Take a closer look at some of the news stories from the Parish Council this March
To contact the Parish Council please email clerk@headcornpc.org.uk
Parish Council News
Community Liaison Officer's Update
Stuart is pleased to report that the regular Memory Cafe meetings are growing in popularity, this is held on the second Tuesday of every month at the Heart of Headcorn, from 1015am to 11.45am.
The Parish Council is delighted to see that the new Millbank Meadow is proving to be a popular open space. However, Stuart has been notified about very early dog-walkers rousing the neighbouring properties. Wherever possible we would ask that dog walkers use this facility from 9am in order to provide peace for neighbours.
Stuart is very regularly reporting the many potholes around the village in the hope of speeding up their repair. Of course he can’t spot them all so please continue to report them yourselves - it might make a difference for those suffering financial loss in getting KCC to pay for avoidable car damage.
​
Need to reach Stuart? You can contact him by email: communityliaison@headcornpc.org.uk
Fruit Tree Planting
In addition to the new community orchard which is in the pipeline at the back of Hoggs Bridge Green, Headcorn Parish Council has planted some heritage fruit trees on the fringes of Parsonage Meadow and at Millbank Meadow. In years to come this should provide some tasty windfalls for all to enjoy.
Highways Matters
We regularly report on our efforts to persuade KCC Highways to attend to known problems in Headcorn, including speeding and parking matters. Last month some representatives from KCC visited the Village to see for themselves what impact these issues can have.
​
Something Needs to Change
In our regular meetings with Kent Police we are routinely asked to remind parishioners to report crimes and recently they have announced a new reporting tool accessed via the Community Voice website/app. However, we are very aware that there is a real reluctance to report crimes - something our Community Liaison Officer knows well as he speaks with victims regularly. Why is that? We would like to know and put our findings to those who might be able to make things improve. To that end we have created a short 5-question survey. Please follow this link and tell us so that we can tell them.
Hazlit Theatre to return this summer
We are delighted to let everyone know that after a successful first visit last year Maidstone’s Hazlitt Theatre will be returning for a new performance this summer. The date is confirmed: Thursday 20th August at 6pm at Parsonage Meadow. This year it will be based on the story of Peter Rabbit.
Parsonage Meadow
Our Lengthsmen team has devoted many years to caring for Parsonage Meadow Open Space, ensuring it remains a beautiful and welcoming area for everyone in our community to enjoy.
In recent years, we have trialled hosting small community events at the Meadow and have gained valuable insight into how to make these occasions work well — both for residents and for our hardworking Lengthsmen.
This summer, for the first time, we will be introducing a trial scheme allowing the Meadow to be hired occasionally as an event space. This will be a paid facility, and on those limited occasions the Meadow will be closed to the public for a few hours while the event takes place.
We hope this approach will provide wider opportunities for community use while also generating income to support the ongoing care and maintenance of this much-loved open space, ensuring it continues to benefit everyone.
Moat Road
As expected, the planning application for the Moat Road development (112 homes, for which outline permission has already been approved) has progressed to the stage where ‘approval of reserved matters (appearance, landscaping, layout and scale sought) for 112no. dwellings, including details of internal access, drainage, open space and associated infrastructure’ is required. We recommend you look closely now at the detail. This is an important opportunity to have your say. Look for planning reference 25/500320
Water Shambles
After the extraordinary debacle of the failure of our water supply in January, our MP Katie Lam is asking everyone to tell her any and all of the problems you’ve had and how South East Water have dealt with them. You should have received a survey in the post by now, so please do fill it out and return it to her, or just use the web link here. It’s very short so should only take a few moments to complete.
