Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held at the Memorial Hall, School Lane, on Monday, 6^th September 2004 at 7.30 p.m.

Present:

Cllr. Mrs J.M.Papadopulos (Chairman)

Councillors:- J.D.Goring, J.A.Grey, A.L.Howard, M.L.James, C.L.Jupp (also Borough), Mrs P.Oakeshott (also Borough) and S.Wright.

In attendance:

Mr A. Taylor, Morton Grey and 37 Parishioners.  Rural Warden Steve Enright.

Apologies for absence: Received from Cllr. F.Gibson, O.B.E. and Cllrs.Saunders and Waugh. Mr and Mrs Busbridge, Mr and Mrs Humble.

Prior to the commencement of the Meeting the Chairman presented awards to the prizewinners of the Higham Gardens for Pleasure Competition 2004, assisted by Morton Grey, who had carried out the final judging on behalf of the Parish Council.

FIRST PRIZE (Silver Rose Bowl Trophy, Garden Gift Token and framed certificate)

Mr and Mrs R. Bolton,   "Courtlands", Crutches Lane.

SECOND PRIZE (Garden Gift Token and framed certificate)

Mr and Mrs H. Busbridge, 3A, Mountbatten Avenue.

THIRD PRIZE (Garden Gift Token and framed certificate)

Mr and Mrs A. Sinclair,   "Willow Platt", Hermitage Road.

"HIGHLY COMMENDED" (Framed certificate)

Mr and Mrs R.Turner, 6, High View.

Mr and Mrs K.Humble, 8, The Adelaide.

"BEST HANGING BASKET AND CONTAINERS" (Garden Gift Token and framed certificate)

Mr and Mrs J. Leach, 32, Telegraph Hill.

"HANGING BASKET AND CONTAINERS" - HIGHLY COMMENDED   (Framed certificate)

Mr and Mrs D. Kent, 25, The Braes.

"MOST COLOURFUL PUBLIC HOUSE WITHIN HIGHAM"     (Framed certificate)

The Gardeners Arms Public House, 2, Forge Lane.

RUNNERS UP

Sir John Falstaff Public House, Gravesend Road.

The Stone Horse Public House, Dillywood Lane.

The Three Crutches Public House, Crutches Lane.

The Chairman accepted apologies for absence.

She thanked Cllr. Oakeshott for attending the Meeting in spite of only being released from hospital a couple of days earlier.

There were no alterations to the Register of Members Interests.

The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting , held on Monday, 5 th July 2004, were confirmed and signed.   The issue of rural housing provision for the young people of Higham was again raised by Cllr. Grey. The Chairman reminded him that although the Parish Council had a long-standing blanket policy against development on green belt land within the village, the Rural Housing Commission favoured an exemption policy in this respect with regard to   Rural Housing Initiative schemes. At the present time no further schemes were being progressed.

Matters arising from the Minutes.

The Clerk reported that:-   

a.     P.710 Matters Arising - Rural Housing Initiative. A further delay in the production of the questionnaire forms had meant that the Scouts had broken up for the Summer holidays and were unable to help. It had been decided to ask the Borough Council to carry out the delivery, and Members unanimously endorsed the payment of £200 for this purpose. From the number of telephone calls received by the Clerk it would appear that there had been an excellent response.

b.     P.710 Matters Arising. Village Signs. Signs of the Times had recommended placing the signs at the top of the posts rather than coating with anti-graffiti lacquer which might cause problems with the specialised paint used for the signs. Mr John Booth, of The Mount, Telegraph Hill, who is a cleaning specialist, agreed to advise the Council further in this matter. To manufacture the signs with anti-graffiti covering would have increased the cost quite considerably.

c.    P.712. Removal of BT phone box. The Clerk thanked Mr Bolton, Steve Enright and Allison Duffort who had all provided written evidence to support the removal of the telephone box to Mountbatten Avenue.

d.    P.714 Correspondence. Cllr. Waugh had met with Borough Representatives to prepare the first schedule of work under the Parish Lengthsman Scheme, which included clearing verges and pavements to School Lane, and cleaning all road signs and fingerposts within the village.   

Clive Stanley, the Parish Council's Webmaster, reported that since the web site had gone live in June there had been a total of 2617 hits to date. The site had recently been updated to include pictures of the prizewinning   garden and the five new Village Signs. It was agreed that the Parish Council would apply to join up to a website hosted by the County Council and Clive Stanley agreed to undertake any training if this should be necessary.

Parishioners' Matters.

