August 2014

After a June of settling in and a July of setting up, August has to be a month for getting to grips with things.

I realise especially I have a big agenda to cover , with one issue that takes up a lot of time. That one issue - The Local Plan - has so many strands.

So far we have:
poor communications,
A Local Plan that fails to recognise important factors like drainage, sewage, culture, roads, the school, traffic and more,
A Planning Process-the on line planning portal-that is abused, badly managed and is ineffective,
A Plan that encourages migration to overrun the community, with too many implied Community housing implications of the wrong type, and not enough bungalows and homes for the elderly,"our own" and key workers, (this means the Housing policies too!)
An emerging Neighbourhood Plan that is not being recognised,
and seemingly applications coming in that are wholly abhorrent, with excessive density and the dumping of urbanisation on a rural community with no due regard for important considerations.

I therefore have a lot of badgering to do.  I have to pursue this as per last months blog.

I also have other agendas. Tourism, Business, Gypsies and travellers, Policing, Traffic and speeding and much more.

I have avoided paid work for  several months so this month I must take some, to pay for a holiday, as I am getting very tired and run-down. My partner needs a holiday too.  My mother needs care, so this must be arranged.

The start of the month started with a shock. Developers have put in a pre-application Environmental Screening Application.
I have to respond and I have to support Headcorn Matters.
See

http://pa.midkent.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=N7PV7PTY0NN00

Just as I did and promote responses to the full Local Plan consultation in May we need responses to this one!

The developers have exploited the weakness in the on-line portal too by leaving it late and during holiday time.

I also need to speak to many people about this. So much of it is ridiculous.

Many of my fellow Councillors agree, but I will work actively with the Mayor;the other Ward member, where we can. Richard has been very active on this front and has directly challenged members and officers on numerous occasions and he continues to do so.

I admit this blog is weak because I am keeping very busy on this matter.

Nonetheless the diary consists of:

1st Another follow up meeting with a Parish Council Chair

3rd Respecting the start of the First World War

4th Licensing Committee

5th I had to do some paid work, but I attended the Neighbourhood Planning Team/Headcorn Matters meeting. 

6th Go to Maidstone Street Cleaning Depot  and meet street teams and in the evening attend East Sutton Parish Council,

7th Late afternoon Member, Employment and Development Panel, then in the evening a Kent Association Of Local Councils meeting (the grouping of all Parishes in the area) where we discussed many issues such as the Local Plan and set up some actions.

8th Meeting at the Aerodrome to set up a flight-previous options were cancelled due to weather or because I was simply too busy. I also went to Hi-flight.

9th I attended Parish Surgery and met the public at the Farmers Market. The topic of Speeding and Local Plan arose. I then took a flight over the Village and got some useful photos.

11th I went out "on the bins" with the Refuse team in the village. It was a learning experience and a dangerous one at times.

12th Licensing Training at Maidstone House followed by an evening meeting of OSC CLE 

13th I had to go away for some work, but returned for a Headcorn Parish Council meeting. 

14th I attended the Parish Councils Summer Playscheme and provided some Boxing Training, and needless to say discussed many village issues.

15th I had to write reports and do a lot of phoning and emailing.

16th I just had to see the Lancasters in Headcorn.

17th I met with many Council members informally at the Mayors Cricket Match in Headcorn.

18th I had to do some follow-up work and report writing, research etc.

19th Licensing Training at Maidstone House in the morning, then some informal meetings about some residents problems I am following through, then OSC Planning and Transport for the evening.

20th I spoke with several MBC members and Parish Councillors today to prepare for a Consultation. We have responded to a consultation, but we plan other actions. I agree that a petition is a good move, but it has to be worded correctly, we need to prepare for battle, one that may go to finish up being used as admissible evidence in legal proceedings. It cannot be vague, it must be specific and backed up by evidence. Thankfully  Headcorn Matters has that evidence.

21st The consultation for Hazelpits Farm arrives in the Village hall. It is appalling. It consists of lies and assumed verdicts of other people that simply do not exist. As consultations go it was badly communicated with content unacceptable. A good turnout tells the developers what the village thinks. Many people saw me and talked. I indicated the reasons to object. The developers didn't want me imposing, but I did! None of them actually tried to talk to me though!

I then met residents to support a petition to address the speeding and overtaking on Maidstone Rd and Millbank. I will go to a KCC meeting with it to represent the Ward.

22nd Richard and I meet with the Leader of Council about the Local Plan and the dreadful plans for Hazelpits Farm Ulcombe Rd at 9am. I actually think the developers have got a lot wrong. It just smacks of dumping houses, not very good ones, badly conceived on the village that affects Ulcombe too.

Richard and I went to meet Planners about Gypsy site enforcement. It was productive.

Richard and I then have meetings with the Leader again later and then with the Police about local anti-social behaviour in the village. We asked for a presence that sends a message! That evening 6 Officers and a dog walked around and issued several cautions including for handling drugs.

On the 26th I attended a Headcorn Matters group meeting where we discussed many issues and the concern for the recent set of Planning Consultations  (last week and this week) and what we could and should do. I will continue to lobby and get more sense.

Then during that week Richard and I had several meetings with Planners, and Political Group meetings where we both took the opportunity to discuss matters with Sir Hugh Robertson MP. We asked for his support and help to ensure some COMMON SENSE can be used. Officers at the highest level need to be TOLD that Headcorn must not be subjected to such targets, and badly thought out ones!

I also took the opportunity to speak to close allies in other Rural areas namely Staplehurst. We need to ensure the Rural Alliance is taken seriously.

I toured the Headcorn Aerodrome with cabinet Member Malcolm Greer. on Friday morning the 29th. This gave me a chance to get the message across that Headcorn is not a sleepy village and a truly lovely yet inspiring place to live, and we need to look after it and nurture it and develop the the right things for the right reasons.

On the Friday evening Members of cabinet heard from Cllr John Perry-Staplehurst-and myself where we debated the Local Plan at length, together with other concerned members. AND NOW I sense the urbanists may think we might have a few points worth making.

 
I can assure you Richard and I are not idle.