downsmail.co.uk Chart Suon


Police reportAburglary had been reported, but this appeared to have been a neighbour issue and the stolen itemwas returned.A parishioner reported the theft of red diesel fromfarmmachinery, and it seemed that the thieves had returned the following night to steal themachine, but it had been removed as a precautionarymeasure.An abandoned lurcher had been found and reported to the authorities. Communitywarden Liz Lova reported on the VoluntaryWarden Scheme. She asked for a donation fromthe parish council towards amonthly coffeemorning for parishioners. The clerkwas asked to put this on the agenda for consideration. LorryWatch CllrWaring had discussed the schemewith Leeds Parish Council,who had abandoned the scheme due to lack of support fromthe police. Borough Cllr Munford said hewould add this to his list for discussionwith theMP.He added that KCCwasworking on a route plannerwhich would encourage lorries to take preferred routes. Brishing Road Residents of two coages in the Brishing Road and Chart Road had been having problemswithHGVs and farm vehicles driving too close to their homes. KCC had put in double kerbs butwould not fund anything else for private dwellings. It was agreed to approach CllrHotson for money fromhismember’s grant for ‘Unsuitable forHGV’ signs and traffic bollards,which the parish councilwould be willing tomatch fund. PavilionDuring the summer, Peter Underdown had re-painted and cleaned the pavilion ready for the football season.He had also repaired two of the parish noticeboards. Itwas agreed to pay him£100 for hiswork. Village greenMembers considered the offer fromPeterUnderdown to treat the pole of the village signpostwithwood preserve and agreed that this should be carried out.Other work that needed doing includedmoving the sleeper/steps into the northwest corner, replacing broken posts, trimming hedges and a general tidy-up. Crocus bulbsMembers agreed a request fromThe Rotary InternationalOrganisation to repeat last year’s exercise of planting crocus bulbs in the village, to highlight the campaign for eradication of polio across the world. CCTVupgrade Three quoteswere considered, taking into account annual maintenance costs, additional expected costs and existing CCTV at the village hall. Itwas agreed to accept the quote fromBrooke Security, and to use the S137 budget to pay for it. Road surface Cllr Forknall reported that the road surface on theHertsfield Bridge on ChartHill Roadwas breaking up and sinking. The clerkwas asked to report this to the highways department. Councillors’ reports Reports of an inconsiderate residentwould be passed on to CommunityWarden Liz Lova. The textile bank had beenmoved. The village hall had a newcooker.Atree surgeon would be contacted about the oak at the village hall,whichwas unhealthy.


36 Maidstone Weald October 2018 Coxheath


Noticeboards The clerk had identified a potential replacement noticeboard through Greenbarnes Ltd but the items cost £500 each. Itwas agreed thatMaidstone Borough Councilwould be approached the see whether they could provide replacement frontages, given their refurbishment of the village centre notice board. Scouts The clerk contacted the group Scout leader regarding the decision to offer financial support to the scout hut refurbishment project. Street names Susan Francis atMaidstone Borough Council agreed the following names should be recommended for the LindenMeadows development:GalaWay, Rubens Court, JamesGrieveMews, BraeburnDrive, Saturn Road andMeridian Close. HamiltonHouse CllrDown expressed concern at the rubbish in the immediate vicinity ofHamiltonHouse, some ofwhich was suspected to have fallen fromoverhead guers.He felt that the owners of the property should be reminded of their responsibilities. Street lighting Cllr Bird reported that the street lights at the southern end of Stocke Lane had been upgradedwith LEDlights. Village post box Cllr Parker suggested that a direct approach to the seniormanagement of RoyalMail should bemade, seeking the refurbishment of the post-box in the village centre. Lier CllrDown reported that two volunteers had come forward to join the teamof lier pickers. Commemorative seat Cllr Parker said the commemorative seat outsideHoly Trinity Church should be re-oiled towithstand harshweather. Itwas agreed that the clerk shouldmake arrangementswith SWYorke and Sons. Newclerk Recruitment for someone to replace the clerk,who had retired,was consideredwith a newcontract, job description and draft advertisement. Community centre CllrMrs Pagemetwith MBC and said the village centre street furniture refurbishmentwas progressing well. The issues discussedwere: the possibility of introducing a further bollard outside the charity shop; the need to replace the bollardmissing fromthe entrance of the HamiltonHouse car park; the need to add a bench at The Beacons to the refurbishment list, and the outstanding need for amap of street furniture, especially bins throughout the village. YouthAn invoicewas submied to the secretary in respect of pitch hire fees, amounting to £475. Itwas also noted that informal discussionswere heldwith the chairman and the secretary of the junior football club over the possibility of developing an artificial pitch in themiddle field. Memorial plaque The cost of the plaque for the commemorative stone outsideHoly Trinity Churchwas estimated at under £5,000. Dog controlMBC consulted residents about the possibility of introducingmeasures to combat irresponsible behaviour by dog owners.


Dogwaste bins RIP Cleaning Services noted that the charge for emptying dog waste binswould increase by 50p per bin per visit. Thiswas considered reasonable. Traffic volumeMichelleHutchinson called the parish council regarding unacceptable high volumes of traffic using Forge Lane. Audit reportsDavid Bucke had contacted various parish councils, including Coxheath, to apologise for the delay in submiing this year’s internal audit reports. The delaywas caused by personal family problems. Play area inspectionMaidstone Borough Council Safety Inspector reported the need to repair a gate spring holder and to replace a shackle bush on the junior swings. ScamwarningsDoorstep criminals had been selling household cleaning products. Therewere reports ofmis-sold lease agreements for park home sites,whereby members of the publicwere told they could live on a site for 12monthswhen the maximumis only 10months. Bogus callers had been claiming to represent SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors andAirmen Families Association).


East Farleigh


Railway The clerk received a reply from Southeastern railway, saying that the possibility of a timetable change to avoid a two-train situation at the level crossing would be considered. McDonald’s The clerkwrote toMcDonald’s about amobile lier patrol but had had no response. Lollipop systemAresident suggested a lollipop systemfor pedestrians using the bridge,whereby they take a lollipop as they walk acrosswhichwarns drivers that a pedestrian is there. They then leave it in a box at the other side for the next person to use. Parking Car parking at the end of Kilnbridge Close, at its junctionwith Lower Road,was deemed dangerous. Air qualityMembers agreed that they need diffusion tubes tomonitor air quality near theHorsewash at the Bull crossroads near the triangle. Flood plan CllrsHussein andWilson workedwith JennyNewnhamat the EnvironmentAgency on doing a dry run of the flood plan. The flood pod had been moved to a dangerously inaccessible position and itwas agreed to arrange a new site. Defibrillator The clerk had ordered square pads and a prep kit for theOld SchoolHall defibrillator.Aquotewas received fromthe CommunityHeartbeat Trust for the installation of a defibrillator in theGallants Lane phone box. The unlocked optionwas £1,650. Village car park Cllr Peter Beasley felt the weed growth needed doing urgently and Pearson’s had been contracted to do it for £588. Footpaths The clerkwas asked to re-report the damaged gate onKM38 near The Horseshoes. SpeedwatchAnewportable speed indicator device had been in operation at the East Farleigh Club site andwould bemoved to a newlocation. Just under 400 vehicleswere observed, 35were reported for speeds over


Parish Councils


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