The Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Linton Parish held in Linton Village Hall on 30th April 2019 at 7:30PM.

Councillors present: Bernard Cresswell Patricia Burden Ian Firmin James Smith Jerry Whitmarsh Also, present: Parish Clerk Mrs Sherrie Babington, , Representatives from Blooming Green and the Musket Brewery and members of the public. The meeting was chaired by Cllr Whitmarsh . 1. Welcome and Introduction by Parish Council Chairman. The Chairman welcomed all present to the meeting. 2. Apologies.

Apologies were received from Parish Cllrs Urquhart and Carpenter, MBC Cllrs Webb and Parfitt-Reid and KCC Councillor Paulina Stockell.

3. Minutes of the previous Meeting.

The Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting of the Parish were circulated to all Members. These were proposed by Cllr Whitmarsh as a true record, subject to minor alterations, these were seconded by Cllr Smith and agreed to by all present.

The minutes were then signed and dated by the Chairman of the meeting. 4. Matters arising from the Minutes.

There were no matters arising. 5. Chairman’s Report. The Chairman gave his annual report to the meeting. (Appendix 1)

6. KCC Councillors Report. KCC Councillor Paulina Stockell gave her apologies to the meeting. 7. Ward Councillors Report.

MBC Cllr Webb and Parfitt-Reid gave their apologies to the meeting. 8. Report from the Linton Village Hall Management Committee.

Linton Village Hall Management Committee Chairman, David Sendles gave a report on the progress of the Village Hall. (Appendix 2)

9. Report from the Linton Footpaths Officer and Tree Warden. A report was received from the Parish Tree Warden and Footpaths Representative, Cllr Smith. (Appendix 3)

10. Report from the Linton Allotments Manager.

A report was received from the Allotments Manager, Jane Sawyer on the progress of the Parish Allotments. (Appendix 4)

11. Report from Linton Speed Watch Group. A report was received from the Linton Speed Watch Group. 12. Report from the Linton Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator.

The Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator, Pat Burden gave a report on NHW to the meeting. (Appendix 5)

13. Report from the Linton Archivist. A report was received from the Linton Archivist. 14. Report on the Linton Website. A report was received from the Linton Webmaster. 15. Presentations to Residents in recognition of their work in the Parish.

The Chairman presented the following residents with an award in recognition of their work and dedication to the Parish of Linton. Kath Cooper Roger Bettle Sue Whitmarsh Ian Wimsett Jane Sawyer The Chairman thanked all residents on behalf of the Parish Council.

16. Presentations from Blooming Green and the Musket Brewery. Presentations were given by local businesses Blooming Green and the Musket Brewery. 17. Any Other Business. No matters were raised.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was closed to the press and public at 9.05pm.

Signed____________________________

(Chairman)

