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27 December 2007
Jingle
Tills (Dartford Times, p1)
Reprieved store could be replaced
(Dartford Messenger, p2) Supermarket in New Ash Green reprieved
after Co-op agrees to open store there after Budgens closes on 13
January. Sevenoaks Council had organised a survey which got
340 replies.
Fatal collision 'unavoidable'
(Dartford
Messenger, p2) Coroner returns an accidental death verdict on Kenneth
May, 79, of Castle Hill, who had been hit by a car while crossing
the Brent in April. He had worked for Dartford Council, first
as a gardener, then in the housing department.
Magistrates sworn in
(Dartford
Messenger, p4) Picture of new magistrate from New Ash Green.
Hundreds see Santa's arrival
(Dartford
Messenger, p7) Picture of Hartley RC School's Christmas Fair.
20 December 2007
Crash
hell (Dartford Times, p4)
Driver flees crash van (Dartford
Messenger, p4)
Picture of car involved in accident
on Hoselands Hill at 12.30pm on 13th.
Fantastic lights right
on your doorstep
(Dartford Messenger, p2-3) Picture of elaborate
Christmas display outside house in Main Road, Longfield.
Dawn raids yield 19 arrests
(Dartford
Messenger, p5) 25 year old woman from Farm Holt, New Ash Green charged
with fraud by false representation.
See also "Woman on fraud
charge after police raid arrest" (Sevenoaks Chronicle, 13.12.07,
p5)
Driver threatens pony girl
(Dartford
Messenger, p6) 9 year old girl and aunt threatened by driver in
Three Gates Road, Fawkham.
Nativity plays
(Dartford
Messenger, p11&13) Pictures of nativity plays at Hartley and
Langafel Primary Schools.
Shane shines
(Dartford
Messenger, p17) Picture feature on 19 year old from Ash Road, who
is playing Buttons at the Pantomime at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford.
Trouble in store
Supermarket
closure will leave village stranded
(Dartford Messenger,
p18; Dartford Times, p14) Letter and picture from New Ash Green
resident, who says they feel they "have been sold down the
river by people who do not care." In letter to Times
two residents of Capelands fear the total closure of the shopping
centre. While they like living in New Ash Green, they feel
all authorities have failed to prevent decline of centre.
Post office deliveries
(Postwatch annual report 2006/7)
94.9% of 1st class mail posted in the DA postal area arrived next
day, down from 95.3% the previous year. In the TN postcode
area, which covers Ash village, the result was 93.6% (down from
95.8%).
16 December 2007
Hoselands
Hill Accident
(Radio Kent, 11am bulletin) Police hunting
for a lorry driver. Collision with car in Ash Road on Thursday,
driver and 91 year old passenger taken to Darent Valley Hospital.
13 December 2007
Pond
makes a SPLASH (Dartford Times, p13)
Puddle ducks get
new pond (Dartford Messenger, p11)
Picture of re-opening
of Hartley pond by Sheila Eames, after restoration by the Community
Wardens under Adam Osborn and the Friends of the Pond.
Owners homeless after blaze
wrecks house
(Dartford Messenger, p5) Fire at Fawkham Manor
Farm attended by fire engines from Dartford, Horton Kirby, Larkfield,
Swanscombe, Chatham, and Halling
6 December 2007
Store
closure 'ruins' village (Dartford Times, p6)
Budgens closure
anger (Dartford Messenger, p5)
Furore over plans to close
Budgens store in New Ash Green. Pictures of protest rally.
Dramatic opportunity for
little dragons
(Dartford Messenger) Picture feature of New
Ash Green Drama Dragons, an acting group for the under 16s.
Boy hit by car
(Dartford
Times, p8) 11 year old boy taken to hospital with a suspected broken
leg after being hit by a car at 3.45pm, Monday.
29 November 2007
Dealer
caged after terror arms fears
(Dartford Times, p5) 52 year
old man from Valley Road, Fawkham jailed for 4 years after admitting
charge of arranging arms sale between Iran and Kuwait. He
also faces confiscation order of £53,390.
Go dutch
(Dartford
Times, p16) See how Dutch celebrate Christmas at Floral Explosion,
Station Road, Longfield on 8 and 9 December.
23 November 2007
Dad
to sue hop farm over plan for wedding
(Kent & Sussex
Courier, p5) Father from Hartley to sue Hop Farm after he claims
new development spoiled the expected view.
22 November 2007
Teen
thug faces long jail term for knife attacks
(Dartford Messenger,
p5) 19 year old man from Farm Holt in New Ash Green convicted of
affray in New Ash Green on New Year's Day,
and for wounding another man in New Ash Green on September 10th.
Council leader son pays
warm tribute
(Dartford Messenger, p3) Obituary and picture
of Joy Kite (80) of New Barn, mother of Dartford Council leader.
Honour for Justice of Peace
(Dartford
Times, p19) New Ash Green magistrate wins Community Sentence Award
for Excellence from Lord Chief Justice, for promoting community
sentences.
