Minutes of the Kennington Community Forum meeting held on 27 January 2015 at St Mary's Community Centre, Rylands Rd, Bybrook
Present: Core Group members: Chris Morley (CM) (Chair), Sandra Dunn (Secretary), Robin Britcher (Newsletter Editor), Jill Britcher (Summer Fayre Committee Chair), Philip Hull, Shafi Khan, Ian Milbery, Lee Robinson. Cllrs Andrew Buchanan and Jim Wedgbury, Michael Foister (Nine Acres Residents’ Group), Catherine Garland (Central Ashford Community Forum), Bob Shrub (South Ashford Community Forum) PCSOs Nikki Relf and Katie Scott Members of the community: R Berry, David Chandler, Bill Clark, John and Sue Foster, Paul Hardisty, Chris Holton, Jennie Homewood, Chris Jackson, C Lewis, Jan and Mike Lewis, S Lim, Cyril Marsh, David and Patricia Mann, Jen Milbery, Mike Paddy, Pat Purnell, Graham Skinner, Geoff Stanborough, Andrea Taberham, Alex Ward. Guest speakers: Jonathan Longley, Environmental Contracts & Operations Manager, ABC and Ian Rickards, Ashford Area Warden, Kent Wildlife Trust 1
Welcome: Chris Morley welcomed those attending and thanked them for coming
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Apologies: Chris Woolgar (Treasurer), Annette Haigh (KCC Community Engagement Officer), Cllr Winston Michael, Pat Boorman.
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Police Neighbourhood Panel Meeting (PCSOs Nikki Relf and Katie Scott) It has been a quiet Christmas with crime much lower. There have been just six incidents of car crime (criminal damage and thefts from vehicles). There does not appear to be any pattern, just opportunist. There was an incident in Thirlmere when money was taken from an elderly resident by two well-dressed and polite men (without ID) who said they were from Lloyds Bank. Gerlach House was also targeted. Posters warning about this have been distributed. Burglaries are down but anti-social behaviour is up. There was a house to house enquiry following an attack on a dog by another dog. The owner was not found and the dog was put down. A car was abandoned on the recreation ground after tearing up the grass and attempts had been made to set fire to it. The owner has not been traced. Nikki said that more information was needed. John Foster was concerned about vehicles parked close to junctions. Nikki said that they did not have resources to deal with it as a matter of course, but she suggested dialling 101 and it would then be dealt with. CM suggested that the Forum could take it up with Ashford Borough Council. Paul Hardisty asked about quad bikes using the green. This should also be reported on 101. Quad bikes should only be used on private land. CM said that he could also take up that issue.
Minutes of Open Meeting held on 25 November and Matters Arising 4.1 Minutes of the meeting of 25 November were agreed to be a true record. Matters arising: Page 1 of 6
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Item 10.9: Bockhanger Square: ABC has agreed to fund £20,000 for urgent repairs and scaffolding is in place to start work. The Forum would like to be informed about what is proposed for the short term. Item 10.13: Temporary Lorry Watch signs had been put up in The Street and Kent Highways has notified commercial sat-nav suppliers to get The Street taken off their maps. There is an opportunity to be trained in Lorry Watch. The object is to log types of vehicles and destinations, etc. and pass on the information to KCC. There is also a sign in Grosvenor Road and there could be a Lorry Watch survey there also if volunteers come forward. Item 10.14: Safe and sensible street lighting: CM has been in discussions with Kent Highways, and he and Robin Britcher did a survey in Trinity Road. CM will request to speak at the Joint Transport Board meeting at which the matter is raised. Item 10.18: First World War memorial: Surveys have been carried out and the reports are awaited. The memorial has hairline cracks and needs strengthening. Items 10.20 & 21: Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Pump House, Upper Vicarage Road: Anthony Hicks conducted a survey and found that the frame was in good condition. About £20,000 is needed to renovate it. CM is suggesting a meeting with school trustees in February or March. Recycling and Street Cleansing Contract Jonathan Longley, Environmental Contracts & Operations Manager, Ashford Borough Council was welcomed to the meeting Jonathan has only been with ABC for three months. He said that the council is one year into its new contract. In 2012-2013 Ashford was the worst in the country with a recycling rate of just 12%. To improve the situation Ashford took up a joint contract with Swale and Maidstone councils and in 2013-2014 the rate increased to 43%. This was only nine months under the new contract, so the full-year recycling rate is more in the order of 55%-60%. In the next set of figures Ashford should come out as top in Kent and in the top 20 in the country. The council is trying to push for further improvement. When asked if this would require residents to have further bins to increase separation, he said that this was not necessary. The EU waste directive calls for recycling of metal, glass, plastics, paper and card. ABC will work towards capturing as much of this as possible, with recyclables going to a ‘closed cycle’ system. ABC’s philosophy is to make recycling as easy as possible for residents Bill Clark asked about the amount of recycling that has been rejected. Jonathan said that it was only 3%. Bill suggested that there should be a mobile display case showing what should and should not be recycled, which Jonathan though was a good idea. He said that there was a leaflet on the website and that they are trialling recycling bins in the town centre. Goeff Stanborough asked whether the contents of skips went to landfill. Jonathan said that it is commercial waste and not part of the contract, but less of it is going to landfill as it is so expensive. At present landfill costs £150 a tonne. Businesses will separate where possible. There is value in scrap metal, for example. Graham Skinner asked about polystyrene. This cannot be recycled. It goes to the waste-toenergy plant at Allington. Manufacturers are moving towards replacing polystyrene with cardboard for packaging. Jill Britcher asked about dealing with liquid fats. This should be put into bottles and taken to the recycling centre. They are trying to capture oil to use for biodiesel for vehicles but this is not yet financially viable. Ian Milbery was concerned about fly tipping in Bybrook Road, especially around the subterranean bins. Flat residents phone the council and are told that there is a charge while Page 2 of 6
