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Chairman’s Letter April 2023

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Clare Escombe

Hello!

Our Coronation working group has worked wonders in pulling together a weekend of free events to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. Information is available on the HPC website and also on the Coronation Celebrations in Hawkhurst Facebook page. Thank you so much to Lisa Ridley, Jeremy Cross and Simon Paish for their hard work in organising this.

As you may be aware, Dandara have applied for a variation to their

planning application for 71 houses off Highgate Hill. They want to delay the provision of a pedestrian crossing on the Rye Road near All Saints Road. Hawkhurst Parish Council strongly opposes this proposal and is determined to do everything in its power to persuade Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to refuse this delay.

The village needs this crossing. There have been several accidents involving pedestrians here, some of which have been incredibly serious. HPC has tried to get a crossing in this location for years; we even had support from Tesco in terms of a grant. However, KCC advised that we were unable to have a zebra crossing. Therefore, despite our opposition to the Dandara development, we were relieved that at least the village would benefit from this crossing and the promised works to address the congestion at the Hawkhurst crossroads.

When the Inspector granted permission for this development, he made it clear that the provision of the crossing on the Rye Road was an essential part of the plan. His decision letter states that the crossing is required before work commences on site to make the development acceptable in planning terms and that Dandara confirmed in writing that they accepted the timing of these conditions!

We are also extremely concerned that in the current application, Dandara have incorrectly stated that the improvement works to the crossroads are required prior to the occupation of the 51st dwelling. This is not the case. The Inspector said that the mitigation scheme had to be provided before any dwellings are occupied.

We feel, as I know many residents do, that it is essential that these delays should not be permitted. I urge you to register your opposition to this application (23/00854/FULL) with TWBC.

On a more positive note, I am pleased to let you know that the Annual Parish Assembly will be on Tuesday 30th May. This will be held at Hawkhurst C of E Primary School at 7:30pm.

All the best,

Clare Escombe
Chairman, Hawkhurst Parish Council

Chairman’s Letter March 2023

/in /by
Clare Escombe

Hello!

I would like to draw your attention to the Feedback Statement produced by the NDP Steering Group following the Visioning Event on 14th January. I do not think it will come as any surprise to learn that the top three issues identified on the day were: congestion at the crossroads, healthcare facilities and the loss of

agricultural landscape and woodland. The Feedback Statement is available on the NDP Hawkhurst Facebook page, where you will find the rest of the top 10 issues.

In light of this, I am delighted to let you know that The Woodland Trust has recently bought 38 hectares (94 acres) of arable farmland and ancient woodland shaws off Stream Lane. I was fortunate to be invited to a Stakeholder day at the start of March, which proved extremely interesting.

The Woodland Trust intends to create a new woodland and woody landscape. This year, the focus will be on carrying out baseline surveys for the flora and fauna already present on the site, in addition to designing a tree planting scheme in keeping with the site’s position in the High Weald AONB.

Looking ahead, the Parish Council has a small working group that is very busy planning events for the Coronation weekend. Keep an eye out for more information over the coming weeks.

The Annual Parish Assembly will also take place in May. We still need to firm up the final arrangements, but details will be available on our website and noticeboards shortly.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter,

Clare Escombe
Chairman, Hawkhurst Parish Council

Chairman’s Letter March 2022

/in /by

Hello!

I do not imagine that there can have been many times this month when the horrific situation facing the people of Ukraine has been far from any of our minds. Earlier this month, I attended an update by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) on the role of the Borough and Parishes in providing support. Having seen first-hand the generosity and kind-heartedness of the residents of Hawkhurst through the Hawkhurst Community Support Group, it came as no surprise to find that Hawkhurst had a significant cluster of residents offering to host Ukrainian refugees.

TWBC has a dedicated web page on support for Ukraine, which can be found at https://tunbridgewells.gov.uk/news/ukraine This includes links to relevant Government information, charities, and more details on how you can provide support to Ukrainian refugees, including registering as a volunteer. For those of you who have already registered as potential hosts, there is useful information on the next steps, including what to expect from the property inspections.

As part of HPC’s response, we are starting to collate details of local contacts for relevant services for inclusion on a dedicated website for Hosts and their Ukrainian Guests currently being constructed by TWBC. Please let the Parish Office have your contact details if you provide services that might be of use, such as handyman, babysitting, transport etc. We would also love to hear from any Ukrainian or Russian speakers who could offer their support as translators.

Looking ahead, Hawkhurst’s Annual Parish Assembly will be at Hawkhurst Primary School on Monday 23rd May. After missing the last two years due to COVID, we look forward to seeing you there.

Plans for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations are progressing well. Please do follow the Hawkhurst Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Facebook page as this is where we will be sharing details of the events.

Clare Escombe
Chairman, Hawkhurst Parish Council

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