Mr Taylor, of Dillywood Lane, and other local residents questioned why the Parish Council had supported the request by the owner of Little Hermitage to apply for the building to be used for weddings and private functions, and had stated in a letter to the planning department that no objections had been made by neighbours over the past two years. He reported that complaints had been made to the Borough Council regarding several incidences of noise over this period including incidents as varied as the slamming of car doors to a steel band playing in the grounds. The Chairman confirmed that the Parish Council had received no representations from local residents over this period either personally at Meetings, or by letter, and had also checked with the Borough Council as to whether they had any valid complaints on file. She agreed to look into this matter and to ascertain if the information given had been inaccurate.

Mrs Hampson, of Telegraph Hill, and other local residents wished to object to the planning application for 29, Telegraph Hill which involved the demolition of the existing dwelling and the erection of two five bedroomed properties with garages in its place. Mr Grey, of Telegraph Hill, emphasised the need to preserve the aspect to and from the hill, which was not suited to this urbanisation, and the need to retain examples of 1950's houses which gave a good cross section of dwellings within the village and gave Higham its character. Several residents asked if it might be possible to make the hill one-way and others suggested a 20mph speed limit. Cllr. Oakeshott confirmed that the Planning Committee had objected on traffic grounds and was aware that the boundary with the green belt ran along the back of some of the gardens on the hill. She urged those Parishioners who were concerned regarding this application to write personally to her and she would take the letters to the Borough Council.

After further discussion it was agreed that the Chairman would speak to the Borough Council regarding traffic calming measures, to include a width restriction and a sign warning of pedestrians in the road, at the forthcoming meeting with Parish Council Chairmen.

Mrs Humbles, of School Lane, reported that the sunken trench opposite the Station Approach still required repair. The Chairman reported that she had personally asked the Borough Council if a 7½ tonne weight limit could be implemented to School Lane but had been told that this would be impossible as it was a public highway. After further discussion it was agreed to ask for a 20 mph speed limit outside the school and the Chairman agreed to raise this at the next Meeting of the Parish Council Chairmen.

Mr Pearton, of Chalk Road, reported that The Hunt Range was now in occupation at Buckland Farm but that all vehicles now had to turn left when leaving the site as the other access had been blocked off. As it had been agreed, during the site visit, that vehicles would turn right when leaving the site, the Clerk was asked to contact Mr Tickle accordingly. Cllr. Oakeshott reported that The Hunt Range hoped to be in occupation for the next five years. Mr Pearton also queried why the contact point for the local authority housing in the village was now the King's Farm office in Gravesend and wondered if that explained why several people from this area had settled in the village. Cllr. Oakeshott reminded him that some 43% of the 700 families currently on the Council housing list had indicated a preference for living in Higham

Mrs Martin, of Martins Close, reported that her neighbour had requested posts to be placed at the end of her garden to stop further erosion by vehicles associated with the Higham Tunnel project. The Chairman reported that following the last Meeting in July, exhaustive efforts had been made to re-route the buses up through the village for the school summer holiday period but to no avail. She had met with both Mr Easterbrook and Mr Taylor, the Station Manager for Higham. Steve Enright presented the results of a speeding survey conducted over four days on the Lower Rochester Road. Although no lorries or buses involved in the tunnel works had exceeded the speed limit it was pointed out that from Gore Green Road to the B2000 the speed limit was 60mph. Steve Enright agreed to carry out another survey for Telegraph Hill.

To discuss the proposal for a Regional Park.

The Chairman checked that the consultation document "Estuaries, Downs and Towns" was circulating amongst Members. It was agreed to defer discussion on this item to the next Meeting to allow Cllrs. Gibson and Waugh to participate.

To discuss the current state of the allotment gardens.

The Clerk reported that the water supply to the allotments had been turned off at the present time due to a water leak at the stopcock. Southern Water had inspected the site and the work would be carried out in the near future. Due to the big increase in the numbers of people renting the allotment plots there were now only a total of 8 vacant plots and one classed as unworkable. Of these 8 plots, 2 had birds nesting in the bushes and the Council had been asked by the RSPB to leave them in situ. Some vacant plots, and some for which rent had been paid, but were clearly not being worked, were terribly overgrown with brambles and bushes growing all over them. In a recent incident two tenants had made claim to a particular plot which was shown as being vacant in the register, as one had been mistakenly using it instead of the adjoining plot which was severely overgrown. Tenants frequently complained that the plots were not clearly marked out. After discussion it was agreed to ask Daniel Annal to give a quotation for taking the top off the brambles on some of the most overgrown plots and the Clerk agreed to provide a plan of the allotments to aid identification. This matter would be discussed at the Budget and Finance Meeting in November when it was hoped that a sum could be set aside for the rotovation of the most overgrown vacant plots.

Councillors' Matters.

County.

