Emergency Road Closure - School Lane, Iwade

It will be necessary to close School Lane, Iwade from Monday 14th January 2019 for up to 3 Days.

The road will be closed between the junction of Wagstaff Lane and River Hall Lane.

The alternative route is via Iwade Road, Stickfast Lane, Sheppey Way, Ferry Road and School Lane.

This is to enable carriageway repairs to be carried out by KCC - Highways.

This Notice applies when the relevant signs and barriers are on site and is valid for a period of no more than 21 days.

The Kent County Council Highways Helpline is: 03000 418181

For details of roadworks, please see: www.roadworks.org

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

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Thank you

My family and I would like to thank the many people who sent such an overwhelming number of messages of sympathy and love on the sudden death of Alec. They gave us so much comfort and help.

I hope you will forgive me for not contacting you all personally, particularly those who have sent donations in memory of Alec. They are going to St. Mary’s Church and will help towards the repair of the buttress.

Again, many thanks.

Pat New
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Upchurch Poppy Appeal - 2018

At the end of last year I reported on this Appeal. I am now able to tell you that the amount donated within Upchurch was £3,131. I will say again thank you, on behalf of the Royal British Legion, for your generous contributions to last year’s appeal.

The years 2014-18 marked the centenary of World War I from its start to the armistice being signed. Many centenary events were planned during the recent last four years at National and equally importantly at local level. This all culminated with the ‘Battles Over’ events throughout the Nation. The Royal British Legion produced in each year of the centenary poppy pin badges which were dated 1914–2014, 1915-2015, 1916-2016, 1917-2017, 1918-2018. If anyone would like a set of these five pin badges I am able to supply them for a minimum donation to the Royal British Legion of £15.

I have now been associated with the Poppy Appeal in Upchurch for more than 25 years and would appreciate a break. If you are interested in becoming the next Poppy Appeal Organiser in Upchurch please contact me and I can explain what this voluntary task entails.

“LEST WE FORGET”

Gerry Lewin - Upchurch Poppy Appeal Organiser 

Telephone: 01634 366113

Email: lewing135@btinternet.com

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ACRE Action with Communities in Rural England - #VillageHallsWeek

England’s 10,000+ Village Halls are at the heart of rural community life - providing an important hub for social activities, classes and services.

ACRE’s Village Halls Week is an initiative and annual celebration of the Village Halls and other community buildings, which exist at the heart of England’s rural communities. The aim of the week long campaign is to champion the diverse range of buildings which make up the 10,000+ strong network and promote the sheer volume of services they offer.

There will be an opportunity to say thank you to the volunteers who run the buildings and learn more about the groups, organisations, individuals and businesses who are making use of these buildings week in and week out. Predominantly the week will take place on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), however ACRE Network members will also host events to engage with people in their area.

Nationally ACRE speaks up for Village Halls, ensuring Government policymakers are aware of the challenges faced by volunteers who are often struggling with red-tape and the demands of managing a community building.

Upchurch Village Hall

Upchurch Village Hall was built over 60 years ago and as a registered charity all Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee (UVHMC), members become a ‘Trustee’ of the Village Hall for the duration that they are on the Committee. All Trustees have a legal responsibility for the running of the Hall, along with all the associated health & safety and financial responsibilities. Maintenance and future planning are also part of the role.

The Village Hall Management Committee members are volunteers who meet regularly throughout the year to ensure the smooth running of the Hall for all the local groups and organisations that hire it on a regular basis, and for those individuals who hire the Hall for private parties and special family occasions.

Thank you for everything you do 👏🏼

Improvement Project - Presentation

Many of you will know that the Village Hall still needs a lot of remedial work to bring it up to standard. In recent years generous donations have been received from numerous individuals, local Councillors, Council grants, the Co-op Membership Local Community Fund and from numerous fundraising events held in the Hall itself. Together all these have enabled essential work to be carried out, and keep the Hall in good working order.

