There is ‘nowhere quite like Pembury’ County Councillor Kevin Lynes said at the Pembury Society ‘Question Time’ meeting in October. We live in a village which is protected from the town of Tunbridge Wells by the green belt. We may have the new County hospital but it is still a village and the residents want it to stay that way. This year’s annual meeting of The Pembury Society welcomed over eighty members from the village to ask panellists questions about the future of Pembury. The panel consisted of Kevin Lynes, Simon Wilshaw from the Police, David Coleman from Pembury Parish Council, Sally-Ann Huang from Kent College and Lee Watson the store manager from Tesco. The meeting was very ably chaired by Lea Owen, the new Chairman of the Pembury Society, who is determined to keep Pembury a ‘happy, smiling’ place for people to live.
The panellists pointed out that the low crime rate has contributed to the present calm in the village but we must be vigilant to keep it that way. Issues discussed included ‘Public Transport’, mainly the buses which seem to have been diverted from the village to the new hospital. The access to the hospital has to be important but it must not leave the village isolated. Many years ago when the bus services nationally were deregulated from a national service, the rural services were expected to pay for themselves. This can never happen and various schemes have been tried but none seem to include isolated parts of the village where the elderly and the young mums live. The long-awaited dualling of the A21 was a hot topic and it was pointed out that it should have been done years ago before the new hospital. Whatever scheme is now adopted is going to cause travel misery to many people who need to travel for work. Both the A21 and the Colts Hill roads need sorting out as efficiently as possible and soon.
Tesco, as the major store in the village, also came under scrutiny. As it was pointed out, it is ‘overused’ for the size of store, which is why there are plans to increase it to double the existing size. It is used by other villages who find getting into Tunbridge Wells difficult, but to our advantage it is not in the centre of the village.
The final question centred on the vulnerable within the village, and do we do enough to help them in times of trouble. The hard, cold snow last winter was mentioned and the need to be good neighbours. It was pointed out that the Parish Council introduced an ‘SOS’ scheme last winter and have improved the provision of salt for keeping paths clear. The ‘Churches Together’ also operate their own schemes, keeping in touch with anyone who may need help. The Pembury Community Partnership is made up of representatives of all the organisations in the village such as the Guides and Scouts, the schools, the churches, the U3A and the ‘Out and About club’, to mention just a few. We do work together as a village; let us keep it that way.
Janet Ditchett