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others can report fly tipping and it is taken for free. Jonathan said that there is a group looking at enforcement and prosecution using mobile CCTV. There are ‘quality control contractors’ and when they carry out their inspection they should pick up these items. A settee in Nine Acres was also mentioned. Jonathan said that people should let them know when they see fly tipping as they are working towards making people more accountable and they will prosecute when they can. It was suggested that ‘no fly tipping’ signs could be put up. Maidstone council has run a good campaign on the issue so ABC will be comparing their campaigns to find best practice. Chris thanked Jonathan for his presentation and for answering the questions. He said it was good to hear of the improvement. Wildflower meadows at the Spearpoint: Ian Rickards, Ashford Area Warden, Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) KWT has been working at Hothfield, Conningbrook and the wider countryside as well as urban areas to create biodiversity. They have noticed that recreation grounds and parkland is kept as short grass and that a lot of the space around the edges is mown for no particular reason. They are looking at creating wildflower meadows in three areas at Spearpoint. They intend to strip the grass off and seed the areas to create wildflower meadows. This work will be in collaboration with the Community Forum and Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership (KSCP), and will take place during March. For more information about the project or to help with sowing wildflower seed on 18 and 19 March call Camilla Blackburn on 01622 357858 or email camilla.blackburn@kentwildlife.org.uk. They are also working with the KSCP at Little Burton where there have been two scrapings that have then been planted. They are in discussion with ABC and Landscape Services as to when the grass should be cut. Contact Victoria Baptist at KSCP (03000 410900) for dates for working at Little Burton. CM suggested that a management plan is needed for the Little Burton Lake. KSCP is conducting bat and moth surveys, etc. in the area. The wildflower area at Downs View Infants School will be extended using machinery to strip additional areas. It was suggested that there should be signage so that the wildflower areas are not cut at the wrong time. Sid Marsh was concerned that some other areas such as Faversham Road, Northumberland Road and York Road are mown too frequently and should just be cut once a year. Ian said that this required special machinery and ABC has only one vehicle that can do the job. Another concern was that verges had been cut up by vehicles cutting corners. There was an enquiry about Ragwort, which is a noxious weed that is dangerous in a hay crop. If it is not for animal feed then it is good for wildlife as long as it does not blow onto neighbouring land. CM suggested that town and village greens might like to create wildflower meadows. Any request for these would have to come from the residents. Planning Applications 14/00446/AS Post Office, Faversham Road : Change of use of post office to dental surgery and one bedroom flat and erection of single storey ground floor side and rear extensions and first floor rear extension. No update. 14/01324/AS Little Acre, 80 The Street. This application is causing concern. It will probably go to the March Planning Committee meeting. If so, CM will request a 3-minute slot. Page 3 of 6
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Builders Yard, rear of 88 The Street: The bungalows and house have been approved. An application for the barn conversion has now been submitted (14/01538&9/AS). The plans for this site are preferable to those proposed for Little Acre. They are of better quality and the development is sensitive, reflecting the design of the barn.
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Community Councils So far the forum has produced three leaflets and now the petition has reached its target of over 10% of signatures which are required to trigger a community governance review. To date 1150 people have signed. The 10% target is 845 (having lost 100 voters since the changes to the voters’ registration procedure). In every ward we have exceeded the 10% target. The petition will be closed on 31 January and the petition will be presented to ABC on 3 February. The other group that reached its target was North Willesborough which presented its petition in October. South Willesborough is near its target and South Ashford is working towards it under a new chairman. ABC is drafting a report on the campaign and the way forward. They must do a community governance review every 15 years so they should be minded to produce a paper for consultation with a proposal for residents.
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KCF “Any Questions” session, 31 March This will be held at the March Open Meeting. All the candidates in the ABC wards covering the Forum area will be invited to answer questions on local matters. The meeting will start at 6.45pm with a 30-minute networking event. Tea and biscuits will be available. The normal meeting will be held from 7.30-8.30 and will be followed by a question and answer session. Questions can be submitted during the networking period. The meeting will close at 9.30pm.
