Eynsford School Run Safety Campaign Update

The Eynsford School Run Safety Campaign, of which I am a member, met on 19 November. Here is a one page update (News Sheet No. 2 of the Campaign) written by John Harris, Chairman of the Campaign, which gives a useful summary of where we are:

The group has been quite busy since the last Newsletter so here is a summary of the progress we have made to date:

·         At our request, Eynsford Parish Council has asked KCC to install time-limited yellow lines outside Alton Cottages (i.e. the school side) in order to prevent parking on both sides of the A225 during the school run.

·         In concert with this, we are actively pursuing provision of off-street parking very close to the Alton Cottage/Fernbank area to accommodate the overspill.

·         We are investigating ways in which cars on the Fernbank side (i.e. opposite the school) can be parked so as not to obstruct/block the pavement – then children alighting from these cars could cross the road safely using the Zebra crossing.

·         We continue to look into setting up a “walking bus” from the Farningham village end – more news later – and, as part of this, the dangerous bend at the “gap” between Oliver Crescent and the start of the Millfield footpath has been noted and we shall investigate, with KCC’s advice, measures that could be taken to make this area safer for pedestrians.

·         Cllr. Mike Horwood, SDC Councillor for Eynsford, is looking into providing yellow safety over-vests (“tabards”) with the SRSC logo for all children at the school so that any walking they do participate in will be that much safer for them.

·         Cllr. Roger Gough, KCC Councillor for Darent Valley, is taking a preliminary look at the costs and logistics of setting up a private bus service from the outlying areas (e.g. West Kingsdown, Swanley, Crockenhill, Knatts Valley). Mrs. Newton will be surveying the likely take-up of such a service in order to get more accurate costs.

·         Parents will also be surveyed to see how many might use a “drop-off” zone (i.e where the vehicle stops but only the child alights)

Remember, if you drive to school…………

v     park safely

v     park politely

v     park without obstructing other parents and road-users

John Harris (SRSC Chairman, 01322 862699)

A solution for the 413 bus

Since early this term, parents of children going to Leigh Technology Academy from the Horton Kirby and South Darenth area have been expressing their concerns about overcrowding on the 413 bus. I have raised the issue with both KCC officers and the bus provider, Go-Coach, who have been looking for ways to resolve the problem.

A solution is now in sight, and should come into effect at the start of the new term. The 413 bus will no longer go to Leigh Technology Academy, but will instead focus on the Dartford secondary schools. Quite separately, a new bus - provisionally known as the 411 - will serve Leigh Technology Academy directly. It will be provided by Go-Coach and supported by funding from KCC.

This has been a difficult term for parents and young people travelling to Leigh Technology Academy, but it now looks as though the New Year will bring a welcome new service.

Road resurfacing in Crockenhill and Farningham

In the summer, Kent Highways announced that £6m was available for additional resurfacing projects across the County. The money had arisen from an underspend in KCC's budget for last financial year (2011-12).

I worked with Parish Councils across my Division to bid for possible projects in Darent Valley. We always knew that we would not get everything, or indeed most of what we asked for: there is plenty of demand for schemes across the whole County. But if you don't ask, you certainly don't get. So we asked.

Three schemes have been successful: Stones Cross Road in Crockenhill, White Post Hill in Farningham and Beesfield Lane, also in Farningham.

The only bad news ... With harsher weather setting in, the work will not be able to be done until March. But we do at least have the prospect of three schemes, worth some £70,000, going ahead in the Division in the coming months.

Make a Difference Day in Shoreham

Today volunteers in Shoreham came together for Make a Difference Day - tidying the churchyard, cleaning road signs, cutting back hedges and much else to improve the look of the village. Some 60 volunteers took part, many of them children from Shoreham School, for much of the time in the rain. Thank you to the volunteers, and to the Shoreham Society for organising the Day - and for inviting me to hand out certificates to the volunteers this afternoon. Michelle Lowe, District Councillor for Shoreham and I joined the volunteers in the church of St Peter and St Paul for a rousing end to the day.

South Darenth Post Office - UPDATE

Good news - there has been agreement today not to close South Darenth Post Office on 15 November. I understand that the temporary agent currently operating the Post Office will do so until further notice, and that there will be a meeting between Post Office Limited and Hobbs Pharmacy on Monday to discuss a longer-term solution.

Congratulations to all in the community who made such strong representations that the Pst Office must stay open.

South Darenth Post Office

A lot of concerned residents have contacted me in the last week about the threatened closure of South Darenth Post Office on 15 November.

It appears that this has been brought on by a dispute between the managers of the Post Office and Post Office Limited over terms of payment. Post Office Limited appear to be seeking to impose a contract that the managers of the South Darenth Post Office, Hobbs Pharmacy, find unacceptable. I also understand that this reflects a general trend for Post Office Ltd to move towards so-called local contracts with postmasters.

I have been in close contact with our MP Michael Fallon's office; he has made representations to Post Office Ltd at national level. I have also spoken with Action with Communities in Rural Kent, who are experts in helping communities affected by closures or threatened closures of Post Offices. Through them I have also been in contact with the local/ regional arm of Post Office Ltd. What we are all seeking to do is to encourage Post Office Ltd to take a different approach to the contract offered to the managers of the South Darenth Post Office, which hopefully could enable it to stay open. If this fails, the next step would be to get Post Office Ltd to put alternative plans in place for the service to the village.

A20 lagoon - avoiding flooding

Residents of Glendale and parts of Pinks Hill will remember the serious flooding in 2005 caused by the overflow of the soakaway lagoon by the A20. The soakaway is owned by the Highways Agency. At the time, I worked with Kent Highways officers and Swanley Town Council to ensure that action was taken and a commitment was given that there would be regular maintenance to prevent further overflows.

With the heavy rains this year, some residents have naturally been concerned that the problem could recur. At my request, Kent Highways have pursued the issue with the Highways Agency. The contractor working with the Highways Agency has now replied that:

"Maintenance work that is undertaken is a strip of vegetation to provide access to the entrance of the lagoon for our workforce to check the valves and grills to make sure they are free from large debris. The pond is on our maintenance schedule and is inspected once a year when the work mentioned above is carried out."  A recent inspection had found relatively high levels of water in the lagoon, but not at levels that seemed surprising given the extremely wet summer.

Coupled with the fact that the recent wet weather has not so far resulted in overflows from the lagoon, this appears to offer some reassurance. However, we will of course respond quickly to any signs of past problems recurring.