AGM, Ashford School 12 June 2007

Present:  Ian Grant, Paul Smallwood, Ian Wolverson, Charles Wilkinson, Peter Davison and Lorna Astbury (Secretary).There were 8 Members present and Mr Keith Ferrin (Speaker).Apologies:  Grahame MacKenzie (holiday), David Holman

Chairman’s Address

The Chairman opened the AGM with an apology for some criticism he had received for ‘boring and dull newsletters’!  He continued that despite the gloom of the newsletters there had also been some good news.  This included improvements to the ring road; the new Junction 10/10A looming including the exit to the north; the Stour Centre opening in July (despite coming in at double the budget); new developments in South Ashford and Repton Park (and hopefully with the ‘Prescott pressure’ an ease of pace to match demand); and a promised solution to Operation Stack with a possible area for delayed lorries.There was also bad news, though, including the Eurostar services lost to Ebbsfleet; no commuter link between Ashford and Ebbsfleet; the new but expensive commuter service from November destined for St Pancras not Waterloo; perversely, this might dissuade newcomers to Ashford and reduce the demand for ever-more housing.  He said there are always two sides to a coin.He said there was little of concern regarding development in Ashford except for the proposed changes to Ball Lane to the north between the Faversham Road and the A28.  He said the increased housing had caused a junction with no sight lines.  He questioned whether a ‘smart link’ was really needed across Grade 1 agricultural land with 100 year-old oaks and an unpolluted stream.  He had completed the 9 or 10 sheets required from ABC and had sent them for consideration by the Inspector.He said there would be no coach tour this year but wondered if members would be interested to visit the new Stour Centre and to possibly combine this with a social event.  Further details to be published in the newsletter.The date of the next Committee meeting was set for July 26th at 6.30pm at Mill House.  The Secretary was asked to convey this to the Committee.A full copy of this report is available from the Secretary.

Treasurer’s Report

In the absence of the Treasurer, Ian Grant reported that there was a credit balance of £3650.  Thanks were due, he said, to Grahame MacKenzie for all his hard work. The Chairman then introduced the guest Speaker, Keith Ferrin, a Cabinet Member of KCC and cabinet member for the environment, for waste and for transport and general matters.Mr Ferrin began by saying his responsibilities were diverse but that he had decided to speak about what brings him to Ashford most often. 

RING ROAD

It had been a difficult project which he had inherited and which he very nearly didn’t sign off.  He explained that the new ‘shared space’ system whereby pedestrians and traffic intermingle was unique in the UK.  He said the working model came from Utrecht in Holland where traffic slowed to accommodate pedestrians and pedestrians took more notice of what was going on around them.  Contrary to what he first believed the scheme was very safe.  He had been persuaded to agree the new ring road by several factors including that ABC had been adamant that’s what they wanted and that it would take the pressure off the centre when the new M20 junction opens.  He had concerns that the work was being done out of order but that this was due to government funding availability.  He said he always uses the road personally and that he was not totally convinced it would work in practice but it remained to be seen if the decision to go ahead was the correct one or not.  His concerns included the traffic models assuming a huge shift to buses from cars, the implementation of a park and ride and the moving of the multi-storey carparks; and he did not have confidence in the planning expertise.  He said he was still trying to catch up with all the issues which were yet to be resolved and that disruption could be anticipated until the spring.

JOBS

His other big area for concern was getting jobs into Ashford.  He wondered whether all the people moving into the new developments were travelling to London and whether this was either possible or what people really wanted?  He anticipated that the lack of cross channel link, especially to Brussels, would be problematic.  He thought the possibility of another operator coming in might be beneficial to the economic health of the area.  In a nutshell, he explained, there were big challenges without big solutions.

OPERATION STACK

He was making progress regarding Operation Stack and was in talks with Dr Ladyman.  He said potential sites had been identified but this was still unresolved at present: for every potential site there are always action groups against it.

DEVELOPMENT AND AONB

The wider environmental issues in the longer term meant different things to different people; his interpretation was aiming to leave things better for your children than it was for you.

He questioned whether AONB should mean no development at all or appropriate development; and if so, what did that mean?  He suggested that no development would mean no young people and therefore no pupils in schools.  He said that the Kent countryside is manufactured as a result of human and agricultural activity and he wondered how to sustain that.  He believed there was a better way; not be locked into old-fashioned ideas which don’t account for changes during the last century; that this was not a holistic approach.  He thought we could work together to improve the environment.

The Chairman said that it was imperative to preserve AONB at all costs.

The floor was then opened up for questions.

Mr Ferrin was asked about the terms of reference regarding AONB set after WW2; that the land should never be built on ever.  He replied that life has changed since this was established, that if there are not enough houses in villages the schools would be empty.  He said 50 years on this was a real issue.  Whether you fill in spaces or not, whether you say no to everything and are left with retirees and commuters but no shops, pubs, Post office, schools etc.  He questioned how we would revive rural industry?  This was a real issue.

He was asked if there was a correlation between this and Post Offices closing as surely this was political.  Mr Ferrin said it needed younger people to make it work and are there as many young people coming in as before.

A member asked about the unreliability of rural bus services; you have to drive to get your pension; you can’t get a bus to the cinema.  She said nobody cares about rural communities.  Mr Ferrin answered that he needed to find additional funding just to keep the existing services running let alone put on more buses and that it could mean an additional 2% on council tax to do that.  He said not a lot could change without more funding.  He said the number of paying passengers showed growth but the majority of bus users were OAPs who could use the buses for free.

He was asked whether the buses are full and if not could the services not be re-thought.  He said this was rarely the case but there would be protests if services were cut.  He also said that smaller buses were no more cost efficient as only the diesel cost changes and the old buses would need to be replaced.

A Committee member raised the issue of Byways and explained to Mr Ferrin the steps the Trust committee had been taking to try and improve the situation of the Bogglers ruining the byways and causing noise pollution; that it was akin to using the M20 for motor racing: that the Trust felt that the downgrading of Byways to bridleways and footpaths was the only solution.  Mr Ferrin said he was unable to give a direct answer as he was still seeking the views of his colleagues after the byways reports.  He said it was very controversial but the law was a real issue; that byways are highways in law and that potential users argue with each other.  He said it was very difficult to solve and it was difficult to say more at this moment.

Mr Ferrin was asked about the logicality of the ring road improvements being out of sync.  He replied that sequencing was everything and a unanimity of approach was required by ABC and KCC.

Mr Ferrin was asked whether planning for a freight/rail interchange on 329 hectares in Hollingbourne had been submitted yet.  Mr Ferrin wasn’t sure but thought it was about to be.  He said that a better site had been identified at Erith which involved less road usage.

Mr Ferrin was asked about plastic recycling.  He said he didn’t think that it should be recycled at all; that a 30 tonne lorry could only carry half a tonne of plastic due to the volume; it all had to be sorted before crushing or shredding and there was a danger it would be moved, by lorry, to the Midlands or China; environmentally unfriendly in itself.  He believed it was better to crush and landfill, as there was no greenhouse gas, or burn as fuel; or not use plastic in the first place.

The Chairman thanked Mr Ferrin for coming and for his interesting and informative talk.

The meeting closed at 8.10pm