downsmail.co.uk Bredhurst


Resignation Cllr Hales had resigned and was thanked for his support. The vacancy, whichwas advertised in July, could be filled by co-option. Itwas agreed to co-opt the fourth applicant fromthe previous round of co-option inMarch. Cllr Claire Sharp therefore joined themeeting. Police news Speed guns are now operational and checkswill be carried out periodically. Fly-tipping had decreased and residents are encouraged to use the Country Eye app to report any issues. Meeting venue Itwas agreed to hold futuremeetings in the church as the school was only available until 8pm. Itwas agreed to donate £75 each to the school and the church. Play equipment The funding application had been submi�ed toMBC and although the supplier had changed the quote so that the projectwas £360 over budget, itwas hoped to bring this down again. The shackleswould be replaced by Cllr Merrick as part of the parish council’s volunteer contribution. Villagemaintenance Landscape Services were continuing to cut the grass but not strim.A quote had been received from Barge for the remaining twomonths of the season. Itwas agreed to look at the quotes again for next year. The hedge cu�ing would start as soon as possible. Village show Cllr Carr organised the show,whichwas a great success and took more than £700. Thankswere expressed to the parish council for use of the field and residentswere encouraged to submitmore entries next year. Cllr Carrwas thanked for herwork. Speed concerns The school governors had emailed about speed limits and traffic within the village and a response sent. It was agreed to informthe school of the forthcoming police speed checks. Field lease Bredhurst Village Hall Commi�ee had enquired about taking over the lease of the field. The parish council had agreed to renewthe lease and had beenworkingwith Savills on the wording of the lease,whichwas nearly ready for signing, so thiswas not an option.


Broomfield andKingswood


Crime reportAwindowhad been broken at a home in Holly Tree Close. WWImemorial bench Itwas agreed that two benches should be installed at the Sports Field. If possible, one should be placed near the noticeboard on Cayser Drive and the other in the sports field. The shop owner should be contacted for permission. Bolts that cannot be undone should be used in the installation. Kingswood Schoolwould be advised that the bencheswere to be bought. Sport FieldA funding application for £20,000 had been applied for. The installation of a clothing bankwas discussed and itwas decided not to proceed. Itwas agreed that the handyman would carry out checks as part of his weekly inspection.


34 Maidstone East November 2018


ASWINTERfastapproaches, the clockswindbackanhourat2amonSunday,October28,mean- ingwe all get a longer lie-in. All around us in this corner of Kent, the trees are taking on a golden hue or carpeting our


open spaces with leaves. This photowas taken on The Green in Bearsted. Picture by Jade Schopman


Village sign Itwas agreed that the planter at the junction of Duck Pond Lane, Gravelly Bo�omRoad and Broomfield Roadwould bemoved to in front of the fingerpost and the village signwould be erectedwere the planterwas. The handymanwould be asked tomove the planter.Maidstone Signswould erect the sign. Community centre The amenity survey had brought in 61 responses.Another emailwould be sent to residents reminding themto complete the survey. TreemaintenanceA tree protection order applicationwas still to be submi�ed for the Sports Field.A le�erwould be sent to the leaseholder at Tall Trees advising that the council had agreed to replacements. Treecyclewould then be asked to quote for supplying and planting a replacement tree. Email addresses Councillorswere reminded that in light of GDPR, they needed to activate their newparish council email addresses and advise the clerk accordingly.


Downswood


Congratulations The clerkwas congratulated on the birth of her second grandchild andwas presentedwith flowers.Mr Noycewas congratulated on his 80th birthday and presentedwith a rose bush. Hewas thanked for hiswork li�er-picking in the parish. Lier-pickingMr Noyce said the situation was improving,with less li�er being dropped. Bins should nowbe emptied on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cigare�e bu�s were again being dropped fromthe balcony behind the Spires Shops, and several 25l oil drums had appeared. The clerkwas to report the issue to Caxtons. The number of foxes in the area had increased and itmight beworth considering fox-proof bins. Football pitchesAn email had been received fromamember of the public about the quality of the pitches at Mallards. The enquirywas passed to landownerMBC, and a reply said the


groundsmanagerwould visit to assess the pitches.Mr Leaf, fromMPE, said the hot summer had resulted in some deep cracks. The clubwas planning to buy some topsoil to fill the cracks. Notice boards CllrWeeks advised the meeting that the notice boards had arrived andwere due to be installed. The cost of installationwas £25 per board.Weedkiller had been applied to the area around the Spires board, and it had beenmulched, ready to plant up in November.Amap had been commissioned by CllrWeeks whichwould cost £30-40. Cllr Rajaratnam was thanked for his research into the history of Downswood. Thewording would be fi�ed around themap. CCTV The camera had been installed and wasworking, but it had been necessary to postpone the demonstration/training meeting until September. Signage for the fencewould be provided by NT Security. Garden competition The decision of the judge fromthe Po�ed Gardenwas as follows: First place, 32 Horton Downs; Second place 19 Reinden Grove; Third place 20 Church Road. The runners up were 27 Reinden Grove, 20 Reinden Grove and 8 PennineWay. MallardsWay Cllr Newton saidMBC had concerns about youth huddles andwould normally only install themif the area had proven issueswith youths. The clerkwas to askMBC if theywould grant permission for a huddle at the bo�omof the zigzag slope, opposite the baseball hoop. PCSO Turner intimated that shewould be in favour of a huddle. KCC had still not repaired the tarmac at the roundabout. The clerkwas to chase this up. Olympicnic This eventwas a great success, and the zimmer frame races had been particularly popular. The face- paintingwas considered good value as 100 faceswere painted. Itwas agreed that not having a burger stall did not detract from the event. Newsleer Following discussion itwas agreed to discontinuewith paid adverts and only accept these fromnon-profit making organisations.


Parish Councils


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