On Tuesday 5th February at 7:00pm, the Village Hall Management Committee will present their ideas for the refurbishment of Upchurch Village Hall. It is a 3 year project which they would like you all to know about.

Come along and see for yourself!

Help ACRE celebrate the huge contribution that Village Halls and the volunteers running them make to rural communities throughout England, with the hashtag #VillageHallsWeek and support your local Village Hall!

To book Upchurch Village Hall, please contact Mollie Harriss on: 01634 364859

Upchurch Matters
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Kent Food Trails - Plan Amazing Days Out

Produced in Kent is showcasing Kent's food heritage and product innovation through www.kentfoodtrails.co.uk, an exciting new tourist and travel website, inspiring residents and visitors to explore and enjoy Kent’s wonderful food and drink.

Visitors to Kent love to know how and where their food is produced, and even get involved! They need great places to stay and to eat too. From products grown here for 100's of years to 21st century innovations, food and drink has shaped the landscape of our wonderful county.

Take or make your own trail 

Visitors to www.kentfoodtrails.co.uk can create their own trails or select a ready curated one.

To start, visit the Businesses Page and search for who and where to visit.
You can view search results as a list or a map.

Search by name, select a type (Vineyard, Café etc) or search by location.

Select the business you want to start from and create your own trail.

Create an account to save your trails, print or share them.

A series of ‘Bite Sized Guides’ about Kent's finest products are already available to read and download from the website. The guides will introduce you to a whole range of fabulous food and drink from the Garden of England.

Enjoy!

Raise your business profile to a wider audience

Over 100 businesses from across Kent have already joined Kent Food Trails, including 18 in Swale, predominately in Faversham and the Downs. More businesses in Sittingbourne and Sheppey are required, and additional choice from Faversham is welcomed.

Businesses providing a place to eat, stay, visitor attractions, producers, retailers or activity providers - providing it is a visitor experience incorporating food and drink can all apply to join. Find everything you need to know about joining at kentfoodtrails.co.uk/for-businesses

Kent Food Trails has already featured in over 30 offline and online publications and will be further promoted through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

New trails are being curated and it would be great to see some trails around Swale featured to compliment those already on the website.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please Email: trails@producedinkent.co.uk or call: 01732 853170.

Upchurch Matters

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Upchurch Parish Council Report - January 2019

Report of the Parish Council January 2019

Cllr Tyrone Ripley (Chairman), Cllr John Arnold (Vice Chairman), Cllr Pam Denny, Cllr Alan Horton, Cllr Gerry Lewin, Cllr Peter Masson, Cllr Janet Marshall, Cllr Gary Rosewell and Cllr Neil Sheppard. Clerk Mrs Wendy Licence

Street Lights

The Parish Council wants to complete the upgrading of the street lights to LEDs as quickly as possible it will need to take out a loan, if the cost were to be added to the precept it would take several years to complete. It was agreed to pay for the project with an increase in Council Tax, the Council will use the money to repay a loan. There are the equivalent of 1003.54 Band D properties in the Parish and if the increase for a Band D property were to be £1.33 per month the loan would be repaid in five years, if the increase is £1.66 per month the loan can be repaid over four years. The lighting has a five-year guarantee so there would be no maintenance costs and as they will be LED lights there will be a saving on electricity costs. The aim is to upgrade all the lights at the same time and to replace the columns, where a light is mounted on a telegraph pole only the lamp will be replaced.  Councillors have received feedback from villagers that they are fed up with the lights not working and concern has been raised about the differing brightness of the lights. Residents have agreed the upgrade is a good idea.

Cllr Lewin said the increase will add £16 to £21 per annum per Band D property.

Planning

Ref: 18/505949/FULL Address: 15 Kent Terrace Upchurch Gillingham Kent ME8 8QP

Proposal: Demolition of existing end terrace house and erection of 2no. semi detached dwellings with rear parking.

Councillors considered the application and agreed that consideration should be given to residents’ concerns. Councillors also queried whether the drainage service vehicles will have sufficient space to manoeuvre.

