The last RVA meeting had a fair turnout of members. Four guest speakers presented topics currently affecting the community and possible future developments. They were:

Also the meeting raised a number of subjects that were under review, promised or being considered by the relevant bodies. These consisted of planning issues, community facilities and aesthetic plans for Rusthall.

On-going Planning Issues

Community Facilities

Pedestrian Crossing

In the last two Newsletters, there has been talk of a pedestrian crossing for either the High Street (Simmonds Court) or the Lower Green area. This is a work in progress but at the last RVA meeting, the indications were favourable that a crossing will be granted for the High Street. This is subject to a finance review from the Highways department.

The Courier dated May 4th ran an article on the development of this proposal. The Tunbridge Wells Joint Transport Board (JTB) were presented with the petition in January, 500 signatures strong. Their studies have shown that due to road geometry, the Lower Green proposal was not favourable and the High Street traffic volumes did not suggest that it was beneficial to put in a crossing; a Lollipop Lady should be employed for school times only. No suitable candidate was found for this position. Jenny Blackburn has explained that more facts and figures should be presented to the JTB to weight the argument in the community’s favour. David Bond from Kent Highways is reported to have said it is important to make the right decision and that there is “no damning evidence” for a crossing at either Lower Green Road or the High Street. The matter will be discussed further at the next JTB meeting, July 23rd.

Broomhill Bank School

Broomhill Bank School was being considered for dramatic change as detailed in the last Newsletter. The proposals included scrapping boarding facilities, the switch of single sex to mixed and the removal of the post sixteen age group classes. Jenny Blackburn attended a meeting on the subject, which pulled an audience of around 300 and didn't finish until 11.45 pm. Head teacher Phil Barnett believes that the council were very surprised at the level of opposition to the plan. He also believes that it is maybe a done deal and that any “consultation” is possibly only an exercise, just a routine procedure. One parent raised concerns that council representatives were using expressions such as “when it goes ahead” not “if it goes ahead”. Kent County Council (KCC) are reported to have said “any authority will not just look at the number of responses, they will look at the argument. If you have 1000 people who come up with the same issue and the authority can refute the issue they would hold sway”.

By mid April over 1800 letters had been sent to the council in response to the plans. Only nine of which were in favour. RVA representatives at this meeting took the stance that the school should remain as it is. Consultations closed on April 23rd and the School Organisation Advisory Board (SOAB) is due to meet with KCC on May 16th to discuss the findings. Mr Barnett left his position in early April to become a consultant. This decision is not a recent development, it has been planned since 2003. He had been at the school for sixteen years and will be missed by staff and pupils alike.

Courier 23rd March, 6th April, 27th April

Lower Green Area

Lower Green Road is to receive a new post box soon, and since the High Street Road markings were repainted earlier this year, Lower Green Road is to receive the same treatment plus a resurfacing in June.

Aesthetic Developments

RVA is pushing for village Christmas decorations this year; this proposal was met enthusiastically by the attending RVA members. It seems that the only shops that make any effort in the High Street are the Cutting Room and the Fruiterers. In order for there to be street decorations, money needs to be raised or donated.

There was a request for the control of dog mess that litters the village, in the form of signs to remind dog walkers that they are responsible for this and the possibility of supplying dedicated bins.

The bare pipes that are seen on the common opposite the memorial are to be disguised by the planting of shrubs which will be funded by a £50 prize won by RVA. This was awarded to us by the council for participating in a housing questionnaire.

Village sign

Carol Lawrence, who spoke proactively on the non-merger of the village schools in a previous RVA meeting, approached the RVA with the idea of a village sign. Such a project can take up to two years to be realised from a conceptual idea and they tend to be expensive. Typical materials used in village signs are iron, stone and wood. A vote was taken amongst the attending members for this proposal and the overwhelming majority were for the idea. It was also proposed that the village schools could run a competition for the design of the sign.

