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Whats on Annual Parish Council Meeting 2005 Annual Parish Council Meeting 2003 About the Parish Council Some History of Lenham Parish Council
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Lenham Focus - lenham.net | |
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A Parish Plan for Lenham We’re getting there but still looking for volunteers
in the village, so come and join the team. Highbourne Park We really do need your help. It is easy to guess what people want, what they care about, but are we right? The only people who really know the priorities, aspirations and concerns of your family are yourselves.Clearly there are many issues that touch on all our lives that are beyond any local influence, but there are many things – perhaps more than you may realise – where local influence can be effectively channelled if there is the collective will to do so. It seems to be a common assumption that someone else will always be there to fight the fires, protect our property, keep our shops open, supervise the playgroups and playgrounds and see that nobody builds in our backyard or spoils the countryside. “It should not have been allowed!”.
How many times have you heard it said? When our shops close, when all
the young people are priced out of the village and we become a retirement
dormitory, undisturbed by birdsong but very familiar with the sound of
HGV traffic passing through, who will say, “It should not have been
allowed”? Lenham – A Village with a future? A Living Community or a Dormitory? In 1789 Benjamin Franklin wrote “ But in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes”. I would like to suggest we add “change” to that list of certainties. In 1995 we asked how you would like the village/parish to develop? Half of the replies wished to develop as a working community but more than half wished Lenham to stay as it is. There are many possibilities for our future ranging from a living, thriving, working community, to a lifeless anachronism like Chilham with antique shops and tea rooms. Perhaps we may simply become a place where commuters return to sleep, or a retirement settlement – a Bexhill without the Sea. The only certainty is that it cannot remain as it is. In the last fifty years there have been enormous changes in this parish. The number of houses has more than doubled. There are more people with a larger proportion of the elderly. More reliance is placed on the motorcar for everyday living. We see less involvement in the Church and the traditional Village Institutions. In short, a continual drift from a traditional village community with its implicit social cohesion towards a stereotype characterless suburban type conurbation. A n implicit assumption that the historic setting of our homes is something to be taken for granted without contribution or support. When asked how important the Memorial Cross on the Pilgrim’s Way is as a countryside feature, 1060 people (81% of the respondents) said they liked it a lot. Recently an appeal was made for volunteers to help clean the Cross – eight people out of a population of over three thousands came to help! Every four years elections are held for the Parish Council. Most people don’t bother to vote. Every month there is an opportunity for anyone in the parish to express their views or concerns at a Parish Council Meeting. Sadly, it is only when there is some perceived threat to their immediate interests that the majority of residents wish to become involved. Our previous Chief Constable, Sir David Phillips, was right, rather than waiting for a crime to be committed and then look for the criminal, it is better to seek the criminal by using intelligence and prevent the crime. Similarly, in dealing with the changes that are inevitably coming, let us not react frenetically at the last minute when it is often too late, but anticipate and channel social and physical changes to the advantage and protection of the features we value. To be successful this approach needs the co-operation and input of every part of the community. What are your particular concerns? Housing. The demands for more housing, both to meet
the needs for affordable homes for our young people and the imposition
of more houses to meet Government targets are unavoidable Where should
such development take place and what criteria would we wish to see adopted?
Local Economy How do we best support our local shops, post office and bank? There is now an ATM machine on the A20 Texaco site. Should we still press for a similar facilty in the village? Should we promote Tourism and if so to what extent? Young People. What more can be done to engage the interests of our young people? Would you support a Youth Council or help organize an adventure playground, a BMX track or other activities for young people? Public Services. Our local Fire Station is under threat of closure and in the foreseeable future our very special Parish Constable will be forced to retire. Are there really no volunteers to keep these vital services running, to become Retained Firemen and Village Constables? Environment. What are the features of this parish that you would wish to see preserved? How can we assist in the maintenance and good order of our public areas and countryside? Chris Wheal has made great strides to promote a Village Enhancement Scheme. Would you like to join his team of enthusiasts? Transport To most people the motor car is essential to their lifestyle - but should it dominate our lives? Is there to be no limit to the traffic, congestion and pollution caused by car movements in the village not to mention the lorry movements through it. Should we not give more consideration to the needs of pedestrians? The Government say they wish to give people more control
over their local area . They suggest communities produce their own plans
for the environment in which they live. In their jargon these are Village
Design Such documents can then be adopted by the local planning authority (as Supplementary Planning Guidance) and consequently become factors that must be addressed when dealing with any future planning applications for development in our parish. The new Parish Council have decided to seek the support of all parts of the Parish to embark on production of a new wide ranging Local Plan covering the whole of the Parish. This will be a massive undertaking but with enough volunteers and enthusiasm it is a very worthwhile enterprise. We need the help of all sections of the community;- the old , the young, schools, businesses, shopkeepers and all the wide range of sports and social organisationseverywhere in the parish. If you really care about the future of our lovely village and can spare a few hours over the next several months we need your help, please contact any Parish Councillor ( their addresses are displayed on the Parish Notice Board in the Square) or let me know Derek Haselup. Frith Farm Oast, Otterden, Kent ME13.
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