Property
(Dartford
Messenger, Prop 1&6) Kilrymont, Gorse Way, built in 1922 on
market with Hartley Estates for £645,000.
15 November 2007
We've
lost our sound barrier
(Dartford Messenger, p15) Residents
of Gorsewood Road complain after Network Rail fell trees by the
railway track, to prevent leaves on the line.
Three in court on wounding
charges
(Dartford Messenger, p5) Trial of those accused of
wounding a New Ash Green man in September. (verdict - 22
November)
8 November 2007
Volunteers
are busy creating a pond
(Dartford Messenger, p25) Picture
of Adam Osbourn, Hartley's community warden and other volunteers
and wardens, working to preserve Hartley's ancient pond.
Property Market
(Dartford
Messenger, Property 13) One of the few properties that can be bought
outright on the Bramblefield estate is up for sale. The 3
bed bungalow at Sloane Square is on the market with Walker Croft
for £425,000.
1 November 2007
Revolt
over KCC 'encroachment'
(KM Business, page 1; additional
reporting FHC) Kent Bus and Operator Group complain about losing
contracts to Kent Top Travel, a county council run business. They
claim they have new buses, more expensive staff but can bid up to
20% less. One of the contracts won by Kent Top Travel is the
evening buses 423 and 489 to New Ash Green. In reply KCC say
their various businesses have contributed £3 million to offset
council tax.
Disease threat to livestock
(Dartford
Times, p17) Interview with owner of Hartley Bottom Farm about the
threat posed by Blue Tongue Disease, after it reaches Sevenoaks.
The farm has 800 sheep and 200 cattle, which have to be checked
daily.
25 October 2007
Weekly
bin fire tackled
(Dartford Messenger, p2) Gravesend fire
brigade put out fire in recycling bin at New Barn Road, Longfield,
which is a regular occurance.
Mayors learn about the
Kenward Trust
(Dartford Messenger, p21) Cllr Gaywood of Hartley
pictured at event run by Kenward Trust, which is a charity that
helps people recover from drug and alcohol abuse.
18 October 2007
Harvest
Feast
(Dartford Messenger, p13) Picture of harvest feast
at Ash parish church, attended by 70, which raised £320 for
the poverty and hope appeal.
11 October 2007
Longfield
Hill Post Office
(Dartford Messenger, p2 & 16) Following
last week's plan by the Post Office to close the branch, the subpostmasters
there say they were planning to retire anyway. Local Conservative
councillor Perfitt blames the government.
There's a real buzz at
Bumblebees
(Dartford Messenger, p 22) Picture feature on
parent and toddler group, which met at Manor Field on Mondays.
On the beat in the parish
(Dartford
Times, p10) PCSO Tony Quilter to concentrate on Longfield and Southfleet,
as a new PCSO is appointed to Sutton at Hone and Hawley (picture)
Priest on a mission is
welcomed to village
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p18) Picture and
profile of Fr Alex Saba, the new RC priest in Hartley. He
was born in Togo, and worked in the Congo before coming to the UK
in 1995.
Calls for agencies to pay
more to cover CCTV cost
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p8) Sevenoaks
council make "veiled threats" to scale down CCTV service
unless other agencies contribute more. Locally the council
runs the CCTV in New Ash Green.
New PSCO
(Dartford Messenger, p21) The new PSCO for
Hartley is Lisanne Fry, who can be contacted at the parish office.
Disappearing dogs
(Dartford Messenger, p21) Spate of
dog thefts reported outside shops in Cherry Trees.
4 October 2007
Wave
of protest as four branches face axe
(Dartford Messenger
p5) Reaction to plans to close some sub-post offices.
Upgrade for school is an
improvement
(Dartford Messenger, p5) Headteacher at Hartley
Primary School gets county council to make improvements to school.
Property Market
(Dartford
Messenger, property 4) Three newly built houses in Manor Drive on
the market for £595 - 625,000
Animal lovers grin and
bear it on trek
(Dartford Messenger, p13) Friends from Merton
Avenue and Caling Croft take part in 4 day hike in Romania for Liberty
Bear Sanctuary Project there. Picture.
Longfield Station bucks
trend with passenger growth
(FHC) Latest figures from the
Office of the Rail Regulator for 2005/6, show that while patronage
at Swanley, Farningham Road, Meopham, and Sole Street all fell,
Longfield was the only local station to increase the number of passengers.
See Office
of Rail Regulator website for fuller breakdown of the figures.
