Swale Borough Council - Environment Grants Scheme Reopens

Local environmental projects could get a £5,000 boost from the proceeds of litter fines.

Swale Borough Council has reopened its environment grant scheme, to support community projects and organisations that help deliver on environmental objectives.

The £15,000 fund is paid for from the income from littering and fly-tipping fixed penalty notices.

This is the second time the fund has been open, and the previous scheme offered up to £1,000 per project from a pot of £5,000. This paid for projects such as beach cleans, wildlife surveys, litter bins, planters and supporting and waste education schemes for children.

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“Whilst we’d obviously prefer people not to drop litter or fly-tip waste, it’s satisfying that the extra money we receive from the fixed penalty notices is used to help improve the local environment.

I’m pleased that we are able to announce that the budget available for Environment Grants has been increased to £15,000, and the maximum application has been increased to £5,000.

In June the council declared a climate and ecological emergency. Making space for nature is priority of our action plan. We want the money to help local community groups or charities improve the local environment in some way, and I’m looking forward to seeing what projects we can support.”

The maximum grant for any one project is £5,000 and only one application can be submitted by an organisation in each financial year.

The scheme is open until 28th February 2020, and application forms and guidance notes are available at: www.swale.gov.uk/environment-grants

Swale Borough Council

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Charity Cricket Match in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support

Mixed teams of locals from the village will be playing in a charity cricket match held at Upchurch Cricket Ground, Holywell Lane at 12:00pm on August bank holiday Sunday the 25th.

Entry is £3.00 per person - children FREE.

There will be a BBQ and a raffle, with prizes kindly donated by Annmarie from The Crown at Upchurch.

Please come along and support the match, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Thank you 

Everybody welcome!

Paul Tandy

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The Three Tuns - Kentish Beer & Cider Festival

Click to enlarge.

Full Bar Menu Available Daily 12pm - 9pm
Roast Dinners Available Sunday 12pm - 9pm

Event Beer Glasses will be available with a £3.00 refundable deposit to encourage and support using less plastic in Lower Halstow or you can keep them as a souvenir.

Please make use of the additional parking at the bottom of Lapwing Drive in the ‘Brickfields’ car park, kindly made available by the Parish Council.

The Three Tuns
The Street, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7DY

Telephone: 01795 842840
Email: info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

Website: www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

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Medway Council Planning Policy Update - Make Your Voice Heard

Medway Council has recently updated its programme for preparing the new Medway Local Plan.

They are now working to publish the draft plan later this year, so they can take account of the outcome of a major bid for infrastructure funding. You can see the updated timetable for the new local plan in the Medway Local Development Scheme here (Click on LDS document).

The council is working on a number of documents to support the local plan. This includes planning for town centres. They are publishing draft masterplans and delivery strategy documents for Chatham, Gillingham and Strood for comments.

Medway Council is consulting on these documents from 16th August to 30th September 2019. They welcome your comments and will take these into account in drawing up final versions of the plans. You can view the information online here.

You can also view copies of the documents at Chatham, Gillingham and Strood libraries and at the council's offices at Gun Wharf during normal opening hours. You can find details of the opening hours and locations of the libraries here.

The new local plan will set out how Medway Council seek to protect and strengthen the environment. They have prepared some early work on a draft Medway Green and Blue infrastructure Vision and welcome your comments and ideas from16th August to 30th September 2019. This will form part of a wider strategy document.

The council has also published a Housing Delivery Test Action Plan. This sets out how the council will help lo boost rates of housebuilding in Medway. You can view the plan here.

The council welcome any comments that you may have on the action plan.

If you have any queries, please Email the Planning Policy Team at: futuremedway@medway.gov.uk Telephone: 01634 331629

Upchurch Matters
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A2 Gas Main Replacement - Public Meeting

KCC Member for Swale West, Councillor Mike Whiting has arranged a public meeting to discuss the proposed replacement of the gas main along the A2 through Newington.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 22nd August 2019 at 7:00pm in Newington Village Hall. Southern Gas Networks, Kent Highways and Kent Police will be in attendance.

The meeting is so residents can hear about the plans for the works, which may require more road closures, and to listen to residents concerns over some of the things that went well, and those things that did not go so well (or went badly) during the recent emergency closure of the A2 - Newington High Street.

All are welcome to attend.

Upchurch Matters

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HRGS - The Train That Jumped the Gap - 16th August 1944

The train that jumped the gap - 16th August 1944

75th anniversary

Remembering all those who lost their lives in the Second World War rail disaster at bridge 181, Oak Lane, Upchurch.

The Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne is currently researching into the lives that were lost and collating the stories of those who were involved in the derailment.

If you have any information or had a loved one involved in this disaster, please Email Richard Emmett >> richard@hrgs.co.uk

Read more at >> http://bit.ly/2MmgJOG

Upchurch Matters

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