade in March and twowill bemade inApril.


Downswood


Highwaysmeeting CllrWeeks reported that although it is not possible for anything to be done about the planned housing, considerationwas being given to the painting ofwhite lines to highlight the edge of the highway, hoping itwill protect the verges and slowtraffic by highlighting the narrowness of Church Road.A passing place, next to The Old Rectory, had also been requested to be reinstated. Councillor vacancy Three residents have been approached but there had been no luck in progressing it further. Cllr Butler was hopeful her contactwill confirm interest. Street columns Some of the street columns on thewalkway off Chiltern Close next to Foxden Drive PlayAreawere notworking. The clerkwas to circulate street lighting report for completion and councillorswere requested to assistwith roadswhich remain unmanned. Donation requestsAfter careful consideration of each request for FiveAcre Wood andMeganArmitage, the council regre�ed they cannot assistwith a donation. Hedge cu�ing The quotation to cut the side and top of the hedge next to Foxden Drive PlayArea for the sumof £332 + VATwas unanimously agreed.


Hollingbourne


Reimbursement The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has put a legal challenge against the building of the Roxhill development atWoodcut Farm. The casewas dismissed by theHigh Court leaving the charity to pay costs. Cllr Benne� believed that the Parish Council should join neighbouring villages in assisting themwith a reimbursement of funds since they had tried to reject the development for thewellbeing of local residents. Itwas proposed that they be given £1,000 as a token of goodwill. SupportWardenNotificationwas received fromtheWI, they think having a KCC Volunteer SupportWardenwould be a wise idea. Thema�erwill be investigated further. School equipmentA local school assisting childrenwith ‘profound, severe and complex learning difficulties’were looking for a financial donation towards new equipment in a fundraising campaign. The parish council have used all of the 17/18 budget for goodwill gestures and cannot assist but the school have been contacted and suggest they raise funds at the Hollingbourne Fete,which theywere very interested in. Bus service The Strategic, Planning Sustainability and Transport Commi�ee took the decision to extendMaidstone’s Park and Ride Service for one year. Itwill continue to run fromLondon Road and Willington Street andwill extend its hours until 7pmwith the frequency of buses to


downsmail.co.uk


stay at 20minutes. Fly-tipping ‘Un-tipped syringes’were located near the bridge across Eyhorne Street butwere covered andMBC responded very quickly to thema�er. Village hallA verbal reportwas received fromthe village hall commi�ee, although the lease formally expired inAugust 2016, there is a rolling lease on the hall.A new leasemay be drawn up over the next year, itwould be for up to five yearswith a requested but not agreed 12-month notice period at the end. Concern had been shown the newarrangementmay not offer sufficient security of tenurewith the result Hollingbournemay at some point need a newHall on a different site. WWI 100thAnniversary It has been agreed the Royal British Legionwill be supported if theywant to commemorate this event. It will be a chain of beacons across the country, a fire beacon isHollingbourne CP School and has been used for similar events to this in the past. Traffic problems The leader of the KCC has been contacted for his consideration about the almost daily traffic problems at the Great Danes roundabout. It is believed the traffic congestionwill onlyworsenwith developments. There is a proposal for part time traffic lights. Office buildings Boxley Parish Council have objected to the planning approval of the use of office buildings by non-medical related companies at the KentMedical Campus,NewnhamCourtWay. Railway footpathA publicmeeting in relation to theNetwork Rail plan to divert the footpath over the railway linewas held on January 23. The panel decided to divert the path as itwas not practicable tomake the existing crossing safe for the public. It concluded itwas in the interests of the safety of users of the crossing to divert the public path over the station footbridge.


Lenham


Warden report The communitywarden reported that a car that had been abandoned for a year had finally been removed.He explained thatMBC remove


DIESEL fuelwas stolen froma Scania lorry parked in a lay-by onDetlingHill,Detling. Hotwater copper (cylinder) pipeswere


stolen froma home in East Street, Harrietsham. AFord Focuswas stolen fromHubbards


Hill, Lenham, despite having nowheels on. Alow-loadermust have been used for the theft, and thewheels for the vehiclewere also taken. Achild’s slidewas taken froma garden in


Kemsley Street, Bredhurst. Hand and power toolswere stolen froma


Ford Transit van parked opposite the owner’s house inMerton Road, Bearsted. Apink and black child’s pedal cyclewas


stolen fromthe back garden of a house in LambertDrive,Otham. Garden gateswere removed froma


driveway in RunhamLane, Lenham. Aparcel delivered to a property in


Ragstone Road, Bearsted,was stolen from the doorstep.


