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Waste Collection Changes
Sevenoaks District Council is proposing to make changes to improve our recycling rates, and stop the use of single use plastic, which is currently used to take all our domestic waste away.
The district council spends £200,000 of your council tax every year on buying plastic sacks, that are used once and then disposed. Along with many organisations that are removing plastic for packaging, our commitment is to look for a much more sustainable solution to manage our weekly waste service.
The council made changes to the waste collection days and routes last year, which has already resulted in a 15% reduction in the use of diesel, helping to contribute to savings in cash and carbon. Furthermore, the council will save a further 32,000 miles per year, just delivering sacks.
The solution that the council is proposing this year is to replace clear sacks, with reusable heavy duty tall bags, that are manufactured from recycled material, that will be issued to every household. They will be emptied and returned for use each week.
To continue to encourage our reduction in the amount waste to landfill, black sacks will no longer be supplied to residents free of charge, although any that residents purchase will still be collected.
Against the backdrop of rising costs for all organisations, and the need for the Council to find £1.4 m annual savings to protect services, the proposed changes will enable the district council to maintain our weekly collections that we cherish, by contributing to saving around £200,000 per year.
Darren Kitchener
Chairman, HPC, and Member for SDC
Hextable Parish Council Response to Plan 2040 Consultation
Hextable Parish Council response to the published draft Plan 2040, dated 2023.
Hextable village is a vibrant community in the northern end of the district, and our residents regularly connect with us on many local issues. Having reviewed the document, we would like to give our initial response on the following key areas:
Housing
We were surprised that the three sites, contained in the earlier Local Plan, that Hextable Parish Council supported, have not been included this time. We are aware of the housing survey that identifies the need for smaller 2/3 bedroomed and affordable dwellings which our village needs. Two of these sites, being on previously developed land provide an opportunity for the village to contribute to the overall district housing supply with minimal impact on the village. They are:
- The former Oasis Academy, Egerton Avenue
- Former horticultural college grounds, off College Road
- Land adjacent to Furness School Education
Education
We fully support the comments made in section 9.19 concerning the need for a new secondary school in the north end of the district, which we recognise as an important provision – given that so many children currently have to travel to secondary schools. We also welcome the reference in paragraph 9.20 to the additional Special Educational Needs provision that has been included in the plan.
Transport
We believe that as a key part of the local plan, reliable and frequent bus services, with real time service updates at key bus stops, will help to contribute to a more sustainable means to travel.
With a significant number of our residents relying on public transport in Hextable, we want to see an increase in the provision of local buses linking the village to the adjoining settlements.
A large proportion of our residents in Hextable already rely on buses that provide their only means to access services, such as medical, leisure and banking.
With the ever-increasing traffic congestion in and around the Hextable and Swanley area, there are routinely problems that are caused when there is congestion on the M25 heading to the Dartford Tunnel, which leads to drivers leaving the motorway at Swanley and diverting to use the local roads through Swanley and Hextable to get to Dartford. The local plan must consider how our district can become more sustainable with respect to travel. We want to see the local plan concentrating on promoting the necessary infrastructure and alternative transport solutions to reduce congestion and the effects this has on our communities. There is a need for this plan to address the lack of a safe cycling route between Dartford and Swanley, through Hextable.
Swanley Foodbank Closing
The local Swanley & District Foodbank, which is presently situated at 11 Lynden Way Swanley, has been given notice to leave these premises by end of this year. We have contacted everyone we can think of from the MP to Sevenoaks Laura Trott to County, District and Town Councils, and Churches with no success. We have looked at leasing other properties, but either the rents are too high, or the property is for purchase only; either a house or a business property in central Swanley would be suitable. We are now desperate and need help or the alternative is that Swanley and the surrounding area will lose a much used, valuable asset for those families in Swanley who need our kind of help.
If you can help us in any way please contact us on 07798 872 573 and ask to speak to our Chair Mr John Kaan or email info@swanleydistrictfoodbank.org.uk and the message will be passed to him. Thank you.
Reporting Highways Faults
We work closely with Kent County Council on many matters in the village. Many of our residents spot problems and report them to us and our Clerk always passes on any reports that are sent to her to KCC.
To make this quicker and easier for residents, there is a public fault reporting system where anyone can report a problem, and the track this until it has been fixed.
This link, takes you to the KCC website which enables you to directly report a problem 24hrs a day, 7 days a week:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem
KCC Highways look after miles and miles of highways, footpaths, drains and street lighting and using this service helps them prioritise and plan works. Please help us to help KCC Highways deal with faults more quickly and efficiently.