Ref: 18/505468/FULL Address: The Orchard Holywell Lane Upchurch ME9 7HP

Proposal: Erection of a single storey dayroom building and single storey utility block (part retrospective).

Councillors considered the proposal and were concerned about the size given that it is for a dayroom. Councillors agreed unanimously to object to the application as the proposal is too large for the applicants’ requirements for a dayroom.

Ref: 18/505598/FULL Address: 38 Oak Lane Upchurch Sittingbourne Kent ME9 7AU

Proposal: Demolition of existing rear conservatory. Partial demolition of rear single storey projection to facilitate the erection of new single storey flat roof extension with roof light.

Councillors considered the application and supported the proposal.

Ref: 18/506062/FULL Address: Land West of Brown Jug 76 Horsham Lane Upchurch 

Proposal: Proposed residential development of 6 x 3 bed two storey houses and associated access to/from Horsham Lane.

Councillors considered the application and were concerned as to whether the development is in the right location as vehicles from the houses would have to go onto the road at a difficult point. The road is narrow and there are problems when two wide vehicles meet. The new footpath in front of the houses ends at the Brown Jug making it difficult for residents to walk safely to the village, this will increase the number of traffic movements. Concern was raised about the sustainability of the development. More information on access and egress to the proposal is needed due to the location of the development and the narrowness of the road. There is insufficient parking for visitors and residents.

Ref: 18/506381/FULL  Address: 15 Forge Lane Upchurch Sittingbourne Kent ME9 7AE

Proposal: Demolition of existing Conservatory. Erection of single storey rear extension with flat roof and lantern skylight. Alterations to fenestration including 2no. new conservation Velux roof lights to rear roof slope (Revision to 18/504810/FULL).

Councillors considered the application and agreed to support the proposal and request that consideration be given to any forthcoming comments.

Ref: 18/502771/FULL Address: Jack Russell Place Halstow Lane Upchurch  ME9 7AB

Prposal: Installation of a brick wall and gates to front entrance (part retrospective)

Swale Planning Officer recommended refusal of the proposal and the application was rejected by Swale Borough Council. The applicant lodged an appeal which has been dismissed.

Ref: 16/508521/FULL Address: Tranquility Otterham Quay Lane Upchurch Kent ME8 7UT

Proposal: Conversion of former storage building (originally built for agricultural purposes) into 1 No. 2 bed dwelling and 1 No. 3 bed dwelling with associated parking and amenity space.

The proposal was refused by Swale Borough Council and the applicant appealed against the decision, the appeal has been dismissed.

Allotment

There are still plots available in the Allotment Garden and anyone interested in having one should contact the Clerk.

Paddock and Recreation Ground 

The new play equipment has been installed in the Paddock and is being enjoyed by children.

Budget 2019-20

Councillors have agreed a precept of £50,177 which includes £17,959 as a special lighting project. This means the precept for a Band D property will be £50.00.

Christmas Lights

The Council has received superb feedback from residents regarding the new Christmas lights and tree lights which were bought from a grant given by Swale Borough Council. The Parish Council is extremely grateful to Mr and Mrs Osborne for the use of their electricity for all the Christmas lights. Councillors are also grateful to Mr Friend for his generous donation of a Christmas tree.

The Parish Council had negotiated for the Sittingbourne Christmas Lights sleigh round to visit Upchurch on 10^th December 2018 and Councillors volunteered to help with the event.  £275 was raised on the evening and the village has been invited to take part again this year.

  

Date of next meetings:

Full Council - Thursday 7^th February 2019 at 7:30pm in Upchurch Village Hall.

The Planning Committee and General Purposes Committee - Wednesday 20^th February at 7:30pm in the Committee Room of the Village Hall.

All residents are welcome to attend the meetings and there is a time for members of the public to comment, raise concerns or ask questions.

Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council

Tel: 01634 363906

Email: clerkupc@outlook.com

Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

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