Guest speakers

Louise Hooper, Southwood Road Recreational Activity Area

Two consultations were held for the development of the playing fields at Southwood Road in March. Louise Hooper gave a talk on the subject.

One year ago, her company was approached by TWBC on the possible development of the site; the brief was to come up with recreational facilities that would benefit the village. Louise spoke to many villagers to get their opinions on what to include. The current plan keeps the senior pitches, of which there are three and sees five new ones too; mini pitches and junior size. Other facilities include an off-road cycle track, an adventure play area and a free space that could cater for seasonal sports. The allotments are to stay which is a popular resource for the community. One concern is that there is no plan to provide toilet facilities, which given the nature of the facility seems short sighted.

Members raised concerns on safety and behaviour grounds. At the time, there were no plans to install CCTV and, although lighting was to be provided, it was considered that the threat of vandalism would not be that high and therefore the lighting would not be operative late evening and daylight hours.

The changing rooms are said to be staying. They are owned by TWBC and are used by many different clubs and not just Rusthall teams.

There will hopefully be some feedback from the consultations on the 24th May at RVA’s next meeting.

Carolyn Cohen, Head Teacher St Paul's School

Carolyn has been the Junior School's head for six years and was at Bidborough before this for ten. She has now become the Head Teacher of the new St Paul’s; the Junior and Infant schools will merge in September 2007. With this new identity comes the opportunity for a new school logo, at the time of the last RVA meeting, open to anyone who wishes to submit a design.

Originally from Sheffield, she remarked that she has enjoyed working amongst the Rusthall community; the nearest thing to a small northern village she has experienced. The school is more popular now than in previous years and has achieved several awards, among them being the Active Mark (awarded for a high standard of PE in the curriculum) and the Eco School Award (given to schools who actively take part in reducing their schools' and pupils' negative impact on the environment).

Extended Schools

St Paul’s is a pilot school for the Extended School Program. The development of extended services is a key driver in the government’s Every Child Matters campaign and is part of a wider transformation of the way different children’s services work together. Typically, the school works with parents to offer recreational clubs, study support, parenting support which can mean after-school clubs to allow parents to fulfil work commitments and, as currently being run, ‘The Breakfast Club’. These facilities partly have a designated place in the junior school buildings. St Paul's ‘Children's Centre’ is not a ‘full blown’ resource like Sherwood's facility. The merger will have the following effects on the school:

Carol Lawrence, who has voiced her opinions on this merger previously, congratulated Carolyn on her work at the Junior School in recent years. She went on to say that the school should market itself better; try to attract more local pupils. There are around 470 pupils of primary school age living in the village and only 200 of which attend St Paul’s. The Junior School still suffers from a poor reputation that was earned some years ago and no longer applies. Carol believes that if parents visited the school then they would be pleasantly surprised.

David Crundwell, Speldhurst Parish Council

The next speaker was David Crundwell from Speldhurst Parish council. His talk was focused on the function, formation, running and effect that a Parish Council (PC) has on its community; Rusthall broke from Spedhurst PC in the early 1800s. Born in Rusthall, he joined the council in 1984 and become its chair in 1990.

Speldhurst PC has 13 councillors and only one salaried employee (the Clerk) but all board members' expenses are paid for. The chairperson is elected every year and there are meetings once a month.

There are subcommittees who may meet more frequently than this. They include Finance, Planning (frequent meetings), Foot Path (proactive committee) and Recreation who meet 14 times a year. Subcommittees can be set up for individual projects if required.

The Finance Committee deals with aspects such as grants, estimates for activities and committees, budgets and village facilities.

Planning includes developments on the periphery of the village as well as direct concerns within the Parish.

Mr Crundwell explained that the PC has a good relationship with the Borough Council (BC) and they can deal direct with departments; Highways for instance.

Legal Standing

Mr Crundwell invited questions from RVA members, of which there were several:

Q : What is the budget spent on?

