Last Updated:
23 June 2008

Highlights from the Parish Council meeting held on 13th June, 2006.

1. Parish Plan.  Three working groups have been formed to tackle matters that parishioners identified as needing attention, as recorded in the Parish Plan survey results.   The co-ordinators are:  Road Safety - Sheila Buttle, Physical facilities – Bid Trim, Environment – Bob Baxter.  Teynham Parish Council has representatives on all Working Groups, so as to promote joint action, where appropriate. Funding is being sought for a formal study of the improvement of London Road. Discussions have included Faversham Partnerships, SBC and KCC. Graham Mart, Police Community Liaison Officer, has agreed to take part on Road Safety issues.
2. South East England Plan. The Parish Council felt that the eastern boundary of the Thames Gateway should run close to the eastern margin of Sittingbourne (thus excluding our rural parish from the Gateway). This idea had been submitted as an objection to the draft Swale Local Plan. SBC claimed that moving the boundary was probably beyond its remit. So a similar objection has now been submitted to the consultation phase of the South East Plan.
3. Standards Committee.   Progress towards ‘best practice’ methods continue. New forms for councillor application, job description, job specification, and application assessment, were discussed and approved.
4. Joint Playing Fields. The felling of the poplar trees has started, but operations may be delayed until after the bird nesting season. The Police Community Liaison Officer had been contacted about the playing of golf on the Fields.
5. Footpaths. Several paths were blocked or partially obstructed. The appropriate KCC officer will be contacted to arrange relevant action with the landowners. The footway between Bogle and the school was again overgrown. This would also be reported.
6. Crime. PCLO Mark had dealt with motorbike nuisance on farmland. Lead had been stolen from the school building site, and from the Swedish Houses.
7. Properties.  Parish Council items have been surveyed by the Properties Committee. Some, such as the bus shelter on Lynsted Lane, St Peters Place and Kingsdown noiceboards and footpath map frames, the plaque at the Millennium Hedge, and public seats on London Road and Lynsted Lane, were in need of attention and are being refurbished.
8. Community Orchard. Blossom day was cancelled because of rain. A professionally-led video.training course, involving four local youngsters, was held in May. The idea is that these people will be able to help record events in the Orchard.  The Orchard Group liaised with the Malawi Project in their putting on of a highly popular Barn Dance on June 3rd.

Other activities promoted by the Orchard Group -

• The booklet on cherry history, culture and cookery is at the printer’s.
• A set of interpretation board images has been selected from the work of Fulston Manor School pupils.
• A bird survey of the Orchard has been carried out.
• Events for the rest of 2006 are:
• Sunday, August 20th . ‘Opera and Song in the Orchard’. Picnic.  Music at 7.15pm.   Tickets £10.
• Sunday 29th October. Halloween Party. Details to follow.  

 NOTE. Full minutes, once signed and adopted, are available for inspection at Teynham Library, or, by appointment, via the Clerk (phone 522 653). The next meetings will be on Tuesday 25th July at the Community Room, Lynsted Church, and then on the 6th September at the Belle Friday Centre, London Road. Meetings start at 7.30pm.  Parish Council meetings are open to the public, who are warmly welcome to attend.  Parishioners may make a brief oral statement at the beginning of the meeting.

R Baxter.
Publicity Representative.