Chilham Parish Council - serving Chilham, Old Wives Lees and Shottenden

Check out our whats on in the parish page to learn about events, run by village organisations and clubs in the next 90 days.


		Welcome to the Chilham Parish Council website. We hope you will learn something useful about what we are doing to improve the quality of life in our parish.

		We recognise that most people in the parish dont really understand what we do, so this website and the quarterly newsletters printed in the Parish News is our attempt to keep you better informed so that together we can make the parish of Chilham an even better place to live in..

		We welcome feedback, good or bad, so please use the how are we doing page to let us have your views on the website or, for that matter, any issue that you think the parish council should be dealing with.

		If we dont know what is concerning you then we cant help to do anything about it.

		CLLR BARBROOK RESIGNS
		Margaret Barbrook resigned as parish councillor after the December meeting after serving for over 6 yrs and received a vote of thanks that was endorsed by the entire meeting.
		Having followed the required procedure to advertise the vacancy, 4 applications were received and a 'best practice' process for replacing Margaret was agreed at the January parish council meeting.
		The 4 candidates will each be interviewed and a decision on which one to co-opt to the parish council will be taken by the full council at the February meeting.

		2009 PRECEPT SET
		The parish council have set the precept for 2010/11 at £16,996 an increase of 10.6% but largely due to the extra expenditure of £675 for Wealden Wheels previously funded by a grant.

		PETITION SAVES SHALMSFORD ROAD POST BOX
		124 residents raised a petition to save the post box in Shalmsford Road near the junction with the A28 and successfully saved the post box.
		The box had been removed following damage caused by a road traffic accident and the Parish Council then found out that it would not be replaced.
		The Parish Council sent the petition to the Royal Mail in Maidstone who are responsible for the future of the post box. It also recommended alternative locations suggested by local residents that will be safer for both the public and Royal Mail staff making collections.
		As a result Royal Mail have decided to reinstate the post box at the entrance to the BT exchange.
		The work will be carried out when the current roadworks at the junction of Shalmsford Road and the A28 are completed.

		PARISH COUNCIL WITHDRAWS SUPPORT FOR PROPOSED KHS TRAFFIC AND PARKING CONTROL MEASURES AROUND CHILHAM SQUARE
		Following a survey of residences and businesses in the Square and its feeder streets in which 82% voted against the KHS proposals, the parish council withdrew its support for the proposals and forwarded the results of the survey to KHS with the comments of the community (with personal information removed).
		Kent Highways Services (KHS) had originally presented a draft report to parish councillors at a special council meeting on 26th March at 730pm in Chilham Village Hall. The parish council supported the report with minor qualifications and made a formal response. The final report was later submitted to the KHS scheme prioritisation process but unoffiicial indications are that it wont score enough points to gain KCC funding.
		The KCC proposals - delineated parking bays and (subject to public consultation) pale and narrow double yellow lines at entrances to the Square - were discussed by the ABC/KHS Joint Transportation Board on 1st Sept but no decision made to proceed at this stage.
		We have also produced a short paper Enhancing Chilham Square - the story so far to explain the background, current status and key issues affecting the initiative to enhance the square and its environs.

		KCC MEMBERS HIGHWAY FUND APPLICATION
		Following a suggestion by KCC Cllr Andrew Wickham an application was submitted to address the following problem:
		Poor signage and road layout is resulting in HGVs entering the Square and the feeder streets and visitors parking in the Square rather than our FREE car park at the bottom of Taylors Hill
		KHS have responded to KCC Cllr Andrew Wickham asking him to approve expenditure on the following proposed course of action:
		A number of investigations have already been undertaken by KCC, Chilham Parish Council and others regarding the development of Chilham Village Centre and how to encourage the development of the villages’ economy. A review of previously undertaken investigations will be required to evaluate the various proposals, shortlist the alternatives that are possible under the Member Highway Fund and to produce a schedule of proposals.
		KCC Cllr Andrew Wickham has approved the expenditure of £1k from the £25k Members Highway Fund available to him to carry out this review.

		PLANS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RE CHILHAM SQUARE ENDORSED
		At its May meeting the parish council endorsed plans by Chilhams Future Delivery Board that the next phase in their project would be a community engagement exercise involving experts in the field of urban design and community consultation to establish the basic principles and introduce the concepts of shared space.
		With this expert input we hope the key stakeholders can engage with each other to agree a specific scheme that achieves the aims of the project to revitalise our community square.

		DOWNLAND HOUSING PLANNING APPLICATION TO EXTEND SHRIMPTON CLOSE IS SUCCESSFUL
		Ashford Borough Council have granted Downland Housing planning permission to develop 11 further dwellings on Shrimpton Close to extend the Local Needs Housing in the parish of Chilham. A meeting was held with local residents on 15th April in the Methodist Church, OWL to discuss contractors proposals. Work started in September and is expected to complete next summer. Check out the planning committee section of the what we are doing page for more details of their plans

		RURAL OLDER PERSONS HOUSING PROJECT
		The parish council is participating in a project instigated by ABC to explore the need for older peoples accommodation in rural areas.
		Check out the planning committee section of the what we are doing page for more details of their plans

did you know ...

