Agenda item

Feedback on discussions and any actions to be taken away from the meeting.

Bob Priestly, KCC Community Warden spoke of his 7 years experience in Eastry keeping peace and quiet in the village.  He had a camera, book and evidence bag to record instances of fly-tipping and he worked closely with DDC.  When graffiti proved a problem, a concrete wall had been provided in the Gun Park specifically for graffiti artists to use and if the work was defaced by unwanted messages these were painted over and new artwork added.  

Members of the public referred to the less positive aspects of young people gathering at such venues, drinking, swearing and being a nuisance and it appeared that there was a marked difference between adult’s attitudes depending on whether the area was urban or rural.

It was pointed out that grass verges in Gore lane had been mown by the Council but the litter had not been cleared up afterwards.  Bob Priestly reported that the requests for volunteers for a recent litter pick had not provoked any response and Chris Brown advised that street cleaners visited Eastry regularly; DDC should be told of any part of the village with litter problems.  Litter from McDonalds was spread in a radius from the store and was frequently thrown from cars along country lanes.  Cllr Manion reported on a very successful litter picking exercise in Mongeham and spoke of an idea that McDonalds should be asked to put the vehicle registration number on the food wrapping so that litterers could be traced.

Question and answer session

• The meeting had been very interesting but did not address how to stop people throwing take-away food on the floor, even when sat right beside a litter bin in the Guildhall forecourt, or what action could be taken about anglers leaving food litter on river banks.  Education was needed.  Chris Brown visited fish and chip shops with regard to cleaning the areas outside their premises and had visited schools with results that a teacher patrolled the town on a Wednesday afternoon watching for children dropping litter.  Youths who had abused and threatened a street sweeper had been cautioned.  Opinions differed on whether approaches should be made to a person dropping litter, in view of the risk of abuse or violence.  Cllr Chandler reported that fixed penalty notices were being considered by DDC; they were usually issued to people over 16 and, whilst some considered them to be overbearing, they did work.  The Chairman spoke of McDonalds in Margate and Canterbury using employees to clear up every evening and Sandwich having notices asking people not to feed to pigeons.
• Is there to be a waste incinerator at Richborough Power Station?  The work is being carried out there is for power to be brought ashore from the off-shore wind farm to be fed into the national grid.
• Will the green waste to be collected at Venson Farm near Tilmanstone be covered or left to break down in the open, and will there be traffic problems?  Cllr Chandler advised that this was a KCC planning application but it could be viewed on line through the DDC Planning portal.  DDC had raised an objection to this application.