Date_________________________

Chairman’s Report – Appendix 1 Good evening everyone, thank you for coming. Having a Parish Annual Meeting is a legal requirement from the Local Government Act of 1972, but the meeting has its origins in medieval times. Everyone is entitled to come, everyone is entitled to speak, and I hope you will do – ideally, briefly and to the point! And whilst I’m on the subject of airing views and comments, I’m sad to report that nearly all Parish Council meetings are not attended by residents that makes it a difficult task of judging what your views are and for us to act in accordance whenever we can. I will now tell you what the Parish Council’s been up to since the beginning of last year. We are very fortunate to have two mouth-watering and colourful presentations tonight, and in order to leave room for them and for any questions you might have, I will keep to what I believe are the most important points so if I’ve excluded anything it’s to keep the evening informative and moving at a reasonable pace. A written copy of this will be circulated with the minutes, so I’m not going off piste and it’ll be going on the Linton Website as well. There will be reports from other contributors and some points I will overlap with but hopefully not duplicating. Maidstone Local Plan This has caused some angst due to the scale of the governments demand for housing and so far about 18,000 homes are demanded but that’s not all, the latest from the government is for another 40% on top of that figure nationwide! Our Parish is part of the Kent Association for Local Councils and they are challenging this increase. Already the Maidstone Borough Council has called for all Landowners who feel they have land that can be developed for a variety of uses, both in the commercial arena and residential, to come forward and we believe Marden is being put forward for 2000 homes! This leads me onto Planning and developments. One point that needs addressing is that of Alan Firmin ltd. We do have Ian Firmin as a councillor, but he takes no part or gives any input or voting into our Parish Council on any issue that they have an interest in. And in fact, has to vacate the meeting. Vicarage Field. A development of 13 residential homes is still to take place perhaps happening next year. This has already been approved by the council and may still go back to planning for some small adjustments to accommodate the sewer pipe that runs through the site. Also, to minimise disruption of this development the Parish is permitting the surface water from the new development to be fed into Wheelers lane water system via a 6-inch pipe under the footpath that runs up the middle of the allotments, which is land owned by the Parish. The work is designed not to impact on the plots either side of the path or disrupt the mains water pipe that runs alongside. MBC denied Linton any of the funding due under residential developments scheme. However, the Firmins made a commitment to fund projects in Linton because of that denial; the CCTV in the church car park, renovation of the Playground by Cornwallis Avenue. And, the Parish has been trying to secure safe passage across Linton Hill for walkers and pedestrians in the village and although we have been denied a proper crossing the Firmins have pledged to fund landscaping in the village to afford a better place for pedestrians to cross the road safely. Linton Medical centre. Piecing together events it seems the current land governing the medical practices in Coxheath is leasehold which is due to expire. The land in the Coxheath residential development was identified as a potential site for a medical centre but this was not taken up by the Clinical Commission by the deadline. So, the Firmins came forward with their piece of land and a medical centre was approved on that land. Cllr Patricia Burden sits on the committee that oversees the promises made by these works. Namely that the impact of this build within the landscape would

be minimised and that there would be transport infrastructure to enable patients to get to and from the site. Currently the build is about 2 years away. Wares Farm Berry Gardens. This is due to go operational late summer this year and for this to happen Redwall Lane junction with Linton Hill, along with Linton Corner crossroads, are all due to be altered in time for this opening. The Parish has two councillors on the steering committee, me and cllr Urquhart, to oversee the implementation of a schedule of works designed to minimise the impact of this major logistics warehouse operation that Berry Gardens put forward when selling this major works to MBC. Litter picks… This is organised by the Parish council and thanks go to cllr Jerry Whitmarsh for his lead on this with the baton very successfully handed on to Cllr Julie Urquhart. It’s sponsored by us to supply refreshments to the volunteers that come out to clear our roads of rubbish. Cllr James Smith of Loddington Farm also supports this with transporting volunteers around the Parish. We try to do this every 3 month and vary our starting locations that include refreshment. Locations include Loddington Farm (more on that later tonight!), Linton Church (The Bull Inn) and Berry Gardens, who also take on board the issue of litter and have monthly litter picks around the roads to their site. I’ll also add that Berry Gardens and Linton Park who generously paid for 5 new rubbish bins that are now situated in the layby near the top of Linton Hill, the bus stop around the corner on Heath Road, the layby down Linton Hill and the bus stop junction with Redwall lane. Speedwatch I’ll deal with this now as I’m its coordinator. 2017 saw nearly all the volunteers leave except for the super people Jerry and Sue Whitmarsh. Getting volunteers to do an hour to deal with this crucial piece of road safety on Linton Hill has been a struggle but this is the way to having the Police camera back. In short, the more speeders we identify the better our chances of having speeders prosecuted, which we know is what brings the number of speeding motorists down and allows us to cross the road safely. Those that left had been doing it for years and not unreasonably others should do their bit. It also coincided with new Police IT, which in short permits them to ID all vehicles of interest, no insurance and the like plus those that speed in other Parishes. At this point I’d like to thank Stuart McCarthy and Peter Goodhew who have joined us and are the most active members. Highways at this point. As most of you will know there have been some serious accidents on Linton Hill and specifically down through the village stretch. For some time now we have sought the replacement of the Interactive speed sign from Kent Highways that had helped to remind drivers of this perilous activity. Since its loss we feel more accidents have taken place and the amount of vehicle debris we come across and collect during the litter picks is significant. One might expect an insurance claim would fund a replacement as it was knocked down. However, we have only just found out that for some bizarre reason the insurance companies and Kent Highways can only claim when the item has been replaced. And, Kent Highways have no fund for non-enforceable signage upon which to draw upon. What’s even worse is that they failed to reveal this, despite repeated requests for an update and we have also learnt that they are now out of time to make a claim had the funds to replace were forthcoming. Such has been my personal frustration with Kent Highways I have passed this onto the local media. The Parish will be discussing this again at our next council meeting. Parish News. This has risen like a phoenix, as it was a struggle to keep this going. Through the generosity of time given by others and thanks to the Church Council in the form of Kathy Cooper who spends time arranging and editing material, also to Jerry who spends time printing, plus a small group of “paper” boys and girls who enable this to be delivered to every house in Linton every 3 months…..There are a few copies at the back.