Chilham Shop is Kent Community Retailer of the Year 2009 runner up

Congratulations to Chilham Shop - this award goes to retailers who it is considered do the most for their village and their customers. Chilham Shop also played a vital role in keeping Chilham Post Office open.

Did you know that in an unofficial price check a basket of 12 everyday vegetables, salad and fruit items bought at our local shop was cheaper than a local supermarket - support your local shop and buy fresh local and British produce and you could save money at the same time.

Chilham Parish

Check out the self funding locally run Chilham Parish website to find out loads of useful and interesting information and anecdotes about the parish and its local history.

Enjoy Chilham

Check out the Enjoy Chilham website for more information on Chilham and its local businesses.

Chilham's Future

Check out the Chilham's Future Delivery Board website to find out what they are doing to revitalise Chilham Square.

Old Wives Lees Village Hall

Check out the new Old Wives Lees Village Hall website to find out the facilities available follwoinf the recent refurbishment and how to book.

Wealden Wheels

The parish council have dedcided to fund another year of this community transport scheme in Chilham. Village organizations or individuals can join the scheme for an annual membership fee of £10.

There are three modern air-conditioned vehicles available with 7, 9 or 15 seats. The 15 seater is fitted with a wheelchair lift for easy disabled access. All vehicles available on a ‘self drive’ (80p per mile) or ‘driver supplied’ basis (£1 per mile).

For more details contact Wealden Wheels on 01233 840000.

Public Transport Journey Planner

Travelling by public transport to our from London and the Southeast - then check out the Traveline website to plan your trip using buses coaches trains or undergound.

Kent Landscape Information System

Want to find out more about the countryside around us - then check out the Kent Landscape Information System website and get details of access to the local countryside, its landscape and its character. There a loads options you can select. It can even show you the parish boundary.

WhatsOn Listing

Want to find out more about village events and clubs, then check out our whats on in the parish page.

Our community events committee have put this together. The aim is to promote any event in the parish so if you want your event included please contact the clerk using the feedback form on our how are we doing page.

The Whats On listing will also be posted on village noticeboards at the start of each month.

Recycling

Do you realise that our Parish actually receive revenue from the bottle banks and recycled paper banks situated in the car park at Taylor’s Hill in Chilham?

You could make the journey to Taylor’s Hill car park to recycle glass, bottles, paper etc. so our Parish can benefit.

Items recyclable at this site are newspapers and magazines, glass, bottles, jars (but not Pyrex), aluminium or steel cans (such as drinks and rinsed food tins)

In the past 3 years over £11000 has been raised. Check out the finance committee section of our what we are doing page to find out how this money has been allocated to village organisations.

Neighbourhood policing

The mobile police station visits each village once every couple of months and is advertised in KM village news and on village noticeboards.

You can also contact our Neighbourhood PC Darren Laker on 07870 252954 or our KCC Community Warden Aaron Kaye on 07813 695817.

Call 999 if a crime is happening now, people are injured, people are being threatened or are in danger, or someone suspected of committing a crime is nearby.

Call Kent Police on 01622 690690 to report minor crime.

More information on neighbourhood policing can be found on the Kent Police website or the new Neighbourhood Watch website.

Litter and Fly-tipping

Our litter picker patrols the centre of our villages once a week but if you see a build up of litter in your village contact the clerk to arrange for it to be cleared up. If you see litter outside the village you can also contact the clerk or contact ABC Street Cleansing on 01233-330535.

Useful information on keeping our parish clean and tidy can also be found on the Clean Kent website.

Potholes, Signs, Overgrown Verges

Kent Highways inspect our roads once a month but if you see a pothole, a damaged sign or overgrown verge contact them on 08458 247 800.

Fly Posters

Unofficial posters are becoming an increasing problem in the parish especially when they are positioned on dangerous junctions and could distract drivers and result in accidents.

The parish council supports local businesses and their use of appropriate advertising. Removing illegal signs is a matter for Kent Highways and the parish council has no powers to remove signs itself.

The role of the parish council is to encourage advertisers to understand and act within the law and also encourage the appropriate authority to act when necessary. The booklet Outdoor Advertisements And Signs - Guide For Advertisers is recommended reading.

If you see a badly positioned or unofficial poster please contact the clerk or better still contact the Ashford Borough Council Planning Enquiries team and they will be able to take the necessary action.

Roadworks

Delays due to roadworks dont have to take you by surprise and delay your journey...

Kent Highways have a regular piece in Kent On Sunday providing travel advice and details of planned roadworks and you can also find more information on their website.

You can also register with the Elgin system to receive email alerts of roadworks within a specified distance from your chosen post code.

Traffic News

You can get up to date traffic information on the BBC Kent traffic web page. Another way of preventing unforeseen delays to your journey ...