Still Time to Comment on KCC’s 5-year Plan

Kent residents are being reminded that there is still time to comment on KCC’s proposals for improving the quality of life in the county over the next five years.

A public consultation on the plan put forward by the council was launched on 6th January.

KCC Leader Roger Gough said the consultation, which closes on 17th February, gives everyone living or working in Kent the chance to let the council know which services really matter to them for now, and over the next five years.

He said:

“County council services have a major impact on people’s lives, through schools, roads, social services for vulnerable and elderly people, other support services for children, and what we do in provisions such as libraries and country parks.

“It’s vitally important that residents now have the chance to shape what those services will be like and what kind of county we are going to be living in over the next few years.”

“We must particularly address the challenges that residents see in their daily lives: the increasing demand for local public services from an ageing and changing population; the impact of significant housing growth, and the pressure on our infrastructure.”

KCC’s current ideas are outlined in its draft 5-year plan, which is titled “Your Future, Our Priority”.

Over the last six months, KCC has held a series of focus groups and gathered the views of residents, young people, businesses, voluntary and community sector organisations, KCC staff and partners in Kent’s district and parish councils and across public services.

Based on their suggestions, KCC has set out the following outcomes:

Enterprise and investment - making Kent an ambitious and successful county, with high quality jobs, skilled workers, enterprising businesses and thriving town centres and rural areas.

Securing sustainable infrastructure - as Kent grows, working with partners to put in place the infrastructure that communities need, including roads, school places and utilities.

Connected transport and communities - keeping Kent’s roads and pavements well maintained and safe, keeping traffic flowing and improving public transport so everyone can get around the county.

A cleaner and greener Kent - keeping our streets, towns and parks tidy and clean, protecting the green areas and coasts that make Kent so special and leading the way on tackling the climate emergency.

Stronger and safer Kent communities - continuing to bring communities together so everyone feels involved and supported and working with partners to make sure everyone stays and feels safe.

Opportunities for children and young people - giving children the best start in life, providing effective early help when families need it and making sure every young person gets the education, skills and experiences they need for a successful future.

Quality health, care and support - helping people to live well, working with partners to improve people’s physical and mental health and resilience and providing quality social care when people need it. 

The plan is still in draft and the consultation is open, residents can comment by viewing the relevant documents, which are available at: www.kent.gov.uk/5yearplan

Following the consultation, changes will be incorporated and KCC will produce a “You Said, We Did” document to show how it has used people’s comments to shape the plan.

Kent County Council

Space

Swale Borough Council - Housing Infrastructure Fund

Swale's coalition administration says it is not prepared to be bounced into accepting thousands of extra houses by the promise of government housing funding linked to road improvements.

The new administration has pledged to deliver a new Local Plan that will provide sustainable housing developments, with high quality and environmentally sensitive housing, local jobs, and a focus on living local, working local, and enjoying life locally. We cannot support the imposition of more dormitory estates across the borough that rely on commuting many miles to work and which are out of the price range of most local people.

The administration is seeking to deliver a green Local Plan that will be less reliant on car use, with a focus on public transport and green infrastructure. A housing target that is realistic and proportionate.

Cllr Mike Baldock, deputy leader and cabinet member for planning, said:

“As a coalition, we remain committed to delivering a strong Local Plan that meets all the needs of local people across the borough in an ecologically and sustainable way. That is what people voted for in 2019.

“We hope people will support us in delivering on those promises.”

Recently, the Government has announced that money may be made available for improvements to the Grovehurst Roundabout. This money comes from the Housing Infrastructure Fund and is intrinsically linked with the delivery of ever more housing. We strongly feel however that this is not a basis on which we can agree to support this funding.

Road improvements are necessary but must be part of a package that tackles all the infrastructure failings caused by the existing increase in housing, rather than being the means to deliver even greater housing numbers.

There is nothing in this funding, for example, that tackles the chronic shortage of GPs in our area, and the woefully inadequate health provision. We appreciate that the Government itself is aware that this road-focused approach to infrastructure is inadequate, and we welcome their plans to come forward with a more integrated approach to Housing Infrastructure Funding that will seek to address the other major concerns many Local Authorities have.

This Housing Infrastructure Fund money would require us to run counter to our ambitions. By leaving the Grovehurst Roundabout and the Bobbing Interchange as the only two major road junctions in our Borough with spare capacity going beyond 2031, we would face insurmountable pressures to provide the full 10,000 new houses the Government is demanding. And the failed approach of simply filling up green fields with more dormitory estates reliant on the Strategic Road Network to get into London for the daily commute would continue.

We need investment just to meet existing demand - not to be the catalyst for causing even more demand.

Consequently, although in the final instance this remains a Kent County Council decision, we cannot support this bid as it runs counter to the Coalition’s principles of sustainable local development.

