Minutes of the Maresfield Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 16^th January 2007

held in the Village Hall, Maresfield

 

Present:         Cllr W King (Chairman), Cllr C Stephens, Cllr P Tester, Cllr R Street, Cllr J Handley,
Cllr K Ogden, Cllr J Gutteridge, Cllr H Fry, Cllr Mrs V Taylor, Cllr R Tester, DCllr Mrs S Martin, CCllr F Whetstone, Mr T Allen (Clerk) and Mrs C Goossens (Assistant Clerk)

 

Public:            Mr Dan Frost (Kent & Sussex Courier), Mr Ron Ovens (Maresfield Lawn Bowls Club)

 

A.         Public Session

1.            Development of Maresfield Bowls Club – presentation by Mr Ron Ovens.

Mr Ovens made the following comments;

o        The proposed plans are quite ambitious and will necessitate a great deal of money being       raised.  Applications for funding are currently being made from various sources.

o        The Bowls club is seeking Parish Council agreement in principle to the erection of a       replacement pavilion, the current one being in a sorry state.

o        2008 is the time schedule expected for the new structure to be built.

o        There are not a great number of Maresfield residents playing for the club at present.

The following points were noted in discussion:

o        The issue is before the Parish Council for consideration as the trustee of the recreation ground, the bowls club being a tenant.  There will be a planning application for the Planning Committee to consider at a later date.

o        The matter was discussed at last weeks Maresfield Recreation Ground Committee meeting and none of the attendees representing the other clubs and parties who use the recreation ground had any objections to the proposals.

o        The improvements to the Bowls Club will not demand any financial obligation on the part of the Parish Council.

o        The Bowls Club was commended for maintaining this amenity.

o        There are no restrictions as to who can become a member of the Bowls Club.

o        There are currently 35 members, but the club is always looking for new ones the optimum being 40-45 members.

o        The original request to develop the site has been superseded by the plans for the new pavilion.  The two issues are closely interrelated.

o        The Clerk having checked the deeds reported that the Parish Council has a duty as trustee to keep the area as a recreation ground and public park for use by the Parishioners.  At some point in the past it must have been agreed that a bowls club could be put on the space and the proposed changes are merely an extension of that original decision.

o        The additional area fenced off by the bowls club must still be accessible to all members of the public e.g. for additional parking on fete days etc.

2.            Other public matters – None.

 

1197.   To approve apologies for absence and to note other non-attendance.
Cllr Galley, Cllr Hardy, CCllr Reid, DCllr Brown, DCllr Buck and DCllr Mrs Kennedy.
No apology has been received from Cllr Cranfield.

1.            Resignation of Cllr C Stevenson – Council to decide on whether to co-opt a replacement prior to the May 3^rd 2007 Election.
The Chairman reported that he and Mr Stevenson have agreed to meet for an informal “exit interview” as a means of discussing useful comments / feedback.
The Clerk reported that he is aware of one person who is keen to stand as a councillor should Council decide to co-opt.
It was Agreed to proceed and invite applications for the vacant position; co-option to take place at the February 2007 Council meeting.

 1198.            Declarations of interest – None.

 

1199.            Minutes:-

1.      Minutes of the previous Meeting (19^th December 2006) for adoption.
Page 7. Item 1190. 4. I - Wording to be amended to read:  “Cllr Fry has agreed to take an active role in the Easylink forum but will relinquish his position as the Maresfield Parish Council representative on the AFVRSP as he believes he has little to contribute at this time.”
Page 1. Item 1188. 2 (Final sentence) - Wording to be amended to read:  “  Cllr Fry stated that he is still having difficulty in obtaining full access to the CADDIE system and that he is trying to gain access to the coded areas.  He also reported that speeding is still not recorded in official crime figures.”

 

2.      Matters arising from those minutes.
Item 1190 – The Assistant Clerk confirmed that there were sufficient Councillors appointed to the Policy committee for it to be Quorate.

Item 1192 – The Chairman confirmed that he heard from DCllr Pam Doodes yesterday and sent the letter today.

Item 1188.2 - Cllr Fry reported that he still has not provided his report in relation to the Local Council Support Policy Review.  ACTION:  Cllr Fry to report at the next Strategy meeting on this matter.

 

It was Agreed to take Item 1201.1.I at this point in the meeting.

 

                                                                    I.      Maresfield Bowls Club – Council is asked to approve in principle the building of a new club house.

The Clerk stated that both an outline and a full planning application will be seen by the Planning Committee in relation to the proposals for the new club house, so there will be two further opportunities to look at this matter.
The Bowls Club were commended for the proposed application.
A fence is required for the purpose of protecting the new building although the gate should remain unlocked on fete days etc.
Councillors Agreed to approve in principle the proposals for the new bowls club pavilion and extended (squared-off) site area.

