Minutes
Page last updated on Wednesday, April 21, 2010
HELD ON 20th APRIL 2010 AT THE CHURCH ROOMS COLBURY
Present:
Councillors S. Arnold (in the Chair), D. Bryant, M. Coaker, P. Frost, C Hubbard, K. Kershaw, P. Sopowski and A. Sturgess.
In Attendance:
Parish Clerk L. Griggs, County Councillor K Mans, District Councillor D. Tipp and 9 members of the public.
Apologies had been received from District Cllr Puttock
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM
The Chairman reminded Councillors that if there was any item on the agenda which would warrant a Councillor submitting a Form C. they should do so now. None were produced. The Chairman also reminded Councillors that if any item arose during Public Participation which warranted a Form C they should declare it immediately.
1. MINUTES
1. The minutes of the last Meeting, which had previously been circulated to all Councillors, were approved unanimously and signed by the Chairman.
2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None
3. HIGHWAYS MATTERS
a) A resident had reported that the light on post 113 on the A35 had been out of action for some time and asked the Council to chase Highways. The light has now been repaired.
b) The Clerk referred to the request from Mrs Judd that, as a result of the bags of waste discovered dumped on the grass during the litter pick, an additional dog waste bin should be installed at the corner of Elmtree Close near the electricity generator. After discussion it was agreed that the nearby residents should be consulted before a decision was taken.
c) The Clerk read a letter from Cllr Ken Thornber thanking the Council for its idea of grab bags instead of bins. The Clerk also advised that residents had requested bins/bags at the junction of Deerleap Lane/A35 and New Road/Ashdene Road. After discussion it was agreed to request five bins adding Woodlands Road/A35, Pine Close/Ashdene Road and Cooper Road/Lakewood Road to the two resident’s requests.
The Clerk was asked to add to the request an assurance that the bus route through the village, Ashdene Road and New Road, would be regularly gritted in bad weather.
4. RECREATION GROUND
a) Cllr Bryant reported that the Recreation Ground had been tidied up in preparation for the Installation of the Timberline trail. An inspection report showed that everything was in order other than the swing issue which the Clerk was dealing with.
b) Cllr Coaker reported that the public meeting held by the Friends of the Park to discuss their proposals for the Recreation Ground had been well attended and most people had been satisfied with what they heard. The representative handling the grant was visiting again on Thursday when it was hoped the grant would be agreed.
Cllr Frost said he had not been able to put all his questions and was still concerned about the changing nature of the Recreation Ground with all the proposals going forward and he hoped there would be another public meeting before the matter was finalised as many residents had not heard of the project.
The Clerk mentioned that two residents had emailed him objecting to the proposal.
The Chairman pointed out that there had been articles in a succession of Newsletters, a presentation to the Council meeting and regular visitors to the ground had asked questions. It is difficult to believe that if people read what is given to them they can fail to know what is proposed.
Cllr Bryant said it was necessary to keep up to date and hopefully get children outdoors, away from computer games, getting fresh air and exercise. New equipment had been installed, safety surfaces improved and because of the issues over the Fitness Trail the Timberline Project had been significantly scaled down to avoid further problems.
c) It was confirmed that the Timberline equipment was due to be installed on 26th April.
d) Cllr Bryant reported that the damaged Notice Board in the Recreation Ground would have to be completely rebuilt. After discussion it was agreed to replace the wooden notice board in preference to a metal board. Cllr Mans said this was the sort of thing that may be suitable for a grant from his fund.
5. PLANNING
Cllr Sopowski gave a report on planning activities since the last meeting.
6. ACCOUNTS
a) On a proposal by Cllr Sopowski seconded by Cllr Sturgess the accounts paid since the last meeting were approved
b) The Clerk presented the accounts and Annual Return for the year ended 31st March 2010. On a proposal by Cllr Bryant seconded by Cllr Sturgess the Annual Return Sections 1 (Accounting Statements) and Section 3 (Annual Governance Statement) were approved and the Chairman and Clerk authorised to sign both sections.
7. GRANTS
In response to an inquiry by Cllr Kershaw the Clerk advised that the figure in the precept for this year was £2,000 of which £500 was earmarked for printing the War Sacrifices book.
