BROOMFIELD AND KINGSWOOD PARISH COUNCIL

Draft minutes - to be approved at the next meeting

Minutes of a Meeting of the Broomfield and Kingswood Parish Council
held at Kingswood Village Hall on Monday 3^rd March 2008.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Present:

Cllr Bob Bowker (Chair - BB) Cllr Peter Coleman (PC) Cllr Maurice Fitzpatrick (MF) Cllr Jamie Gosden (JG) Cllr Beth Hendy (Vice Chair – BH) Cllr Derek Hobson (DH) Cllr Tom Hoy (TH) Cllr Fay Rouse (FR) (8)

Sue Wotton – Clerk (SW)

Gail Gosden – Assistant Clerk / RFO (GG)

PC Stuart Thomas – Community Police Officer

11 members of the public

The Chairman asked members of the public if they had any questions or comments.

Concerns were raised by a number of local residents regarding parking on the Lenham Road especially near the new development at Greensand Ridge, and the potential for road accidents to occur.

Cllr Bowker opened the meeting of the Parish council at 8.02pm

Apologies for Absence

Cllr Evans - due to illness

Cllr Parvin - due to re-scheduled meeting

212. Personal & Prejudicial Interests

Cllr Fitzpatrick Personal Interest – Item 9, Affordable Housing

Cllr Gosden Prejudicial Interest – Item 12, Kent International Gateway

213. Minutes of the Meeting held 4^th February 2008 and Matters Arising

Cllr Hendy requested that the minutes be amended to show that in item 203(i). “Cllr Hendy left the room” to “Cllr Hendy left the room for the duration of the discussion” as she had not been shown to return at the conclusion of that item.

Cllr Hendy then proposed the minutes be accepted as a true record, seconded by Cllr Fitzpatrick and being unanimously agreed, were signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising: Min 209(ii) – Concessionary Bus Passes – Clerk has received confirmation that Arriva and Nu Venture will be amending their timetables from 1^st April 2008 on several rural services re: the 09.30 hrs deadline, including the 59 Kingswood <> Maidstone service, in order for pensioners to be able to use their Passes. Information to this effect has been posted on the Parish notice boards and Web Site.

214. Minutes of the Planning Committee Meeting Held 14^th February 2008 and Matters Arising*

Cllr Coleman proposed the minutes be accepted as a true record, seconded by Cllr Fitzpatrick and agreed by all, these were then signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising: See Min 217(i) – ‘Nine Oaks’ – the Clerk has received photographs from a local resident with a complaint about vehicular parking in Lenham Road in the vicinity of ‘Nine Oaks’.

215. Policing

(i) Police report and crime figures – PC Thomas reported the following:

5-6/02/08 – theft – Lenham Road - Hired digger stolen from building site. Chain padlocking the digger to a skip was cut.

18/02/08 – dog out of control, Pitt Road – dog out of control in a public place, bit an adult female. Dog owner known.

28/01 to 19/02/08 – Criminal Damage, Chestnut Drive– paint stripper poured onto a car. Believed to be a personal grudge.

PC Thomas advised Councillors that at the recent PACT meeting, PCSO White was quite disappointed by the low attendance by residents. However the response to the survey of local residents showed that there are 3 main areas of concern which PC Thomas and PCSO White will prioritize - speeding, parking and dog fouling. PC Thomas will carry out speeding enforcement at Lenham Road near the Sports Field area in the near future. PCSO White will supply to the local shop, free bags for parishioners to use for collecting dog excrement, and will maintain extra vigilance in the future regarding the problems of dog fouling and parking.

(ii) Neighbourhood Watch - Cllr Bowker requested that PCSO White put a message on his ansaphone informing callers of when he is available.

Cllr Bowker advised that scam phone calls are being received asking people to take out consolidation loans, thereby revealing personal details. It has further been reported that scam e-mails purporting to be from Inland Revenue are being received, that also ask for personal details. There is a DVD available for people to view offering advice pertaining to these issues. The Clerk will make this available for viewing at the Drop In on a Tuesday morning in the near future. ACTION- Clerk

216. Maidstone Borough Council

No report - apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Parvin, see above

217. Planning

Applications:

(i) MA/07/2087 - Nine Oaks, Lenham Road, Kingswood – Demolition of existing house and erection of six dwellings with associated garages and driveways – refused at Planning Committee Meeting held 14/02/08 – decision ratified

(ii) MA/07/1602 – Cherry Farm, Cross Drive, Kingswood – Erection of a double garage and link building as shown on drawings received 02/08/07 – Appeal to the Secretary of State - Approve

(ii) MA/07/2532 – Orchard Farm Nursery, Chartway Street, Kingswood – Retention of mobile home as staff shelter / rest room / shop.

