Wadhurst Parish Council

Parish Council News

3 Feb 2012

A New Village Sign for Wadhurst ~ HM Diamond Jubilee

Wadhurst Parish Council invites artists to submit designs for a new village sign to mark HM the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and to provide a striking and attractive feature at the entrance to the village.

The design should reflect how Wadhurst is in 2012, the Jubilee Year, as well as acknowledge its past. It should incorporate the word “Wadhurst” and words or symbols relating to the Jubilee celebration, although these need not dominate.

The sign will be made of steel, and built in Wadhurst at the Castle Forge. It should measure up to 3 feet by 4 feet, and will be mounted on a wooden post by means of a metal cup. It may be painted. It will be erected at the site of the existing sign on the Walk.

The sign should be capable of being made at the Forge and the successful artist should be prepared to develop a working drawing with the blacksmith.

The design should be submitted on paper, or in an electronic form that can be easily printed. The artist may provide a written description or commentary of no more than 500 words. The deadline for submissions is noon on the 11th March 2012. Artists should provide contact information for the period between then and the 4th April. Submissions should be made to the clerk of the council on the address below.

There will be a cash prize of £250, and the council will publicise the project in the local media.

The parish council is likely to use the design on its website and elsewhere, and will retain copyright.

The work will be funded by public subscription.

For further information contact Cllr Tom Doyle on 01892 782001, or at t.e.doyle.95@cantab.net.

16 November

Wadhurst  Parish  Council
Chiltern, Stone Cross Road, Wadhurst TN5 6LR 

In accordance with Wadhurst Parish Council Financial Regulations (Sect. 9(1)) the clerk hereby gives notice of the proposal to enter into a contract to re-surface the tennis courts at Sparrows Green Recreational Ground at a cost of up to £50,000 plus VAT.

This matter will be considered at the next Recreation Ground Committee meeting due to be held at Sparrow’s Green pavilion on the 1st of December, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. and at the next meeting of the full Council on the 8th of December, 2011 at 7.30 p.m.

Malcolm Ramsden
Parish clerk
10th November, 2011 

26 September

The Parish Council initiaitve on getting a faster broadband service for Wadhurst - details here

6 September

Latest Police report

28 August

Wealden District Council have issued a brief guide to local planning policy, which can be read here.

8 August

Wealden District Council has now submitted its Core Strategy to the Secretary of State for independent examination.  Perhaps teh key recommendation for Wadhurst is that the development boundary shuld be retained - and our allocation of new hosuing should be set at 70 dwellings over the period to 2030

12 Jul

East Sussex County Council met on 5th July to consider the proposal to consult on proposals to close Hookstead respite beds and to reprovision the day services in Uckfield. This is to inform you that the Cabinet have accepted the following recommendations put forward:

1. Agree to consult on the proposal that Hookstead in Crowborough should close and:

a. the current respite services are recommissioned from the independent sector.
b. the current day services are relocated to the Bellbrook Centre in Uckfield.
2. Agree to receive a further report on the outcome of the consultation in October 2011.

It is now proposed that consultation will be undertaken; seeking the views of service users, relatives or representatives, staff and other interested parties at Hookstead. This consultation will commence on 12th July and take place over 30 days, up until 10th August 2011.

If you wish to comment on the future of this service, please either write to:

DPS Project Team
5th Floor, St Mary’s House
52 St. Leonard’s Road
Eastbourne  BN21 3UU

or e-mail: DPSconsultation@eastsussex.gov.uk

There is also an online survey requesting your views on this proposal. This will be available from today and can be accessed via: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/haveyoursay

A paper version can be made available on request if you would like to complete this survey but do not have access to a computer.

All comments to be submitted by no later than 10th August 2011.

A further report, including details of the outcome of the consultation, will be presented to the County Council Cabinet on 11th October 2011 and we will write to you again following the Cabinet’s decision.

4 Jul

Did you know you can report a pothole or other damaged road or pavement online here?

30 Mar

Highways and Environment Committee meetings scheduled for 7 April have been postponed until after the elections; the Council meeting on 14 April will take any necessary items.  The 'Annual Parish Meeting', where the residents of the parish will have the opportunity to meet their new councillors (election on 5th May) will be held at the Commemoration Hall on Thursday the 26th of May. Drinks at 7:30 p.m. for an eight o'clock start.

