Councillor’s
Contact Numbers
Councillor Miss Kristina Avery Tel:
01580 713409
Councillor Mrs Beryl Bancroft Tel: 01580 715382
Councillor Garry Blanch Tel: 01580 240622
Councillor Jeremy Boxall Tel:
01580 712847
Councillor Mrs. Alison Bunyan Tel: 01580 713831
Councillor Kim Fletcher Tel: 01580 712348
Councillor David Hazlewood Tel: 01580 714395
Councillor Denis Hemsted Tel: 01580 720450
Councillor Mrs. Pat Hoare Tel: 01580 752581
Councillor Graham Holmes Tel: 01580 712653
Councillor Anne Marley Tel: 01580 713240
Councillor Peter North Chairman Tel:
01580 714174
Councillor Linda Page Tel: 01580
211238
Councillor Francis Rook Tel: 01580 713169
Councillor Brian Swann Vice Chairman Tel:
01580 712732
Tunbridge
Wells Borough Council:
Councillor Peter Davies (Benenden & Cranbrook) Tel: 01580 240723
Councillor Linda Hall (Benenden & Cranbrook) Tel: 01580 713078
Councillor Eleanor North (Benenden & Cranbrook) Tel: 01580 240453
Councillor John Smith (Frittenden & Sissinghurst) Tel: 01580 712898
Councillor Roger Manning Tel: 01580 240644
REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN:
Chairman Cllr. Peter North
Well, the decision by the Tunbridge Wells Borough
Council Cabinet has been made on the future of the Borough Offices at the top
of the High Street. The Offices are to
finally close following the construction of a new Community Hub (or Gateway) on
the site currently occupied by the KCC Library in
Before I go into further detail I must firstly thank
everyone concerned in the attempt to retain for the community, the old offices
site. In particular Sir Kenneth Warren’s group and the
Angley School Governors led by Dennis East.
These local people worked tirelessly to produce projects for the site
that would have undoubtedly benefited not just
Back now to the “Community Hub” – its purpose is to
provide a one-stop shop for all local Parish, Borough and County needs. The schedule of the potential occupants of
the new centre includes the following:
* Borough and Parish
Services
* Citizens
Advice Bureau (CAB)
* Police
* Adult
Services Office Base
* Learning
Disability Hub
* Community
Halls with kitchen etc (in total approximately 240 square metres)
* Waiting
Area
* Library
It is anticipated
that the existing High Street Borough Council Offices will remain open and
available to the Citizens Advice Bureau, the small number of existing users and
to provide a temporary home for the Library.
Your Parish Council will
discuss this matter at their meeting on 25th October 2007, in the
Council Chamber of the Vestry Hall. I
would be grateful to receive beforehand any comments you may wish to make on
these proposals.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
POLICY & RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT:
Chairman Cllr Brian Swann
I am pleased to be able to report that we have now
appointed a local company to design and set up our Parish Council Website. Initial discussions have taken place on the
brief we have given to the company. Some
of the features we have asked them to build onto our Web are: details, minutes, etc of all Parish Council
and Committee Meetings, local news, local attractions, local banks and details
of local organisations, clubs and societies, doctors, schools, tourist
information and much more.
We have also asked that a diary system be built onto
the website to enable local groups to flag up their events well in advance, and
then others wanting to put on their events can check for any clashing of
dates. This way everybody will know what
is going on and anyone will be able to make their own contribution to the
Parish diary.
I will just mention this newsletter again as this
Committee spends time at each meeting discussing its development. We hope that it will develop into a wider
source of Parish news and invite all local organisations and individuals to
provide copy, however small, that will then give the Newsletter a wider
interest and to be much more informative as to what is going on in the
community.
BURIAL GROUNDS AND PROPERTIES:
Chairman Cllr. Denis Hemsted
All is well at
In St Dunstan’s
Churchyard, the re-laying of the path is almost complete and is a vast
improvement. The pollarding of the Lime
trees and removal of the deceased trees, will take place before the end of the
year.