Village Hall – The Parish Council are owners and Custodian Trustees of the Village hall and its land, and we supply a representative Cllr Pat Burden to the Managing Trustees , who reports back to all our meetings. Linton Conservation Plan. Another bureaucratic nightmare, where we have only just reached consultation after nearly 10 years of waiting. Even now the Conservation officer is part-time only 2 days per week. That said the Parish supports the boundary amendments as it did all those years ago. Interestingly we wonder if Vicarage Field development would have been attempted at all had the boundary been in place. An angle the local media are interested in since the proposed change includes all the field and not just half. If I’ve missed points that for you are interested in then let me know, but before we move on, I want to mention a bit about the Council itself. The Parish Council does not have a great role to play with the annual Yuletiders lunch, the Linton Cream Teas weekend, the Friends of Linton Church, or with the Church itself but in each case, one or more of our Councillors does, and it all helps towards building an impressive Linton community effort. None of us get any pay or even expenses and have lives to lead like everyone else with commitments and responsibilities. It’s awkward when I’m standing before you as chair and I was not elected but co-opted! Which is not a great way to advertise that next year will be the next 4 yearly Parish elections. In fact, a few of us are co-opted which is not how it should be, sometimes it can’t be helped if someone has to leave but please give thought about standing as even if not elected it’s good to know that there are people waiting in the wings. Linton needs you. Don’t ask what Linton can do for you but what you can do for Linton! I have a Dream that…. Sorry I’ll leave it there. I want to finish by saying one final “thank you” to Cllr Jerry Whitmarsh who I took over from last May…. Well it was more a case of everyone took a step back leaving me in front! Jerry gave a lot of time and drive to his role to make sure Linton, although small, is still punching well above its weight, and is still a lovely place to live in, and a thriving community due to those who care, which makes following in his footsteps a real challenge.

Footpath and tree warden report for Linton Parish Appendix 3

Since taking on the position of footpath and tree warden I have managed to walk nearly all the footpaths in

the parish. In general, they are in a good state of repair, but some signage could be improved. As the

summer approaches and they become overgrown I will do what I can to get clearance schedules completed

with the Public Rights of Way department of KCC. Any problems that are found when out and about can be

reported online at the KCC website www.kent.gov.uk or indeed to me and I will see what I can get done.

As a local farmer I have some footpaths crossing our land, including the Greensand Way. We do as much as

we can to keep the footpaths clear and safe so if you find any problems around the parish please let me

know or report it directly to make sure our network of footpaths continues to be a pleasure to walk along.

