Page 61 - Archive in reverse date order

Because of the rurality of this area, horse riding is a very popular leisure activity and North Cray
has several riding schools and livery stables to meet this need. Part of their catchment area is
Bexley. There is also a major riding establishment in Bexley itself (Mount Mascall Stables, off
Vicarage Road). Its land runs into North Cray, with additional livery stables in Cocksure Lane. The
riding areas are Foots Cray Meadows and, via Parsonage Lane, Chalk Wood and Joydens Wood.

Another draw for Bexley people is the number of North Cray's footpaths through Green Belt land,
its farm shops (Kelseys off the North Cray Road and Honeydale Farm on the Maidstone Road), its
nurseries (Bexley Garden Centre and Penhill Nursery, both in the North Cray Road). Last, but not
least, we have Foots Cray Meadows, a vast open space used extensively by dog-walkers and others,
with its nature reserve, events, riverside walk and the historical and iconic Five Arches Bridge.
The Cray Riverway (a signposted walk) is also something which links North Cray with Bexley.

Like us, the people of Bexley are concerned with conservation, as is evidenced by the fact that both
North Cray and Bexley Village have Conservation Areas (High Beeches and The Village).

Transport Links

North Cray has only one bus service, the 492. This service (which begins near Sidcup Station and
ends at the Bluewater Shopping Centre, via Bexleyheath) runs the whole length of the North Cray
Road (the A223) from its beginning at Ruxley Roundabout until it reaches Bexley Village. Our
nearest railway station, Bexley, is in Bexley Village and, as mentioned above, Bexley Village is
close enough to North Cray for people to walk or cycle between the two as an alternative to using
public transport.

Community Groups

We work in a mutually supportive way with the Coldblow Residents Association (although this
currently operates in the adjacent ward of St Mary's) as we share Bexley's Green Belt and Heritage
Land and have very similar aims and objectives, namely the need to protect this and to prevent
over-development and inappropriate development something that would alter the character of our
two areas, both of which are predominantly residential. We also work closely with a local
environmental protection society, Friends of Foots Cray Meadows (www.footscraymeadows.org),
whose chairman is also a member of our Committee. See also ‘Shared Interests’ below.

Identifiable Boundaries

The new-shaped ward we are proposing has both strong and recognisable natural features in
addition to well-known barriers such as present ward boundaries. Natural features are the River
Cray to the west of North Cray and the long stretch of Green Belt and woodland in the east running
north-south. A further existing clearly defined and established boundary is that created by the A2,
the northern boundary of the present St Mary's ward.

However, as we have already mentioned, on the western boundary of our proposed new ward, we
see it as undesirable to adopt the River Cray, in its entirety, as the ward boundary as this would
divide Foots Cray Meadows between two separate wards. This could create practical difficulties in
the future as the Meadows are in a single ownership (Bexley Council). They are also in the care of
our sister organisation, Friends of Foots Cray Meadows. Furthermore, local support, protection and
maintenance of the Meadows is known to be centred east of the Cray and we are strongly of the
view that their future protection and the avoidance of conflict is best served if all of the Meadows
were to be in the same ward, i.e. the one we are proposing.

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