ECONOMIC & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
Chairman Cllr. Kristina
Avery
BUSINESS LINK CLINIC
Following on from the Business 2 Business event held
earlier this year we are pleased to welcome Business Link back to Cranbrook for
a "Business Clinic" on October 18th in Cranbrook Parish
Council's committee room - from 9am - 5pm. Impartial advice is offered whatever
the size of your company and whatever your business field.
I have often heard it said that businesses who take
advice are usually more profitable and successful than ones that do not
….and….IT’S FREE! Phone 08456 009006 to book a time slot.
LOCAL INTEREST
PLAQUES
An idea floated jointly by The Parish Council (CPC)
and the Tourism Development Forum(CTDF) to introduce Local interest plaques to
This is where
we need your help…
To help decide which of the many worthy interesting
and often hidden aspects of
Environmental
Management:
Chairman Cllr. Francis Rook
WET ALLOTMENTS
Rain
and excess water have been an issue in the allotments during the recent
conflagrations and we have asked an ‘expert’ on the subject to advise on coping
with the flooding problem when deluges overwhelm the stream before it enters
into a culvert.
RE-CYCLING AND LITTER
SUCCESS
Good
news is that the recycling area in the Regal Car Park has been much improved
after our lobbying for an extra plastics recycling bin. The frustration this
caused must have been horrendous prior to its introduction, with people trying
to recycle and then finding the bin full to overflowing. Complaints to the
Parish office have dropped to zero.
A
way forward might be for doorstep collections of plastics and cans and would
welcome any opinions on the subject. I also feel that doorstep collections of
plastic milk bottles make sense in order that they could be collected, en mass,
from the dairy or farm. The plastic would be of uniform type and therefore must
be an efficient way of re cycling. Councillor Marley is investigating the
feasibility of this proposal and we await her report.
The
Ball Field and Jubilee Field are benefiting from the introduction of extra
litterbins and I am very pleased to report that littering is down and the
fields are much cleaner and a more pleasant place to be in.
KENT
On
another matter regarding Highways; there is a Kent Highways project underway to
review speed limits in Kent, a trial area has been selected which includes all
roads within the area bounded by A26/A229/A262/A21 and the A228. Parish
Councils in the
In
Sissinghurst, the speeding interactive sign is now operational.
Finally
I would like to congratulate all those involved with the Tour de France
celebrations in Sissinghurst it was a fabulous turnout and did the village
proud especially winning a Gold Medal for the floral arrangements.
ENVIRONMENT AND GREENER LIVING:
Cllr. Kim Fletcher
The Parish
Council has been asked for advice about how we can individually help the
environment. Here are some ideas for you to consider!
GREENER LIVING: A QUICK GUIDE TO WHAT YOU CAN DO
·
Save energy and water at home
Burning fossil
fuels to heat our homes or produce electricity releases carbon emissions, which
cause climate change. The energy you use at home is likely to be your biggest
contribution to climate change. 80 per cent of it goes on heating and hot
water, so this is a good place to look for savings.
·
Turn down your thermostat
Turning your thermostat down by one degree could
reduce carbon emissions and cut your fuel bills by up to 10 per cent.
·
Look for the labels
When buying
products that use energy – anything from light bulbs to fridge-freezers – look
for the Energy Saving Recommended label or European energy label rating of A or
higher. The European energy label also tells you how much water appliances use,
so you can choose a more efficient model.
·
Improve your insulation
More than half
the heat lost in your home escapes through the walls and roof. Cavity wall
insulation costs about £260, can take a couple of hours to install, and could
save you £160 a year on fuel bills.
TRAVELLING AND GETTING
AROUND: Personal travel
accounts for around a quarter of all the damage individuals do to the
environment, including climate change effects.
·
Choose an efficient car
Individual car
travel is responsible for the majority of climate change impacts from travel.
If you’re buying a new car, look for the fuel efficiency label to choose a more
efficient model. This will cut your carbon emissions and save you money on fuel
and Vehicle Tax.
·
Try to reduce your car use
Reduce the
number of short trips you make in the car. Walking, cycling, or taking the bus
or train will help reduce local air pollution and the climate change effects of
getting around.