Councillors agreed that insufficient detail and required more information, also that no site plan was included. It was requested these points to be forwarded to the Planning Officer concerned before making a decision. ACTION- A/Clerk

(iv) MA/08/0174 – The Whispers, Whitehall Drive, Kingswood – Erection of a single storey side/read conservatory and single storey rear extension - Approve with conditions

Conditions should apply if permission is granted, in that the management plan should take into consideration the movement of materials from the site during peak hours due to the site access being limited, at a very busy junction and adjacent to the village shop and Post Office.

(v) MA/08/0311 – 5 Charlesford Avenue, Kingswood – Erection of a single storey rear extension - No objections

Two further applications have been received since the publication of the Agenda, therefore a meeting of the Planning Sub-Committee was arranged for 3.45pm on Friday 14^th March 2008, in the car park at the Sports Field, Lenham Road, Kingswood ACTION – A/Clerk

Decisions (MBC):

(i) MA/07/1716 – Land off Cross Drive, Cross Drive, Broomfield – Erection of stables and retention of existing shingle hard standing, cess pit and electricity box (re-submission of MA/06/2292) – appeal dismissed by Planning Inspectorate on 13 Feb 2008

(ii) MA/08/0037 – 14 Chestnut Drive, Kingswood – Erection of a single storey rear extension - approved

218. Finances and Finance Officer’s Report – Report retained on file.

(i) Invoices for payment

£ Chq No

Clerk – work & expenses 20 Jan to 20 Feb 2008 599.79 385

Ass Clerk / RFO – work & expenses 20 Jan to 20 Feb 2008 727.85* 386

HMRC – Employers & Employees PAYE & NI contributions 217.08 387

Clive Stanley – Webmaster services Nov 07 – Feb 08 203.50 388

Phil Tweddell – kerbing, Broomfield Green 576.00 389

Viking – Stationery and printer ink 137.45 390

Thurnham PC – professional services to JPG re: Phase I KIG opposition 274.56 391

Cllr Coleman proposed that these payments are made, seconded by Cllr Hoy and agreed by all.

(ii) Payments for ratification

Spot Hire – deposit Pensioners’ Trip 2008 50.00 384

Cllr Coleman proposed that this payment be ratified, seconded by Cllr Hoy and agreed by all.

(iii) Other

The Assistant Clerk left the room for the duration of the discussion of the next item.

Computer, Assistant Clerk* - financial contribution. The A/Clerk had requested that the Parish Council contribute towards the cost of a new personal computer, her PC being used in excess of 50% in respect of Parish Council work. Cllr Coleman proposed that a contribution of £300.00 be made, this was seconded by Cllr Rouse and agreed by all.

One-Off bid – playground equipment – Cllr Rouse informed Councillors that a new bid needs to be submitted this month and must include updated quotes.

219. Sewage Issues and Correspondence

A letter, previously circulated to all Councillors and interested parties, dated 8^th February had been received from Southern Water’s Senior Customer Relations Advisor, Mrs J Edwards, with clarification on several comments raised by Cllr Fitzpatrick in his report dated 15^th January 2008. She confirmed that the full results of the CCTV survey are still awaited and these would be forwarded to the Clerk as soon as known.

Cllr Fitzpatrick considered that the information contained in the Southern Water letter is misleading and inaccurate. He stated that Southern Water had previously undertaken to unblock private sewers free of charge until this problem was solved, but apparently are not now prepared to fulfil this commitment. He further stated that jetting has had to be carried out only two months after the regular 6 month jetting programme because of continuing problems, although the letter of 8^th February states the last regular, 6 monthly jetting in Ashford Drive took place in October 2007. Cllr Hendy stated that this agreement was never put in writing and had been undertaken a year ago, prior to tests being carried out. Cllr Fitzpatrick then stated that the leak in Charlesford Ave is not clean water as claimed by Mid Kent Water. The Clerk again confirmed that this leakage was investigated during Southern Water’s CCTV investigations in December 2007, the results of which are still awaited. She had received no reports of blockages or problems from residents and was concerned that the Parish Council is now in the situation of being told one set of facts by Southern Water and something different by Cllr Fitzpatrick, and again reiterated that nothing further could be done until the CCTV results were received.

220. Affordable Housing

(i) Local Authority Housing List registration – Richard Hall, Rural Housing Enabler, has confirmed that everyone who had registered an interest in Affordable Housing at Kingswood would now be required to also register with his or her Local Authority– MBC. Since the survey in January 2007, new letters and forms have superseded those sent out by Jennifer Shaw, which now include this information. Mr Hall will write and send details to everyone who registered. This would not give MBC any say in who would be allocated Parish Affordable Housing.