One issue that is constant is the presence of small plastic bags of dog poo hanging in trees and on fences. If

anyone sees dog owners leaving such litter, please politely as them to take it back to a bin. There are bins

around the parish and dog bags can go in general litter bins rather than dedicated dog waste bins. I would

like to see the plastic bags replaced with biodegradable ones so at least if they are left, they will rot down

in time and not contribute to the plastic pollution which blights our countryside.

Trees in the UK are under threat from a number of pests and diseases including Ash die back, Sweet

Chestnut Blight, Acute Oak Decline, Asian Long Horn Beetle and the Horse Chestnut leaf miner. We already

have many of these diseases here in the parish, but vigilance is required if any trees start looking unwell or

out of the ordinary. Such issues can be reported to the Woodland Trust online using the Tree alert

reporting tool. We have some lovely trees in Linton, but we could always have more so if you’re looking to

enhance your garden why not plant a tree? Likewise, if there are any ideas for some community tree

planting within Linton then we will be delighted to hear about them and see how they can be supported.

ALLOTMENT MANAGER’S REPORT FOR

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING 30 APRIL 2019 Appendix 4

There are now 26 plots; two are full size (8 rods) and the rest vary between 3 and 5.5 rods, the majority

being 4 rods. Of the 21 plot holders, six live in Linton.

We have some very keen gardeners, growing an impressive range of vegetables and fruit. There have also

been stunning displays of flowers, including dahlias and sweet peas. An ongoing problem is plants being

eaten by marauding birds, particularly partridges, pheasants and pigeons. Many plot holders have resorted

to constructing fruit cages to protect both fruit and vegetables. There was no rent increase.

Concerns have been expressed about the drainage works planned to service the proposed housing

development within adjacent Vicarage Field and the Conservation Area, on the north boundary. This

would involve laying new pipes under the Allotments’ central path, to dispose of surface water from the

development, taking up and re-laying the path and disturbing plots on the east side of the path. The

developers have agreed not to carry out the work during the growing season in 2019 and to make

compensation for any damage caused to plants, bushes and structures on site.

Some of the posts dividing plots have become rotten and have been replaced. The Parish Council has

supplied a new roll of weed suppressant. Plot holders can buy this by the linear metre, and it is also used

to cover temporarily uncultivated soil on newly acquired or vacant plots. Permission was given by the

Parish Council for a few new sheds to be put up in the specially reserved area by the north boundary.

The two annual social events were well attended – the spring Seed and Plant Swap in May and the Autumn

Tidy-up in November. 14 plot holders cleared all the boundaries and kept a voracious bonfire fed till

everything was burnt. Refreshments at both events were enjoyed by all, with welcome contributions from

several plot holders.

The long dry summer resulted in an increase in water consumption. This year a large polytunnel has been

erected, the width of one of the plots; there has been no precedent for this, and an additional condition

will be incorporated into future annual tenancy agreements, to make sure this is not repeated.

We are fortunate to have a band of such enthusiastic gardeners, whose efforts are rewarded by some

excellent crops. The friendly and helpful ambience adds to everyone’s enjoyment and thanks go to our

plot holders for their support and hard work.

Jane Sawyer

Allotments Manager

Good evening, I am Patricia Burden and your Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator

As you may have realized, for the past few months there have been no reports from the Maidstone NHW

office. This is because the person who sent these information emails left and the police have been unable

to fill this role.

We have sent out the police E-Watch brochure which we think you may find interesting. It does cover a

much wider area than Linton and Coxheath, but it is does give some idea of crimes being committed in

other areas.

We are fortunate in Linton that we have very little crime and we should aim to keep it that way by

protecting our property, locking doors, sheds and keeping all valuable items away from prying eyes under

lock and key.

If anyone here is not part of the Linton NHW then to become involved, all I need is your Name and email

address and I can add you to the group list. Then, if there is anything urgent that needs your attention, I

can email you and you can also email me if you feel there is something that the group would benefit from

knowing. Of course, you can do that without being on our mailing list should you not wish to belong. There

is no cost involved, this is a free service for the residents of Linton.

Thank you for your time and I hope we can keep Linton safe.