In the absence of Cllr. Gibson, the Clerk reported that he had urged a representative to attend the forthcoming meeting of the Gravesham Local Board which would take place on 9/9. The Chairman agreed to attend. He hoped to bring the consultants report for the proposed Regional Park to the next Meeting. A proposed new Visitors Centre was planned for Shorne Wood Country Park.

Borough.

In the absence of Cllr. Oakeshott, who had left the Meeting early due to ill health, Cllr. Jupp reported that the Borough Council was concerned regarding the council houses Decent Homes Standard which had to be met by 2010, and the fact that the proposed Canal Basin development programme would only generate 15% affordable housing instead of the required 25%. He also drew Members' attention to the construction of the new A2 at the bottom of Swanscombe Cutting which had resulted in no connection either to or from Thong Lane.

The Clerk reported that Cllr. Oakeshottt had secured two picnic tables with benches from the Borough Council which would be placed in the recreation ground.

Parish.

Cllr. James reported that the fencing to Crutches Lane had been damaged by a car that had been set alight next to it. The footpath to the north of the area (parallel to Crabbles Wood) had no swing gate or bund and it was agreed to ask Cllr. Waugh for advice on the matter.

Cllr. Jupp reported that a rail replacement bus with a new driver had taken the wrong route to the village and had travelled up Crutches Lane and caused chaos.   The "road narrows" sign by the Three Crutches P.H. was very overgrown, and it was suggested that this could be cleared as part of the work programme for the Parish Lengthsman Scheme.

Cllr. Grey reported that permits were not being checked in the controlled parking zone to Lower Higham and asked that Steve Enright be informed.

Cllr. Goring highlighted problems with outstanding repairs to potholes in The Larches, Hermitage Road and Carton Road.

REFRESHMENT BREAK

Reports.

a.     Planning.

       Members had studied current planning applications during the refreshment break.

Appln. no. 20040621    Mr P.Clare, 5, Taylors Lane.

Erection of single storey front and side extension to form enlarged lounge, porch, study and w.c./shower room.

Appln. no. 20040623    Mr M.Kambo, "Cherrydene", Watling Street.

Erection of part two storey and part single storey rear extension to form sitting room, enlarged kitchen, and enlarged playroom at ground floor level with bedroom and enlarged bedroom at first floor level and continuation of the proposed roof over the existing flat roofed single storey extension at the rear.

Appln no. 20040570    Mr S.McEniff, 74, Forge Lane.

Formation of a vehicular access onto a classified road.

Appln. no. 20040449    Mr J.Baragwanath, The Knowle, School Lane.

Retention of car parking area.

Appln. no. 20040632    Mr K.A.Leak, "Acorn Lodge", 9, Norah Lane.

Construction of dormer extension in rear roof slope to replace the two existing dormer windows.

Appln. no. 20040656    Mr & Mrs S.Miskin, 33, Beech Grove.

Erection of single storey rear extension to form an enlarged lounge.

Appln. no. 20040691    Mr & Mrs T.Ashdown, 25, Chilton Drive.

Erection of single storey rear extension to form a dining room and erection of a detached garage/workshop in the rear garden.

Appln. no. 20040563    Mr Duncan Spencer, 8,Martins Close.

Erection of a detached replacement garage at the side.

Appln. no. 20040589    T.Lelly, On site of, 24, Telegraph Hill.

Demolition of existing dwelling and sub-division of site into 2 plots with joint vehicular access and erection of a detached two/three storey dwelling with detached double garage at the front, on the proposed northern-most plot.

Appln. no. 20040701    Mr D.G.Cox, Little Hermitage, Gravesend Road.

Change of use of existing dwelling into a mixed use of dwelling and function suites for wedding ceremonies involving alterations to the vehicular access.

Appln. no. 20040713    Hutchison 3G (UK) Ltd., Grass verge beside bus shelter, Gravesend Road.

Determination as to whether prior approval is required for the siting and design of a 15 metre high slimline mobile phone telecommunication monopole with ancilliary development.

Appln. no. 20040347    Mr and Mrs R. Gilby, Barn and Coach House, Onslow's Yard, Little Hermitage Farm, Gravesend Road.

Conversion of stables into a four bedroom dwelling and the calving house into a games room and garden room involving erection of a glazed link between, and conversion of the bullock sheds into a garage and store; conversion of cowsheds into offices with ancilliary kitchen/w.c. as an annexe to the converted stables; conversion of barn into a three bedroom dwelling and attached cowsheds into a garage, all works involving elevational alterations and refurbishment and reconstruction, all accessed via existing access to Gravesend Road. AMENDED APPLICATION/ REVISED DESCRIPTION.