·
Tackling the environmental impact of flying
Consider the
need for a flight and the alternatives to taking a plane. If you do fly, you
can offset your CO2. You could consider options for reducing your travel, for
example taking fewer, longer breaks if possible instead of several short
ones. Maybe you can find what you want closer to home, by taking a holiday
in the
FOOD – EATING AND DRINKING: Producing, transporting and consuming
food is responsible for nearly a third of our climate change effects. Some
foods have a much bigger impact on the environment than others.
·
Look for the labels
Look for the
labels to help you choose food that has been produced with the aim of reducing
the negative impact on wildlife and the environment.
·
Buy fresh and in season
Buying food and
drink when locally in season, and unprocessed or lightly processed food, is
likely to mean that less energy has been used in its production. Buying food
that has travelled less can also be a positive choice as it reduces transport
emissions, particularly in comparison to produce transported by air.
·
Reduce your food waste
The average
IDEAS ON RECYCLING: Reducing, reusing and recycling waste
saves on the raw materials and energy which are needed to make new paper,
metal, glass and other items. Saving energy helps tackle climate change.
·
Recycle more
Nearly two
thirds of all household rubbish can be recycled. Most councils run doorstep
recycling collections for paper, glass and plastics, often more. But local
civic amenity sites often accept many other things – from wood and shoes, to
textiles and TVs.
·
Get composting
Composting food
waste reduces climate change effects. Many local councils offer subsidised
compost bins or home collection for kitchen and garden waste.
·
Re-use and repair
Avoiding waste
in the first place, by re-using and repairing items, is the most efficient way
to reduce waste. For example, buy items that can be re-used rather than
disposables, and pass things on when you’ve finished with them.
GREENER
SHOPPING: There are now
lots of choices you can make when shopping that help take care of the
environment.
·
Take a bag
Hang on to your shopping bags and take some with
you when you next go to the supermarket.
·
Look for the labels
Use labels to choose
products that have a lower impact on the environment. For example, energy
efficient appliances and cars, and sustainable fish. Using labels to buy
sustainable wood and peat free compost will protect important natural habitats
that help balance climate change effects.
·
Buy recycled
Look out for
recycled products. Recycled paper, kitchen rolls and toilet tissue are among
the products now widely available.
PLANNING & PRESERVATION MANAGEMENT:
Chairman Cllr. Alison Bunyan
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
This project is still progressing and it now seems
that land prices are under discussion between the housing association and KCC
who own the land. Hyde Housing has now
decided that one of the houses they will be building will have 5 bedrooms. There will be 2 x 4 bed houses, 5 x 3 beds,
10 x 2 beds, 9 x 1 bed and 2 x 1 bedroomed bungalows.So just a reminder – to be eligible for any of these homes you need to
have registered – the Clerk to the Parish Council can provide forms and advice.
CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISALS
The first draft of the three conservations areas has
been passed to the Parish Council and to the Cranbrook Conservation Area
Advisory Committee for comment. Once
these have been considered another draft will be made available to everyone –
that may happen before Christmas – so watch the local press for details of when
and where you can have your say.
SISSINGHURST NEW SCHOOL
The planning application for the new school in
Common Road has been to this committee twice now and we have made no objections
– but we have made several suggestions and hope that KCC, who will make the
decision, will look carefully at our ideas and concerns. We would like to see a pavement from the new
school all the way up
It has been suggested that Sissinghurst is building
a large school with the intention of attracting children from neighbouring
schools. We did not agree with this
suggestion. The new school is for the
same number of children as the existing (incidentally the number has remained
the same for around 15 years) and is very much needed. We agree that it is not acceptable for the
children all to be housed in mobile classrooms as is presently the case.
We are very aware that people are fearful that the
move to
MORE PARISH
NEWS
BIGGER THAN EVER - Sissinghurst's Traditional Village Fete
Brian Clifford
To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Sissinghurst
Castle being handed over to the National Trust by Nigel Nicolson, the
venue of the traditional Sissinghurst Village Fete was changed this
year to The Plain in front of the world famous garden on August Bank
Holiday Monday with over 3000 visitors.
The National Trust staff working at Sissinghurst
Castle enthusiastically embraced the spirit of this event and
many contributed to the range of entertainment at Sissinghurst
Castle, which included traditional village activities together
with the annual dog show (Sissinghurst's answer to Crufts!) family
sports day races plus the East PeckhamSilver Band, which made
this the biggest and most exciting village Fete held in the village.
