Community Matters

The children's play area at Wye Recreation Ground. Play is vital. Every day children learn and grow emotionally, intellectually, and physically just by playing and being involved in their community. During play at school at home, and in the playground, children develop their sense of belonging and community, and make their first friends.

The crime rate in Wye is low, but prevention is better than cure. Please report minor incidents and suspicious activities to Kent Police via the non-emergency number 101, or 24/7 live chat.

To report crime anonymously call CrimeStoppers 0800 555 111.

For other day-to-day concerns and advice Wye is fortunate to have Richard Sinden as its Community Warden. Richard is one of Kent's most experienced wardens and he has a wealth of local knowledge. Click on the blue bar above for contact details and more information.

Click on the blue heading bars to see more information about each item:

The following Parish Council-led projects (listed alphabetically) all involve Wye residents and local organisations. (The COVID19 pandemic has forced the Parish Council to reprioritise and put some of these projects on hold).

Wye Adapts is a catch-all project to integrate climate emergency measures, decarbonisation and community resilience across the Parish Council's general work areas, and its projects listed below.

Wye Breathes is a new 'citizen science' public health project, designed to enable volunteers to monitor air quality. The Parish Council is working in partnership with Wye Active CIC and the University of Kent, Centre for Health Services Studies.

Wye holds an annual Christmas Street Party on the first Friday in December. In June 2022 Wye also celebrated Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and her 70th anniversary as monarch. Wye has maintained its royal connections for some 1,500 years.

Learning from the 2018 surface water flooding events, the Wye Flood Working Group is preparing a Flood Plan. This aims to manage the run-off from severe rain storms on homes and businesses, in partnership with the Environment Agency, landowners and KCC Highways.

This is a citizen science project centred on the River Stour and its water quality and life. The river flows through the parish for over five miles and becomes a chalk stream at Wye bridge as it flows through the Stour Gap.

Wye Flyer is a new community transport project to complement public transport services. The aim is to provide two minibuses for use by Wye primary school, community groups and residents. The project will train a pool of volunteer drivers and is a partnership between the Parish Council and the Friends of Lady Joanna Thornhill Primary School.

Wye Grows is a project to take over the Bolts Hill allotments, north of Bridge Street. Currently Ashford Borough Council owns them, but wants to transfer the responsibility and costs to Wye Parish Council and parish residents.

Wye Lights is a project to take over all the street lights around Wye that are not owned by Kent County Council. Currently Ashford Borough Council owns these lights, but wants to transfer the responsibility and running costs to Wye Parish Council and parish residents.

Affordable housing enables young families to live and work in their home community, and support older generations, sustains a local workforce and allows older people to downsize to more suitable housing, but keep their local connections and support networks. The Parish Council undertook local housing need surveys in 2009, 2013 and 2018 and the 2022 survey assessed the level of need in May 2022.

The Parish Council is developing a Highways Improvement Plan (HIP) to present to KCC Highways for action. Wye Moves is a Working Group formed to help assess and prioritise the many highways-related issues in Wye, and gather evidence for the HIP.

The Wye Neighbourhood Development Plan 2015-2030 provides the adopted planning policy for Wye. However Ashford Borough Council adopted it in October 2016 and since then the Ashford Local Plan has replaced the Core Strategy, and numerous policies have changed in the National Planning Policy Framework and Guidance. Therefore the Wye Neighbourhood Plan needs to be updated to accord with current laws and policies, and the new Environment Act and crucially with the forthcoming, but much delayed Planning Bill.

Wye Plays is a rolling project to maintain and improve the equipped play areas and sports facilities on public space, for the children and young people of Wye, in liaison with the Children's Playing Field Charity and the Wye Village Hall and Recreation Ground charity.

A project to commemorate the parish casualties from both world wars, and the 15 airmen killed while serving at Wye Aerodrome, with a living memorial tree for each man lost. Though fading from living memory, their sacrifices continue to resonate with new generations.

The pandemic forced Wye Methodist Church to close, then its congregation decided to cease worship. However, for over a hundred years before COVID-19 this building also served as a centre of community life. The Parish Council aims to buy and revive the building for the many social clubs and community activities that need to use its facilities, and for the quality of life and wellbeing of residents.

Wye Welcomes is a rolling project to improve the visitor experience of Wye and its surrounding AONB countryside, in liaison with Natural England and the Wye National Nature Reserve, and other partners. Wye is located at the intersection the North Downs Way National Trail, National Cycle Route 18 the Stour Valley Walk and the new Cantii Way.

A summary of the registered charities and community interest companies (CIC) that serve the parish of Wye

The Wye College Regeneration Group (WyeCRAG) formed in November 2018. Its purpose - to save and regenerate the historic Grade I listed buildings of Wye College, retaining a significant national heritage asset for the benefit of the community and the wider public.

The Wye Building Preservation Trust is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) registered charity number 1192389. The objects are to promote for the benefit of the public the preservation and protection of any building that may exist in and around Wye in Kent of sufficient historical, architectural or constructional merit and interest.