Colbury Indoor Bowling Club. After discussion it was decided that the group had a substantial deposit account and in view of the limited funds available the Council could only offer a grant of £150.
Neighbourhood Watch
Bearing in mind the excellent work carried out in the village by this group, who have no other source of income, a grant of £175 was agreed.
8. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OTHER BODIES
Cllr Frost said that at a meeting of the NPA he had met the new Chief Executive who he felt would do a very good job for the National Park.
Cllr Sturgess attended:-
15th March - a meeting of the New Forest Citizens Advice Bureau at Ringwood. The proposed merger was agreed and while it would improve services it was sad that some people would have to be laid off.
25th March – a meeting convened by NPA/NFDC to discuss the future of NFALC.
7th April – meeting of the Village Fete Committee
13th April – the Friends of the Park public meeting
Cllr Coaker attend the Community Group meeting and the Friends of the Park public meeting
Cllr Arnold attended:-
18th March – Meeting of NFALC
21st March I was privileged to be invited to the Church Service at St. Matthews Church to bless the year in office of District Councillor Les Puttock as Chairman of NFDC.
25th March Launch of the New Forest Association of Local Councils.This has arisen because of lack of interest by Parishes and lack of support by the actual group. The NPA felt it was vital that this third tier Government should be supported and act as a bridge between the NFDC and the NPA. Further meetings are planned.
26th March Police Seminar at Lyndhurst Park for the launch of Forest Watch.
29th March Meeting of the Village Design Committee
30th March Standards Board meeting held at Appletree Court.
7th April Village Fete Committee meeting
8th April Friends of the Park meeting.
9th April Netley Marsh Parish Council AGM – An interesting meeting and their speaker was Catherine Chatters from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
The main subject was the non-native species of plants that are creeping into areas of the Forest. She is going to write an article for our Newsletter.
13th April Friends of the Park Public Meeting
9. CORRESPONDENCE
The list of correspondence had been circulated and items were available for anyone to see.
10 COMMUNITY PLAN
Cllr Coaker reported that although the report by Bryan Pass to the APM covered most items he wished to point out that the Litter Pick had gone extremely well with substantial amounts of litter collected. Some specific areas had been targeted for more frequent attention.
There was also concern over the damage to verges and kerbs caused during building works and also the conversion to gravel verges by some people. The Clerk was asked to contact Highways again on this issue.
Cllr Kershaw raised the following issues arising from the Parish Plan
- Disabled/loading bays in the Parade. He said that the majority of the businesses welcomed a disabled bay but there was less enthusiasm for a loading bay. He would also like to look into using the space opposite the end of the shops as a parking area.
- Open Park Land. He would also like to look into areas which could be used for organised games.
- Knellers Lane. The advent of the Toucan crossing on the A35 means that there are cyclists from Totton going to and from Hounsdown schools via Knellers Lane rather than via the A326 underpass thus increasing the number of cyclists using Knellers Lane. He would like to consult regarding the traffic priority / priority signage at the junction between Knellers Lane (North) and Knellers Lane (East) i.e. the fork junction in Knellers Lane.
Cllr Kershaw asked for authority to look into these matters and report back to the Council. The Council agreed to that request.
11. VILLAGE FETE
Cllr Sturgess reported that the committee meeting had been very productive and a lot of interest was being shown in booking stalls and stands. The fete was being well publicised and things were progressing well.
12. VILLAGE DESIGN AND CHARACTER APPRAISAL
Cllr Hubbard reported that she had received a great deal of material and outlined the purpose of the appraisal and the approach she was adopting. Further information would appear in the Newsletter and the public would be invited to share in making it a living document.
13. OTHER ITEMS WHICH THE CHAIRMAN DEEMS IMPORTANT
None
14. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AT THE NEXT MEETING
The Chairman said that Barry Foley, acting Chief Executive of the NPA, was willing to come to the AGM in May to talk about the NPA. It was agreed the Clerk should write formally confirming the invitation.
There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.25pm
Signed
S. R. Arnold - Chairman
Dated 18th May 2010
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