Parish Council Minutes December 2008

The monthly West Peckham Parish Council Meeting took place on Monday 15th December 2008 at 7:30pm

Minutes of the Last Meeting:
The minutes of the last meeting, held on Monday 17th November 2008 were approved and duly signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising not covered elsewhere:

Traffic Calming Gates – One of the gates has been damaged by a vehicle. The anticipated repair cost is about £100 so M.Yearsley and R.Wright have volunteered to repair the gate once more. If the gates are damaged again within the next six months, it may be necessary to review how they are situated.

The Mereworth & West Peckham Record – Emails have been received from both M.Siggers and M.Darbyshire regarding the future of The Record and moving to an electronic/email format. C.Yearsley to email M.Siggers offering the Council’s full support for such a project and offering to help with distribution to those without access to a computer.

Taxi Voucher Scheme – K Ritchie is currently looking for a new company to replace Kings Hill Taxis.

Crime - PSCO Toni Matthews (Hildenborough, Hadlow, West Peckham & Mereworth) and PCSO Simon Liston (East Peckham and Golden Green) attended the meeting. The only reported crime this month was the theft of a satellite navigation system from a vehicle parked at Court Lodge Cottages.
There will be a meeting for all Local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators on 28th January 2008, C.Yearsley to check that P.Canning is aware of the meeting. PCSO Matthew is still unable to locate the details of two incidences in West Peckham, back in the summer. C.Yearsley to contact P.Canning to obtain the relevant crime numbers and pass these to PCSO T Matthew.

Refuse - J.Simpson expressed a concern with regard to possibility of industrial action affecting refuse collections – this will be raised with the Borough Councillors’ at the next meeting.

Church pavement (raised) – The ownership of this is still under discussion with Kent Highways.
Village Green (traffic calming/safety) – C Yearsley to confirm to Kent Highways that we would like to proceed with the Children Playing Signs and Slow marking on the carriageway. (The signs could be added to the existing Sharp Bend sign outside the village hall)

Signage (Beech Farm) – H Wooldridge to contact R King as a matter of urgency to discuss possible options. C Yearsley to contact T&MBC to see if there has been any progress with additional road signs. The Council does not wish to reduce the size of the green area as this would not necessarily resolve the problem.
Resurfacing (Stan Lane) – This is to be added to the resurfacing works list for Kent Highway Services but should be done with a surface suitable for both motorcyclists and horses.
Potholes – There are new potholes outside The Swan and also Wildbank on Forge Lane – J Simpson to report to Kent Highway Services.
Deeds of Easement
South Access Rd: M Freed and M Corfe left the meeting due to a potential interest with this matter. M Yearsley has spoken to M Corfe, M Freed (Chairman) and the Parish Council Solicitor to establish the facts and to identify possible areas for compromise and agreement. The remaining Councillors (total of 4 as H Wooldridge had already left the meeting) unanimously agreed to follow the guidance of the solicitor representing the Council and further discussions will continue with all parties.

Projects 2008/2009
Hedgerows, Trees and Walls:
Church Wall – C Yearsley confirmed that this is owned by the church. A letter from T&MBC has confirmed that there will be no special works funding for next year so M Freed asked M Corfe to advise the West Peckham PCC that they may wish to investigate other funding paths.
Parsons’ Corner – C Yearsley to get a quotation for the hedge (approx. 70 yards) to be trimmed as this cannot be done with the machine.

Footpaths and Street scene: Nothing to report

Website (M Freed): Nothing further to report.

Key Responsibilities 2008/2009

Polytunnel discussion forum
Marion Regan joined the meeting to present Hugh Lowes’ Farm Plan to the Council. M Freed thanked M Regan for coming along to the meeting. M Regan confirmed that Hugh Lowe Farm have been involved in lengthy talks with T&MBC with regard to the farm plan and are in the process of submitting a full planning application. The farm plan has been put together over a period of time and includes landscape appraisal and consultation with external experts. Hugh Lowe has approximately 532 hectares within the locality and are seeking to use polytunnels on 175 hectares in any one year. M Regan confirmed that this is the same coverage that is currently in use and that polytunnels would be erected for a maximum of 35 weeks. This is longer than the NFU guidelines of 6 months.
Simon Evans expressed concern over the landscaping issues and about the litter that is left when polytunnels are removed. M Regan agreed to take this matter on board with particular regard to the reservoir area.
M Freed asked M Regan if Hugh Lowe Farm would consider being involved in a community farming scheme? M Regan said that whilst they would look into the viability of such a scheme, that it may be difficult due to scale etc. M Freed thanked M Regan again for attending the meeting and invited Hugh Lowe Farm back for further discussions once the full planning application has been received.

H Wooldridge confirmed that the polytunnels along Forge Lane have now been taken down though this was six weeks later than the timelines recommended in the NFU guidelines. H Wooldridge also informed the Council that the polythene coverings would most likely only remain off for a period of 4 months, a shorter period than advised by the NFU guidelines. H Wooldridge agreed that for the forthcoming season he would review the length of the first row of polytunnels as this is currently less than 30m from neighbours’ boundaries, which is also not in accordance with NFU guidelines.

Welcome Pack for new residents: No further progress.

Traffic calming/signage and pedestrian safety: No further progress.

Local Needs Housing: No further progress.

Planning (M Corfe):
Permission granted - TM/08/03016/FL - Dr Simon Charlesworth, Downderry Nursery, Pillar Box lane, Hadlow, TN11 9SW.

Admin:
Clerks Expenses – Sept 08-Nov 08 - £663.60 – Approved – Cheque No 000558
West Peckham Cricket Club – Contribution towards the repair of the roller - £250 – Approved – Cheque No 000559
West Peckham PCC – Churchyard allocation - £1451 – Approved – Cheque No 000560
Annual Budget – The Precept paperwork was not received in time for the December meeting but T&MBC have agreed to extend the deadline slightly so that this matter can be finalised at the next meeting of the West Peckham Parish Council on 19th January 2008. M Freed (Chairman) and C Yearsley will meet prior to the next meeting to discuss the budget and items for discussion.

A request has been received from Age Concern Malling for financial assistance – the amount of £50 was agreed and a cheque will be raised at the next meeting.

A request for funds of £75 has been received from T&MBC for the Try Angle Awards – this will be discussed with the Borough Councillors at the next meeting.

Questions from the public:
None

The meeting closed at 10:45pm. This report is only a summary and is subject to the official minutes being ratified at the next meeting. Following this, the full minutes will then be displayed on the notice board of West Peckham Village Hall.