The totals below are a total of entries and exits at the station,
so if you buy a return you would be counted twice. The rankings
given below are for the county of Kent.
|
Station
|
2002-3
|
2004-5
|
2005-6
|
2005-6 Rank
|
|
Swanley
|
1,237,948
|
1,291,039
|
1,278,193
|
14
|
|
Farningham Rd
|
169,414
|
178,550
|
178,361
|
48
|
|
Longfield
|
445,289
|
466,593
|
467,884
|
33
|
|
Meopham
|
264,760
|
288,334
|
282,652
|
40
|
|
Sole Street
|
80,975
|
81,488
|
77,080
|
68
|
2 October 2007
Post
Office plans to close Longfield Hill post office
(Post Office
website) The Post Office announced the first round of plans to reduce
the number of post offices in the UK. 58 are planned to close
in Kent, including the local one at Longfield Hill. This will
leave a total of 295 offices in the county.
Overall this area has fared
better than might have been feared as the cuts are greater elsewhere
in the Dartford area with closures planned for Mead Road and Temple
Hill in Dartford and at Wilmington, Farningham and Eynsford.
Longfield Hill Post Office
was opened on 14 June 1933 after a 20 year campaign for one by Longfield
Parish Council. Its closure would mean that part of the urban
area of New Barn will be more than 1 mile from a post office.
See Post
Office - Network Change for more details. There is now
a 6 week consultation period, and no closures will take place until
January 2008.
Metro comes to Longfield
Station
For the first time, copies of the free London morning
newspaper the Metro, were being handed out at Longfield Station.
27 September 2007
Payment
in nick of time saves time in the nick
(Dartford Messenger,
p9) Man from The Drive, Longfield pays up council tax arrears in
time to save being sent to jail, the first such sentence for council
tax non-payment by Dartford magistrates.
Social event for church
funds
(Dartford Messenger, p9) Picture of "Ritzy Tea"
event that raised money for improvements to All Saints' Church.
Farm trips scrapped over
livestock fears
(Dartford Times, p9) Farm visits stopped
at Hartley Bottom Farm during foot and mouth outbreak. Farmer
explains the importance of being able to move cattle at this time
of year.
Class act
(Dartford
Times, p14) Feature on Fawkham CE primary school.
20 September 2007
Tributes
for Emma, 106
(Dartford Times, p13) Death of Hartley's oldest
resident, Emma Hodgkins of Fairby Grange, although she had only
moved there in November 2006. Pictures.
Hope of being best gymnast
in China bar none
(Dartford Messenger, p10) Picture feature
on Milestone School pupil, who competes for Britain in the Special
Olympics in October in Shanghai.
Fun day out raises money
for school
(Dartford Messenger, p2) Pictures from Our Lady
of Hartley School Fun Day.
Perfect Pets winners
(Dartford
Times, p 9) Picture of Smokey the Cat from Longfield, who came second
in the readers' vote.
Our brave little boy still
has nightmares
(Dartford Times p 4-5) Follow up on story
of boy from Porchester Close, who was attacked last year by a pit
bull terrier (see previous article).
30 August 2007
Bungalow
'harmful to character' and must come down
(Dartford Messenger,
p2) Sevenoaks Council orders demolition of £600,000 dream
retirement home in Church Road. The 63 year old owner said
"This has shattered all our hopes for the future". Council
is unhappy with height of basement above ground, however it is hardly
visible in photograph in the paper.
See also "Cottage must
go" (The Sun, 5.10.07, p15)
In the pink as riders raise
cash for charity
(Dartford Messenger, p15) 100 riders raise
£9,000 for cancer charity in 'pink' event at Speedgate Saddlery
of Fawkham. Pictures.
Care home in line for parachute
money
(Dartford Messenger, p15) 53 year old chef (pictured)
from St George's Square raises £1,000 for Russell Court Care
Home.
Coffee morning is an aromatic
success
(Dartford Messenger, p23) Picture of event held at
Jubilee Hall, Longfield.
Drama pupils ready to put
on a performance
(Dartford Messenger, p25) Picture of New
Ash Green Youth Theatre rehearsing Alice in Wonderland.
23 August 2007
Farmers
fight to stay afloat (Dartford Times, p5)
Braced for
the worst (Dartford Messenger, p7)
Interview with Hartley
farmer about the problems the restrictions on cattle movement, in
the wake of the foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey. Hartley
Bottom Farm has 1,000 animals which can't even be moved around the
farm.
Street is hit by second
ram-raid a year on
(Dartford Messenger, p10-11) Article on
problem of ram raids in district, featuring especially on Station
Road, Longfield. Nationwide and Co-op mentioned (pictures).
Bungled raid at race track
(Dartford
Times, p3) Failed ram-raid on cash machine at Brands Hatch, vehicle
used found abandoned in Ayelands, New Ash Green.
Ground force team
(Dartford
Times, p7) With the help of a donation from Longfield Parish Council,
volunteers of TRACS are starting allotment at Whitehill Road for
adults with learning disabilities (picture).
Goods vehicle licence application
(Dartford
Times, p90) Application by Mercer Scaffolding to operate 6 goods
vehicles from Manor Farm, Longfield Hill.
Perfect pet competition
(Dartford
Times, p79) Pictures of dogs Buster and Jack from Hartley.
