New Playground at Sparrow's Green
It is now nearly ten years since most of the play equipment at the Recreation Ground was installed and it's showing its age as well as becoming difficult to maintain to modern safety standards.  We need to improve the play facilities for children and young people and this has been greatly assisted by a payment of £28000 from the developers of the Styles Lane housing and a successful grant application by the Parish Council to the Play Pathfinder Scheme for £30000.
A working party of local parents and councillors was formed; it undertook wide consultation of children teenagers and parents.  People living near the recreation ground were also consulted and although some compromise was needed the new play equipment and activity trail should be a great improvement. Play for the younger children will be near the Pavilion and the Toddlers' area.  For the older children and teenagers it has been more difficult to reach an agreement but we are working on final plans for the project having taken all views into consideration.

Save our Trains
Wadhurst benefits from its direct line to Cannon Street and the City.  However buried in an innocuous sounding document (the Kent Route Utilisation Strategy) is the proposal to drop this service from Hastings line trains from 2015. This would have serious economic consequences for the village and the Parish Council has been quick to organise a campaign against it. The more information we gather from rail users the better the case we can make against this proposal.  For more information and to leave your comments please visit the Parish web site www.wadhurstpc.info/trains.

Where to put the Pedestrian Crossing
A new and unexpected matter has arisen this summer which has created some controversy. After many years of languishing at the bottom of the list for a zebra crossing we were suddenly promoted to the top of the pile.   Without being consulted the Parish Council was then presented with a finished plan they had to agree to at short notice.  After discussion with officers from ESCC Highways Dept it was concluded that the site proposed outside Columbine Cleaners was unlikely to be where many people would use it.  Funding has been deferred to next year for consultations to continue.  Safety of residents is the main concern but a key point to consider is where the majority of people will cross.  There will be a loss of approximately 10 parking spaces and, with no parked car obstruction, the speed of traffic is likely to increase. A consultation by ESCC seeking parishioners' views will be on Wednesday 25th November in the evening (time to be announced).  This is a formal part of the process and it is not for the Parish Council to duplicate by conducting its own survey.  It will be well publicised and we hope you will take the opportunity to have your say.

Grow your own

In recent years there has been a surge in demand for the Parish Council's allotments at Round Oak. We are fortunate to have an active Allotment Association which has, with the council's help, reclaimed derelict land for cultivation. For more information on allotments contact the Chairman of Round Oak Allotment Association, Peter Aitchison on 782 324.