Appln no. 20040661    K.Whiffin Esq., Site of 29, Telegraph Hill.

Demolition of existing house and erection of two detached, two storey, five bedroom dwellings, one with a detached triple garage and one with a detached double garage.

Appln. no. 20040743    Mr&Mrs K.Jeggo, 18, Fairview Drive.

Erection of first floor side and single storey front and side extensions to form enlarged lounge and garage at ground floor level with bedroom and en-suite bathroom at first floor level.

Appln. no. 20040748    Mr S.Atherton, In the side garden of, 3, Carton Road.

Outline application for the erection of a detached bungalow and garage.

Appln. no. 20040746    Mr&Mrs D.Manwaring, 24, High View.

Erection of single storey front extension with a dormer window in the proposed front roof slope and a dormer window in the existing side roof slope to provide an enlarged lounge at ground floor level with a bedroom in part of the roof space.

Appln. no. 20040656    Mr & Mrs S.Miskin, 33, Beech Grove.

Erection of single storey front extension to form an enlarged lounge. AMENDED DESCRIPTION.

It was suggested that it might be possible to put tree preservation orders on some of the trees on Telegraph Hill and in his capacity as Tree Warden for the village, Cllr. Wright agreed to investigate further.

c.     Memorial Hall.

        Cllr. Goring reported   that the Management Committee had now finalised its application for a grant for the proposed works to the Memorial Hall, which would cost in the region of £128,000, with the contribution from the Hall being some £10,000. The Hall car park would be closed for a few days whilst the gas board renewed pipes.

d.    Multi-Purpose Games Area.

      Cllr. Goring reported that the showers to the changing rooms were now working, but there was a major problem with the main power supply due to the main cable having been swung on. The kick boarding to the games area had been covered by graffiti and it was time consuming to remove it. The Chairman gave details of a hand held graffiti cleaner which could be borrowed from the Borough Council. Cllr. Goring reported that the police had photographed the tags, and issued a crime number. They hoped to charge the culprit in due course.

e.    Recreation Ground.

      Cllr. Goring reported a conflict between the adult and junior football teams regarding the re-marking of the football pitch to two-thirds of a normal size which was not suitable for the adult team to use in the league. Both parties concerned were going to meet with the Referees Association to try and agree a compromise. Paul Gregory had taken over the     running of the adult team again, and Cllr. Goring confirmed that both teams were aware of the new charges which were to be levied for the use of the pitch and changing rooms. The Clerk reported that a request had been received from Snodland F.C. junior team to pitch share on a Sunday with the Eagles. Members were concerned regarding the potential wear and tear to the pitch and it was unanimously agreed that this should be refused. The Clerk reported that 4 bolts had been removed from safety rails at the top of the slide unit and a cradle seat to the swings had been vandalised. The police had been informed and a crime number issued. The Parish Council was now liable to both arrange and pay for any repairs to the play equipment and the work had therefore been placed with Playground Installations Ltd., the contractor who maintains the Borough Council playsites, as a matter of urgency. The Clerk reminded Member that the Borough Council would continue to fund the weekly playground inspections and the yearly ROSPA report, at least for the time being.

Finance.

The Clerk asked for approval for the items shown on the agenda, plus the sum of £4.00 to KAPC for copies of The Good Councillors guide, and £611.67 to Zurich Municipal for the renewal premium for the Pavilion, this being proposed by Cllr. Howard, seconded by Cllr. Goring and agreed by all Members.

British Telecommunications plc (Broadband/fax)                                                 123.39

Gravesham Borough Council (questionnaire delivery costs)                                  200.00

Audit Commission (Intermediate audit - 2003/04)                                                293.75

Clive Stanley (update of website)                                                                           40.00   

Correspondence.

The correspondence folder had already been circulated amongst Members after "matters arising" but the Clerk drew Members' attention to the following items:-

1.     It was agreed to ask Steve Enright and Alison Duffort for their views regarding a proposal to enlarge the controlled parking zone for the tunnel works.

2.      It was agreed that items for the agenda for the forthcoming Meeting of Parish Chairmen should include traffic calming measures for Telegraph Hill, the repair of potholes in rural areas and the future of the bus shelter to the A226 (junction with Pear Tree Lane)

3.     Members noted the conclusion of the intermediate audit with no comments from the Auditor.

To note the date of the next Parish Council Meeting.

This was given as being Monday, 4 th October 2004 at 7.30 p.m.

Any Other Business.

The Clerk reported that the front of the Victorian pillar box to the gate post of Gads Hill Place had been removed. It was agreed to make initial enquiries through the Borough Council who had recently written to the Parish Council on the conservation of such old post boxes.

There being no other business, the Meeting closed at 10.06 p.m.

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