Local News

The leader of Swale Borough Council and the chair of the council's Environment Committee have raised concerns about the potential borough-wide impact of the closure of the Faversham Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC).

Kent County Council have proposed three options for saving £1.5m from their HWRC’s and every one of those options includes the closure of Faversham HWRC. Two of the three options would also see Sheerness HWRC close for two days a week.

Cllr Tim Gibson, the Leader of Swale Borough Council, told SFM News: “I clearly understand the need for all local authorities to look at how to save money against a background of increasing costs and inadequate funding. But it is difficult, if not impossible, to make any informed judgement on the impact these proposals will have on our residents, given the lack of data available to us. At the moment there doesn’t seem to be much clarity on any options appraisals that have been carried out. This is of course a major concern to many of our residents who are looking for the rationale behind the proposals".

Cllr Gibson went on to add: “However, what is blindingly obvious is that there will be a significant impact on the air quality management areas (AQMA’s) along the A2 with increased journey rates for residents travelling from Faversham to Sittingbourne. At the other end of the borough residents from Leysdown will be travelling along the Lower Rd and A249 to deposit their waste in Sittingbourne, all against a backdrop of increasing heavy congestion on our road network.

"There are many questions that remain unanswered, what is the likely cumulative effect on the AQMAs? Will recycling tonnage rates fall? At a time when many residents are struggling with day to day living costs, are the extensive journeys to alternative HWRC going to be affordable? Will the proposed closures see the scourge that is fly tipping increase to even higher levels? And how will the potential hundreds of tons of additional carbon being emitted be offset?

“Kent is saying that 6,000 additional homes would now be more than 20 mins drive from their nearest HWRC, but this figure is based on optimum traffic conditions and round trips would likely be in excess of an hour for most users from Faversham if travelling at the weekend".

Cllr Rich Lehmann, Chair of the  Environment Committee, has conducted his own research into the proposals. He told SFM News: “The proposed Faversham closure would mean more than 11,000 households losing their nearest tip. There would be an extra 10,500 miles of traffic a week – more than half a million extra miles a year. This would be costing people in Faversham at least £150,000 a year in fuel. The proposed closures could generate around 600 additional cars in and out of Sittingbourne each week, primarily at weekends and of course tens of thousands of journeys through the AQMA’s on the A2 Ospringe and Teynham where air quality is already a concern. An estimated 123 tons of carbon will be generated assuming an average engine size of 1.6L and the road network being free from traffic. These proposals must be revisited, and transparent data provided.”

Kent County Council are due to open a Public Consultation to the proposals next month (Jult 2023) and we will bring you the latest developments here on YOUR local - 106.9 SFM.

A dispersal order is in place to tackle anti-social behaviour in Swale for the second weekend running.

It started at 6pm yesterday (Thursday 1st June) and will remain in place until 6pm on Sunday (4th June) and will again cover Sittingbourne Retail Park as well as the High Street areas. The order has been implemented again to ensure a swift response to any reports of anti-social behaviour.

Inspector Vanessa Foster, from Swale’s Community Safety Unit, told SFM News: "Residents and business owners continue to raise concerns about nuisance behaviour in the area, including the reckless use of bikes and e-scooters. We are determined to respond to these concerns and Sittingbourne will see additional patrols this weekend. The dispersal order gives our officers additional powers to move on anyone causing a nuisance and, if necessary, arrest those who return to the area once dispersed. Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held to account."

The police say if anybody wishes to report instances of anti-social behaviour they should report it online via the Kent Police website or, if a crime is in progress, they should immediately call 999.

A dispersal order is in place to tackle anti-social behaviour in central Sittingbourne.

It started at 2pm yesterday (Thursday 25th May) and will remain in place until 2pm on Sunday (28th May), covering Sittingbourne Retail Park as well as the High Street area.

The order has been implemented due to an increase in reports of anti-social behaviour in the district at weekends. It allows officers to stop anyone involved in disorderly behaviour and move them on from the area.

Inspector Vanessa Foster from Swale’s Community Safety Unit told SFM News: ‘There has been a recent increase in nuisance behaviour in the area, which is negatively impacting on the local community’s quality of life. This weekend, Sittingbourne will see increased patrols to tackle the issue.

‘The dispersal order gives our officers additional powers to move on anyone causing a nuisance and, if necessary, arrest those who return to the area once dispersed. Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held to account.’

Anybody who wishes to report instances of anti-social behaviour should report it online via the Kent Police website. If a crime is in progress you should immediately call the 999 service.

Advice about the dangers of carrying knives and taking drugs has been given to young people during a safety event in Swale.

‘Swale Safety in Action’ took place between Tuesday 16th and Thursday 18th May and saw 350 Year Six students from across 10 primary schools invited to take part.

During the event, which was held at Swallows Leisure Centre, they were also told about hate crime, healthy relationships, online safety and road, fire and electrical safety.

The multi-agency event was run by family group Salus, and supported by Kent Police, British Transport Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Kent County Council and UK Power Networks.

Swale Council helped to fund the project, along with funding from the Community Safety Partnership from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott.

Sergeant Carli Deacon, of Swale’s Community Safety Unit, told SFM News: "Becoming more independent and starting secondary school is exciting but also daunting and the aim of this event was to help young people learn about some of the dangers they may face as they embark on this transition. Our officers work across the community and are dedicated to supporting, listening and educating young people. I hope the pupils gained a lot from attending the workshops and that it helps them in making informed positive decisions going forward."