(ii) Meeting update - Chairman and Clerk had attended a meeting at MBC on Tuesday 26^th February, with Steve Clarke - Principal Planning Officer, Architect Richard Daniels, and Orbit’s Emmanuel Ogedengbe. Mr Clarke outlined a number of issues and processes that would need to be addressed prior to the submission of a planning application, including an arboricultural report and root protection plan (re: TPO), topographical survey, design and access statements, landscaping strategy, ecological survey, surface water soak tests, sustainability (the houses would need to be Level 3 sustainable, including Eco Excellence rating), Design Statement, etc. He was aware of the sewage issue and confirmed that in addition to the topographical survey, MBC would liaise directly with Southern Water in this respect.

Richard Daniels stated that the houses would all be two-storey and built in a traditional style to fit in with the village environment. Mr Clarke had suggesting using local / Kentish materials, e.g. locally grown sweet chestnut for cladding. He stated that the proposed 30 site parking places exceeded current requirements of 1.5 per dwelling and that the additional traffic movement generated by a scheme of 18 houses would not be sufficient to require a traffic / access survey. It would be complicated for the site to be extended at a future date - an application would have to go through the Local Development Framework process and be determined by a Planning Inspector.

The Clerk was requested to arrange a meeting of the Working Group before the next PC meeting.

ACTION - Clerk

221. Tall Trees Play Area

(i) Report re: meeting with Ian Trueman at MBC on 7^th February 2008 circulated before the meeting was approved and will be retained on file

(ii) Ratification re: Ian Trueman acting on behalf of Parish Council - Cllr Coleman proposed that Mr. Ian Truman at MBC be formally appointed to act on behalf of the Parish council in drawing up the Lease Agreement for the Tall Trees area, seconded by Cllr Hendy and agreed by all.

(iii) Progress update - A/Clerk advised that as reported earlier (see item 221(i)), the Land Registry searches are awaited by Mr. Truman, and he is to confirm the arrangements for the use of the area with MBC Management Committee. A meeting with the prospective tenants is scheduled for Tuesday 11^th March, Cllrs Hendy and Evans will attend

222. Recreation & Sports Field

(i) Dog fouling - Cllr Coleman advised that an additional dog bin could not be placed at the east side of the Sports Field because the access is too far from a road for emptying purposes. The A/Clerk reported that many comments from residents suggested the fouling problem had increased since the main gates had been left permanently opened. Cllr Coleman suggested that the gates should remain open at this stage, to give access to users, and that situation be monitored. The PCSO can give out fixed penalties for dog fouling. (See Min 215)

(ii) Litter and additional signs – Cllr Coleman reported an increase in litter being dropped at the field and suggested signs be erected encouraging people to take litter home – agreed, Cllr Coleman to obtain quotes for two signs. It was also suggested that the Scouts might be willing to undertake supervised litter sweeps occasionally, for a small financial contribution to Group funds – A/Clerk to contact Scout Group Chairman to this effect. ACTION- PC & A/Clerk

(iii) Siting of goal post – it was agreed to discuss the siting of the goal posts when Councillors met at the Sports Field for Planning Meeting on 14^th March.

(iv) Trees, Wildwood Close – The A/Clerk advised Councillors that whilst carrying out contracted work on behalf of the Parish Council, Mr. J Hood, Arborist, had reported his concern to the A/Clerk regarding several dead and dying trees that could fall into the Sports Field from a private residence in Wildwood Close. Mr. Hood had been requested to remove the trees as a matter of urgency by the owner and seeks permission to access them via the Sports Field – agreed by all that this should be done asap on safety grounds.

Meeting closed for refreshment at 9.35pm, reconvened 9.50pm.

Cllr Gosden left the meeting for the duration of the discussion of the next item.

223 Kent International Gateway

(i) Report meeting 6^th February 2008

(ii) Report meeting 21^st February 2008

Both reports having previously been circulated to members, Cllr Coleman proposed that they be adopted and retained on file. Seconded by Cllr Fitzpatrick and agreed by all.

**Cllr Hoy reported that AXA are required to submit a traffic analysis for Junction 8 of the M20 and stated that at the meeting 21^st February attended by Paul Carter, Leader of KCC, he had raised the issue of the land in question re: the KIG application being excluded as a development area from the next ‘Local Development Framework’ plan.

The Clerk informed Councillors that this is the first time as many as 15 Parishes have combined to form the Joint Parishes Group, thus representing 24,000 parishioners, approximately one quarter of the total population of Maidstone Borough, to stand together on an issue such as KIG. The JPG has already proved to be both effective and value for money.

224. Roads

(i) Additional signs – The Clerk has received a report from PC Thomas showing recommended maintenance, replacement and additional signs required around the Parish - retained on file. It was suggested and agreed to await a response from KHS before deciding on any action.