cars to a schedule of their own unless it could be shown to be a danger to traffic.He also noted the theft of themicrophones fromthe community centre and said that investigationwas still ongoing. There had been some successwith the police initiative to visit the parents of childrenwho had caused damage around the village but said thiswas a growing problem. Public issuesAmember of the public had reported that the lights onMaidstone Road near the footpath had been out for about a year. It had been reported toMBC along with another near theHamLane junction but althoughMBC had visited, the light was still out. Itwas also reported that parking on the bend, near Grovelands,was still happening butMBC and KCCwere refusing to act. Trees east of theWhite Horse on the LenhamHeath Roadwere overhanging the road and itwas feared that branchesmay fall, so itwas agreed to investigate to ascertainwho is responsible. Council vacanciesMrA Ratcliffe andMrs S Knowles expressed an interest in representing southward andwere to be co- opted at the nextmeeting,meaning there will be just one vacancy for theward. Allotment contract The draft lease contract for theHamLaneAllotmentAssociation had only been received on the afternoon of themeeting, so itwas agreed that a further meetingwith the allotment association would be required prior to finalisation of the lease. Tree planting J Boyd had started to plant trees at the cemetery, as agreed. The council had agreed to reimburse the cost of the trees. Neighbourhood plan Cllr Cocke� had a�ended ameeting regarding the neighbourhood plan. Six of the seven developers had agreed towork together to produce and fund amasterplanwhich would detail a combined infrastructure for thewhole south andwest development.A meetingwas due to be heldwithMBC to discuss the terms of a possible £75,000 grant to carry out a traffic survey for the whole village to determine the effects of the further housing. The councilwas a�empting to lobbyMBC prior to the TanyardNorth development’s approval


with li�le success, and the council’s meetingwith BTF Partnership regarding the future potential sale of theWilliamPi� Field had not yet taken place. CCTV CllrMichaelas reported that on a daywhen hewas not present there had been an urgent need to viewthe CCTV footage in the Square yet this had proved impossible. Itwas suggested that the clerk should have been contacted as the council laptop could access the footage. Van thefts Cllr Culver noted that there had been a spate of thefts fromvans parked overnight on theA20 area from Hollingbourne to Charing.He had reported a suspicious vehicle to the communitywarden but no feedback had yet been received. Data protection Cllr Osborne had a�ended the data protection seminar and said the councilwould need to reviewits practices ahead of the forthcoming legislation. Soak away CllrWalmsley hadmetwith a contractor regarding the quote for the refurbishement of the soak away in the long-termcar park.He felt that the quotes were reasonable but therewas insufficient funds in the budget to enable thework to go forward. The possibility of future section 106monies being usedwasmooted. Speedwatch Village handyman ChrisHill and Cllrs Scrivens andWalmsley had visitedWinghamParish Council on the day theyweremoving their speed indicator device and had studies howto dismantle, change the ba�ery, download the data and reinstall.MrHillwas preparing budget costings for the same at Lenhambased on changing the ba�ery every threeweeks and changing locations every nineweeks. If it was completed, the unit could be in operation as soon asApril. The first locationwas provisionally on theHigh Street between the railway bridge andHam Lane. Treeworks Itwas noted thatAspen had only taken away three of the trees on the boundary between GroomWay and the Paddocks development despite the contract being for all five. Itwas suggested the two most dangerous had been left and there could nowbe difficulty accessing the site. The clerkwas to investigate.


NeighbourhoodWatch


Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police Power tools, a battery charger and battery


pack for toolswere stolenwhen a VM Amarok pick-up parked in Boxley Road, Boxley,was broken into. ASony PlayStation,money and a gold


ringwere stolen in a break-in at a house in HortonDowns,Downswood. Ahydraulic road breakerwas stolenwhen


aMercedes van parked inWarren Street, Lenham,was broken into. The steeringwheel and dashboard of a


BMW318 parked in a driveway in Franklin Drive, Boxley,were stolen. Assorted clothing, awatch and a necklace


were stolen in a break-in at a house in Forge Lane, Leeds. Several power toolswere stolen froma Citroen Berlingo van parked in Station


Approach, Lenham. Various amounts of stainless steelwere


taken froma commercial site in Forstal Road, Boxley, by twomen driving a Ford Transit van. Agrey 67 plateMercedes C220was stolen


froma driveway in RestharrowRoad, Weavering. Asian goldwas stolen during a break-in at


a house in PennineWay,Downswood. Acaravan stolen fromOldAshford Road,


Lenham,was recovered after being found abandoned by the roadside. Awhite 16 plate Ford Transit flatbed


truckwas stolen froma driveway in AshfordDrive,Kingswood. Asheepwas attacked and injured in a field in LenhamForstal Road, Lenham.


Maidstone East April 2018 35


Parish Councils


Crime reports


Parish Councils


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