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Subject to the approval by Parish Council, Meeting of Hever Parish Council on Monday 14th January 2008 in Markbeech Village Hall at 8pm.
Present: Councillors Rutman (Chairman), Roberts (Vice Chairman), Bashford, Boyle, Hodson, Houlton, Miller, Southworth, County Councillor Lake, District Councillor Ryan, the Clerk and one Resident.
1. Appointment of Parish Clerk, the Chairman confirmed the appointment of Sarah Prall as the new Clerk and welcomed her to the council.
2. Apologies were received from Councillor Scott.
3. Minutes of last meeting were amended on point 11c. The Hever Residents Association was incorrectly reported to be arranging a public recycling bin. In fact it will be Sevenoaks District Council. The minutes were amended and subsequently approved and signed.
4. Matters arising a) The Rural Housing Association will be addressing the Hever Residents Association at their Annual Meeting on January 25th. They will be discussing a proposal to develop affordable housing for local residents or those with a proven connection to the area. One possible site for this development is near Hever Station. District Councillor Ryan invited councilors to attend as there will be a Q&A session at this meeting. The Trust develops high quality homes and has recently completed projects in both Eynsford and Leigh. Should the project go ahead then the Parish Council will be instrumental in the decision making processes.
5. Correspondence a) The Gatwick Anti Noise Group presented its 2007 Report. b) The Edenbridge Partnership Minutes were received and will be circulated. These include information on the Eden Valley Initiative for improvements within the community proposed over the next few years building up to the 2012 Olympic Games, c) The council received notification of the Kent TV internet channel which is launching a service for the local community. It aims to provide information on local issues including education and care provision. The service can be found on www. kenttv.com
6. Agree Precept The Chairman asked the councilors for their comments on the proposed Precept for 2008/2009.It was resolved to maintain this year's Precept at the same figure as last year, £7,500. The budget for Playground maintenance was omitted in error and has now been included. It was agreed that the next Precept application for 2009/2010 be reviewed at the Council meeting in November 2008. Councillors were asked to bring suggestions for future projects to the next meeting with a view to canvassing resident's opinions.
7. Future Projects discussed were a Bus shelter in Four Elms, Finger Signs for all three villages and upgrading the Playground in Four Elms. The Clerk will circulate Open Space initiative information from Sevenoaks District Council.
8. Planning applications were reported on by Councillor Boyle. 9. Guest speaker for AGM to be held on Wednesday 28th May at Hever Village Hall was confirmed as Richard Ashworth, MEP.
10. Five Fields Lane The Chairman reported that good progress had been made following meetings with the Joint Transportation Committee of Sevenoaks District Council and Kent County Council and a meeting held earlier during the day with a Highways Engineer. Kent County Council agreed to install a piece of equipment to measure the speed at which traffic is travelling and the number of vehicles using the lane. This will be installed in the next four weeks. The results will subsequently be submitted to the Joint Transport Committee in June. Kent County Council was also prepared to consider signage prohibiting Lorries passing through the lane and placing additional signage at either end of the lane.
11. Four Elms Cross roads was also discussed and again good progress had been made. Kent County Council is prepared to submit a proposal for the installation of a flashing sign subject to the crossroads meeting a set of technical requirements. If approved Kent County Council had confirmed that funding would be made available for the work. The time frame for when this will be assessed was not clear and District Councillor Ryan agreed to follow up and report back to the Chairman. As a point to note, the crossroads was assessed some four years ago and did not then meet the criteria for additional signage.
12. Parish roads and footpaths The clerk agreed to update the Kent Highway Monthly spreadsheet on behalf of the Councillors responsible. Councillor Houlton reported on potholes in the Road at "Waldo's Cut," Markbeech. The Clerk will source and send out updated maps to Councillors Southworth and Houlton. Councillor Miller informed the Council of an application for a public footpath diversion at Furnace Farm. The council approved the diversion.
13. Any other business a) The Chairman announced that he will be stepping down at the end of the financial year as he has been in position for 8 years and feels that it is now time to appoint a new Chairman. b) The Clerk will be assuming responsibility for the Parish website in the absence of Councillor Harrison.
Forthcoming Meetings; Monday 10th March - Hever Village Hall Tuesday 13th May - Hever Village Hall Wednesday 28th May -Annual Meeting Hever
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