Petanque players win tournament
for eighth time
(Dartford Messenger, p22) Picture of three
members of Hartley Country Club, who were part of the winning England
tri-nations team.
14 August 2007
Getaway
driver's let off
(Sevenoaks Chronicle) Rochester man, involved
in attempted robbery at Budgens, New Ash Green in October 2006,
given community service order.
2 August 2007
Thieves
don't dig failed raid
(Dartford Times, p2) Thieves fail in
ram raid attempt on Nationwide Building Society in Longfield at
3am on 1 August. (click on link for picture)
See also "Ram Raid at
building society" (Dartford Messenger, p9)
Anonymous tip-off snared
benefit cheat
(Dartford Times, p 11) Caxton Close lady admits
claiming housing and council tax benefit while working full time.
Given 100 hours unpaid work.
26 July 2007
Class
Act
(Dartford Times, p9) Picture feature on Langafel CE Primary
School. Praised by both parents and pupils, one year 6 pupil
said "We shall leave with lots of happy memories"
19 July 2007
Cannabis
found after growers are grassed up (Dartford Messenger, p5)
£35,000 Canabis swoop (Dartford Times, p3)
Police raid finds 280 cannabis plants in house at Hillview Road,
New Barn. Estimated value £35,000. Interviews
with neighbours and police tips to spot a suspected cannabis factory.
Village Day: event gives
entertainment to hundreds
(Dartford Messenger, p21) Feature
on New Ash Green Village day, including picture of May Queen and
her attendants.
Try angle awards
(Dartford
Messenger, p9) 17 year old girl from New Ash Green receives this
youth award for achievement in music.
5 July 2007
All
that jazz
(Dartford Messenger, p20) Pictures of Jazz Picnic
at Manor Field in aid of Arthritis Research.
Property Market
(Dartford
Messenger, Property 1&4) Feature on Little Stirrups, Church
Road, on market for £750,000.
28 June 2007
'Miracle'
drug court battle
(Dartford Times, p 2) Hartley man tells
of the positive effect he believes the drug Aricept has had on his
wife's Alzheimer's condition. His wife was only given the drug after
the intervention of Dr Stoate, the MP for Dartford. He said
denying others the drug is disgraceful.
Commuter
disruption as train hits tree on line
(Dartford Messenger,
p2) Trains delayed at Longfield on 26th when train hit tree at Sole
Street at 8am. Fortunately no-one was injured.
School fair is a cash-spinner
(Dartford
Messenger, p4) Picture feature of Langafel School Summer Fair, which
raised £4,000 up £1,000 on 2006.
Mum is learning the hard
way
(Dartford Messenger, p13) Picture of 38 year old Adult
Learner award winner from Punchcroft, New Ash Green. (see Gravesend
Reporter, 21 June 2007)
A new look for Waitrose
in Longfield
(Dartford Messenger, p18) Advertisement feature
on the revamp of the store with £3 shopping token.
Beach day: staff dress
in Bermuda shorts and grass skirts to rustle up money for special
school
(Dartford Messenger, p22) Picture of staff at Charities
Aid Foundation of Tonbridge, who raised money for the Milestone
School.
21 June 2007
Store
scam thief jailed (Gravesend Reporter, p4)
A new meaning
to cash and carry (Dartford Messenger, p1)
26 year old man
from Turnstone, Longfield jailed for 5 years, for theft from supermarkets.
Thefts involved intercepting vacuum tube cash railway in roof.
Dyslexic mum's a top learner
(Gravesend
Reporter, p6) 38 year old from New Ash Green wins individual learner
award from National Institute of Adult Continuing Education.
14 June 2007
Successful
performance
(Dartford Messenger, p20) Favourable review for
"faultless" Mikado by Hartley Gilbert and Sullivan Society.
Review blow for sacked
'risk assessment' teacher
(Dartford Times, p9) Teacher from
Painters Ash Primary School, who lives in Knightscroft, New Ash
Green, denied appeal against council's decision to dismiss her.
She was sacked after she compiled a risk assessment that one
pupil was a risk to others. She won widespread support for
her case. KCC Chief Executive denied that was the reason she
was dismissed, but agreed the lack of a right of appeal was wrong.
31 May 2007
Chairman
anticipates a rewarding year
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p9) Cllr
James Gaywood of Hartley and Hodsoll Street ward becomes chairman
of Sevenoaks District Council. His charity will be the Brain
and Spine Foundation. Picture and biographical information.
Class Act - Fawkham Valley
Primary School Years 5-6
(Dartford Times, p15) Picture feature
on the school of 103 pupils in 4 classes. The school has many
after school clubs including cookery, music and sport.
Dedication Rewarded - cadets
celebrate success in gruelling charity challenge
(Dartford
Messenger, p20) 2511 Longfield Air Training Corps complete St Dunstans
Cadet Challenge, run by the blind servicemen's charity. Picture.