A : Overheads such as hiring of halls, stationery, fuel costs and contributions to clubs or events in the Parish

Q : How much does it cost?

A : Speldhurst Parish Council costs a home owner in Band D £29.50 a year. Rusthall residents currently pay TWBC so there is unlikely to be much of a variation

Q : Do you own or lease property?

A : Councillors work from home mainly and venues are hired which comes out of the budget

It may be argued that Rusthall would be better represented and better off with a PC, giving the village far more say in its development and operations.

One example how a PC can benefit a community is in fighting anti-social behaviour. In Ashurst (part of Speldhurst PC) there had been a spate of graffiti over several days. Residents informed the PC of these developments, they then quickly worked with the authorities and the culprits were caught in the act. A turnaround that is not possible with only a Village Association.

No doubt the May meeting will discuss the topic of a Parish council in more detail.

Miss Zuzana Resetarova, Rusthall’s resident Dentist

Time was running out as Rusthall’s resident Dentist took the floor. She explained that she has been practicing in Meadow Rd for just over a year and caters for adult private and children's NHS dental care. Her practice is not currently accepting any new NHS patients. The practice is located at:
39 Meadow Rd, Rusthall. Phone number: 01892 536598

Other News

Working Men's Club Car park Closure

RVA’s last newsletter made comment on the closure of the Working Men's Club car park located in Common View, with a planning application submitted for the development of four new homes. The proposal was withdrawn due to issues such as non-ownership of land, out of character appearance and infrastructure problems. A new proposal has been put forward, for a slightly more modest development which appears to be more in keeping with the current cottage style of homes on the road.

This recent proposal has again met with disapproval from residents of Common View and the wider community; the main concern is parking. The Courier, 4th May, ran an article where Jenny Blackburn is quoted to have said:

“People in Common View say since they have closed the car park it has been particularly difficult. All the people who would have normally park there from the Working Men's Club are parking on Common View.”

The club claims that they have no immediate intention of selling the site, they want this asset to be a more attractive proposition to borrow against as the club needs to raise funds for modernisation. Terry Hawkins, club Treasurer had this to say in interview:

Where this last point may be true, members would use the facility for a village centre visit during the day, not just for a visit to the club and so that argument is not black and white.

The residents of Common View, Vermont Rd, an element of St Paul's Street and Manor Rd were asked to take part in a survey so that a feeling for parking issues in general, but focusing on the car park closure, could be evaluated. The findings are overwhelming:

Question 1.
Do you think Rusthall has a parking problem?
            Yes   92 %
              No   8 %

Question 2.
Do you think Rusthall would benefit from the Working Man’s Club car park becoming a public car park?
            Yes   95 %
              No   5 %

Question 3.
Do you think Tunbridge Wells Council should improve parking facilities in Rusthall?
            Yes   88 %
              No   12 %

Question 4.
Has the closure of Rusthall Working Man’s Club car park affected your business/ lifestyle/ daily routine?
            Yes   52 %

These results come not only from fifty homes, but also ten businesses in the High Street. Jenny had proposed the idea of a public car park which the surveyed public agreed with.

Another problem that has created anxiety is the recycling units and the increase in the facilities at Common View. This has led to fewer and fewer spaces over the years and it has now come to breaking point. This conservation area is in danger of becoming gridlocked.

RVA’s next meeting is at the United Reform Church, on Thursday 24th May at 7.30 pm

Among other topics will be the AGM and a speaker from the Village Sign Society

General Useful Numbers

T.Wells Police Station: 01892 511055       Rusthall Community Warden: 07813 695872       P.C Carter 07870252577      
Rusthall Veterinary Surgery: 01892 511715       Emergency Dental Service (NHS): 01892 517771       T.Wells Borough Council: 01892 526121      
RVA Newsletter Editor, Kieron Stanger: 07763 148332  |  email: ks44@sussex.ac.uk
RVA Chairperson, Jenny Blackburn: 01892 546520