 

1200.            Reports by and questions to:-

1.      County Councillors.
CCllr F Whetstone made the following comments:

o        He has spoken with Ian Johnson (ESCC) with regard to the signage for Fairwarp and “Unsuitable for HGV’s” is the standard wording.  However, Ian Johnson intends to put one sign at the bottom of Oldlands Hill, Fairwarp as opposed to on the B2026 at the entrance to the village.  The notice does not require a court order and therefore if located in the wrong place it is relatively easy to move.

It was noted that ESCC may as well save its money as locate the sign where Ian Johnson proposes, for when a lorry gets to this point it is hopeless attempting to turn around.
Cllr Street recalled that at the ESCC meeting when this issue was considered by the Lead Member, one sign was to be located on the B2026 and another on the A26.  CCllr Whetstone’s report suggests that Ian Johnson has deviated from what was decided and agreed by the Lead Member.  ACTION:  Cllrs R Tester,
P Tester, R Street and Clerk to follow up with Ian Johnson, ESCC

Mr R Ovens left the meeting.

o        The Secondary School league tables have been published and show that although Uckfield and Chailey did well, Crowborough did not rate so highly.  Furthermore, coastal schools i.e. in Eastbourne, St Leonards and Hastings are not providing very good exam results but that they are doing a good job teaching the children.  The problem may be that children are not at a high enough standard when they move up from Primary School.
The Value Added figures show the extent to which children are improving term on term and year on year.

CCllr Whetstone confirmed that he knew nothing about the progress of works at the Maresfield waste site i.e. in relation to Cllr Ogden’s report that Colas contractors were working there last Sunday morning.   CCllr Whetstone did confirm that on Friday of this week he will be visiting the Newhaven site and may then be provided with further information as to what is happening at Maresfield.  ACTION:  CCllr Whetstone to provide the Parish Council feedback.

CCllr Whetstone left the meeting.

 

2.      District Councillors.

DCllr Mrs S Martin reported the following:

o        Tourism – WDC together with Lewes DC have produced the “Enjoy Sussex Visitor Guide” for 2007.  DCllr Mrs Martin has recently been appointed Chairman of the Ashdown Visitor Management Partnership.  Parish Councils close to the Forest will receive reports of the AVMP meetings.

o        Select Committee – This has been undertaking a Review of Rural and Town Accessibility which will in due course be reported to Cabinet and Full Council.  Already it is clear that there needs to be more partnership working towards a more integrated transport service for Wealden.

o        Council Tax – WDC is proposing its lowest increase in Council Tax for twelve years with an increase of 4.2%

o        Having recently visited the five new affordable homes on the A272 in Fletching, she can report that they are very impressive.  The houses are quiet, have very nice rear gardens with sheds and a bird table.  The heating is electric, but there are solar panels on the roof and in the sitting room there is a wood burning stove.  The properties are due to be occupied this week by residents of the Fletching parish area, all of whom come from Piltdown.

 A short discussion followed regarding the difficulty in resolving attempts to encourage tourism to the Ashdown Forest with the position of the Superintendent, who is supported in his thinking by the Conservators, that tourism to the area should not be encouraged because it damages conservation.  It was noted that WDC’s promotion of tourism in the Ashdown Forest is contrary to this and that tourism in the Ashdown Forest had been removed as a criteria from the WDC LDF Sustainability Scoping Report.

It was noted as being surprising that those occupants of the new affordable homes in Fletching with children, would have to either cross the busy A272 to get to Fletching Primary School or walk along the road to Newick to reach the Primary School in that village. Nutley village has had affordable housing sites turned down on the basis of there being no safe passage to the primary school.

Mr Dan Frost left the meeting.

 

1201.            Council bodies:  Actions, minutes and reports by, and questions to, Chairmen:-

2.                        Environment:-

Cllr Ogden reported the following:

o  Parklands Play Area – signed agreement has been received from the Forest Park Residents and the New Parklands Residents Association will meet this week to sign the document (no issues are anticipated).  Once the second agreement has been received, the play equipment provider will visit the site to carry out a formal survey prior to the new equipment being ordered.

o  Vandals have smashed the antique light at entrance to Maresfield Recreation Ground.  Tony Godden has agreed to fix it for approximately £80, which is half the alternative quotation.

o  A push for greater recycling is required within the Parish i.e. provision of more recycling bins.  DCllr Mrs Martin confirmed that WDC is working towards ensuring every household has recycling facilities by 2010.  A test for recycling in rural areas will begin in the Spring in Forest Row and Danehill.

DCllr Mrs S Martin left the meeting.