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KCF Reports
10.1 Treasurer’s Report a) In Chris Woolgar’s absence CM reported that the current balance for all accounts stood at £7,938.61: £7,850.21 in the bank and £88.40 petty cash (£3,613.61 in the KCF main account and £4,325.00 in the summer fayre account). b) Income in the main account was £555 for newsletter sponsorship, 55p bank interest, £818 KALC repayment and £56 for the November raffle. Expenditure was £1,295 newsletter printing, £38.89 general expenses, £65.40 war memorial garden planting, £108 Royal Mail freepost setup fee, £18 poppy wreath and £212 forum public liability insurance. c) Income for the summer fayre account was £350 from the Co-op bank account, expenditure was a donation of £500 and £114.48 for the summer fayre public liability insurance. d) Jill Britcher, Chair of the Summer Fayre Committee, said that the committee needed to hold enough in reserve to fund two summer fayres, but beyond that the rest of the money would be donated to local good causes. The recipients will be decided by the Summer Fayre Committee. 10.2 Newsletter a) Robin Britcher said that the next edition would be available at the end of February. He still needed people to deliver in Little Burton. b) Following up on from issues in the last edition: i. The rubbish on graves has been cleared away but the offenders have not been found.
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ABC’s Ben Moyle should soon hear about the £500,000 grant from the Football Federation for the Spearpoint pavilion and it should be built by September. There was a meeting at St. Mary’s Church to discuss whether the pews should be removed to make it more accessible to wheelchair users. There was a mixed reception at the meeting and it is still being considered. Chair’s Report Libraries: the Kennington library at Bockhanger is expanding services but Kent County Council wishes to save money. They are now considering putting libraries in trust to save costs. A consultation has now opened and it is important to make views known. The on-line consultation closes on 8th April. (http://consultations.kent.gov.uk/consult.ti/lraconsultation/consultationHome) Friends of Bybrook Nature Reserve: the forum is the focal point for the group. The inaugural meeting was held on 14 January and a committee of eight was formed. Debbie Reynolds is acting secretary, Philip Hull is the treasurer, Mike Foister is vice chair and CM is acting chair. The group is looking for a permanent chair. The next meeting will probably be held on 25 February at 7.30pm. The nature reserve holds the old mill ponds for the mill which used to be on the site of Bybrook Barn Garden Centre. Garden of Remembrance: We are working with Brett Landscapes to replace the path. We have received a £1000 from Cllr Wedgbury’s KCC Members Grant fund following seed funding from a private donation. The work will be done as soon as possible. Trim Trail: we have nearly reached the target of £15,846 having received a KCC grant of £2000 from Cllr Wickham’s Members Grant fund, £3000 from Cllr Wedgbury’s Members Grant fund, £7,923 from ABC’s Community Grant fund, plus an offer of £1000 from Cllr Martin and £153.33 from Cllr Sims. This is enough to trigger a grant from Biffa. We may be able to get the work done in the Spring. Updates from ABC and KCC Members
12.1 Cllr Jim Wedgbury: a) The Boundary Commission has been reviewing the boundaries in Kent. Boundary changes are possible after the election. b) The KCC part of the council tax will increase by 1.99%, the maximum allowed without triggering a referendum. ABC will freeze their element of council tax for two years if re-elected. c) Some good ideas have been received from the Community Warden consultation. d) KCC’s Social Services have received additional funding for adult social care. e) It has been reported that Amazon has no interest in the proposed warehousing site at Sevington. 12.2 Cllr Andrew Buchanan: a) By setting no increase in their element of the council tax ABC has been able to get more money from central government. b) If a householder has more recyclables than can fit in one bin they can request a second recycling bin. Householders can also request replacement food waste bins. c) Cllr Buchanan said that he will give his remaining grant to help fund work on the mill pond at Bybrook Nature Reserve.
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Any Other Business Robin Britcher reported on a debate on Streetlife regarding Landscape Services’ work at Little Burton. The cutbacks mean that they have only a short amount of time to do any work and end up leaving it untidily. They also cut grass too often in summer, cutting down flowering plants. There is concern about the new bus routes through Little Burton. These now miss out the New Hayesbank Surgery and Sainsburys. The buses are subsidised by KCC, and CM is trying to find out how many people used to be dropped off at the surgery. It is not known how many used to use the bus for Sainsburys. Cllr Wedgbury said that the bus company says that it needs more money to improve the service. He did point out, however, that there has been a 30% reduction in fuel costs recently. He was disappointed to report that they will be taking delivery of old polluting buses that have been withdrawn from Brighton. It was noted, however, that if the buses were more regular then people would use them to get to the station. Another issue with regard to buses was that buses parking up in Bybrook Road were causing congestion. CM said that needs looking at again and that he would take it up. The meeting finished with a raffle, which raised £50. Next Meeting The next meeting will be the special pre-election meeting on Tuesday 31 March, 2015 at St Mary’s Community Centre, Rylands Road. It will start at 6.45pm with a networking session.
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