Great Kingshill Residents’ Association – its history
Great Kingshill Residents’ Association was formed at the proposal of the Village Hall Management Committee at a public meeting in May 1988.
That public meeting, held in the Village Hall, was chaired by Ron White, then Chairman of the Village Hall Management Committee – Gavin Plews was Acting Secretary.
Various speakers commented on the sorts of issues that could be addressed by a Residents’ Association on behalf of the community rather than it having reliance solely on the Parish Council. Those issues are as pertinent today as they were then – planning, the production of a regular newsletter, the organisation of social events and the establishment of Neighbourhood Watches (although GKRA is no longer directly involved in this).
A proposal by the Village Hall Management Committee to form the GKRA was carried unanimously. A Steering Committee was elected, with its first meeting to take place at Hatches Farm, the home of David and Ann Davies.
The first meeting of GKRA was held on 26th June 1988 in the Village Hall, with David Davies as Acting Chairman. An initial constitution based on that of Widmer End Residents’ Association was adopted and a Committee was formed.
This inaugural meeting went on to discuss ‘issues which were of greatest concern to residents’. The Green Belt was to be fought for (Great Kingshill did not have this status then) and various planning matters were raised. Traffic through the village was of concern and there was mention of the need for a mini roundabout at the Cockpit Road/Stag Lane junction and another at the Pipers Lane/Missenden Road junction. We are now in the Green Belt, and twenty five years later traffic through the village remains a concern.
The constitution has been revised over the years, but is still broadly in line with that initial document, and the current constitution can be found here.
In summary, our aims are:
- to promote awareness of and interest in the community life
- to protect and improve the amenities and environment of the village
- to promote community and social activities