(ii) Pitt Road warning signs – The Clerk informed Councillors that PC Thomas’ report included a recommendation to place horse rider warning signs at both ends of Pitt Road. She had also received confirmation of permission from Langley Parish Council to erect a horse rider sign at the north ( Ulcombe Road) end of Pitt Road.

The Clerk advised Councillors that the drains in Gravelly Bottom Road, east of Slow Hill, had only been part-cleared and despite again e-mailing KHS urging completion of this work, she had received no response.

Chartway Street had been closed in January this year without any prior notice to Kingswood residents. The Clerk, who wrote to KHS, has eventually received reply stating that as the work was undertaken in Sutton Valence, only that Parish Council and residents had been informed. This was incorrect as Chartway Street had been closed at its junction with Gravelly Bottom Road. Clerk would write again in effort to ensure a situation such as this does not recur. ACTION - Clerk

(ii) Ashford Drive / Charlesford Avenue junction – Cllr Fitzpatrick has spoken to Ben Hilden at KHS three times since the last Parish council meeting with regard to the road signing at this junction, but Mr. Hilden is still waiting for MBC to decide if they have the funds available for the changes to the signs that are required. Cllr Fitzpatrick asked whether the sign could be moved to the opposite side of the road where it would be more visible, but had been informed by Mr Hilden that this was not possible at present.

(iii) Parking issues, Lenham Road – It was agreed that the Clerk should write to KHS requesting that either yellow lines or double white lines are placed in the road to try and resolve the parking issues on the Lenham Road. The Clerk will also contact the ward Councillor Peter Parvin to engage his support in resolving this problem + copies to Lord Bruce-Lockhart - County Cllr, MBC Planning re: proximity to ‘Nine Acres’ application and PC Thomas for attention of the Traffic Management Officer. ACTION - Clerk

225. Twinning – Broomfield, Colorado

(i) Twinning signs update – Cllr Coleman informed Councillors that the proposed twinning sign has been sent to Jacobs for approval of the design. However, Ben Hilden of KHS, had queried whether the Parish Council would be prepared to meet costs of maintenance/repair of the signs if damaged. Cllr Coleman proposed that any such costs be borne by the Parish Council, seconded by Cllr Rouse and agreed by all. ACTION – Cllr Coleman

(ii) Photo Album – Cllr Rouse has now completed the photo album which was viewed by everyone. Cllr Rouse was thanked for all her hard work in producing the album and complimented on its high quality. Tea towels and copies Parish magazines would also be sent to Broomfield, USA .

226. KALC – Maidstone Area Committee Meeting 4^th March 2008

There was no-one available to attend on this occasion.

227. Parish Notice Board (Avenue Stores)

The A/Clerk expressed difficulties with regard to being able to display every notice due to lack of space and high demand. Cllr Hendy advised that it had been previously agreed that only A5 posters would

be displayed on the public section of the board. The A/Clerk will in future hold the key for this notice board and regular users will be advised that only A5 notices can be accommodated. Cllr Hoy agreed to look at the issue of rain seepage and to re–corking the inside of the notice board – damp is frequently causing condensation to form, which makes reading of notices difficult at times.

ACTION – Cllr Hoy

228. Pensioners’ Outing

The Clerk has received confirmation of group booking from Amberley Working Museum and receipt of deposit from Spot Hire re: coach re: outing on Weds 25^th June. Details / date of the trip are shown in the March edition of the K&B Village News and on the Parish Web Site, further details and booking forms will be circulated nearer the event. The Clerk advised that the cost of entrance to Amberley is £7.30 per person, wheelchair carers have free admission. The cost of the coach is £440.00.

229. Correspondence File

(i) MBC – Guide to Planning Enforcement & Planning Enforcement Case Report for B&K Parish, 1^st November 2007 to 31^st January 2008

(ii) KHS – Speed management in Kent – PIPKIN. Cllr Gosden advised that PIPKIN is the system by which decisions on funding at KHS are made.

230. Items for next Meeting’s Agenda

(i) Additional seating at the Sports Field - Cllr Coleman

(ii) Play equipment - Cllr Rouse

(iii) Missing street name sign, Morry Lane - Cllr Coleman

(iv) Condition of the entrance into Broomfield Road near Len pond – Cllr Hoy

231. Any Other Business

Cllr Hendy informed Councillors that the A/Clerk’s new computer did not include Microsoft Office and this was causing problems in sending attachments via e-mail. It was agreed that, if necessary, and if no other solution could be found, the Parish Council would supply the programme - to be ratified at the next meeting.

232. Parish Council Meetings

The next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held at Kingswood Village Hall on Monday 7^th April 2008 at 7.30pm.

There being no further business, Cllr Bowker closed the meeting at 10.48pm.