Upchurch Parish Council Report - December 2020

Report of the Parish Council December 2020

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.

KALC Community Awards Scheme

Upchurch Parish Council is pleased to be participating in the Kent Association for Local Councils Community Awards Scheme again and would like residents to send in nominations for the award. The KALC Community Award is to acknowledge and give recognition to those who have made a significant contribution to this community over a period of years. If you know of someone who has given this sort of service and merits an Award then please do nominate them. The person must live or work within the Parish Council boundary. 

Please send nominations and details of service to the Clerk. Deadline for comments is 31st January, full details can be found on the Parish Council’s website.

Finance

Cllr Ripley has attended the Swale Western Area Committee meeting and the Committee has awarded the Parish Council a grant of £4655 towards the Recreation Ground fence. SBCllr Palmer and SBCllr Horton supported the application.

Planning

i. Ref: 20/505046/FULL Address: High Hopes Poot Lane Upchurch Sittingbourne ME9 7HL

Proposal: Erection of 2no. holiday homes.

Councillors considered the application and felt there was potential small economic benefit to the village. Councillors had no objections to the proposal and that neighbours’ views should be taken into consideration.

ii. Ref: MC/20/2358 Address: Rainham Bootfairs South Bush Lane Rainham Gillingham Medway ME8 8PS

Proposal: Change of use from agricultural land to a mixed use of agriculture and leisure activities including 6 days of bootfairs and 331 days for outdoor/drive in cinema, open air theatres/circus, weddings, motoring shows/events over and above the number of days allowed as permitted development under Schedule 2, Part 4, Class B of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).

The Council has objected to the proposals on the grounds of the to harm to residential amenity by virtue of noise and disturbance and/or light pollution; concerns about the effect on the air quality in the Newington High Street Air Quality Management Area; the increase in traffic; the absence of any detail, notably details of vehicle parking, disposition of uses within the site and provision of facilities within the site; and the significant harm to the character and appearance and tranquillity of the countryside.

iii. Ref: Ref: 20/505022/FULL Address: 114 Oak Lane Upchurch Sittingbourne ME9 7AY

Proposal: Erection of two storey front/side/rear extension.

Councillors considered the application and had no objection to the proposal and that concerns of neighbours should be taken into account.

Ref: 20/505179/FULL Address: 116 Oak Lane Upchurch Kent ME9 7AY

Proposal: Demolition of existing bungalow and construction of 2no. detached houses with detached garages and associated parking.

Councillors considered the application and objected to the proposal as the driveway goes onto a dangerous stretch of Oak Lane. A majority of Councillors agreed that if the application is approved, the Parish Council accepts the traffic calming scheme.

Otterham Quay Lane

The Council is aware of issues caused by car transporters in Otterham Quay Lane. Swale Borough Council Planning Enforcement is looking into the matter. Kent Police are also aware of issues on the highway and are currently investigating this. The Police have asked that residents report all sightings of car transporters to PCSO John Cork on: 07772 226217. The Police have also asked for visual evidence and if photos can be taken without risk to residents that would be greatly appreciated. Photos can be sent to PCSO Cork by Email to: john.cork@kent.pnn.police.uk All information will be treated in confidence.

Street Lights

The street lighting levels have been agreed so they will reduce throughout the night. This will help reduce the electricity consumption.

Environment

A dog waste bin will be installed in Oak Lane near to the junction of Wallbridge lane.

This is a precis of Council business; full minutes of all meetings can be found on the website when ratified.

Date of next meetings:

Full Council - Thursday 14th January 2021 at 7:30pm

The Planning Committee and General Purposes Committee - Wednesday 19th January at 7:30pm.

The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings) Regulations 2020 now gives Local Councils the power to meet remotely during this COVID-19 pandemic and Upchurch Parish Council is now holding meetings virtually. Please check the website for details of the meetings

 

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

Please contact the Clerk, clerkupc@outlook.com to obtain login details for the meeting.

Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council
Tel: 01622 739324
Email: clerkupc@outlook.com
Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Kent Association of Local Councils - Community Award 2021

Upchurch Parish Council is participating in the Kent Association of Local Councils 8th Community Awards Scheme and would like residents to send in their nominations for this year's award.

The KALC Community Award is to acknowledge and give recognition to those that have made a significant contribution to their local community.

If you know of someone who has given this sort of service and merits an award then please nominate them.

The person must live or work within the Parish Council boundary.

Please send your nominations to:

Mrs Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council

14 Trapfield Close

Bearsted

Maidstone

Kent

ME14 4HT

Or Email it to: clerkupc@outlook.com

Thank you

The closing date for nominations is Sunday the 31st of January 2021.

Upchurch Matters

Help the NHS Improve Care for People Living with Dementia and Complex Care Needs

Help improve care for people living with dementia and complex care needs.

Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (KMCCG) is working with its partners, and people living with dementia and their carers to improve care for people living with dementia who also have complex care needs.

We really want to hear from:

• Care staff, domiciliary carers, care home staff, domiciliary carers, and those in community and voluntary organisations to understand how the health care system is working and to help identify gaps and improvements.

• Families about their experiences.

• And local residents to make sure we focus the services on what matters most.