The Clerk informed Councillors that the Nutley notice board, close to the petrol station, has been vandalised.  A budget of £150 remains for notice board refurbishment and repairs and a quotation of £124.50 has been received from Wilson builders.  The Clerk will proceed with this quotation and get the necessary repairs carried out.

 

3.                        Finance & Administration:-

                                                                    I.      Month 9 Financial Reports.

Cllr Street reported that month 9 is on track, but it should be noted that there is a substantial amount in the budget for Parklands Play Area / Maresfield Recreation Ground Play Area refurbishment and he hopes that arrangements will soon be in place to ensure that this money as allocated will be spent before the end of this financial year.

                                                                  II.      Maresfield Recreation Ground Access.

The Clerk has drawn up a pro forma Statutory Declaration and is now in possession of a list of people who have a long historical knowledge Maresfield Village and the recreation ground in particular.  Cllr Stephens has kindly provided the addresses and in some cases the telephone numbers for these individuals. 

Cllr P Tester stated that he can provide evidence that coaches used the recreation ground access to transport people to and from football matches in the 1960s. 

Cllr Ogden also having lived in the village since the 1950s can also provide supporting evidence. Other potential sources may include David Cornwell, Charlie Miller and two residents in School Cottages. 
ACTION:  Councillors to alert the Clerk as to which individuals they will approach on the Parish Council’s behalf.
The Clerk stated that the Council can make the initial application to the Land Registry, which should involve minimal costs. Cllr Street confirmed that there is approximately £500 in the budget reserve in case the Parish Council needs to re-enlist the services of its solicitors in this matter.

 

4.                        Planning.

The Chairman explained that following the resignation of Cllr Stevenson, it had agreed to rotate the Chairmanship of this committee amongst its members until the election in May 2007.  To facilitate this, Cllr Ogden has resigned as Vice –Chairman of this Committee as his involvement in other committees precludes him from chairing this Committee on a permanent basis.

Cllr Fry referred to Parishioners’ comments concerning the handling by the Planning Committee of the Nutley Arms application, specifically the questioning by
Mr F Thorogood as to whether the Council is in fact a Quality Council, and his suggestion that Cllr P Tester should resign.  Cllr Fry queried whether the Parish Council should make a formal public response on these points e.g. in its newsletter.

Cllr Gutteridge explained that the matter had been discussed at the Planning Committee meeting on 15^th January 2007 and reported that Councillors had agreed no change is needed with regard to current procedure, but of course each application will be considered independently and on its own merit.

The Chairman reported that he has spoken with Mr Thorogood, telling him that the Parish Council will discuss his concerns and revert to him in due course. 
 

Cllr P Tester stated that his response to Mr Thorogood was that he didn’t consider the matter to be one over which he should resign, but that he had sought the reassurance of the Committee on this matter and had received such an assurance from it.

 

Cllr Street reported that although not a member of the Planning Committee he had been in attendance as a member of the public at the meeting on 8^th January 2007.  In reading the minutes he notes that he was misquoted in relation to the Post Office.  What he said was that he thought the Post Office to be a viable business and that Mrs Bougon could confirm whether this was indeed the case, but what he has actually been quoted as saying is that the site itself is a viable business, and this he would not know. 

ACTION:  Clerk to put a note in next set of Planning Minutes noting this misquote.

 

The Chairman explained in relation to planning application number WD/2006/3494/F that the Planning Committee at its meeting on 15^th January 2007 had decided to defer the application to enable Councillors to carry out a site visit.  However, the Committee failed to note the response date as being 17^th January 2007, i.e. prior to the next meeting of the Planning Committee. 

Cllrs P Tester, R Tester and R Street declared an interest and left the meeting.

Cllr Ogden explained the application and site in question.

The Chairman confirmed that both he and Cllr Ogden having carried out a site visit would like to make a recommendation to Councillors that they approve the application on the condition that the garage is moved further back onto the plot away from the road and therefore bringing it more in line with the neighbouring stables and garaging.

Councillors Agreed to recommend Approval and inclusion of the stated condition.

Cllrs P Tester, R Tester and R Street returned to the meeting.

 

5.                        Strategy (to receive reports on Traffic, Youth, Health & Transport).

The following points were noted:

o        The Nutley youth group had a Christmas party held at Mr Hacker’s house.

o        Work in relation to a Parish branch surgery continues to progress.

o        The Easylink service is up and running and work continues towards the formation of a North Wealden Community Transport Partnership.

o        A meeting of the traffic portfolio holders is being called for next week.

It was noted that the Clerk has made several comments in his Clerk’s Report in relation to the Strategy Committee matters.

