Title and commencement

1. This order may be cited as the Kent (District Boundaries) Order 1987.

2.-(1) 30th March 1987 is hereby specified as the day on which this order shall come into force for any purpose set out in regulation 4(1) (coming into operation of order) of the Local Government Area Changes Regulations 1976(2).

(2) For all other purposes, this order shall come into force on 1st April 1987.

Interpretation

3. In this order-

"boundary maps" means the 4 maps prepared by the Department of the Environment, marked "Maps of the Kent (District Boundaries) Order 1987", duly numbered for reference, and deposited in accordance with regulation 5 of the Local Government Area Changes Regulations 1976; and

"county electoral division" means an electoral division of the county of Kent.

Transfers from the city of Canterbury to the district of Dover

4.-(1) Those parts of the city of Canterbury and of the parishes of Adisham and Womenswold which are marked Area 1 and Area 2 on boundary map 2 shall be transferred to-

(a)the district of Dover;

(b)the Aylesham ward of that district;

(c)the parish of Aylesham;

(d)the Dover Rural county electoral divison; and

(e)the Dover and East Kent petty sessional division.

(2) Those parts of the city of Canterbury and of the parish of Barham which are marked Area 3, Area 5 and Area 6 on boundary maps 2 and 3 shall be transferred to-

(a)the district of Dover;

(b)the Shepherdswell with Coldred ward of that district;

(c)the parish of Denton with Wootton;

(d)the Dover Rural county electoral division; and

(e)the Dover and East Kent petty sessional division.

Transfer from the district of Dover to the city of Canterbury

5. The part of the district of Dover and of the parish of Denton with Wootton which is marked Area 4 on boundary map 3 shall be transferred to-

(a)the city of Canterbury;

(b)the Barham Downs ward of that city;

(c)the parish of Barham;

(d)the Canterbury South county electoral division; and

(e)the Canterbury and St Augustine petty sessional division.

Transfer from the district of Dover to the district of Shepway

6. That part of the district of Dover and of the parish of Denton with Wootton which is marked Area 8 on boundary map 3 shall be transferred to-

(a)the district of Shepway;

(b)the Swingfield and Acrise ward of that district;

(c)the parish of Swingfield;

(d)the Elham Valley county electoral division;

(e)the Folkestone and Hythe petty sessional division; and

(f)the Ashford and Shepway Coroner's district.

Transfer from the district of Shepway to the district of Dover

7. Those parts of the district of Shepway and of the parish of Swingfield which are marked Area 7 and Area 9 on boundary map 3 shall be transferred to-

(a)the district of Dover;

(b)the Shepherdswell with Coldred ward of that district;

(c)the parish of Denton with Wootton;

(d)the Dover Rural county electoral division;

(e)the Dover and East Kent petty sessional division; and

(f)the Canterbury and Dover Coroner's district.

Transfers from the borough of Maidstone to the borough of Tunbridge Wells

8. Those parts of the borough of Maidstone and the parish of Yalding which are marked, C, E and G on boundary map 1 shall be transferred to-

(a)the borough of Tunbridge Wells;

(b)the Paddock Wood ward of that borough;

(c)the parish of Paddock Wood;

(d)the Tunbridge Wells Rural East county electoral division;

(e)the Tunbridge Wells and Cranbrook petty sessional division; and

(f)the West Kent Coroner's district.

Transfers from the borough of Tunbridge Wells to the borough of Maidstone

9. Those parts of the borough of Tunbridge Wells and of the parishes of Capel and Paddock Wood which are marked A, B, D and F on boundary map 1 shall be transferred to-

(a)the borough of Maidstone;

(b)the Yalding ward of that borough;

(c)the parish of Yalding;

(d)the Maidstone Rural West county electoral division; and

(e)the Maidstone petty sessional division and Coroner's district.

Transfers from the district of Sevenoaks to the borough of Dartford

10. The areas of the district of Sevenoaks and of the parishes of Longfield and Hartley which are marked 1 and 2 on boundary map 4 shall be transferred to the borough of Dartford, to the Dartford South East county electoral division and to the North Kent Coroner's district.

Transfers from the borough of Gravesham to the borough of Dartford

11. The unparished area of the borough of Gravesham which is marked 3 on boundary map 4, and the area of the borough of Gravesham and of the parish of Meopham which is marked 3A on that boundary map shall be transferred to the borough of Dartford and to the Dartford South East county electoral division. The area marked 3A on boundary map 4 shall additionally be transferred to the Dartford petty sessional division.

Parishes in the borough of Dartford

12.-(1) There shall be created in the borough of Dartford a new parish of Longfield which shall consist of-

(a)the areas transferred to the borough of Dartford by articles 10 and 11 above; and

(b)the area of the parish of Southfleet in the borough of Dartford which is marked 4 on boundary map 4.

