PADDOCK WOOD TOWN COUNCIL
The Podmore Building, St Andrews Road, Paddock Wood
Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 6HT
Telephone: 01892 837373
www.paddockwood-tc.gov.uk
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NOTICE OF A MEETING OF THE ESTATES COMMITTEE TO BE held on Monday 12TH AUGUST 2024 in the Day Centre Commercial Road at 7.45 pm.
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COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Cllr, R Atkins, D Kent, A Mackie R Moon, D Sargison B Robichaud, J Thompson
APOLOGIES
ES22 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of interest.
ES23 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
To APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 8th July 2024
ES24 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES
a) The dipping platform at FHW will be removed on 10th August. As many of the decking planks as possible will be saved to re-use them elsewhere in the wood.
b) The fence at St Andrews Field Car Park is scheduled to be replaced 2nd September
c) The contractor will cut the Town Centre car parks hedges 9th & 16th August. All other hedges will be cut over the next month.
d) Goal posts – replacement goals for the Memorial Field have been delivered and installed.
e) The link between the two sections of the path to rear of Putlands is scheduled to be installed w/c 28th
f) The work at Putlands Pond is scheduled to start on the 12th
ES25 CEMETERY & CLOSED CHURCH YARD
a) The conifer hedge in the cemetery will be removed w/c 12th August 2024. The work should take 2 – 3 weeks. There are currently no funerals booked during that period, but the contractor will stop work in the event of a funeral being held. The cost of the work has increased to £12,700 since the original quote of £11,500.
Revised quotes for the path to the children’s area as agreed by the committee last month are attached for members consideration.
The quotes are as follows:
Contractor 1 – £12,766
Contractor 2 – £34465
Contractor 3 – £49,896
There is a total of £29,247 remining in the budget for this project for 2024/25.
b) Closed Church Yard – following a recent safety inspection 7 memorials in the Closed Church yard were found to be unstable. Two of which are of the monument style have been fenced off. The remainder have been temporarily secured but will need a permanent repair. As there are no records to trace families for the memorials in the Closed Churchyard, the Council will need to carry out the repairs. The Deputy Clerk will obtain quotations from stone masons and refer the costs to the committee for a decision. A faculty will be required from the diocese before the work can be carried out. A copy of the record sheet is attached for members information
c) Cemetery Memorial Inspection – see attached record sheet. Records are held for the majority of the graves in the Cemetery. Those whose memorials need attention have been contacted. Some responses have been received and work is being carried out.
e) Tree work in Old Churchyard – complaints have been received regarding overhanging trees from the Old Church Yard into the adjoining estates. Quotes are being sought to have the work carried out.
ES26 ESTATES MANAGEMENT
a) To APPROVE the Estates Manager’s job description. Attached
b) The inspection of the estates truck has been carried out and the report will be available for the meeting.
c) In order to allow pre-season estates work to be carried out a van has been hired for a month.
ES27 FOAL HURST WOOD SIGNAGE PROJECT
Some information has been supplied to the designers by Peter Prince, but further information is required. See attached email. There is a large amount of historical information in the office which could be used for research purposes.
DECISION: A member is needed to progress this project.
ES28 MEMORIAL FIELD SECURITY
To review the Memorial Field security following the recent traveller incursion.
ES29 HIRE OF ST ANDREWS FIELD
A request has been received from Yalding School PTA to use a Paddock Wood Recreation ground on Sunday 16th June 2025 for a touring circus. This is a school’s focussed event, and the big top will have a capacity on 600. A crew would need to camp on site during the event.
St Andrews is the only field without sports pitches.
DECISION: Members are asked if they wish to permit this event and the fee to be charged.
ES30 TREE WORK
The tree on the corner of Mount Pleasant is beginning to encroach onto the adjoining house and needs cutting back. Quotes are being sought to carry out this work.
ES31 BUDGET 2025/26
The council will start its budgeting process for 2025/26 in September 2024 and the budget will be finalised in December 2024. Members area asked to submit projects they wish to have considered to the September Estates Meeting.
ES32 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will take place on Monday 9th September
NICHOLA REAY
Clerk to the Council
6th August 2024