downsmail.co.uk Birling
Smart motorway Cllr Hohler confirmed that the motorway would undergo a safety audit before opening. Highways consultation A member of the public raised concerns about the bank that spills earth on to the pavement, forcing pedestrians to walk in the road. The parish council would report the obstruction to KCC. The potholes on Stangate Road would be reported. Police volunteer The article in The Pilgrims was noted. Cllr Walker was thanked for publishing the advertisement, but to date, no interest had been received. Litter pick It was decided to hold a litter pick on March 14, as part of the Great British Spring Clean. Maintenance Regarding the quote for refurbishment of the village sign, the clerk was investigating other companies that might be able to refurbish the noticeboard. VE Day Cllr Nevill was looking into what could be done to commemorate the Spitfire crash site.
Ditton
Vacancy The clerk said she had been contacted by a resident interested in joining the council and that resident was in attendance as an observer. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that Mr Rook would submit a brief resume to the clerk and could be co-opted on to the council at the next meeting. Ditton Place Cllr Mulcuck asked if there was an update on the requested site meeting about the trees in Ditton Place. The clerk said this application had been refused so a site meeting was no longer required. Waste services There were still problems with some properties that did not face onto the road. Residents should report problems online as they would be registered with the council.
School parking There had been problems in December but the infant school was taking positive action to deal with this. Community warden Sue Absolon had spoken to the borough council about asbestos by garages. She had been supporting residents with dementia and helping out at a carers’ café in East Malling. Dogs in quarry Following reports of dogs being ill after being in the quarry, the warden had carried out a detailed search and found some discarded tissues and some burnt tin foil. She had seen nothing else that could be harmful. Traffic lights There was a discussion about the frequency of the lights. It was noted that they appeared to be working more effectively. The meeting heard that the new signals would be much more advanced and react to the traffic.
Kings Hill
Co-option The clerk reported that no applications had been received by the deadline. It was agreed to advertise the vacancies with more information about
26 Malling March 2020
how the work of councillors could shape the community. Antisocial behaviour A member of the public asked whether any measures were being put in place for Halloween 2020 to deter further antisocial behaviour. It was agreed to arrange a public meeting before Easter to develop a strategy for dealing with antisocial behaviour. Waitrose It was agreed to contact local media organisations to raise the issue of the lack of pedestrian access at the front of the Waitrose store. Christmas trees Cllr Colman raised concerns about Christmas trees being left in Emerald Walk that had not been collected for recycling by the council.
Offham
Street cleaning TMBC had cleared the flytipping from the lay-by on Teston Road and emptied the litter bins. They reported that they had been concentrating on sorting out the refuse collection service. It was noted that the roads had been swept, but this was done on a wet day when the vacuum could not lift all the debris. Every gutter on Church Road was blocked and a councillor had tried to clear these. The clerk was asked to contact TMBC. Litter pick The Offham Society was thanked for completing a litter pick. It was agreed that Cllr Williams would register the parish council to take part in the Great British Spring Clean. Website Kent County Council agreed to fund the website for the first year for parishes who had used KCC’s existing website provider and moving to the new KCC website provider. The clerk would change the photos on the website and on the parish council’s facebook page. Christmas lights Cllr Rickett would source new lights for the Quintain, which are battery operated and have a timer. Cllr Marchant said the lights on the oak tree needed replacing. Fundraising It was felt that an event such as a race night helped to bring the village together, councillors wanted to ensure reserves were spend on meaningful projects. Sources of funding for a large project, such as replacing play equipment, were discussed. Landfill site The clerk was asked to report that the grass verge outside the site needed cutting, ivy was growing, the trees were overhanging and the fence was broken in a few places. Village hall The committee continued to work hard raising funds from film nights. They were looking at putting regular savings into a roof fund. Electrical checks had been carried out, with some work undertaken.
Environmental enhancement Cllr Marchant asked about solar-powered street lamps so that speed ramps could be installed to slow traffic down. Traffic calming was discussed and it was suggested that changing the gateways could help. Survey responses showed residents did not want speed humps,
build-outs or street lighting. Pond The silt had been scooped out and more work was needed to the rushes and the bank. The Pound A resident had agreed to look after the site. She had done some tidying but had been unable to carry out much work due to the weather. Recreation ground The moss on the play area surface was due to be treated. Cllr Marchant would carry out weed-killing treatment on the area outside the play area by the youth shelter and monkey bars. Cllrs Taylor and Jones had secured the memorial bench with hooks. Trees Cllr Marchant had completed the work to the oak tree and would carry out the work to the trees on Teston Road by the recreation ground. Clerk’s hours It was agreed that the clerk should be paid overtime for her extra hours. Councillors would review the hours in a few months and consider how to reduce the workload.
Ryarsh
Pitch marking Members had considered the amended contract with new pitch marking fees from Landscape Services, and it was approved. The clerk would liaise with the football team about the fees. Website Regarding the new parish council website, members considered the information and quotes and approved the move to Cantium Business Solutions, who are owned by KCC. Flooding There had been a recurrence of flooding on to the school playground, also threatening homes in Birling Road which had been flooded in July. Kent Highways investigated and found blockages in the culverts. They were issuing enforcement orders to landowners to clear the culverts to prevent further problems. Sandy Lane This is signposted as a Quiet Lane but the designation was no longer valid. There is no footpath and speed is de- restricted, making it dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Kent Highways would not fund a traffic order to reduce the speed as there was no crash data to back it up. The parish could consider putting up signs and the clerk would look into the cost. Ryarsh Park Cars travelling at speed or being driven badly were discussed. There was a discussion about additional signs and speed humps. The estate had not been adopted and was still under Redrow’s control. The parish council would discuss with Redrow the possibility of signs at the entrance and posts at the end of the footpath to stop cars driving on it. Highways The parish council was working closely with Birling Parish Council on traffic calming measures. These include changing priorities from Roughetts Road down to the Street so that those travelling from Woodgate Road would have to stop. Another proposal was to remove the first build-out past the school towards Birling – residents were generally in favour, as was the school head. A vehicle-activated speed sign was suggested, as well as signs on the
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 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
