East Malling Parish Council Report


Parish Council Committees. Following the elections, new committees have been formed. David Thornewell was re-elected council chairman and Margaret Moore the vice chair. Tim Bishop is the new chair of amenities; Roger Roud allotments and open spaces; David Thornewell planning; and Mar- garet Moore finance and general purposes.


Whimbrel Green. KCC has advised there have been no objections to the registration of this land as a village green, which will give it greater protection. As soon as it has a con- venient meeting, it will report the parish’s application to its regulation committee with a view to the registration being finalised.


Gighill Green. Highways contractors have been given permission to enter across this green from Lunsford Lane to do works in respect of their “Smart Motorway Scheme”. This includes putting up a new noise fence along the motorway boundary of the green to reduce impact on homes in the Partridge Road area. It is understood a fence is also to be provided for the Willow Road area.


Overgrown Footpath at New Hythe. The public footpath running by the railway from


New Hythe Station through to Station Road, Aylesford is badly overgrown, including net- tles and brambles. This has been reported to KCC.


Development at Heath Farm, East Malling. Two applications by Liberty, developers of Kings Hill, to build houses on a field next to Heath Farm with access to Wateringbury Road, and at Warren Wood with access back into Kings Hill have both been refused by the borough council. Both sites are shown on the existing Local Plan as rural and are in the area of the proposed green belt extension in the draft plan now with the planning inspectorate for consideration. Liberty argued these were the last two sites they owned at Kings Hill suitable for development and should be permitted as the council no longer has a five year supply of housing land as now required by the government. It is possible they will appeal to the planning inspectorate.


Liberty also put forward three sites within Kings Hill, that are currently proposed for employment land, to be used for housing. They argued there is no demand for new office blocks for which these sites were originally intended and were in effect


West Malling Parish Council Report


Richard Byatt. Councillors were shocked and saddened to hear the news of Councillor Richard Byatt’s recent unexpected death. Richard was a very popular and hardworking chairman of our planning committee, and an enthusiastic defender of the uniqueness of West Malling. He was a very active member of the Green Party, keen ‘birder’, and very efficient organiser for local bike rides in Kent and France. The Council will be discussing a suitable way to mark his life in West Malling.


Chris Gosney. We are also sorry to be losing Chris Gosney, as he is retiring as chairman of the village hall management Committee. Chris has given extraordinary service to the hall over many years obtaining Hallmark 3 accreditation for the hall’s facilities and condition, and carrying out many repair, improvement and decorating jobs himself. He was also awarded a Kent Association of


Local Councils Community Award in recog- nition of his work.


Village hall car park. Councillors have approved further work to the village hall car park with extra ragstone blocks, a tam- per proof alarmed padlock, and a height restriction bar to help prevent further gypsy or traveller incursions.


Boots chemist. The council has passed on to Boots chemist shop some residents’ complaints about long queueing times as a result of the retail till not being manned, and concerning some prescriptions going astray when ordered with the surgery for collection from the Boots Pharmacy.


Macey’s Meadow. The annual Blossom Picnic was held in Macey`s Meadow, West Malling, on Sunday May 12. The event


attracted a large number of families, who were able to enjoy the lovely weather and it raised over £400, which will help to support the ongoing maintenance and improvement of Macey`s Meadow, for the benefit of the local community. A quiz was organised for the children and there was live music and a bee-keeping demonstra- tion. As always, the cake stall proved to be particularly popular. Thanks are due to the volunteers, who helped to make it a very successful day. The next event is the Applefest, which is scheduled for Saturday, October 5.


Volunteer at Macey’s Meadow. Help keep the meadow looking lovely, our upcoming volunteer dates are July 27, August 10 and August 24, between 10 and noon. Please contact the parish council clerk on 01732 870872 for more details.


“brown field”. The borough says it wishes to keep the sites for employment use to meet government targets and it would not be satisfactory to mix housing into an area already with offices on adjoining land.


Forty Acres, East Malling. These fields lie between the A20 at Larkfield and Lucks Hill, with the footpath crossing them to West Malling station. It seemed at an earlier stage a planning application would be made, but it did not materialise. However, the first steps towards such an application have now been made. Again, this is land within the proposed extension of the green belt intended to keep East and West Malling separate.


Footpath to Four Acres, East Malling. Volunteers have cleared this path from Rocks Road as far as Four Acres houses. Some of the street lights need repair, and this is being dealt with by the parish coun- cil. These are among the few remaining parish lights; most are now a Kent County Council matter.


David Thornewell Chairman.


LOCAL CONTACTS


Trudy Dean, Malling Action Partnership chairman E: trudy.dean@kent.gov.uk T: 01732 843 119 Citizens Advice Bureau – T: 01732 440488 Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council main switchboard – T: 01732 844522


Pothole reporting – T: 08458 247800


Travel Enquiries Nu-Venture Buses – T: 01622 882288 Trains – T: 08457 484950 Arriva Buses – T: 0871 200 22 33


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