BOROUGH GREEN PARISH COUNCIL

Clerk: Hazel M Damiral Lullingstone
Paddock Close St Mary’s Platt Kent TN15 8NN
Tel: 01732 884159/07974913299 FAX: 01732 780657
Website: www.boroughgreen.org


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PARISH POLL

At the Parish Meeting held on Wednesday 30 April 2008, Mr Mike Taylor, resident of this Parish, proposed that a Parish Poll be held on two questions:

1. Do you support the building of over 200 houses at Isles Quarry West?

2. Do you want the current members of Borough Green Parish Council to resign forthwith?

This proposal was seconded by Mr Tim Shaw, also resident of this Parish. 53 residents attended the meeting 38 voted in favour of holding the poll, 5 against and 10 abstained.

After checking the Electoral Register, David Hughes (Chief Executive and Returning Officer of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council) has confirmed that the request is valid and a poll will be held on Thursday 29 May 2008 between the hours of 4pm – 9pm with no postal or proxy votes permitted. No poll cards will be issued. The hours of polling are prescribed by law. The count will take place immediately after the close of poll at the polling station (Borough Green Village Hall).
The Parish Council must also advise residents that the total cost of the poll will be billed to it by T&MBC and the costs will be somewhere in the range of £2K - £4K. This is a PARISH POLL and not an election. The results of the Poll are not binding on the Parish Council.

Whilst it is the democratic right of any resident to call a poll, and BGPC would not want it any other way, they do view Question1 as either being too late or too early.

It would have been helpful if this poll had been called whilst the Local Development Framework (LDF) consultation process was taking place. The LDF documents do state 200 houses but as neither pre-planning consultation/public exhibition nor planning application has been made by Hanson’s for development of Isles Quarry West it would seem to us to be too early to hold a poll on this question as it is not known how many houses or the mix of development Hanson will make application for. **

Regarding Question 2. We assume that Mr Taylor and Mr Shaw tie in all parish councillors with the LDF process regardless of when they became Members of the Council. It should be noted that at least four Councillors became Members after the LDF process ended. The best place for electors to register their views is at the ballot box when local elections are next held in May 2011.
Borough Green Parish Council 14 May 2008

** Hanson’s consultants have now contacted BGPC to advise that they wish to hold a public exhibition in the Village Hall to illustrate their plans for Isles Quarry. All residents will have the opportunity to comment on these proposals. It is anticipated that this exhibition will be held some time in July.