The Cake - Autumn 2021

the parish council’s remit.
It is very rare to see any
speed control in Cranbrook and
Sissinghurst, but there is always
the possibility of resurrecting the
Speed Watch programme, for any
residents who would like to get
involved.
There are often unexpected
consequences of putting in road
humps – Waterloo Road’s humps
lead to a lot of traffic diverting
through the Wheatfield Estate
and also make driving into
town very painful for disabled
people with skeletal problems.
Unfortunately, those who wish to
speed will continue to do so no
matter what the limit.
PROVISION OF FUTURE
MEDICAL SERVICES
The parish council has been
concerned about what happens
when our wonderful GPs retire
in a few short years’ time.
Behind the scenes a small group
has been working to clarify
the vision of the NHS locally
and how our new community
centre can accommodate the
medical services that are being
decentralised to multi-GP
surgeries.
We believe that this will
be available soon, so we can
then appoint an architect
to reshape the Crane Valley,
public lavatories, and the
Wilkes Field space and create
a new pedestrian area to the
community centre, medical
centre and library.
LLOYDS PHARMACY
I have been chasing them to
open regularly. Please thank
the staff when it is open. It is
not their fault if there is no
pharmacist. Indeed, some of
them are locums, travelling for
up to 5 hours a day to get here,
so we need to encourage them to
come more often. I have pointed
out we do not seem to be a
high priority for Lloyds but it
damages the other businesses in
the town if people are frustrated
by a pointless trip to a closed
pharmacy.
PUBLIC TOILETS
The Crane Lane lavatories
became a constant drain on
finance, as they were regularly
vandalised. It seemed a game
that as soon as they were
repaired, they were smashed up.
We need public toilets and some
COMMENT
“We will still be responsible for repairing
any damage, but by siting them
somewhere with a high footfall, hopefully,
vandalism will be less”
of the pubs and coffee bars allow
the public access. New WCs are
planned for the Crane Valley,
but we are currently looking at
temporary solutions, such as
Four Jays Trailers. We will still
be responsible for repairing
any damage, but by siting them
somewhere with a high footfall,
hopefully, vandalism will be less.
In July we were joined by two
new councillors, Linda Dyke and
Kevin Ramplin and I would like
to thank all councillors for their
constructive comments on the
issues I have outlined and which
make a difference to the local
quality of life.
Cllr. Kim Fletcher
In Pictures
A local resident, captured
by Alan Ford
The Cake • Autumn 2021 5