BMRA Newsletter - September 2014
There have been a number of properties changing hands in Badgers
Mount since our last newsletter and we welcome all new residents. We hope
you find our newsletters informative and useful. If there is anything that
you wish to know about Badgers Mount, please get in touch or visit
badgersmount.net where a wealth
of information about the community is available.
NEW EMAIL ADDRESS - badgersmount@hotmail.com
The Association has a new email address for you to contact
us. Please see above and note this for future reference.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The AGM in May marked
50 years of the Association and those who attended celebrated with
specially decorated cupcakes in addition to the usual refreshments.
The new Committee members are: David Woledge – Chairperson
Alistair Dunlop – Vice Chairperson Tracey McCartney – Secretary
Gordon Plumb – Treasurer Together with Nicola Walker, Adrienne Dunlop,
Brian Marston, John Ralston, Eric Raven, Zena Belton, Christine Donovan
and Trevor Simmons. Committee members will be calling very
soon to collect the annual subscription which remains at £2 per adult with
a maximum of £4 payable per house. This provides you with regular
newsletters and covers the administrative costs of running the
Association.
GARDEN PARTY Over 60 people attended this
event in July and a good afternoon was had by all. Our thanks go to Mary
Bliss of Oaklea, Badgers Road for allowing visitors to explore her
extensive garden.
FASTER BROADBAND UPDATE -
www.badgersmount.net/broadband Superfast Fibre Broadband
is now available in Badgers Mount!! Please see the village website for
further information if you are interested in obtaining this.
PLANNING
Crematoria Update At the present time there
is still no decision on the planning application for a crematorium at
Watercrofts Woods. There have been no further applications or appeals
relating to the other two potential sites. We continue to monitor the
crematoria situation closely. General Planning
Applications The Applications to demolish and
re-build Ringwood and Whipsiderry, Highland Road have been approved and
construction is now underway. An application has now been submitted to
replace Shepherds Green, Highland Road with two houses. The committee has
opposed this application as the property is within the Green Belt where
rules concerning overdevelopment and size need to be considered.
STREET LIGHTING You may have seen that
KCC recently had a county wide consultation about proposals to switch off
street lighting between midnight and 5.30 am in a bid to cut costs. The
nearest affected areas to Badgers Mount are the A224 Polhill and
Wheatsheaf Hill. Lights on the Orpington Bypass and Old London Road will
not be affected.
A NEW PCSO At the recent Coffee
Morning, PCSO Lisanne Fry was introduced to residents. Lisanne replaces
Jenny Boyden. She will shortly arrange to hold another community surgery.
Look out for the date of this on the village website calendar and
noticeboards.
FM CONWAY LTD At the Annual General Meeting
it was decided that dialogue at a local level should be opened with FM
Conway Ltd on matters appertaining to the Chelsfield Depot. The initial
objectives are and remain to address any issues residents may have
regarding the operations within the depot, in particular "night hours
noise" emitting from the depot and where possible seek solutions to
minimise the impact on the local community. A member of the
BMRA Committee and a resident affected by the FM Conway Ltd situation have
had three meetings with both their Depot and Head Office staff. The issues
covered so far have been: 1. Depot night time noise 2. Early morning
parking in Shacklands Road 3. Planned Forestry work on the surrounding
Ancient Woodland We are pleased to report that F.M. Conway
Ltd have responded in a positive and constructive manner and in
conjunction with the BMRA are addressing all issues and regular meetings
with them along with site visits, are to be continued. In the meantime one
request from F.M. Conway Ltd Estate Manager - Would residents please not
put "garden waste" into their woodland as this has a negative effect on
the trees etc and requires unnecessary forestry work to be carried out.
BADGERS MOUNT PARISH COUNCIL
The final Order for
the formation of the new Badgers Mount Parish Council has been issued by
Sevenoaks District Council. The Parish Council will come into effect on
1st April 2015 and until the elections in May 2015 our existing three
Shoreham Parish Councillors will be responsible for any interim planning
applications etc. On FRIDAY, 10TH OCTOBER 2014 an open
meeting will take place in the Memorial Hall, Highland Road at 7.30 pm.
Despite his recent promotion in the Cabinet, Michael Fallon still intends
to attend this meeting and address residents about the opportunities
afforded by this change. Roger Gough, our KCC Councillor will also be
present and give a short talk. Philip McGarvey, Deputy Leader of Sevenoaks
District Council will also be present to discuss the opportunities of the
new Parish Council. We hope that as many residents as
possible will join the Badgers Mount Parish Council Working Group on the
10th October to hear what our guests have to say. There will be an
opportunity for residents to ask questions during the meeting of our guest
speakers and the Working Group.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH UPDATE Speeding
vehicles on Polhill Roundabout Following a number of
occasions earlier in the year when vehicles were being driven at high
speed around the roundabout, the Police managed to stop and caution some
of the drivers concerned in June. We have not been aware of any further
occurrences of this anti-social behaviour. However, if this does recur
please contact the Police by dialling 101 immediately to report the
problem and give them a chance to attend the incident.
