PRESENT: Cllrs Rutman (Chairman), Bashford, Blows, Boyle, Harrison, Houlton, Miller, Scott, Dist Cllr Ryan, the Clerk and 60 members of the public

1. APOLOGIES were received from Cllr Roberts.

2. MINUTES of the Annual Meeting on 23 May 2005 were approved and signed.

3. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

The Chairman welcomed those present and explained that after reporting on the PC activities over the past year he would then invite questions and comments from the floor.

Four Elms pond - the Council's claim following an accident at the crossroads had been met and the work had been completed. The PC were currently awaiting a report from the Environmental Agency with their recommendations for managing the water level.

Traffic - there remained a major problem of too many accidents at Four Elms crossroads. The PC had been successful in persuading KCC to recognise the problem and £14,000 had been allocated by KCC for highway improvements at the crossroads.

Four Elms School - the school used the parish room opposite the school on a daily basis and in view of the potential hazard of children crossing the road flashing lights had been installed as a short term solution. The school governors had approached the Council to consider a scheme to expand the school site and possibly build out on a part of the Council's recreation area. The PC supported the proposal in principle and were awaiting an outline of the proposed scheme.

Numerous planning applications had been received during the year.

Roads and Footpaths - were regularly checked to ensure that they were not being obstructed or the signage needed repair. The Council were supporting a scheme in the first instance in Four Elms to encourage residents to take part in a village cleanup to remove the litter.

Money - the Council recognised that proper budgeting must take full account of those areas where it had an ongoing financial responsibility. This principally meant the Four Elms pond and the recreation ground. There had been an increase of £1500 in the Precept over the past year.

Grants - the Council had made modest grants towards the restoration of the clock at Hever Church and the parish room. A grant of £500 was being sought from KCC to be applied towards the Four Elms pond maintenance and a fingerpost sign at Horseshoe Green. Funds were available from the Haxted Charity which the PC administered for modest charitable grants for medical or educational purposes. Applications to the Clerk would be dealt with in confidence.

Deers Leap - Sevenoaks District Council had reinstated the land and obtained a court order permitting them to sell the land to recoup some of the expenditure they had incurred.

The Chairman then asked what more could be done to meet the Community's needs and at the same time to minimize the cost. The PC could link up with other Pcs or establish local committees to which residents were invited to play an active part. Councillors would shortly be reviewing the Council's functions and establishing a strategy for the future.

Communication - Peter Harrison had done an excellent job setting up and developing the Council's website. The PC took a stand at the Four Elms Fete to improve resident awareness of what the Council did. Details of a number of local groups promoting their activities could now be found on the website. The PC intended to produce a regular newsletter and those present were invited to give their e-mail address.

The Three Villages - each had its own distinct identity and the Chairman hoped the Council could bring them closer together on particular projects. Edenbridge were organising a steering group called the Edenbridge Partnership to develop a series of projects to improve the quality of life in the town, and the PC had accepted an invitation to join as a representative of the surrounding parishes.

Council matters - Paul Houlton had recently joined the Council. There was a vacancy in Four Elms following the resignation of Judi Young.

The Chairman expressed thanks to Gerry Ryan for all his help, to John Green for his assistance on the PC's audit, to all the Councillors and to the Clerk.

4. There were no questions from the floor.

5. GUEST SPEAKER

The Chairman introduced Rick Norman, the Flight Evaluation Manager at BAA who was accompanied by Tim Lockwood, Director of Planning at Gatwick and Andy Burke, Air Traffic Services.

Rick Norman gave a presentation showing statistics of aircraft movements over Hever both in recent months and in comparison with past years back to 1994. These showed aircraft going through the Hever Gate, a summary of complaints from Hever received during summer months and other information relating to the height of planes which were lined up by Air Traffic Control for the final descent into Gatwick. In future BAA were endeavouring to address the problem of aircraft flying below the prescribed heights. They were also working towards improving noise levels. There had been a big increase in air traffic in 2004.

6. QUESTIONS FROM FLOOR

A very lively question and answer session then ensued. A great number of questions were asked by those present as to how noise levels, low flying aircraft and the frequency of air traffic over Hever could be improved. The main concern expressed was night flying which, BAA explained, was due to maximum utilisation of aircraft. The noise meter installed by BAA in a Hever resident's garden showed high noise levels. A request to keep aircraft at a greater height, to keep the noise levels down and to spread the air traffic over a wider area was supported by all those present.

The Chairman then thanked the BAA team for their presentation. The meeting ended at 10.02pm after which light refreshments were served.