24 May 2007
Class
Act - Hartley Primary School Silver Birch Class
(Dartford
Times, p15) Picture feature of Tudor "Blind Date" developing
"speaking and listening skills, using persuasive language to
convince King Henry VIII to select a queen from a panel of hopeful
candidates". School has 14 classes and a newly appointed
leadership team.
Public Notice - Woodland
Avenue
(Dartford Times, p19) KCC plan to close road between
Church Road and Larksfield in week beginning 11 June 2007, for work
by EDF. Local access only.
Fireman's lift for special
school pupils
(Dartford Messenger, p15) Thameside Fire Station
raise £800 for Milestone School (picture)
Hold me back: Residents
queue up to join wellness walks
(Dartford Messenger, p15)
Picture feature on walks, that begin from New Ash Green Library
on Wednesdays at 10.30am.
Young stars shine at talent
event
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p4) 75 children at Hartley Primary
School compete in "Stars in their eyes" event to raise
money for school funds (picture). So far £1,400 raised
for playground refurbishment.
17 May 2007
Young
stars give all in charity gig
(Dartford Messenger, p14) Picture
feature on Hartley Primary School's 4th annual "Stars in their
eyes" concert, to buy playground equipment.
No longer with the Woolwich
(Dartford
Messenger, p2) New Ash Green Woolwich branch to be renamed Barclays.
10 May 2007
Heavy
fine for scrap dealer
(Dartford Messenger, p2) Longfield
Road, Longfield man fined £15,000 + costs after prosecution
by Environment Agency for illegally dumping controlled waste at
a scrapyard.
A resounding victory for the Conservatives
(Sevenoaks
Chronicle, p6-7) report and pictures on election.
Village votes in favour of status quo
(Sevenoaks Chroncile,
p6) After a close run race, the same councillors are re-elected
in New Ash Green. Independent councillor Pett said the opposition
campaign had been "poisonous", for the Conservatives Cllr
Bruce said they "did not go out of their way" to be unpleasant.
8 May 2007
Motorbike
crash referred to IPCC
(BBC
News) Motorcyclist from New Ash Green and his passenger, injured
in crash on Hartley Bottom Road at 11.30pm on Sunday 7th.
See also "Crash Probe"
(Dartford Messenger, 10.5.07, p14)
3 May 2007
Conservatives
triumph in Hartley elections
The Conservatives retained the
Hartley and Hodsoll Street ward of Sevenoaks council with an increased
majority. They polled 61.8%, the Independent candidates were
in second on 27.4%, with Labour trailing in third place on 10.9%.
The full result which was announced after over 6 hours of
counting at 3.14pm, is on the Sevenoaks
Council website.
Meanwhile the same three Conservative
councillors also retained their seats on Hartley Parish Council,
as the "Putting Hartley First" group won all 13 seats
for the second time running. The percentage vote was similar
to 2003, but there was a small swing of 2.4% to the Independent
candidates. The result was the very last one announced; the
counters started at 9am, and the result was read out at 3.30pm!
A big thank you was extended for all the hard work of those
at the count.
Conservative candidate for
Greenhithe, Penny Cole, won a seat on Hartley Parish Council, but
failed to get onto Dartford Borough Council.
Click
here for full result and analysis.
Janine takes up deputy's
role
(Dartford Messenger, p15) New deputy head appointed
at Hartley Primary School.
Hats off to young pupils
on parade
(Dartford Messenger, p15) Picture and article about
Spring Hat Parade at New Ash Green Primary School.
19 April 2007
Horse
ride
(Dartford Messenger, p17) Opening of horse riding route
on Northfield had to be postponed after vandals removed markers,
leaving dangerous holes in the ground. Suspicion has fallen
on objectors to horse riding, but Hartley and Ash councils are determined
this will go ahead.
12 April 2007
Victory
for Tory agent
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p1 & 3) Former agent
to Sevenoaks Conservative party wins £38,340 damages for unfair
dismissal and disability related discrimination, after being sacked
while suffering from breast cancer. The tribunal found no
evidence of sexual discrimination.
Hartley Conservatives fight
elsewhere
(Dartford Messenger, p4-5) Penny Cole of Woodland
Avenue is running in Greenhithe Ward for the Conservatives. In
Hartley she is also running for the parish council under the "Putting
Hartley First" grouping.
Andrew Garwood, currently
ward member for Hartley and Hodsoll Street, has moved across to
fight Farningham, Horton Kirby and South Darenth ward for the Tories.
11 April 2007
Nine
candidates to fight for district council seats
(Sevenoaks
Council website) Voters in the marginal Hartley and Hodsoll
Street ward are to have a real choice in this year's election to
Sevenoaks Council. Nine candidates are to fight for the 3
seats. They are:
- Conservative: Larry Abraham, James
Gaywood*, Brian Ramsay* (* sitting member)
- Independent: Steven Glover, Lyndon
Newins, John Topping
- Labour: Joe Coutts, Jerry Swain,
Michael Tuke
The last election was very close between
the Conservatives (53%) and Independents (47%), at this election
all that is needed is a swing of 3.1% for the Independents to take
the seat. And what difference will Labour make this time around?