The survey for staff and voluntary and community group members can be found here

A survey for residents can be found here

If you want to share your own experiences, please contact Katie Blissett or Sara Warner at: kmccg.engage@nhs.net

To find out more about the programme and how you can get involved, click here

We want to hear from people by 15th January 2021.

If you would prefer a paper copy to complete or to speak to us directly by telephone, please contact us on: 07545 934705.

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

The Infamous Island of Burntwick by David Wood

Situated between the Isle of Grain and Ham Green is the desolate island of Burntwick, part of the Parish of Upchurch until the second part of the 19th century. It had originally become separated from the mainland due to erosion by the sea during the mid 18th century. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it became a base for smuggling and part of a quarantine base for ships with disease infected crews. Dead Man’s Island which is situated nearby became the main burial ground for deceased sailors from infected ships.

With a rise in customs duty smuggling became increasingly worthwhile and was rife on the Medway during the 1780s. Tea, spirits and owls were the main items smuggled out, usually by boat at night. Village folklore has suggested that a tunnel extended from the ‘The Crown’ public house to the river from where contraband was brought ashore. Hard evidence for this in contemporary documents is lacking so it remains village folklore, passed down the generations by word of mouth.

In the early 19th century Burntwick Island became a base for the North Kent Gang, an infamous group of smugglers who operated at different locations along the Kent coast. They were generally ignored until 1820 when a group of them were confronted by two blockade men while unloading contraband in Stangate Creek. In the resulting conflict, one of the blockade men was seriously wounded then the culprits escaped. Believed to have about fifty members the North Kent Gang were involved in several incidents along the Kent coast. Eventually, they were caught, three were executed at Penenden Heath near Maidstone and fifteen transported to Tasmania. In 1831 with the abolition of import duties smuggling effectively ended.

Click photos to enlarge.

Burntwick Island. Photos courtesy of Kevin Thornton

The flooded close ups were taken from a boat in 2017. The long distance

photo in the centre with Greenborough in front, then Barksore was taken in 2016.

Later in 1845 a ship’s surgeon named Sidney Bernard who served on H.M.S Rollo just off the coast of Sierra Leone in West Africa became associated with the island. The crew of another ship, H.M.S Éclair, contracted yellow fever and some of them died. Bernard’s ship was sent by the Royal Navy to assist and Bernard was appointed assistant surgeon on H.M.S Eclair to treat the sailors. The ship returned to England but the naval authorities, worried that the disease might spread to the general population, ordered the captain to moor the ship in Stangate Creek just off the Ham Green peninsular. The cargo was then transferred to one of two hulks permanently moored there and a naval cutter guarded the infected ship to prevent anyone going ashore. Sidney Bernard continued treating the crew but was unable to save them until he also contracted the disease and died aged 27 on October 9th 1845. He was buried on the island and his grave remains there today, maintained by the Royal Navy.

Sheep had grazed on Burntwick Island for years and during the 1840s a shepherd named James Woolley and his wife Sarah lived there in a solitary house. The remains of the house still exist there today. A track ran from Shoregate Lane straight out to the island and traces of it can still be seen. Later, In the 1860s, the famous ‘Great Eastern’ ship which laid the first cable line between England and the United States was temporarily moored nearby. After that, during the 1870s, a shepherd named Thomas Hoare and his housekeeper Emma Castleton lived there and tended farmer Richard Sands sheep but during the early 20th century the tide flooded the island making it unsuitable for grazing so from that time livestock only grazed on the mainland.

Burntwick Island eventually became the property of the Ministry of Defense, a torpedo school became established there and target practice took place during World War Two. It then fell into disuse and is now a desolate haven for seabirds.

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.

Can You Help Upchurch Brownies Research Their History?

Hello,

I am Julie and alongside Tracey Snellings, I help run Upchurch Brownies.

We would really like to find out about the local history of our unit. We know that it was started in 1961 so we will be 60 this December.

Does anybody have any memories of the earliest leaders, stories to tell about why it was set up, or even some photographs that we can share with our current girls?

If you can help us, please get in touch at: julie@jneville.co.uk

Thank you

Julie Neville

1st Upchurch Brownies

Statement from Swale Borough Council Leader Roger Truelove on Sittingbourne Vaccination Centre

Councillor Roger Truelove.

Councillor Roger Truelove, leader of council, said:

“Yesterday I was pleased to pass on to members of the Council, Kent and Medway CCG’s plan to open a vaccination centre at the Age UK building in Sittingbourne Town centre. I understand appointments are already being offered to local residents, starting next week.

This will be a great relief to local people, many of whom have been contacting me in recent weeks concerned about the lack of any service in our town.

The NHS concern, here and elsewhere, was that the fragile Pfizer vaccine would have to be dispensed at one central site, not around several GP surgeries. Swale Borough Council met with the NHS before Christmas and a suitable site was agreed and a prospective start date. As a Council we have been anxious to inform the public, to allay their natural anxiety.

We have been continually pressing for progress as has the local MP. However, the NHS have put an embargo on information until all aspects of the arrangements were fully confirmed.

In due course, the Astra/Zeneca Oxford vaccine will come on stream and this can be administered at a number of sites, so we look forward to acceleration as the Government seeks to reach its ambitious target. The management of this, including the commissioning of sites, will be in the hands of the NHS.”

Swale Borough Council