Permission Granted for New Banqueting Hall at London Road, Upchurch

The former Medway Autos garage site on the A2 - London Road has

stood empty and remained largely unused for a number of years.

Swale Borough Council has granted permission for a new banqueting hall at London Road, Upchurch.

At a virtual Planning Committee meeting held on Thursday 1st April, councillors unanimously granted applicant Solid Rock Holdings Ltd change of use permission to convert the former Medway Autos showroom and workshop into Christine House.

Swale Borough Council recommended permission be granted subject to conditions having refused two previous applications for change of use. The application was referred to the committee because of objections made by Upchurch and Hartlip Parish Councils.

Proposal

The conversion proposes combining and converting the existing garage site with neighbouring semi-detached bungalows ‘Muriel and Christine’.

The intention is to change the use of the showroom and workshop to a banqueting hall, with food processing and distribution, including the creation of a mezzanine floor and alterations to fenestration. The main use of the building will be a mix of offices, food preparation/cooking and distribution and events management for weddings, receptions and parties of up to 300 guests. The business will be a mix of cooking food and sale as well as events management.

The uses will amount to: 

• Events hall for wedding, receptions or banqueting with a maximum 300 seat capacity.

• Local community use for meetings.

• Dedicated training centre for staff and food promotion training.

• Offices for sales/marketing/events and food promotion. 

• Commercial kitchen and food preparation for wholesale and catering sale/stock control. Preparation and sales of part and events related merchandise.

The eastern half of the building will be converted into the banqueting hall, with a movable partition to allow the space to be divided into 2 when required. A mezzanine floor will be formed above the toilet area to provide offices, a conference room and a bridal studio. The western half of the building is to be converted into a commercial kitchen and packaging area, event kitchen, office, and lounge area.

Prepacked frozen food will be delivered and food will be prepared on-site and provided for events only. It will not be available for the general public passing by, and the venue will need to be pre-booked for events and meetings.

The two residential bungalows ‘Muriel and Christine’ are to be converted into guest accommodation with 8 bedrooms, including a bridal suite. The rooms will be rented out to guests of events held at the banqueting suite and a wedding gazebo erected to the rear of bungalows.

It is proposed that the existing access and areas of vehicle hardstanding will be retained with 64 parking spaces, including 6 disabled spaces, taxi spaces and a coach space, plus additional cycle parking and storage for the main commercial building. A further 10 parking spaces, including 2 disabled spaces are to be provided for the guest accommodation.

The planning application, reference number: 20/503637/FULL including the report to the Planning Committee can be viewed at: https://bit.ly/31MjTAN

Upchurch Matters

Deliveries to Upchurch's Co-op

The Co-op is currently receiving 2 deliveries a day and to ensure these arrive, cones are placed outside the store.

If you are unsure whether you can park in these spaces please speak to the staff in-store who will be happy to help.

Thank you

Jamie Rhodes
Member Pioneer
The Co-operative Group
Mobile: 07929 830988

April News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

Spring has arrived and there is “nowhere to run and nowhere to hide” to quote the late great Muhammad Ali who could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”. I do not know if Muhammad was a keen gardener but he must have had an eye for Spring, he certainly had a good jab. After some promising weather in February, March turned a bit wet and cold and the early preparation work stalled a little. However, my cooking has improved and the cook’s glass has been put to good use. More recently temperatures have picked up and good progress has resumed. The Broad Beans are in along with the New Potatoes, the Leeks are well underway and a number of seeds sowed. The rhubarb has put in an appearance and everything is progressing well. April is the really busy preparation month followed by the main planting out month in May.

The lawn can have its first weed and feed of the year this month, then wait a couple of weeks before doing any scratch and patch seed repairs. Summers seem to be warmer and dryer these days and my lawn, especially, struggles each year. It looks like normal meadow grass but most years I work a bit more seed into the bare patches but it is not really improving. So, this year it will be scratch and patch with “Canada Green” which is drought resistant and hopefully, that will be the answer.