15 Feb

Cllrs Kent, Berger, Doyle and Whatmore visited the site of the new Barchester Care Home on Monday.
The home will provide welcome new jobs for Wadhurst

10 Feb

Wealden Disrtict Council is publishing its proposed Core Strategy Development Plan Document, setting out the key elements of the planning framework for the whole of the Wealden District, on Feb 11; further details here

7 Jan 2011

Winter newsletter now out here

22 Nov

ESCC guidance on snow and ice clearance - you CAN clear pavements without risk of being sued provided you take care

18 Nov

The Parish Council has appointed Marita Jones as our new clerk.  Marita has lived in Kent and Sussex since the early eighties and qualified as a solicitor in 1989. Specialising in planning law, she worked in local government for over 20 years before changing to private practice in 2005.  As a local government officer, she was responsible for advising members individually and in committee and for ensuring that there was compliance with standards and codes of conduct.

2 Oct

WADHURST VILLAGE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

The Wadhurst Institute Hall and Field, a charitable trust, have provided a brand new library for you, run by ESCC. It is three times larger than the old one with all the latest facilities and is proving to be very successful.

We have had to borrow £40,000 to enable us to complete the £150,000 project.

The purpose of this note is to appeal for donations from everyone who benefits from what the charity does for Wadhurst.

Please send any donation that you can afford to Mr Dipple, Hon Treasurer, 15 Deepdene, Wadhurst TN5 6EL.
Cheques should be made out to ‘The Wadhurst Institute Hall and Field’ - Gift Aid welcomed as the trust is a registered charity and can reclaim basic rate tax.

11 Sep

The Parish Council has appointed an interim Clerk until a permanent appointment is made later this year. Sarah Codling can be contacted by email: wadhurstpc@hotmail.co.uk or by post: The Clerk, Wadhurst Parish Council, Pineys, Modest Corner, Tunbridge Wells TN4 0LS. From Tuesday 14 September the clerk can also be contacted by phone on 01892 752 111.

8 Sept

Vacancy for a Parish Clerk - details here

14 July

The Council has adopted a Community Engagement Strategy - here

29 June
Summer Newsletter now out - here and the Annual Report 2009/10 here

12 Jun

The latest correspondence from the Dept of Transport suggests that the future of trains into Cannon Street is not immediately under threat, so the trains blog has been taken down.  The current position is summarised here.

23 May

News from Aubers
Villagers from Wadhurst made an important visit to their twin village on the weekend of 8th May. This year marks two significant anniversaries for the French and British towns. It is 95 years since the battle of Aubers Ridge when 25 men from Wadhurst serving in the Royal Sussex Regiment lost their lives. Members of Wadhurst Twinning Association, a representative of the Wadhurst and Tidebrook branch of the Royal British Legion, the chairman of Wadhurst Parish Council and Wadhurst Brass band participated in moving ceremonies at the Menin Gate at Ypres, in the village of Aubers, and at the war cemetery at Le Touret, where the Wadhurst men are commemorated. The group also visited the site of the battle. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Twinning of our twocommunities. This was marked by a party and by the presentation of a bench by Wadhurst to Aubers. The bench will sit in a new garden in Aubers, which will commemorate the battle.

The Wadhurst bench	Ron Hockney RBL at Le Touret

New Play Equipment Opens
The Parish Council was pleased to welcome pupils from Wadhurst Primary School who came to inaugurate the new playground at Sparrow's Green. The Play Project was led by the council and involved parents, teenagers and younger children. The playground's design was chosen by the children themselves. The work was made possible by a successful grant application, a contribution from the developers of Styles Lane and the Parish Council. More improvements are planned!

Round Oak Allotments
Grow your own! There is a small number of vacant plots at the Parish Council allotments off Old Station Road. If you live in Wadhurst and are interested please contact Peter Aitchison on 782 324

18 May

Official opening of the play equipment at Sparrows Green Recreation Ground will take place
on Friday 21 May 13:30 - all welcome

30 Apr

Council policy on grants for local organisations here

21 Apr

Action  in rural Sussex - priorities for 2010: well worth reading

24 March 2010
WADHURST QUESTION TIME Commemoration Hall

 11 Mar

Play equipment now in use

1 Mar

Annual Parish Meeting 24 March - agenda here

12 Feb

New play equipment in course of construction

28 Jan - Hastings - Cannon Street trains

The definitive RUS has now been produced and the major change is that while they still cannot reinstate Cannon Street services, Network Rail have introduced a recommendation that peak-hour if not all Hastings line services would be 12 coaches between London and Tunbridge Wells, where they would divide and run as fast and slow portions to Hastings.  Previously this was thought to be impossible because of the lack of siding facilities at TW, which will be fully occupied by indivisible 12-coach Thameslink units – so Network Rail have tried to help us!

But sign the on-line petition NOW to support the campaign for a better result.

31 Dec

WInter Newsletter now out

30 Dec

The installation of the new play equipment is scheduled for the beginning of February. Removal of the old equipment and other ground preparation work will start soon.