Parish Chairman’s Notes April 2024
The Parish Council submitted their response to the Consultation on the revisions to the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan by the original deadline at the end of February. The Council held an extraordinary meeting on 22nd February to approve these. You can read our submission on the parish website at https://capel-pc.org.uk/news/
In summary, while the Council welcomes the deletion of ‘Tudeley Garden Village’ we still feel the proposals at East Capel to be ‘unsound’ on flooding and transportation grounds and particularly worry about the impact of more traffic on local roads especially the B2017 through Five Oak Green as the revised plan seems to make no provision for mitigating this whatsoever. The deadline for the TWLP comments have now been extended (See Borough Councillor’s Report).
The extraordinary meeting also approved the Council’s response to the Examiner’s Clarification Note on our Neighbourhood Plan. We now await his response and possible amendments to the Plan which we hope will go to a referendum of Capel residents in the summer before being ‘made’ as planning guidance for the parish that developers will need to take into account.
The Council has resolved to apply for funding from the FCC Communities Foundation for outdoor gym equipment which would be placed in the old under 5’s play area by the Village Hall. We should hear the result of the application within the next few months.
The poles for the new Speed Interactive Device (SID) along Five Oak Green/Badsell Roads have now been installed and at the time of writing we expect delivery of the equipment in the next few days. The machine will record traffic data as well as showing their speed to vehicles travelling through the village.
Two residents have agreed to install hedgehog warning signs on their property. The clerk is to obtain laminated signs for this purpose, while two more expensive signs would be installed on the SID poles.
A final reminder that nominations close for the Parish Council Election on 5th April at 4pm. A nomination pack is available from clerk@capel-pc.org.uk or elections@tunbridgewells.gov.uk. Completed nomination papers must be handed in at the Town Hall by this deadline.
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Monday 15th April 2024 at 7pm in the Village Hall (see separate notice).
Hugh Patterson