Swale Borough Council

Space

The Former Lord Stanley Inn at Otterham Quay by David Wood

One of six Upchurch drinking houses during the second half of the 19th century and located on the bottom left of Windmill Hill, the well-known village inn existed for about fifty years before becoming a grocery store.

Constructed during the 1860s, the Inn first opened in 1867 as an unlicensed drinking house but its landlord James Kitchingham then obtained a license. This coincided with the opening of the brickfield in the area which brought business, while boatmen who arrived at Otterham Quay also visited the inn. Competition existed with the Anchor & Hope Inn located on the wharf at Otterham Quay and The Three Sisters a short distance along Otterham Quay Lane.

The inn took its name from Thomas Stanley Wakeley of Rainham who worked as a partner in Wakeley Brothers hop and fruit business. He also served as an Evangelical preacher and held services for his Upchurch congregation at Wakeley’s granary also located at Otterham.

The Lord Stanley Inn - inset Thomas Stanley Wakeley.

The Lord Stanley Inn had one large bar downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs with an outside toilet. The brewers Style & Winch provided beer. Popular beers included stout, English porter and pale ale during the second part of the 19th century.

The inn also became the site for official inquests into mysterious deaths. According to the ‘Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald’ dated July 19th 1884, an inquest took place into the drowning of a boy named Charles Edward Barnes aged six and the coroner Mr W J Harris gave a verdict of ‘accidently drowned.’

A succession of landlords managed the inn. Firstly, James Kitchingham worked as the proprietor from September 1867. Edward Holman took over in 1891 and managed the inn until 1902. Henry Goldswain succeeded him and became proprietor from May 1902 until July 1907. After this a man named George Squires lived in the building for several years until John Barnes bought it in 1913. Well-known Upchurch builder Bob Barnes from Oak Lane says:

“My grandfather worked in the brickfield and lived at Plantation Cottages near Windmill Hill. He saved enough money to buy the inn. When he bought the building he never ran it as an inn, he converted it into a grocery store.”

John Barnes managed the grocery store as a family business and delivered groceries on his horse and cart to local residents in Upchurch and Lower Halstow. When he died in 1956 his daughter Ethel took over and ran the store until 1972 when the introduction of VAT caused her to finish the business. She delivered groceries to local residents in her old black Austin-7 accompanied by her loyal and trusty black and white sheepdog named Rex. Bob Barnes remembers the dog periodically wandering up to his house in Oak Lane when his parents lived there and then returning to Otterham Quay.

Fire ultimately destroyed the Lord Stanley Inn building in 1980. Ethel Barnes had already moved to Tufton Road in Rainham where she lived well into her nineties. A wood yard and bungalow were then constructed on the site. Nowadays, the bungalow, now known as ‘The Lord Stanley Bungalow,’ continues to exist and the former inn is just a distant memory.

David Wood

About David

David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.

David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.

Road Closure - Station Road, Rainham

Road Closure - Station Road, Rainham

A road closure will be in place between Lower Rainham Road and Ellison Way from Monday 17th February until Friday 21st February 2020 to enable new connection works by Southern Water, electrical connection works by UKPN and gas connection works to be carried out by UKPS.

Please pay particular attention to the temporary signage in place.

There may also be parking suspensions throughout the duration of the operation.

The diversion route for through traffic is via Lower Rainham Road, Otterham Quay Lane, A2 - High Street and Station Road.

The Medway Council phone number is: 01634 333333

For details of roadworks, see: https://one.network

Upchurch Matters
Space

Temporary Road Closure - Bricklands, Newington

Kent County Council has made an order to temporarily prohibit through traffic on Bricklands, Newington from Monday 10th February 2020 for up to 3 days.

The road will be closed in the vicinity of Breach Farm, to the extent indicated by signs and barriers on site.

The alternative route for any through traffic is via Breach Lane, A2 London Road, High Street, Church Lane, School Lane and vice versa.

Access for emergency service vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained at all times during the closure.

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while water main connection works are undertaken by Southern Water.

For information regarding this closure please contact Southern Water on: 0330 303 0368, who will be able to assist with the scope of the works.

The KCC Highways 24hr Contact Centre helpline is: 03000 418181

For details of roadworks, see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste
Space

Newington History Group

Fred Clouter, who found a 50 million-year-old fossilised tree on a Sheppey beach recently, will talk about his fossil finds and how to search for the best specimens at Newington History Group's monthly meeting on Thursday, February 13th.

The retired teacher from Sheerness will explain why the island is probably the country's most popular site for collecting London Clay fossils. The group meets in the Newington Methodist Hall in Church Lane at 7:30pm.

The group investigates, records and promotes the history of the village and neighbouring areas.

Annual subscription is £15 and meetings are open to the public (£3) unless stated.

For more details contact: newingtonhistorygroup@outlook.com
Call: 01795 842711.
Visit the website: www.newingtonhistorygroup.btck.co.uk
Follow on Facebook: Newington History Group

Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group

Space