Wadhurst Quality Council
Wadhurst Parish Council

Parish Council News

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.

Aubers bench Le Touret
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!

New playground

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

Playground              Playground
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.

18 Dec

Kerbside recycling coming to Wadhurst in March 2010 - Wealden District Council will be holding a public meeting on Saturday 6th February 10am at Wadhurst Primary School to provide information on the recycling scheme and answer questions. For further details click here

6 Dec

John Phipson reports on the 27 Nov meeting to discuss the Hastings -Cannon Street train service here

7 Nov

Following the meeting on Wed 25 Nov on the proposed zebra crossing in Wadhurst, ESCC have placed their questionnaire on their website here - or you can see it on the Parish Council site here.  You can then print a copy, complete it and send by Freepost to ESCC before 30 Dec 2009.  SO act NOW and let the County Council know your views before it is too late.

11 Nov

LAYING OF WREATHS AT THE WAR MEMORIAL

ready

The wreath layers

steady

Cllr Tom Doyle - Chairman of the Parish Council

go

Our children's banners

24 Oct

East Sussex County Council is holding a meeting on Wednesday 25th November 7.30pm at the Commemoration Hall to present plans for a proposed pedestrian crossing in the High Street. This is part of the formal consultation.

Please come along to look at the plans and make your views known.

23 Oct

ESCC views now on the Trains Blog

21 Oct

A reminder about Wealden Community Grants here - applications due in by 30 Nov 2009

15 Oct

Notes on the proposed recycling scheme - here

14 Oct

Autumn Newsletter out

30 Sep

House to rent in Styles Lane

Downland Housing Association has a three bedroom house to rent in the near future.  Bids will be welcomed from housing or transfer applicants on the Housing Register.  Bidding opens on Friday 9th October and closes Wednesday 14th October at 2pm.  See Homemove magazine issue 113 for full details

Suitable for 3-5 people.  One of the bedrooms is on the ground floor.  Applicants will need to have demonstrated a local connection to the parish of Wadhurst.  If you are not already on Wealden's Housing Register and wish to apply for housing please contact
Linda Connor 01323 443362 for a housing application form

Sep 25

Free electric blanket testing starts on Monday 12 October - nearest venues are Crowborough Fire Station Wednesday 14 October 10am - 12noon and Rotherfield Village Hall Friday 16 October 2pm - 4pm.

19 Sep

Concerned about the proposals to cease a direct service to Cannon Street?  Visit this blog to see what your Parish Council is doing about it

11 Sep

There is a one person flat coming vacant in Fazan Court - details here

5 Sep

East Sussex Highways is carrying out carriageway surfacing, reflective stud installation, carriageway lining/markings, gully adjustments and high friction surfacing works on the B2100 Cousley Wood Road, Wadhurst.  To carry out these works and facilitate the safety of the workforce the existing 40mph speed restriction will be replaced with a temporary 30mph speed restriction from a point approximately 110 metres north-east of the north-eastern kerb line of the U7391 Weald View, north-eastwards to a point level with its junction with C539 Balaclava Lane.

The order commences on 28 September 2009 and lasts for a period of 18 months, or until the works are completed, whichever is the earlier; however, it is anticipated the road will only be closed for four weeks between 28 September and 22 November 2009.

26 Aug

Wealden District Council's consultation on the Local Development Framework closes at 17:00 on Friday 28 August..  The Parish Council has met to discuss its response; the results can be found here

Wadhurst Policing Panel

Wadhurst Policing Panel recently had its first meeting. The panel's aim is to help the police identify the public's priorities for policing. It includes local Parish, District and County councillors, repesentatives from local schools, business, residents' and youth organisations and members of the public. It will meet again in 3 months to see what progress has been made. Click here for a summary.

8 Aug

Community Grants: Wadhurst Parish Council has a small fund to support organisations which improve the village's facilities and quality of life. In recent years the council has helped to improve the Wadhurst Scouts hut, helped with set up costs for the Summer Music Festival and the Bonfire display, supported the Junior Football club and helped fund charities working in the village. The deadline for applications this year is the 30th September. Click here for the Council's Grants Policy.

19 June

Annual Report 2008/09 now available here or from the Parish Clerk 01892 752 111 or e-mail

15 June

There has been a further delay in the completion of the new homes at Styles Lane - bidding is now expected to start on Friday 3rd July - and the latest newsletter can be read here

5 June

A summary of the position over the Licencing application for Bewl Water can be found here

2 June

The affordable homes at Styles Lane have been delayed. It is hoped that the new homes will be in the Homemove magazine issue 105 with bidding from 19th June.

20 May

Village Bonfire
The Parish Council has agreed to help with set-up costs for the second annual Bonfire Celebration on November 7th at Stone Cross Farm.
Last year's bonfire, organised by Wadhurst Warriers (the fathers of local primary school children) was very succesful despite bad weather. The council was impresssed by the organisers' professional approach, and the event will provide an opportunity for local charities to raise funds.

Annual General Meeting
Chris Price stood down after 3 years as chairman. We are grateful to him for all his hard work, not least in completing the Parish Plan, rejuvenating the Annual Parish Meetings, investigating solutions to the village's parking problem and, recently advising the parish on the Bewl Water application. We are pleased that he is staying on the council.
Tom Doyle and Jan Pearman were elected Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively. John Phipson returned as the new (and also former!) chairman of the Recreation Ground Management Committee and Chris Price is taking on the Personnel Committee.

A full list of committee memberships can be found here
The draft minutes of the meeting can be found here

Wealden Local Development Framework
This very important document which will determine the future development of Wadhurst for the next 20 years will be released for consultation in the next few weeks. The Parish Council will respond, but it is very important that as many residents of Wadhurst also respond. Links will be posted from this website.

Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting, which is your chance to have your say on any issue affecting the village will be held on Wednesday 27th May, from 8 pm, with refreshments from 730 pm. Parish, District and County Councillors and the police will be present. There will be a short and interesting presentation by Uplands Community College.

Affordable Homes
The bidding for the new homes at Styles Lane (off Courthope Avenue) will start soon
Make sure you know what to do
If you are interested in applying for one of the new homes you must have registered with Wealden District Council and have completed a ‘local connection form’
Any questions - phone the housing department at Wealden District Council 01323 443322

6 May

Wadhurst Annual Parish Meeting to be held on Wednesday 27th May, 8pm at the Commemoration Hall Refreshments from 7.30pm Come and meet your councillors.

3 Apr

Bookings for Pay & Play tennis are now taken at Uplands Sports Centre - £8 per court per hour.   Spring newsletter here

19 Feb

Red telephone box
On the 17th February, Wadhurst Parish Council adopted the red telephone kiosk at Durgates under a scheme available for local authorities. BT has a programme to rationalise the number of public payphones due to rising costs and poor usage as people rely on mobile phones. The telephone equipment at the Durgates kiosk has been removed but the traditional red box will now remain as an important visual feature in the village.

Affordable Homes
The new homes being built off Courthope Avenue will be ready for occupation in the Summer. Anyone interested in one of the new homes must be on Wealden District Council's Housing Register and have completed a Local Connection form. People will then need to 'bid' for a property by coupon, telephone, text or online.