News

Urgent Road Closure – Dundale Road, Lamberhurst – 18 February 2019 (Tunbridge Wells)

KCC have informed us that it will be necessary to close Dundale Road, Lamberhurst from 18 February 2019 for up to 3 Days.

The road will be closed between the junctions of A21 Kipping’s Cross and River Teise bridge.  The alternative route is via Alternative route via A21 Pembury By-Pass, A264 Pembury Road, Bayhall Road, Forest Road, Bayham Road, Hawkenbury Road and Dundale Road.

This is to enable Urgent Carriageway patching, to be carried out by Kent County Council.

Work is ongoing to mobilise the new contract with Urbaser from 30 March 2019 with the current collection service continuing “As Is”. Preparations are also being made to introduce the new recycling collection service arrangements from 30 September 2019.

Part of the preparations include an introductory, money-off promotion for the new garden waste collection service. TWBC will be offering residents £10 off their first year’s payment for the service if they sign up online between 7 May and 2 August 2019.  Encouraging people to sign up early in this way will give a clearer idea of who will be using the service and enable Urbaser, the new contractor, to plan collection rounds.  Importantly for residents, by signing up early they will also benefit from no break in their garden waste collection.

Residents can already pre-register their interest online with the assurance that TWBC will contact them when it is time to sign up for the new service and benefit from the introductory offer. The opt-in fortnightly collection of garden waste will be rolled out across the borough from 30 September when the existing mixed, compostable garden and food collection will be phased out.

Click here to see a leaflet from the contractor selected to run the service, Urbaser, that will be delivered to all households towards the end of February. The leaflet introduces Urbaser and gives residents early information about what the change of contractor may mean for them. We will of course be following this up with further communications and much more information as we let people know about the roll-out of the new services.

The new website for the new service is here

Cash machine crime is rare, but there are simple steps that all cardholders can take to help prevent this.

• Stand close to the terminal. Shield the keypad to avoid anything or anyone seeing you enter your PIN.
• Stay alert and put your personal safety first. If someone is crowding or watching you, cancel the transaction. Do not accept help from seemingly well-meaning strangers and never allow yourself to be distracted.
• Have your card company’s 24-hour contact number stored in your mobile phone. If your card is retained, stay at the ATM and contact your bank immediately.
• If you spot anything unusual about the machine, or there are signs of tampering, do not use it.
• If you think you have been a victim of fraud, you should contact your bank immediately.
• Stick with ATM’s you trust and keep your eyes peeled. If something doesn’t feel right about an ATM or a credit card reader, don’t use it.

Warn vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours.

Do you have an idea for a local environmental project?

Sussex Lund grants support small-scale, practical projects that improve the landscape of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Project ideas from community groups, schools and parish councils are encouraged and match-funding is not always necessary. Anyone can submit a project, including private landowners and businesses.  The Sussex Lund grant programme re-opens for new applications from 1 January 2019 until 7 April 2019.

Previous funded projects include schemes that:

• Improved wildlife habitatsg. creating ponds, removing non-native species (e.g. rhododendron and leylandii), hedge and tree-planting and restoring, and creating more wildlife-friendly greenspace and verges.
• Improved scenic beautyg. planting street trees, removing or screening eyesores and replacing ‘hard’, man-made boundaries with soft, natural boundaries.
• Improved accessg. creating new access points to green spaces and replacing stiles with gates for better access.

The grants programme was created by High Weald residents Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin and is administered by the High Weald AONB Partnership with Lund Trust.

Potential applicants must contact the High Weald AONB team for advice to develop their project on:
01424 723014 or email sussexlund@highweald.org.
For more information, see: highweald.org/look-after/sussex-lund

The Council would like to wish all its residents a Happy New Year for 2019.