In Ash, the Independents are hoping
to make gains. Last time Alan Pett won 46% of the vote, with
the Conservatives averaging 34% and Labour 20%.
15 seek parish council election
Meanwhile there are 15 candidates for the 13 seats on Hartley
Parish Council they are:
- Larry Abraham*, Chris Alford*,
Alan Barnett*, Jane Burns*, Penny Cole, James Gaywood*, David
Graeme, Steffan Granger, Malcolm Harris*, Jonathan Minns, Anne
Oxtoby*, Brian Ramsay*, Vince Sewell* ("Putting Hartley
First") * Sitting member
- Lyndon Newins (Independent)
- Peter Mayer (Independent)
5 April 2007
Mind
over matter is key
(Dartford Messenger, p13) Interview and
picture of Longfield lady who has run 13 London Marathons and raised
over half a million pounds for charity.
Walk for summer fitness
(Dartford
Messenger, p4) Weekly walks to commence from New Ash Green libraries
on Wednesdays at 10.30am. Duration about an hour.
29 March 2007
In
the red: schools help comic relief
(Dartford Messenger, p16)
Picture of three of the pupils at Axton Chase school, who helped
towards raising £1,100 for red nose day.
26 March 2007
Green
energy - not here says Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks Council have refused
a wind turbine at Canada Farm Road (application 07/0391 see 15
March below), even though it is about 100m from the nearest
property.
25 March 2007
Fly
tipping - it's the real thing
(FHC) In spite of claims by
Sevenoaks councillors that they are on top of the problem, fly tipping
remains a major problem in the country lanes around here. The
attached
photo shows a dumped Coke vending machine in School Lane on
the Horton Kirby/Fawkham border.
23 March 2007
Value
for money from council tax
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p17) Cllr
Carol Clark from New Ash Green writes to defend her voting against
a £12,000 grant for her council ward. She denies that
the double taxation affects house prices in New Ash Green, but admits
properties are in lower valuation bands than comparable properties
elsewhere! There was also another letter from Cllr Coates
of the Conservative ruling group at Sevenoaks. He said all
areas think they are hard done by at Sevenoaks.
22 March 2007
Wellfield
and Woodland Avenue
(Dartford Messenger, p15) Local resident
of Bramblefield organises petition to get Sevenoaks Council to do
snow clearance of bus route.
19 March 2007
Vandalism
at Longfield Station
Ticket office closed after vandals smash
door, ticket window and ticket machine.
15 March 2007
Water
Firm merger set for approval
(Sevenoaks Chronicle) Comptetition
Commission looking at plans to merge Mid Kent and South East Water.
Mid Kent serves Hartley area.
Youngsters sing their way
to success
(Dartford Messenger, p18) Infant choir (pictured)
came first and junior choir second in Gravesham Festival of Music
and Speech. 83% of school leavers pass 11 + to attend grammar
school.
Winding up turbine energy
(Dartford
Messenger, p3) Owner of land at Beeches Farm Cottages, Canada Farm
Road, South Darenth has applied for a 12m wind turbine. Owner
says they have already done the other recycling options also.
Council Tax - Dartford
(Dartford
Times, p76) Band D council tax in Longfield to be £1,311.09,
made up of KCC £964.17, Dartford BC £145.26, Kent Police
£122.18, Kent Fire £61.65, Longfield PC £17.83
8 March 2007
Council
Tax - Sevenoaks
(Dartford Times, p69) Band D council tax
in Hartley to be £1,346.22, made up of KCC £964.17,
Sevenoaks DC £160.38, Kent Police £122.18, Kent Fire
£61.65, Hartley PC £37.84. Overall council tax
for Hartley will rise by 4.86%.
In Ash the charge is £1,332.19
and Fawkham £1,329.04.
There's no case for tax
discount
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p17) Leader of Sevenoaks Council
replies to Cllr Pett's letter of 1 March.
Cllr Fleming claims that the double taxation is only 10% of
what residents pay to the Village Association. However the
other 12 letters published (including one from Peter Mayer, the
webmaster of this site) are broadly in favour of Cllr Pett. One
resident of Lambardes thinks that being on the border of SDC is
at the root of the problem too. He said he pays £1,860
to Sevenoaks, £607.80 to the residents' assocation and £271.80
to the VA, the high costs affect the saleability of their homes.
Garden club pupils get
to work
(Dartford Messenger, p11) Picture of New Ash Green
primary school pupils working in school garden.
1 March 2007
'Double
whammy' villagers furious at SDC defence of tax
(Sevenoaks
Chronicle, p3, 17) New Ash Green residents, furious at the comments
from Sevenoaks Council, have written 'en masse' to the paper. A
summarised version of Cllr Pett's leter and 2 letters in support
are published with the promise of more next week.