SCAMS (and how to avoid them) Our
Neighbourhood Watch team would like to remind you that fraudsters are
increasingly trying to get people to reveal PIN numbers and hand over
their bank cards so that they can access your bank account.
Remember: the police and banks will never ask for your PIN or bank card
over the phone. So never give them to anyone. If you think that you have
been a victim of this type of crime, call the police on 101. Or if the
incident is in progress, dial 999.
COFFEE MORNINGS The weekly Thursday coffee
mornings continue to be well attended, and numbers have increased over
recent months. If you would like to come for a social chat with other
residents, why not come along between 10.30 am and 12 noon. You don’t have
to come at the start or stay until the end – just stay as long as you
like!!
The recent Macmillan Coffee Morning raised £135 for this worthy charity.
The mobile library continues to visit the Memorial Hall car park on
alternate Thursdays between 10.45 and 11.20 am during the coffee mornings.
Numbers using the library have declined in recent months, so if you like
reading proper books rather than the modern electronic books, please make
use of this service. If you want a particular book which is not carried on
the van it can be ordered and will be brought as soon as it is available.
The next visits are on 9th and 23rd October.
BADGERS SETT MEETINGS
Ladies, if you are unable to
attend coffee mornings why not join us on the 4th Thursday of the month
from 8pm in the Memorial Hall for “coffee morning in the evening with
wine!”
DOG WASTE! Despite our previous request the
number of bags of dog waste being tied to branches or fences along roads
and footpaths, put in the salt bins or even dropped over a fence into
other residents’ gardens continues. There are five strategically
positioned dog waste bins in Badgers Mount which are there for your use.
PLEASE USE them as it is not nice for others to have to clear away your
bags of dog waste.
ENTERTAINMENT IN BADGERS MOUNT
We are planning a
number of activities to bring the community together. We intend to
continue with the events that have been popular in the past and to
gradually build up a wider selection of events that will hopefully appeal
to all tastes and age ranges of the residents of Badgers Mount.
Here is a proposed calendar of events – some will start this year, and
continue yearly, some will start next year and some that need more
planning will come along in the future.
CAROLS EVENING Saturday, 6th December 2014
We will be holding a carols evening in the Memorial Hall from 7.45 pm on
the above date, with carols commencing at 8pm. The cost will be £3.00 per
adult and £1.00 per child. Light refreshments will be provided but you are
welcome to bring additional drink (and own glasses) too. So that we know
how many people to cater for please make your reservation at one of the
coffee mornings or contact Gordon on 01959 534279. Are you
able to play the Piano? We are looking for someone who would be able to
play the piano for the Carols Evening as our regular pianist is
unavailable. Please contact Gordon (as above) or email if you can help.
NEW YEARS EVE PARTY Wednesday, 31st
December 2014 From 8pm in the Memorial hall with music for
all ages we are sure some of you will be up dancing. Bring your own
nibbles, drinks and glasses! This is an opportunity to meet new neighbours
and catch up with old ones. All Badgers Mount residents are welcome, come
along for the full party or pop in just to say hello. For more information
contact Zena on 01959 534566 or email us at
badgersmount@hotmail.com
Other future events 17th January 2015:
Soup night £5 per head. Share soup & bread roll in
the Memorial Hall. Catch up with New Year news. 28th February
2015: Quiz night Tickets with probably a fish & chip supper.
April 2015 - Easter treasure hunt for children Aimed at younger children –
collect a quiz sheet, clues throughout the village. Return completed sheet
for a prize. May 2015 - Spring Safari Supper Adults only. Volunteer to
host 4 people for one course of a meal, others pay to be hosted. Each
course in a different person’s house. Start for pre drinks in the Memorial
Hall & possibly return to there for coffee and chocolates. June 2015
- Treasure hunt All welcome Fun for all ages – entry fee is a cake!
Collect a quiz sheet from Memorial Hall. Return for a cup of tea and a
piece of cake (oh and the answers!). September 2015 - Musical event
Suggested - barn dance, or a band, or a sing-a-long, or a choir. 31st
October 2015 - Halloween lantern procession Suggested
- an
organised lantern procession for younger children around the houses – not
promoting trick or treat. November 2015 - Winter warmer safari supper
Adults only. Volunteers host 4 people for a course of a meal. Each
course in a different person’s house. Start for pre drinks in the Hall etc
(see Spring Safari Supper above). March 2016 - Cheese and wine
tasting evening Sample a variety of cheese and wines in the village hall. Adults only. Other events that residents have expressed an
interest in seeing happening in Badgers Mount - Beer festival, Summer fair
with competitions eg produce baking etc. Open gardens event and possibly a
monthly cinema club. If you want other events to run or perhaps you would
like to help run one of the events mentioned above, please contact Zena on
01959 534566 or badgersmount@hotmail.com
To keep in touch with
activities in Badgers mount visit
www.badgersmount.net/bmra or follow the
Webmaster on twitter
@badgers_mount. Alternatively email
badgersmount@hotmail.com with your name and email address thereby giving
us permission to contact you to share information about up and coming
events. We will not pass on your email address.
BMRA CONTACT DETAILS
Full contact details on the BMRA Committee
page.
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