Carry on with sowing seeds either into trays or directly into the soil and aim to get the Maincrop potatoes planted by the end of the month. I couldn’t find any Picasso at B&Q this year so have gone back to Cara which is a good all-round spud. Picasso is a hybrid of Cara and in my opinion an improvement, but Cara is still a good fall back option. If you are lucky enough to have an asparagus bed you can start cutting the spears when they get to about 7” in height. Harden off seedlings but keep an eye on the weather and get them under cover if temperatures drop or there is a risk of rain.

Now is the time to get stuck into the borders and containers and get everything tidied up. Penstemons, Phlox and Chrysanthemums will be producing a lot of basal growth which is ideal for cuttings. Other perennials can be divided and plug plants ordered, although I will support the local nurseries which provide a decent range of good quality plants. I have my eye on some white Delphiniums which will contrast well with the metallic blue Belladonna plants that are now well established.

Keep an eye on the fruit as bud burst approaches and watch for early signs of pests. Top dress with compost around the trunks and start applying slow-release fertiliser.

There is a lot to be done, but before long you will be washing down the patio furniture and cleaning the BBQ. Some already have done so now that small groups can meet in the garden, although a patio heater is recommended. Things do seem to be easing and outdoor living this Summer will be very welcome. In fact, I think I am going to take our new junkyard mutt for a walk and then enjoy a Merlot on the patio as the sun sets.

The new “Junkyard Mutt”.

We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.

If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk

Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society

Kent County Council - Free School Meals Over the Easter Holidays

Parents and carers whose children may be eligible to receive Free School Meals due to the family’s financial circumstances are being urged to apply for them ahead of the upcoming April school holidays, even if their child is in Years R, 1 or 2.

The Government announced this month that it was extending the Covid Winter Grant Scheme until Friday, April 16th to allow local authorities to help vulnerable families feed their children and keep them warm during the Easter holiday period.

Kent County Council will use some of its share of the money to provide families with one £15 voucher per eligible child per week of the two-week holiday, which can be spent in supermarkets and local shops.

Even if a child receives Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) during term-time, because they are in Year 2 or below, eligible families will still need to apply for benefits-related Free School Meals in order to receive vouchers during the Easter break.

Both primary and secondary schools receive additional Government funding, called Pupil Premium, for each of their pupils who receive benefits-related Free School Meals. Schools use this funding to support pupils’ learning so signing up for Free School Meals will likely benefit a number of pupils in addition to parents and carers’ own children.

Schools will allocate the vouchers to their pupils, as they have done during previous holiday periods, so parents and carers should direct any enquiries to their child’s school.

The scheme was launched towards the end of 2020 and vouchers were issued to families for the December school holidays and February half-term.

Find out more about who is eligible and how to apply here: www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/free-school-meals

Kent County Council

Vehicle Stolen - Hartlip

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/49370/21

A blue VW Golf, reg number: FP21 WHJ was stolen from Spade Lane, Hartlip at 2:30pm on Thursday the 25th of March.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging

The Empty Tomb at St Mary’s Churchyard

INRI - Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.

Meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”.

The inscription placed over 

Jesus'

 head by Pontius Pilate

to mock 

him during the crucifixion.

An Empty Tomb created by Frank Osborne has been installed in the Churchyard at St Mary's, Upchurch, in-time for Easter.

Behind the tomb are three crosses representing the cross of Jesus and the crosses of the two thieves crucified on either side of him. 

The thief to Jesus' right has become known as Saint Dismas the “Good Thief” while the one to his left is referred to as Gestas the “Unrepentant Thief”.

The stone will be rolled back on Saturday the 3rd of April when people invited can bring along potted plants to place at the tomb to create a glorious Easter Sunday Garden when Christians celebrate Jesus, their risen saviour. 

The importance of the Empty Tomb

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead has been at the heart of the gospel message from the beginning.

The Empty Tomb is the Christian tradition that on the morning of the first day of the week (Easter Sunday), women followers of Jesus went to the place where he had been buried and found his body gone.

The Empty Tomb points to the bodily resurrection of Jesus and holds promise for believers that they will also have victory over death like Jesus when he bodily rose from the grave, showing it could not hold him.

Because Jesus has risen, believers can look forward to their own resurrection as well. The Empty Tomb is a symbol that death is not the end of the journey. There is much more to come.

Upchurch Matters