Decision to leak post office
list is defended by Tory
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p5) Dartford
Conservative candidate and Hartley resident, Gareth Johnson, criticised
by Post Office chiefs and some postmasters for "speculation"
by leaking list that claimed all local post offices might close.
Kent will suffer from Post
Office closures
(Dartford Times, p8) Longfield resident asks
are the remaining post offices after the cuts to be fully staffed?
And how do they expect the elderly used to going round the
corner to the Longfield office to get to Dartford instead?
Father convicted of assault
spared jail
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p7) New Ash Green father
given suspended sentence for violence against his daughter outside
Sevenoaks Leisure Centre. Spared jail after daughter pleaded
with court.
Sweet appeal: Panto raise
cash for children's unit
(Dartford Messenger, p15) Picture
of performers from Aladdin panto at Hartley Social Club, who raised
£3,400 for hospital's Lollipop appeal.
Watch out for doorstep
con-men
(Dartford Messenger, p2) Police warn of 15 burglary
artifice cases locally, including one in Grange Way "Longfield"
on 9 January.
Property Market
(Dartford
Times, Property p12) Hothfield House, Ash Road on market with Bairstow
Eves for £479,995. Also 5 bed detached house in Manor
Drive for £550,000.
28 February 2007
Hosepipe
ban lifted
(Mid Kent Water press
release) Thanks to a rise in the water table, the hosepipe ban
has been lifted after the worst drought since 1933.
22 February 2007
Council
costs spark village row
(Sevenoaks Chronicle, p9) Report
on Councillor Pett's letter about council
tax in New Ash Green. Leader of Sevenoaks Council, Cllr Peter
Fleming, claimed they were overcharged by the Village Association
and most of the costs relate to Kent County Council services.
Closure threat to 12 post
offices
(Dartford Times, p4) Kent County Council claims Longfield,
Longfield Hill, Hartley, New Ash Green and Fawkham Post Offices
could all close. Postmasters in Hartley and New Ash Green
say they have not heard anything, but closure would be a big loss
to the community.
20 February 2007
Hartley
Grows, but slowly
(FHC) The latest estimates
of population, published by Kent County Council, show that the
population of the Hartley and Hodsoll Street ward has risen from
5,871 in 2001 to 6,000 in 2005. Longfield, New Barn and Southfleet
now have 6,500 inhabitants, and Ash 6,300.
14 February 2007
Double
Taxation in New Ash Green
(Open letter by Cllr Alan Pett
to Sevenoaks Council) He says that New Ash Green residents are being
taxed twice, once through council tax and again through the service
charges in New Ash Green, that elsewhere would be covered by council
tax. He says SDC have dismissed his approaches and "villagers'
views disregarded". He contrasts the lack of money spent
in New Ash Green with the £1.27 million spent on the Sevenoaks
Playhouse over 5 years.
Click
here to see copy of letter and replies on the NAG Active website.
8 February 2007
Picture
that
(Daily Mail, p62) Picture of Hartley window cleaners
1st class cleaning. Their website explains that they only
need ladders for cleaning flat roofs. For more details about
the firm, based in Porchester Close, see their website.
Huge turnout for funeral
of popular parish priest
(Dartford Times, p7) Funeral of
Father Hugh Bridge, a spokesman for the Southwark RC archdiocese
said "His faith and zeal for those who are marginalised in
society won him great respect and he will be sadly missed both in
the parishes he served and further afield."
(additional reporting) The
readings at the funeral service were Wisdom
3:1-6 and 9; 1
John 3:1-2; and Matthew
5:1-12 (the Beatitudes). Hymns included "The Lord's
my Shepherd" and "Praise my soul the King of Heaven".
The coffin was to be taken on foot from St Francis de Sales
church to All Saints' Churchyard.
See 22
January for more details.
Explosive party for Emma
(Dartford
Times, p7) Picture and article about the 106th birthday party for
Emma Hodgkin of Fairby Grange Residential Home, Ash Road. She
was born in Darenth and worked at a gunpowder factory at Bean during
the war. She received cards from the Queen and Prime Minister.
1 February 2007
Help
with churchyard costs
(Dartford Messenger, p7) Dartford Council
to pay £500 annually, for the maintenance of the closed churchyard
at St Mary Magdalene Church, Longfield.
Speed spotting
(Dartford
Messenger, p7) Mobile speed cameras to be in Ash Road and Hartley
Road on Friday
Hospice benefits
(Dartford
Messenger, p9) Darent Valley Lions Father Christmas fundraisers
raised £1,200 from Hartley, New Ash Green and South Darenth
Mind games
(Dartford
Messenger, p19) Picture feature of science week at New Ash Green
Primary School
27 January 2007
Flights
of fancy
(Kent County Magazine no 134, p29) Feature, including
picture, on Xtreme Falconry
of Northfield, Hartley.
25 January 2007
Fire
ruins room
(Dartford Messenger,
p5) Computer fire destroys room in house at Hartley Hill on 18th.
