Badgers Mount Community News Autumn 2019 Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Broke Hill Golf Course – An outline application Badgers Mount Community News, created jointly has been submitted to SDC for what the developers by your Parish Council and Residents Association are now calling Stonehouse Park for up to 850 (BMRA). residential plus 180 retirement properties making a total of 1030 dwellings, shops, restaurants/cafes, In the past, you have received separate news- 40,000 sq. ft of offices, a primary school with letters from the Council and the BMRA. They have sports fields, 4 hockey pitches and 4 rugby pitches often contained similar information and dropped with clubhouses plus a car park for the station. through your door within weeks of each other but The application number is 19/02616/OUT and 158 not any more! We aim to provide a single source documents have been submitted, many of which of updates from now on all things Badgers Mount appear to be very technical. related and also, when possible, what is happening in the wider community too. Comments must be submitted to SDC by 25th October 2019. The Parish Council has objected We hope that having a joint newsletter will to the application. You can view the application be the first step towards uniting the parts of the on the Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) website community which are divided by the Orpington either directly or via the Planning Applications tab Bypass (see the Neighbourhood Plan update on the village website below). http://www.badgersmount.net/planning and Your Parish Council, Residents Association search under the Halstead applications. This and the Badgers Mount Road Maintenance application has four times as many houses as Fund (BMRMF) have been undertaking other joint Badgers Mount and will significantly breach the ventures too in recent months which you can read Green Belt buffer between Halstead & Badgers about further on in this newsletter. Mount and Greater London. Badgers Mount Parish Good News! Council News We are pleased to be able to let you know that we were able to save £250 of Parish Council money www.badgers-mountpc.co.uk during our annual audit this year. [email protected] Neighbourhood Plan Steering Planning Group Update The Parish Council is consulted on all planning applications for new buildings and extensions There have been 8 meetings of the Neighbourhood to existing properties. The plans are carefully Plan Steering Group to date and we have started examined and comments submitted to Sevenoaks to work with our chosen Planning Consultants, District Council (SDC), incorporating, where O’Neill Homer. We are currently assessing ideas appropriate, neighbour comments. and will present them to the residents – you the readers – in the near future when we have some Two recent applications of significance to the coherent proposals. To date, a number of points area, both in neighbouring Halstead are:- have surfaced: Bluebell Cemetery, Old London Road – The community is currently divided into 3 or 4 Extension to the chapel to become a crematorium. separate groups by the local geography; there is no Along with many residents of Badgers Mount recognised centre and Halstead we objected to this on a number There is probably no way we can avoid of grounds including change of use and the development in our Parish statement from the owners of the Oak Tree Farm site saying that they are about to start The ‘What is Good – What is Bad’ exercise – see construction of their crematorium in accordance the community website – produced a number of ideas with the earlier approval and there in no necessity for future improvements including a village centre for two only about a mile apart. A decision is including a playground, shop and meeting place such imminent. as a café. One possible way ahead would be to merge the F M Conway site development into a new village FAQs contin... plan, adding a playground and central area facilities to the houses already proposed. Any such development Are there limits on what we can would need to be fully integrated into the community, specify in a Neighbourhood Plan? with attention paid to ensuring safe crossings over the A224 Orpington Bypass which currently splits our Yes. It cannot overrule the Sevenoaks community in half. District Council Local Plan which is currently up for approval. The exact boundaries The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group meets between a District Local Plan and a Parish on the 3rd Thursday of each month in the Memorial Neighbourhood Plan are currently a matter Hall after the Parish Council Planning Meeting which for negotiation. starts at 7:30 pm. Your ideas and comments are important please come and talk to us. Neighbourhood Plan Community Badgers Mount Residents Vision Meeting Association News You have chosen to live in Badgers Mount and www.badgersmount.net we hope this means you are interested in the [email protected] future of our community. We are planning a meeting for all residents Tree Safety Work on Thursday, 30th January 2020 in the Memorial Following a number of incidents where fallen Hall. The aim of the meeting is to create a vision trees in Badgers Mount have caused power of the future of Badgers Mount. We recognise disruption and property damage, the BMRA that we can’t stop development but this is YOUR called in local arboriculturalists to carry out safety opportunity to have your say and help us to inspections of the trees lining our unadopted develop a Neighbourhood Plan that secures a roads. successful future of our community. It is inevitable that change is going to happen and we need to be a part of it and make it work for us. The meeting will start at 8.00 pm and light refreshments will be provided. If you would like to attend but need a lift, please book in with our Clerk – we will be happy to help you! FAQs As a result of their findings, a Tree Preservation on the Neighbourhood Plan Order works approval was obtained and work commenced on felling the identified trees that Why have a Neighbourhood Plan? were dead, together with the removal of branches It gives us a legal say in local planning from trees that were considered to be a danger. matters. Developers can only go against When the work was completed, the resultant constraints in a Neighbourhood Plan if they logs were stacked within the verge as a haven for are able to convince a Planning Enquiry that wildlife and for use of local residents. However, the constraints should be set aside. within a couple of days of the work being finished an unidentified vehicle and trailer was seen in the What sort of things can a road and in the blink of an eye the driver and his Neighbourhood Plan affect? chums removed ALL of the logs! Regrettably the We can dictate maximum housing registration number of the vehicle wasn’t recorded, densities – think off-street parking but whoever they were, they will no doubt be a lot leaving the roads clear. Also, a preferred warmer (and richer) this winter! mix of housing types – not just large The tree safety family homes but smaller properties work was carried out suitable for first-time buyers and ‘empty- on behalf of the BMRA nesters’ down-sizing but remaining in the for the protection of community. We can also require that the residents and we thank character of the housing etc remains in the Parish Council for character with the existing community. assisting with a one- We can require that community aspects off financial donation are included in Development planning. towards half the overall cost. 2 Christmas Fair You are also invited to join us at the following: Sunday 17th November [email protected] Wine tasting with [email protected] cheese, on Saturday 30th November 7pm During this special evening we will taste 12 carefully selected wines including: Reds, Whites, Rosé and Sparkling. Cheese and Bread are included. Tickets must be purchased in advance, so The BMRA are hosting a Christmas Fair at the that we ensure enough wine for everyone. Memorial Hall on Sunday 17th November from A minimum of 24 people are required to 1.00pm until 4.00pm. It will be free entry and we ensure that the evening will go ahead. So hope to attract a good deal of our Badger’s Mount please book now! residents, so come along and support your local The event will be held at the Badgers Mount community. Memorial Hall on 30th November at 7pm, with the tasting at 7.30pm. Funds raised from the event will go to help Tickets us with organising other social events in the £15 coming year. There will be a variety of stalls with local crafts people including a candle maker; a wood turner; chocolatier with delicious handmade chocolates; a variety of honey products; handmade cards; Christmas wreaths Contact Zena (with a difference); on 07528780791 All over 18’s welcome hand knitted items; or email children’s felt Christmas [email protected] decorations; children’s to book your tickets! bags; a local artist with unique animal and Please be responsible and leave the car at home! children’s paintings; a cobnut company with nut products, cosmetic The Phantom Of The Beer Cans products & room mist For several years now Badgers Mount has been, sprays/candles. There and continues to be, spoilt by litter. In particular, will be a raffle with there is an individual who continually dumps great prizes from local businesses including dinner empty beer cans in and around our community.