News

Residents are reminded to check and cut back any garden hedges, trees, or other vegetation that overhangs or otherwise obstructs roads, pavements, or footpaths. It is worth noting that property owners are legally obliged to ensure that their garden vegetation is kept trimmed so that it does not obstruct the passage of pedestrians or vehicles, or interfere with the view of drivers of vehicles. We do receive complaints about garden vegetation obstructing pathways and sightlines from time to time.  In these circumstances, we have the right to report this to Kent County Council, who have the power to serve a legal notice requiring the owner to cut back the offending vegetation within 14 days.  KCC’s interpretation is very strict, requiring that the full width of any adjacent footpath is available for use by pedestrians, that there is a minimum of 2.4 metres (8ft) clearance above any footpaths, and that there is a minimum of 5.2 metres (17ft) clearance above any roadways where trees overhang. However, in most cases we write a polite note to the property occupier in the first instance, asking them to trim back their vegetation so that we do not have to report it to KCC. We don’t want to have to write to you, so if your property has hedges, bushes, or trees adjacent to a footpath, pavement, or roadway, please ensure that they are kept trimmed back so that they do not cause any obstruction.

Highways England’s latest thinking, announced on 1st November 2017, is to remove the proposed junction from the A226 between Chalk and Shorne, in order to reduce the traffic impact on local roads. However, the new plan indicates that the link roads will now be 3 lanes in each direction, and entails the widening of the A2 from 4 to 5 lanes from the junction east of Gravesend all the way to the M2. The removal of the junction on the A226 is of course good news, although it is still included in the redline development boundary plans. The changes to the redline development boundary in other areas need further explanation and clarification. In any event, people should be under no illusion about the level of traffic, pollution, and environmental damage that the crossing east of Gravesend will bring to this area. The removal of the A226 junction allows the tunnel portals to be moved further south, away from Chalk, and it is disappointing that Highways England has not made this decision yet. Whilst it is encouraging that they are continuing their assessment about the length of the tunnel and where to locate the entrances, it is essential that the tunnels are extended as close to the A2 as possible to minimise the impact on the lives of people living in Thong and Shorne West. The Parish Council will be meeting Highways England soon to seek further information.

Many thanks and congratulations to all those who joined our Litter Patrol on 21st October. Over 30 people participated, including 5 residents who weren’t able to make it on the day but did their litter picking separately. Fortunately the weather started out okay, although there was a downpour later which dampened spirits a little! As usual, residents in Shorne Ifield Road rolled up their sleeves and tackled the fly tipping that occurs there with depressing frequency. Some of these photos need to be seen to be believed! But within 2 hours of the work being completed, yet another vanload of fly tipping was dumped there! It is pleasing to note that there was less litter in areas such as The Ridgeway and Pear Tree Lane than in previous patrols. No doubt this is because we have broken the back of it in previous patrols, but also perhaps the new wheelie bins are helping. Organiser Bob Lane said, “Once again, this was a great turn-out and a terrific accomplishment by the teams of volunteers, including others who were unable to participate on the day but took it upon themselves to pick litter during the run-up to the event.  It is good to see our streets litter-free, and the volunteers can be proud of the results”. If you would like to participate in future Litter Patrols, please contact Bob on 01474 822680 or by email to bob.lane@gmx.co.uk.  

As many of you may be aware, Shorne Parish Council has recently installed a CCTV system in the centre of the village. This is to help deter crime and antisocial activity in order to provide a safe and secure environment and to prevent the loss or damage to property. We are pleased to report that Kent County Council has awarded a grant for the full capital cost of the installation, as recommended and sponsored by Bryan Sweetland, Kent County Councillor for Gravesham Rural.

The Parish Council is carrying out a survey inviting parishioners to let us know your opinions about Shorne Parish (good or bad!) and any other issues or priorities you may have.  The survey form can be downloaded below. We would be very grateful if parishioners would take the time to fill this in and send it back to us, so that the Parish Council can take your views into account when determining our plans and priorities.  Please be aware that the Parish Council’s powers and resources are limited, however. If you would like more information about the survey, please contact Susan Lindley on 01474 823179 or e-mail to susan.bragman@btinternet.com.

Representatives of Shorne, Higham, and Chalk met with senior members and officers of Kent County Council at County Hall on 5th July, to discuss mitigation measures for the proposed Lower Thames Crossing east of Gravesend. The meeting, arranged by Gravesham Rural County Councillor Bryan Sweetland, was attended by Matthew Balfour, KCC Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste, and his deputy Michael Payne, together with Transport Strategy Manager Joe Ratcliffe and Katie Pettitt, Principal Transport Planner. At the meeting, KCC listened to our concerns, and shared their views on mitigation requirements not just for the immediate area, but also with regards to the impact on traffic on the A226, A227, A228, and surrounding roads and villages. It was particularly encouraging to hear KCC’s strong opposition to any junction on the A226, and their demand for additional tunnelling of the link road. KCC also shared their proposed design drawings for the link road which they have recommended to Highways England and which, if adopted, would go a long way towards mitigating many of the worst impacts in the immediate vicinity of the crossing and link road, including Thong and Shorne West. Clearly there is a still a lot of detail to address as the design is developed, and it was agreed that the parties would continue to liaise so that KCC can keep us updated on developments, and we can ensure that local concerns are taken into account. Shorne Parish Council was represented by Susan Lindley and Bob Lane, with Higham councillor Peter Allinson and Rev. Nigel Bourne from Chalk.

CONSULTATION MANIPULATION The consultation was extended to 1.2 million people and organisations, including 950,000 Dart Charge customers. A total of 47,034 responses were received: Respondent Designation Totals Members of the public 33,224 “Campaigns”[1] 13,284 Petitions[2] 3 Organisations and groups 523 Total 47,034 Campaigns Highways England define a campaign response as “an identically worded response that has been received from a group of people”.  They have determined that a total of 13,284 of the responses they responses received constituted ‘organised campaigns’. (Note that this included 946 responses from individuals who included some or all of the examples suggested for consideration by Shorne Parish Council, either with or without their own comments.) Of the 13,284 responses, a total of 13,240 came from individuals opposed to Option C. Only 44 came from organisations in favour of Option C.  39 of these were from small companies, and 5 came from a motorcycle action group. Highways England states that these 13,284 responses are included in the overall number of responses received (47,034), but are NOT INCLUDED in the responses received from members of the public or organisations.  In fact they were totally ignored in their post-consultation analysis. Petitions Highways England identifies 3 petitions received, all of which opposed Option C, which they say had a total of 188 signatures.  This included the Kent County Council petition, for which they have recorded 11 signatures.  This petition actually received 3,678 signatures.  In any event, Highways England states that all these petitions only counted as 3 responses in the overall number of responses received (47,034), and are NOT INCLUDED in the responses received from members of the public or organisations. In section 5.7.1 of volume 3 of their post-consultation analysis report, Highways England states that a total of 32,872 members of the public answered their key question 5a … Read more