Dartford Fire Brigade attend.
Recipe for success
(Dartford
Messenger, p22) Fawkham CE (pictured) and New Ash Green primary
schools win "Healthy Schools" status.
Weather news
(Dartford Times, p7) Milestone School
closed for the day because of the snow.
22 January 2007
Father
Hugh Bridge RIP
It is with sadness we report the death at
Darent Valley Hospital of Father Hugh Bridge, the Roman Catholic
priest of Hartley RC parish (which includes Longfield and New Ash
Green) since 1996, at the age of 58.
He was born in Orpington in 1948, and attended Chislehurst Grammar
School and Oriel College, Oxford, where he studied Chemistry. In
his youth he attended the Anglican Church at Bickley, but became
a Catholic at Oxford.
In 1973 he was accepted for the priesthood and for the next 4
years combined study with a job at the bakery in Orpington. He
was ordained priest in 1977 and was appointed curate of Vauxhall
(1977-1986), and then Tunbridge Wells (1986-).
Father Bridge was interested in politics, joining the Labour
party in his teens. At the last council election he sent a
questionnaire to all candidates, and published their replies so
people might better know their views on the issues. He was
also heavily involved in planning issues, and worked with Dame Shirley
Porter to successfully oppose "The Green Giant" tower,
which was proposed for Vauxhall.
He was well respected in the whole community, and often stood
up for things he believed to be right, even when that was the minority
view - not an easy thing to do. He worked hard for the successful
local church covenant, which was praised only this week in Church
Times, as a model for others to follow.
Follow this link for his autobiography.
18 January 2007
Goods
Vehicle Application
(Dartford Messenger, p45) Application
to use Manor Farm, Longfield Hill as an operating centre for 3 goods
vehicles.
Winds wreak havoc across
Kent
(Dartford Messenger, p11) Fire crews from Dartford called
when tree fell onto power cables in Ash Road (at the junction
with Old Downs) on 11 January at 1.45pm.
(FHC) Storm force winds returned
on Thursday 18th to cause damage locally. Four trees were
blown down in Stack Lane and evidence of wind damage can be seen
from the photos of damaged cables
at Hodsoll Street, and fallen
trees at Hartley Bottom Road, Ridley.
Champ's Olympic dream
(Dartford Times, p15) Picture
feature on 14 year old from Longfield chosen to part of England
fencing's "Tomorrow's Achievers" team in Paris competition.
Lotto luck for town's families
(Dartford Times, p12
That's DA way to win (Dartford
Messenger, p3)
(additional reporting, FHC)
The DA postcode area was the 4th luckiest in the
country for the National Lottery in 2006, up from 10th in 2005.
In 12 years since lottery started almost £100 million
has been won in major prizes in the DA postcode area.
One big winner locally was a 4 member syndicate from New Ash
Green, who won £10.8 million in 1997.
Kitchen fire
(Dartford
Messenger, p3) Small kitchen fire at Bazes Shaw, New Ash Green.
Fun for charity
(Dartford
Messenger, p17) Picture of pupils involved in Axton Chase school's
RAG week, which raised £250 for NSPCC.
Witness appeal
(Dartford
Times, p7) Police appeal for witnesses to New Year's Day fight in
New Ash Green to come forward.
Charity Award
(Dartford
Times, p8) Letter writer congratulates Gurdial Singh Rai from Longfield
for his MBE, and for the charity work he undertakes. "I
am pleased with the award he has deservedly received". (See
also Times
of India article)
11 January 2007
Honoured:
Delighted Sikh volunteer
(Dartford Messenger, p18) Gurdial
Singh Rai (pictured) of Longfield wins MBE, for charity work.
4 January 2007
How
many more will die?
(Dartford Times, p1) Following national
news about the dog attack in Liverpool, interview and picture of
mother in Porchester Close, whose son was attacked by a savage dog
last August.
Three are stabbed in New Year's Day brawl (Dartford Messenger,
p4)
Village Fight: teenager in court (Dartford Times,
p5)
Up to 30 people from New Ash Green and South Darenth involved
in fight (see 1 Jan below). Six arrests
and one still held in custody. 19 year old from Farm Holt
to appear in Sevenoaks Magistrates Court charge with possession
of cannabis, affray, ABH and wounding with intent. (DM has picture
of where fight took place).
Director will never forget fire horror
(Dartford Messenger,
p12) Interview with director of clinical services at Fawkham Manor
Hospital, as mayor of Dartford opens newly-refurbished ward.
Compassion: Walkers raise money for African youngsters
(Dartford
Messenger, p19) Picture of members of St Mary Magdalene Church,
Longfield congregation who raised money for 2 new classrooms at
a schoolin Zambia.
1 January 2007
Knife
fight leaves three injured
(BBC
Website) Police called to fight in The Row, New Ash Green on
early New Year's Day. Three hospitalised and one 19 year old
man arrested. Shopping centre cordoned off and shops closed.
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