downsmail.co.uk Bredhurst
Allotments A draft policy based on that used by Boxley PC had been formulated. This was agreed with minor amendments regarding the maximum distance a plot holder could live from the parish. Play equipment The quotes ranged from £11,000 to £17,000. The best in terms of price and design was Playdale. To remain in budget some work needed to be done either by the parish council or a local contractor to remove potholes, platforms, fixings and eight log steps, supply a skip for the waste, and shorten a tree branch. It was agreed to accept the Playdale quote of £10,999 and to accept the £10,000 funding fromMaidstone Borough Council, with the remaining £1,000 already pledged by the parish council. It was agreed to pay up to £500 for the remaining work. CllrMerrick had freed up the shackles and would replace them. This split log has no further deterioration. CllrMerrick had replaced the plastic caps on the underside of the toddler swing. The rubber cover on the main swing was worn. CllrMerrick had repaired it temporarily but this would need replacing in the spring, at a cost of approximately £50. The goal post holes need capping. Playing field The updated lease had been received but no updated Heads of Terms and there was still uncertainty over the responsibility of maintaining the fence behind Fir Tree Grove. It was agreed to postpone signing until these matters had been clarified. It was also noted that the documents needed signing in the presence of a solicitor, who would charge for this. Bollard Cllr Carr reported the bollard on the build-out that has been knocked over, and would report the bollard missing from Forge Lane. Bonfires An email was received from a resident regarding noise and bonfires in Blind Lane. The resident has been advised to speak to the perpetrator in the first instance and failing that, to contact MBC enforcement. Grass cutting Two quotes had been received, but one was significantly higher than the other. It was agreed to accept the quote from Barge, and to ask if they could do one cut of the field and village green immediately, in addition to the contract. Itwas agreed towrite to the present contractor to terminate their agreement.
Broomfield & Kingswood
Pre-school Regarding the possibility of moving the pre-school to the primary school site, the executive head teacher had said this might not be possible as the land belonged to KCC and all the classrooms were in use. KCC would not grant permission for as nursery as the school did not have a maintained
34 Maidstone East January 2019
nursery. Ulcombe village hall was suggested as an alternative site, or a pre- fab building on the school field. It was agreed to write to the education officer supporting a pre-school move to the school School buses There was concern about the length of the journey and that the buses were often late. In addition, the buses were old and dirty. The chairman had attended a meeting about the pilot bus scheme, where they were advised that efforts were being made to change the route back to the previous one and cut out the Coxheath journey. It was resolved that parents would write letters along with the school heads. The letters would be sent to the parish council and would be sent on with a covering letter. Sports fieldMBC had provided £20k in match funding, some of which would be used for shading around the picnic benches. Cllr Friend and the RFO would consider the location of tree planting. Regarding the gate, it was agreed that a sign should be put up saying the car park was open from dawn to dusk. The opening and closing of the gate would be considered in the Action Plan. Crime figuresAluminium had been stolen from a field in Gravelly Bottom Road. A stone thrown at the Broomfield notice board had broken the glass. A polycarbonate replacement had been ordered.A window had been broken with a catapult at a house in Broomfield Road, and tools were stolen from a van in Cayser Drive. Community centre The meeting heard that if an extension was built to the village hall, the parish council would have to pay an annual sum until the loan was paid off, but the extension would belong to the village hall committee. It was agreed that this did not make good sense. Parish office It was agreed that a site needed to be bought for a parish office. This could also provide a meeting room to be let out, and a pop-up coffee shop. It was agreed to write to the owner of a local business expressing an interest, should the property come on the market. GDPR Three councillors were still to action their new email addresses. It was agreed to work towards paperless working. GDPR-compliant contact details would be used on the parish website and it was agreed not to use social media other than the Swap Shop. CCTV It was agreed that wifi should not be installed as it was too expensive. The village handyman would instead be asked to make regular checks on the CCTV. Pensioners’ outing Due to lack of interest it was agreed that parish events should replace the outing. A summer event in the sports field and a more formal event would be considered in the Action Plan. Broomfield GreenMembers heard that
the area was not registered to anyone. The Diocese of Canterbury was talking to lawyers about areas of unregistered land next to churches. It was agreed that if the church did not want to register it, the parish council would if possible. Christmas lunch It was agreed that this would be considered when producing the Action Plan for 2019/20.
Hollingbourne:
Grass cutting CllrWard confirmedMr Dave Skinner will be sorely missed by the Parish Council and villagers as he carried out a lot of horticultural work in the village. The clerk will liaise with theMeadows Trust to see if they can offer assistance in cutting grass around the playground and verges. Parking PCSO Daniel Genn attended the school to ensure drivers did not park on double yellow lines, with only one driver requiring correction. The school is attended by the police on a semi-regular basis to help prevent parking on zig-zag lines or in other unsafe positions. Parking The parish council sent a letter to every household in the Broad Street with regards to the parking of vehicles in a passing place. Various emails and letters had been returned to the clerk. It was thought that a direct letter to the vehicle owner might be more efficient, advising them not to park in the passing place. Speedwatch CllrWard was in full approval of the Speedwatch initiative and to date there were four village residents keen to help out. Speed survey The report submitted to the parish council showed that speeding was excessive through the village and that Speedwatch would be a good initiative. Extra measures needed to be adopted via the Highways Plan, which was to be submitted to KCC. Additional cables have been recently installed in the village but these have not been arranged by the parish council. Parks Committee CllrMarshall had passed details of appropriate herbicides onto the villager who was able to assist in cleaning out theMillennium Park pond, with a view to carrying out the necessary work. FeteA finalising meeting would be arranged for this year’s fete, and a new date set for 2019. The meeting would be held on a day within the week when more members of the Fete Committee were available to attend. Byway It was brought to the Parish Council’s attention that the byway opposite the entrance to Hospital Road was really in a bad state with deep mud and was difficult to walk along. The Clerk would contact KCC with regards to the matter and liaise with Public Rights ofWay.
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