(2) There shall be a parish council for the new parish.

(3) From 1st April 1987 until the fourth day after the ordinary day of elections in 1987 the parish council of the new parish shall consist of the councillors representing the parish of Longfield in the district of Sevenoaks immediately before 1st April 1987. Thereafter it shall consist of 12 parish councillors.

(4) The proper officer of the Dartford Borough Council shall convene-

• the first annual meeting of the parish council for the new parish; and the first assembly of the parish meeting for the new parish.

• If in the new parish the first assembly of the parish meeting is held before the first annual meeting of the parish council, the parish meeting may appoint a person to take the chair, who shall have, for the purpose of that occasion only, the powers and authority of the chairman.

(5) In the financial year beginning on 1st April 1987, the Dartford Borough Council shall levy rates in the new parish, and make payments to the parish council of the new parish, as if that parish council had issued a precept to the borough council requiring the payment of a sum equal to the product of a rate of 1.44 pence in the pound, calculated on the total rateable value of the new parish as set out in the valuation list at the beginning of that financial year.

(6) The South ward of the parish of Southfleet shall be abolished, and the part of that ward not transferred under paragraph (1)(b) above shall become part of the Central ward of the parish of Southfleet.

Parishes in the district of Sevenoaks

13.-(1) The parish of Longfield in the district of Sevenoaks shall be abolished, and its parish council dissolved. The residuary successor of the dissolved authority shall be the parish council of the parish of Longfield in the borough of Dartford, which shall have custody of the public books and documents of the abolished parish.

(2) The areas of the parish of Longfield abolished by paragraph (1) above which are marked 5 and 6 on boundary map 4 shall become part of the parish of Hartley.

Electoral arrangements for the borough of Dartford

14.-(1) There shall be created in the borough of Dartford a new ward of that borough, which shall be known as the Longfield borough ward, and which shall consist of the area of the new parish of Longfield created by article 12.

(2) From 1st April 1987 until the fourth day after the ordinary day of elections in 1987 the new ward created by paragraph (1) above shall be represented by those borough councillors representing the Southfleet ward of the borough of Dartford immediately before 1st April 1987. Thereafter it shall be represented by 3 borough councillors.

(3) From the fourth day after the ordinary day of elections in 1987 the representation of the Southfleet ward of the borough of Dartford shall be reduced from 2 borough councillors to 1.

Electoral arrangements for the district of Sevenoaks

15.-(1) This article shall have effect from the fourth day after the ordinary day of elections in 1987.

(2) The Longfield ward of the district of Sevenoaks shall be abolished.

(3) The areas of the Longfield ward abolished by paragraph (2) above marked 5 and 6 on boundary map 4 shall become part of the Fawkham and Hartley ward of the district of Sevenoaks.

County electoral arrangements within the borough of Dartford

16.-(1) This article shall have effect from the fourth day after the ordinary day of elections in 1989.

(2) The electoral divisions of the county of Kent which immediately before 1st April 1987 consisted of areas within the borough of Dartford shall be abolished. The area of the borough of Dartford as altered by articles 10 and 11 above shall be divided into 5 county electoral divisions which shall bear the names set out in the first column of the Table below, and each electoral division shall consist of the areas of the wards of the borough of Dartford specified in the second column-

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each electoral division constituted by paragraph (2) above shall be 1.

Town and country planning

17. Any provisions of a local plan adopted by a borough, district or city council which apply immediately before 1st April 1987 to an area transferred by this order shall continue to have effect in relation thereto as if they were part of such a plan adopted by the council of the borough, district or city to which the area is transferred.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This order transfers areas-

(a)between the district of Dover and the city of Canterbury;

(b)between the district of Dover and the district of Shepway;

(c)between the borough of Maidstone and the borough of Tunbridge Wells; and

(d)from the borough of Gravesham and district of Sevenoaks to the borough of Dartford.

It also creates a new parish and parish council of Longfield in the borough of Dartford.

The 3 maps forming part of this note (pages 6, 7 and 8) give a general guide to the areas affected by this order as from 1st April 1987.

Prints of the detailed boundary maps, which are referred to in article 3, may be inspected at the offices of the borough, city and district councils, and may be inspected at or purchased from the Department of the Environment's Map Library, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3EB.

The table below shows the approximate area, population and rateable value of the main areas transferred. The other areas transferred are very small.

The new parish of Longfield in the borough of Dartford (created by article 12) will have approximately an area of 355 hectares, a population of 4,935 and a rateable value of £628,248.

Consequential changes to local government electoral areas are made.

The Local Government Area Changes Regulations 1976, mentioned in articles 2(1) and 3, contain further provisions about the effect and implementation of orders such as the present one.