Sam
Butler, Visitors Services Manager for
The Sissinghurst Traditional Village Fete
was opened by ADAM NICOLSON the
son of Nigel Nicolson, the grandson of Vita Sackville-West and Harold
Nicolson. ADAM was following in the
footsteps of his father NIGEL in
opening the Fete.
Proceeds from the village Fete will be shared
amongst all village organisations and clubs including the Bun Penny Club, Darby
& Joan, Cubs and Brownies, Cricket Club and other groups.
Sue McAuley, the Chair of the Sissinghurst
Fete Committee said "We try and make the village Fete a real
traditional event that can be enjoyed by everybody," She added
"This year we are working closely with the National Trust, and
with their Bank Holiday visitors and our village families and visitors
we did expect huge crowds - we certainly go that!”
TREE
WARDEN:
Cllr. Kristina
Avery
LIME TREES NEED SURGERY
You may have read in the local press about
our dilemma with the Lime trees in Cranbrook Churchyard. To recap -
a nasty fungus was discovered growing on one of the trees on the lower
boundary adjacent to
Given its position overlooking
Initially this means reducing the height of the
tallest trees by a third and then reducing the remainder to match. This
may seem a drastic measure but Limes are a particularly resilient tree and
it is interesting to note that the oldest and most ancient trees in our
midst are generally those that have been reduced in canopy size regularly
throughout their life either by intervention or by natural means (wind). We
wish the Limes of Cranbrook Churchyard a similarly long life.
Trisha Spencer, Cranbrook Tourism Development Officer
The Forum was
established in May 2005 and includes representatives from
In
partnership with Cranbrook Parish
Council, the Cranbrook Tourism Forum has produced:
|
‘ |
‘In
and Around
|
|
‘Art in Store: |
|
‘ |
|
Tourism signage
project: both CPC and CTDF are currently working on improving signage into the
town from the Wilsley Pound roundabout. |
Other current
projects are: Public Access Terminal
(PAT) to direct visitors to accommodation and attractions information when
Weald Information Centre is closed (in partnership with TWBC); further
Maureen Leah
Well-done
Another excellent result in this year’s South and
South East in Bloom competition. The Town received a Silver Gilt Award, coming first in the
PUTTING THE
‘BLOOM’ INTO CRANBROOK
The judges were particularly impressed with “the
floral displays throughout, together with the permanent landscaping, the
Roundabout and environmental initiatives” as well as our “informative and
well-balanced judging route”. In the
floral section, the Bowls Club flower boxes and the choice of plants in the
town troughs got special mention and we also received maximum marks for small
areas throughout the town – Jockey Lane, the Library pond, the verge opposite
Angley School, the roundabout and the War Memorial, all areas where we have
been working hard, tidying and planting up this year.
As the judges
put it “there appears to be a good partnership with the Community playing their
roles in “putting the ‘Bloom’ in
WHY NOT DONATE A
TREE
There is currently a project to plant native trees
and shrubs along
LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKETS
Cranbrook
Farmers’ Market is held on the fourth Saturday of every month in the Vestry Hall
between 9 am and 12 noon, and has a wide selection of fresh produce by local
providers. For further details, please contact John and Anne Gurr – telephone
01580 713843.
Sissinghurst
Farmers’ Market is held on the Second Monday of every month at
Sissinghurst
Roundup:
Brian Clifford
SISSINGHURST
PROVIDES A SIX THOUSAND STRONG
CHEER
FOR THE TOUR DE FRANCE RIDERS
Over
six thousand cheering visitors and residents of Sissinghurst, in
From 10 am in the morning visitors poured into
Sissinghurst parking in the specially provided car parks and made their way to
the Jubilee Field, to enjoy not only the specially launched Wine and Food
Festival, organised by Ian Florey, but also to take part in a host of other
entertainment.
The National Trust at
The celebrations in Sissinghurst were not only fund
raisers for Sissinghurst local organisations including the Bun Penny Club,
Darby & Joan, Cubs and Scouts and the football club but also for the Kent
Air Ambulance, that during the day made a special visit to the Jubilee Field -
albeit from 1000 feet !
