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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF STOCKBURY PARISH COUNCIL Held in Stockbury Village Hall on Wednesday 19th March 2014 at 7.30pm.

Present: Cllrs: Cockett Mace Porter Tomsett Woods

In attendance: Mrs Sherrie Babington – Clerk and members of the public.

The meeting was Chaired by Parish Cllr Dave Tomsett.

1. Apologies. Apologies were received from Parish Cllrs Adams and Cathcart, Borough Council Daphne Parvin and County Councillor Jenny Whittle.

2. Declaration of Interests. No interest were declared.

3. Minutes of the Previous Meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by Cllr Mace and seconded by Cllr Woods and agreed by all present subject to a minor alteration.

4. Matters arising from the Minutes. Local Needs Housing – Cllr Porter reported that the PC letter regarding the allocation of the Local Needs Housing had not been sent to KM and he explained the reasons for this. He stated that a copy of this had been sent out to all parishes as agreed.

School Bus – Cllr Porter reported on this matter. He stated that he had been in contact with Jenny Whittle and at present this looked positive. A resident attended the meeting and spoke regarding an email received from KCC Cllr Jenny Whittle concerning the reinstatement of the school bus service. She stated that she was now awaiting further clarification and details regarding this.

5. Notices of reports from External Meetings. No matters were reported.

6. Consultation on the Meeting Agenda. a. Members of the Public. No matters were raised.

b. Parish Councillors. Cllr Cockett – Gypsy Sites. Cllr Cockett – White Horse Woods.

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7. Police Report. No Police were in attendance at the meeting and no report was given.

The Chairman gave a Neighbourhood Watch report. He informed members that there had been two break-ins along Road.

Meeting with the Police Commissioner – The forthcoming meeting with Ann Barnes on 4 April 2014 in the Village Hall was discussed. It was agreed that Cllr Woods would draft an agenda for this meeting and circulate to all members. Action: Cllr Woods to progress.

8. Highways Matters. Cllr Woods spoke regarding the 7.5 tonne limits within Stockbury. He stated that KCC had recently put up signs at the end of the limits and these had been put in the wrong place. He stated that Cllr Cathcart had been in contact with KCC and was due to have a site meeting to discuss this.

9. Planning Matters. a. Applications Received. MA/14/0377 Little South Street Cottage, South Street Road, Stockbury. Listed Building Consent for the erection of a single storey extension and alterations to fenestration. No objections was raised to this application.

b. Appeals and decisions. 13/2154 FIELD ADJACENT RUMSTEAD LANE, STOCKBURY VALLEY, STOCKBURY, KENT An application for the erection of a free standing advertisement as shown on unnumbered plan, application form and block plan received 13th December 2013 and site location plan received 31st December 2013. Refused

14/0012 TWINACRE, HILL GREEN ROAD, STOCKBURY, , KENT, ME9 7UN Conversion and extension to existing garage to form annex as shown on drawing no.14/0051 and a Site location plan received on 06/01/14. Approved/Granted with Conditions

Burger Van – Cllr Porter stated that if Kent Highways had not objected to this application on highways grounds, that there was a little point in the Parish Council attending the MBC Planning Committee meeting. This was discussed and it was agreed that this matter would be considered further when a meeting date was available.

Gypsy and Traveller sites – Cllr Cockett spoke regarding the gypsy and traveller sites identified in the Local Plan. He raised concerns at the number of pitches within Stockbury and the additional allocations identified in the Local Plan. It was agreed that the Parish Council would consider this matter during the Public Consultation period commencing for six weeks on 21 March 2014.

White Horse Woods – Cllr Cockett spoke regarding his concerns at the proposals to make the White Horse Woods into a Green Burial Site. He spoke regarding the history of this site and the lack of notification given to the Parish Council and residents regarding the recent Public Exhibition.

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The Chairman stated that an A249 Action Group meeting was due to take place in the near future and this matter would be discussed at this meeting.

10. Financial Statement. a. Statement of Accounts. The Statement of Accounts was circulated to all members and noted.

b. Cheques for Signature. The cheques for payment were proposed by Cllr Woods and seconded by Cllr Mace. These were then signed by two members of the Parish Council.

11. External Reports. a. Parish Councillors. Cllr Porter reported on the progress of the Orchard, he stated that this was looking positive and it was being supported by the Kent Downs Group. He reported that they now had 1200 hedging plants to hedge the bottom boundary of the Orchard and he proposed 26/27th April as a date for the planting event. This was agreed by all members and Cllr Porter stated that he would place an article in the Stockbury Observer to advertise this. Action: Cllr Porter to progress.

b. Kent County Councillors Report. Apologies were received from KCC Councillor Jenny Whittle.

c. Maidstone Borough Councillors Report. Apologies were received from MBC Councillor Daphne Parvin.

12. Correspondence. The Chairman reported that correspondence had been circulated regarding a water main replacement along Bimbury Lane and the Aerodrome Slip Road.

Consultation Kent Freedom Pass with a Young Persons Travel Pass All details may be accessed via the following link: http://consultations.kent.gov.uk/consult.ti/TravelPass/consultationHome

13. Stockbury Orchard. No further matters were raised.

14. Footpaths. The Chairman spoke regarding footpaths and the recent developments regarding the Definitive Map. He asked members to bring any variations in footpath routes to the attention of the Footpath Officer, Mr Jim Davey.

He stated that KCC were due to send the new Definitive Map to Parish Councils and he asked the Parish Clerk to liaise with KCC regarding this matter. Action: Clerk to progress.

15. Parish Plan/Neighbourhood Plan. Cllr Porter informed members that he was hoping to issue a questionnaire to residents in June/July 2014.

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He stated that the Parish Council needed consider the impacts of the Local Plan when considering this questionnaire.

16. Annual Parish Assembly. It was agreed that the date for the Parish Assembly would be 28th May 2014. Cllr Porter stated that he would liaise with Village Organisations. Action: Cllr Porter to progress.

17. Any Other Business. a. Raised by the Public. No matters were raised.

b. Raised by Parish Councillors. Members discussed the access into the village when the A249 was closed for incidents and maintenance. It was agreed that this matter would be raised at the meeting with the Police Commissioner on 4 April 2014.

Cllr Porter spoke regarding the maintenance of the Parish. He suggested that an article was placed in the Stockbury Observer by the Editor to ask for assistance with the clearance of litter in the Parish. This was discussed and agreed by all present.

18. Date of next Meeting. 15th April 2014.

There being no further business to discuss the meeting was closed to the press and public at 8:20 PM.

Signed ______

Dated ______