Welcome to The Cherry Lane Flyer, a non-profit community web site for the residents of Great Mongeham, Kent
Let us know what concerns you have about the area or just send us something that you find interesting - community information, local history, photos (see our gallery), transport, rural affairs, special events, parish/district council issues, sport, housing, highways, religion... Have your say
"I welcome the idea behind this site as i believe that online discussions do much to help residents stay in touch.
i have put a link to this site on the parish website.
I hope it can be a forum for constructive comment about the community of Cherry lane.
I am proud to be of the district counciilors and i welcome any comments, or even complaints about the work of the district council"
Councillor Mr Stephen C Manion
We look forward to your constructive comments and assistance to help make this Newsletter and website work for the community within the community
March 2008 issue...(click here for PDF of these articles and more about the area)
Post Office closure
Five weeks ago I shut the door on Great Mongeham Post
Office for the last time. It has been more of a wrench
than I ever imagined to suddenly lose the friendship
of so many people. I only ever took over the office five
years ago to help keep it going and make a bit of beer
money, but I never dreamt it would become such a part
of my life. Despite the fact that I had no say in it, there
is still a feeling of having let the village down, partly
possibly because of the compensation package.
I tried to renegotiate the deal with the Post Office and
gave the village the best advice I could on fighting it, but
you wonder whether any notice was taken of our case
whatsoever. I felt we had a strong argument with the low
running costs and high efficiency compared with other
offices, also the disabled access situation, being the only
office with a car park, but it was not to be.
I wish to thank the Great Mongeham Society for their
presentation of a framed picture of the office, it will
remind me of happy days for years to come.
What galls me so much is to hear labour politicians say
that times are changing and the Post Office is losing so
many customers. The biggest reason this has happened
is that custom has been taken away by the politicians
themselves in the shape of benefit/pension books etc.
and the deregulation of the Mail. It finally finished the
village shop three years ago and the Post Office has
followed suit.
To allow essential rural services to whither and die is
contemptible in my honest opinion, but in this modern
era of budgetary decisions, “The Needs of The Many
Outweigh The Needs of The Few”
Thank you all for your custom and company.
Chris Saville, The last Subpostmaster of
Great Mongeham.
Traffic
Have you noticed the increasing levels of traffic volume in the area?
Has your car or
property been hit by vehicles using roads in the village?
Back in 1955 the average travel distance per day was 8 miles, today we each average nearly 20 miles per day to go
about our daily chores, that figure is set to increase by 20% over the next 30 years but have the local roads changed
that much? Probably not but access to them has. The A2, A256 and A258 have all enjoyed improvements opening
up our rural areas.
Technology
Satellite navigation systems fitted to vehicles offer short/quick route access to towns and villages via rural roads. In
1955 your route plan would have been mainly A roads using a paper map and sign posts, today you simply listen
and point as the GPS system takes you to your destination. This route finding method is increasingly used by delivery
services. The result is - delivery vans accessing roads that would never have been used 20 to 30 years ago. Cherry
Lane offers a nice short cut to Ellens Road from the north of the village, a SatNav system set to ‘shortest’ will look at
the lane as the most direct route to Walmer from north of the village
Ownership
Statistically every other adult in the UK owns a car. Ownership (and population) is due to increase over the next 10
years, this reflects in building planning regulations, every new property of 2 beds or more must include off road
parking/turning facilities but bizarrely property extensions do not fall under this ruling. Cherry Lane in the
past 10 years have seen several properties extended but with no additional off road parking. Parking
generally is very tight and can create access issues
Dover DC have recently purchased (at £70,000 each) narrow width refuse trucks so collections can
be made in limited access areas (as featured last issue). Kent Fire and Rescue services are aware
of the lanes width/access problems and wouldn’t even bother trying to navigate down it opting
for hydrant/pipes for water. Kent Ambulance Services have in the past managed to access but not
without problems
Damage
We have been made aware of several cases of large vehicles either hitting stationery residents vehicles
or even the property itself. This amage is mostly caused by delivery vehicles. A esident in Cherry lane
has had his vehicle hit twice in the past 6 months, our own property has been hit by high sided vehicles
recently
Pedestrians
Cherry Lane doesn’t enjoy any form of pedestrian pathway, residents, ramblers, children, all share the same tarmac
as vehicle users. The blind corner opposite Pippin Cottage is a constant worry along with the north approach down
the hill which has already claimed one victim in the past 18 months
What’s the answer?
We think every resident has the right to park as close to their own property as possible, be it that they have no
legal right. Courtesy is everything so if you have visitors ask them to park on your property or away from known
resident parking areas. We recently worked closely with contractors working on a neighbours property. Although our
neighbours did not have the decency to ask, we appreciated the parking problem and offered our off road space to
help.
Should the status of the lane change?
In view of the problems getting worse rather than better should we start
campaigning now to protect our property and possibly enhance property values in the future? ed@cherry-lane.info
Latest News
[April 08] Local Police update, what's been happening in the Cherry Lane area recently - There was a theft of led from The Farm House, Cherry Lane
With half term I'd thought the kids might give me a bit more trouble but so far (I'm touching wood!) they've been no problem at all!
Haydn POWLTER PSE 56602 haydn.powlter@kent.pnn.police.uk
Cat missing, last seen near Mongeham Post Office area. He is a semi longhaired male neutered cat around 4 years old called Oliver. He had a red collar with his name and address when he went missing - £500 reward for information leading to his return
Are you struggling with your internet connection update?
Vfast based in Canterbury are close to completing a relay station to the north of the village. Tests are in progress, so we look forward to a real broadband connection in the area very soon
You can register your interest on the VFast website
www.vfast.co.uk or by calling 0845 121 1257.
Police opt for pedal power
PSE Haydn Powlter is a Police Community Support
Officer based in Deal covering Eastry Ward,
that’s Eastry, Tilmanstone, Sutton, Betteshanger,
Finglesham and Great Mongeham areas. What’s
more, the budget also paid for his £700 top of the
range police bike, that’s pedal power not petrol but
don’t be fooled, this lad is fit and with a top speed of
over 42mph he has been know to cover all 45 miles of
his beat in one shift! [more]
Local Business focus
This issue we look down the lane at Stalco Engineering, Great Mongeham
Opposite The Three Horseshoes Pub between South Court Garage and the old dairy,
is a lane that leads to a thriving engineering business [more]