The Clerk and Cllr Fry made the following report about their recent meeting with representatives from the Sussex Safety Camera Partnership and ESCC concerning the siting of a speed camera in Nutley High Street:

o        Ken Seymour, the Project Manager of the SSCP stated that Nutley does not meet the criteria for a fixed camera but does meet the criteria for a mobile unit.  Cllr Fry stated that he will check the SSCP figures that lead to this assessment.

o        A mobile camera would be in position three times a month, for one hour during daylight hours and not necessarily during the busiest time.   However, there will be permanent camera warning signs positioned at each end of the village.

o        Cllr Fry queried the effectiveness of using the mobile camera unit and stated that SSCP will be supplying copies of data for other areas where a mobile unit has been used.

 

o        Cllr Fry noted that a mobile unit in itself would clearly not be sufficient to address the traffic issues in Nutley High Street and that therefore, the Council would need to seek additional supporting measures e.g. from ESCC.

o        The Clerk stated that with effect from 1^st April 2007, the SSCP will no longer be funded by the Government from fine revenues but instead funding for road safety measures will be given directly to county councils by the Government based on the local transport plan road safety formula.

o        The Clerk stated that SSCP will therefore be dependent on ESCC funding for its operation which it has been assured with be “business as usual”.

o        Cllr Fry and the Clerk will be following up the matter of funding for SSCP with CCllr Reid in late January/early February 2007.

 

1202.            Outside bodies’ reports:-

1.            NALC ‘Shaping Communities’ event – 13^th February 2007.

The Clerk asked Councillors to ignore this item as it was discussed at the November 2006 Council meeting.

2.            SALC ‘Become a Local Councillor – make a difference’ events.

The following points were noted in discussion:

o        Councillors must actively work to encourage people to stand for the election in May 2007. 

o        SALC have provided some useful information.  Clerk has one folder and the Chairman another.

o        On the reverse of the SALC letter is a list of dates and venues for the launch of this initiative. Trevor Leggo encourages Councillors and Parish Council Chairmen to attend these functions with prospective Councillors if required.  ACTION:  Clerk to establish time of events.

o        An A5 pamphlet detailing what Maresfield Parish Council does and how it operates etc would be useful for prospective candidates.  The Chairman confirmed that he has begun to put together some ideas in this regard.

o        An open event / presentation around March 2007 would be a good opportunity to promote the Council and to drum up some candidates.

ACTION:  Councillors with ideas as to how Council can be promoted to alert the Clerk and Chairman.
It was noted that it would be good see some younger individuals who are well established in the area applying to become Parish Councillors.

 

1203.            Chairman’s Report – followed by questions to Chairman.

The Chairman reported the following:

o       In relation to Item 1 (to traffic measures), DCllr Kennedy is in the process of arranging a meeting with the leader and appropriate officers at ESCC.

o       He has found another potential means of getting funding from developers for developers contributions.

o       Dr Bullock, who is an Urdu speaker, having recently invited Mr Patel for dinner has had extensive conversations with him regarding the various possibilities for his shop and the Post Office etc.

o       For the time being, ex Cllr Stevenson has kindly agreed to carry on with all website related work as he has done in the past.  Another training session for both the Clerk and Assistant Clerk will be arranged for the uploading of documents etc.

 

1204.            Clerk's Report – followed by questions to Clerk.

It was noted that WDC have now received the Persimmon Application for Park Farm although it has not yet been posted on their website.  Cllr Ogden asked the Clerk to keep a close eye on the progress of this application.

 

1205.            Approval of payments to be made.

            It was noted that the Easylink payment for £273.68 is Maresfield Parish Council’s contribution in respect of Easylink service costs and that for £1850.25 will be paid from the WDC Community Grant money that MPC holds as the trustee administering the grant on behalf of the member parishes.  Payments totalling £5,721.70 were Agreed.

 

1206.            Communications.

1.            Quality Council function.

The Clerk reported that the QC function originally scheduled for 28^th February will now have to be deferred due to a number of reasons but mainly the inability to find a suitable venue. Having reverted to Trevor Leggo we have asked for another range of dates.
It was Agreed that this function is a fantastic opportunity to do some good PR by inviting those people who work hard in the villages and work on the committees but are not Councillors, along with District Councillors and County Councillors.

2.            Election – 3^rd May 2007.  Dealt with in Item 1202.2 above.

3.                  Annual Assembly – 18^th May 2007.   It was noted that Councillors should begin to think about ideas for this year’s theme.

4.                  The Parish Matters – Winter Edition.  The Assistant Clerk reported that article submissions are still welcome and explained that prior to the Finance & Administration Committee considering the costing proposals for the reformatted version of the newsletter (necessary since the revision of postal charges), the Winter edition would be produced in an unstitched A5 format which works out at a cheaper price than it would to send the previous A4 format.  The font size will not be any smaller.

 

1207.   Date of next meeting, 20^th February 2007 (Fairwarp).

 

There being no further business the meeting closed at 21.20.