1. Apologies for Absence: Councillor G H Jones.

2. Those Present: Pat Martin (Chairperson), Sylvia Savill, Peter Rankine Defty, Rosa Halls, Councillor J Harvey, Councillor M Munn, Jean Armour, Mike Pratt.

3. Notes from Last Meeting and Matters Arising: There was a general discussion on the notes of the last meeting and matters arising. As most of the matters arising were on the Agenda they were discussed as agenda items.

4. Swanscombe and Greenhithe Newsletter: The delivery of the last newsletter appeared to go very well and a number of enquiries have been received from residents about the activities of the group. A letter of thanks is to be sent to Bryan Francis who organised the delivery. Mike to draft a letter to be sent from Pat. The next edition is likely to be in the Autumn and group members are to consider possible ways of getting it delivered.

5. Tree-Planting Project: The tree-planting project at the Swan Valley Community School went ahead. Unfortunately the weather was very poor and this meant the groups that had been involved were not able to do the actual planting because of the ground conditions. The children certainly appeared to enjoy the experience and seemed to be interested in the trees. In terms of the press coverage it was disappointing, although there were articles in the local press there were no pictures. It is possible that further initiatives could be undertaken not only with the school but also in the community. There was some discussion on Street Trees and the pros and cons of them. The group will need to consider whether there are to be any future schemes and identify suitable areas for planting. Mike Pratt to contact Keith Ogg at the Swan Valley Community School to see if the Group can visit the School.

As an aside to the Tree Planting Scheme there was some discussion on the Community Orchards initiative. The concept of a community orchard within the area had a mixed response from the group. This may be something that can be considered at a later date.

6. Other Business:

A number of items were raised that were to be referred to various departments of Dartford Borough Council. Mike Pratt to pass details to the appropriate departments.

There was some discussion on transport issues and in particular the routing of buses through Swanscombe. QED are organising a public meeting to discuss transport. Mike Pratt to confirm meeting details to group members.

Meeting confirmed as: Transport Plenary Meeting, Thursday 3 June 1999 at 7.30pm, Function Room, Princes Golf and Leisure Club, Darenth Road, Dartford.

The aim of the meeting is to hear the views of people concerning such things as making public transport more attractive including such issues as fares, co-ordinated timetables, safety, cleanliness, reliability and impact on the environment.

7. Next Meeting: The next meeting will be at The Oasthouse, St Paul's Close, Swanscombe at 6.45 pm on Monday July 12th. 1999.

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