John Bancroft Chairman of the Organising
Committee said "Our aim was to provide to the local community, residents
and visitors with a day of entertainment I think that we did that - and we have
been very touched by the many notes and messages of congratulations."
On Saturday evening, the
SISSINGHURST GOES FOR GOLD….AND WINS IT!
Throughout the Tour De France race route in Kent,
South East In Bloom judges visited all of the race route villages and towns to
see how the race was not only
being celebrated but also to see what effort
had been put into decorating the route. Having made those visits and having
looked at photographs South East In Bloom awarded Sissinghurst with a
GOLD AWARD - Denis Hemsted of the Sissinghurst Tour De France Organising
Committee members said "The Judges were very impressed with the effort
that Sissinghurst had made and were particularly impressed with our Penny
Farthing Bicycle display of the roundabout at Wilsley Pound.
HELP! WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THE PENNY FARTHING!
Sissinghurst is now the proud owner of the huge
Penny Farthing bicycle that stood very proudly on the Wilsley Pound Roundabout
in the build up to the Tour de France Race. We now need to find a permanent
home for it - it's ideas we want!
If you have any positive ideas about where the Penny
Farthing, made locally by Robert Longley, can be permanently placed please do
not hesitate to contact Cllr. Denis Hemsted – telephone 01580 720450.
Betty Carman
BUILDINGS FOR THE LAWLESS
Every
building in
The
next building to house those of a lawless nature was the house now known as
Spring Cottage on The Hill. In February
1850 the Kent County Surveyor drew up plans for a lockup house in
There
is a very similar one in Dartford even now which seems to imply it was a county
design as similar buildings have been mentioned in Sandwich, Deal,
Then
in 1858 John Allen bought a site for a new police station in the Turnpike (
So
here we have in
A WARTIME EXPERIENCE:
Cllr.Graham Holmes
Whilst it has been particularly rewarding to receive
telephone calls and the odd letter in connection with this series of articles,
the internet has provided a fascinating enquiry from
John Laming, a retired airline captain now living in
VIVID WAR TIME MEMORIES
John was seven years old when he came to live in
As the machines roared overhead John rushed outside
to see a Hurricane pursuing and attacking a Messerschmidt 109, scoring numerous
hits on the enemy machine. John was certain about the identity of the aircraft,
having been taken by an elderly uncle to aircraft recognition sessions at the
local cinema run by the Royal Observer Corps (whose 1924 HQ above the old post
office in the High Street, was the first of its kind and now commemorated by a
small plaque on the wall). Spent cartridges from the Hurricane showered down,
breaking glass in the church windows.
John went on to say that he thought the 109 came
down just beyond an old people’s home. Nearly 67 years later, he still has
vivid memories of the incident but now needed to fill in some of the missing
pieces of the jigsaw. A little research soon found the answers.
There is no doubt that the 109 John watched being
attacked was the mount of Unteroffizier Niedermaier, who flew with the 1st
Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader (fighter squadron) 53, based at Guines on the Channel
coast. JG53 was known as the “Pik-As” (Ace of Spades) unit and on the 15th
August had been engaged on an operational sortie to the outskirts of
These missions involved escorting bombers and then
drawing the RAF up into battle with the intention of severely reducing their
numbers and, ultimately, to gain aerial superiority. An essential prerequisite
if the
This was not quite the end of the story……
The local Home Guard unit was soon on the scene, but
the pilot was beyond help with his 109 now burning fiercely. Suddenly and quite
without warning a Luftwaffe twin engine bomber roared overhead, machine gunning
the site. Crews were under instructions to attempt to destroy any of their
aircraft that may have crashed intact to avoid useful information falling into
enemy hands. Fortunately, there were no casualties among the troops apart from
one lucky chap whose boot was struck by a small shell.
John Laming’s account of his brief stay in
REMEMBERING SOME OF THE “FEW”
Battle of Britain Day fell on the 15th
September and it is timely to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by the
following pilots who lost their lives in the service of their country, when
their aircraft came down in the
