Ham Hill planning application rejected

The area planning committee of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has rejected the planning application for 8 one-bedroom flats to be built at Dene Hall, 269 Malling Road, Ham Hill.

Dene Hall, Ham Hill in earlier days.

The local Snodland councillors all voted against the application, which contributed to the rejection of the application by 10 votes to 3, with 4 abstentions.

We hope that the applicant either decides to renovate the existing property, or comes forward with a new application that is more appropriate on this restricted site.

As the planning history on the site is complicated, it would take up too much space to go into detail regarding the reasons for rejection, particularly as this is complicated by the view taken by the Planning Inspector in 2008.

The building that is currently on the site has a rich history.  It is now known as Dene Hall, but it wasn't called that when it was built. The exact date of construction is not known, but it was listed as a "Coffee Tavern" in the 1881 census. Since then, it has had a variety of uses, including as a post office, a sweet shop, a general store and more recently as private residence.

The tenants in 1901 were George and Sarah Jane Hicks and their lodger Violet Edmeades. In surely one of the saddest moments in Snodland history, Edmeades and Sarah Jane Hicks were accused of the murder of Edmeades' recently born child in 1903, but this was reduced to "concealment of a body" when the Judge at the Kent Assizes couldn't find sufficient evidence to proceed with the murder charges. Edmeades received one month in jail, and Hicks received nine months hard labour. It is not known what happened to the two women after they were released, but they do not appear to have returned to live in Snodland.

David Lettington

Snodland Carnival - 4th July

Details of the Snodland Carnival on Saturday 4th July can be found here:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/9a1913_b1f9c675d1024ee1b313f6ac553bd58b.pdf

Parking on the pavement

Many local residents are aware of the problems caused by inconsiderate parking in the Birling Road / Recreation Avenue area.

We'd like to thank the Police, Fire Brigade and Town Council for their efforts in trying to combat the problem by doing leaflet drops, keeping track of persistent offenders, and putting up signs to discourage this dangerous parking.

Despite there being some improvement, sadly some people continue to park dangerously.

The legal position here is complicated, not least because of the decriminalised parking legislation which means that, in our area, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is responsible for enforcing some off-street parking (e.g. in council car parks) and some on-street parking (waiting restrictions, double-yellow lines etc). Some of the responsibility for on-street parking (e.g. hazardous parking) remains with the Police.

With particular regard to parking on the pavement, the situation is as follows:

• There is no law that prevents parking on the pavement (unless it's a vehicle over 7.5 tonnes - The Road Traffic Act 1988 - section 19)
• It is an offence to drive ONTO the pavement under section 72 of The Highways Act 1835.
• It is an offence to "wilfully cause an obstruction" on a "public thoroughfare" under section 28 of The Town Police Clauses Act 1847 
• It is an offence to "wilfully obstruct the free passage of a highway" under section 137 of The Highways Act 1980.
• Under section 22 of The Road Traffic Act 1988, it is an offence “if a person in charge of a vehicle causes or permits the vehicle or a trailer drawn by it to remain at rest on a road in such a position or in such condition or in such circumstances as to involve a danger of injury to other persons using the road.”

The local Conservative team surveying parking problems in the area.

The main problem preventing the Police from acting is that there is a very high threshold of evidence to ensure a successful conviction under the above legislation. Unlike the legislation in regard to speeding, the Police are unable to force the registered owner of a vehicle to tell them who was driving at the time the offence occurred. This, realistically, means that the Police need to witness an offence as it occurs in order to prosecute successfully.

Despite this complicated position, we continue to urge the Police, TMBC and Kent Highways to work together in order to keep the residents of Snodland safe on the roads (and pavements!).

Tracey Crouch on her role as a football coach

Local MP and Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has written an article for the BBC website about her role as a football coach and achieving equality in sport:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33006575

Snodland Planning Applications

A Planning Application has been lodged with Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council to demolish the old sweet shop at 269 Malling Road (on the corner opposite The Freemasons Arms pub, and near the Shell petrol station) and to replace it with a block of 8 x 1-bedroom flats.

The application can be viewed and commented upon here: http://publicaccess2.tmbc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=NNLY65QHFSU00

The application number is TM/15/01431

A similar application was rejected by TMBC in 2008, but then granted by the Planning Inspector on appeal.

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An application to build 2 x 2-bedroom flats at 292 Malling Road has been submitted.

The application can be viewed and commented upon here: http://publicaccess2.tmbc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=NMSBKKQHFQM00

The application number is TM/15/01230

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Official comments can only be made via TMBC but feel free to also send your comments to any of the email addresses above.

David Lettington

Litter Code awards

The names of the Snodland businesses who have been awarded certificates for taking part in the Voluntary Litter Code are listed here: http://www.tmbc.gov.uk/news/archive-2015/fifteen-snodland-businesses-rewarded-for-supporting-litter-code

Snodland Litter Code

Snodland Town Councillor Alan Keeley (2nd left) presenting certificates to local businesses.

Snodland Town Councillor Alan Keeley presented more than 10 certificates  to local businesses to recognise their work for keeping the local area tidy and clear. The businesses were taking part in the on-going Voluntary Litter Code, which is part of the Snodland Goes Cleaner campaign organised by the Borough Council.

 by Town Councillor Anne Moloney

New paper mill at Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook.

Sketch of the Medway at Snodland by Paul Sharp. 1964.

As Snodland Councillors, we welcome the near completion of the new Smurfit Kappa paper mill at the Townsend Hook site, not least because the state-of-the-art machinery means that Smurfit Kappa can continue to compete with rival European businesses. The new mill means that many new jobs have been created and will help to boost the local economy. The near £100m investment represents a huge commitment from Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook.

As part of the development, Smurfit have committed to engineering works to reinforce part of the river bank and to clean ponds within the site. The new mill also meets much higher environmental standards (including lower emissions) than the old mill.

The new mill continues a long history of paper-making in Snodland. There was a mill of some sort in Snodland at the time of the Domesday Book, but the date of the inception of paper milling is unclear, although it was definitely in place by 1744 when John Hicks took possession of the Courtlodge Estate.

The name most associated with the paper trade in Snodland, is that of Charles Townsend Hook who acquired the mill in 1854, aged just 22. He continued to run the mill successfully, building the business and increasing the number of employees, until his death in 1877. Over the years, the Hook family also paid for many works in Snodland, including the building or maintenance of churches, schools, the clock tower and the Devonshire Rooms.

by David Lettington

Many thanks for your support...

For our first post, we'd like to thank everyone that voted for us in the recent Borough Council election. We'd also like to reassure all of the residents of the town that, irrespective of who you voted for, we'll represent your views on the Council for the next four years.

The Conservatives managed to achieve a clean sweep, winning all five Snodland seats on the Borough Council. David Keeley, Barbara Brown and Steve King have all been elected to represent Snodland West and Holborough Lakes Ward, whilst Sue Bell and David Lettington have been elected to represent Snodland East and Ham Hill.

Furthermore, 14 of the 15 candidates elected to Snodland Town Council were Conservatives, with just 1 Labour Councillor elected.

The results of the Borough Council elections are below.

Please feel free to contact any of us using the email addresses above, or by any of the contact methods shown on the TMBC website: here

You can also follow updates and news on our newly-created Twitter account: @SnodlandTories 

by David Lettington