Parish Council Meeting Minutes

4th September 2006

Minutes of a Meeting of Ellisfield Parish Council
held in the Memorial Hall on Monday 04 September 2006 at 7.30 pm

Present
Tim Guinness (Chairman)
Caroline Cazenove, Peter Hopwood, Alison Swanston, Rose Taplin(Councillors)
Apologies: none

In Attendance
Jacqueline Matthews (Clerk)
 members of the public

 
1. Apologies for Absence. None

2. Minutes of the Meeting held on 26 June 2006. Agreed and signed as a true record.
 
3. Matters Arising from the Minutes (for which no relevant Agenda Item is listed below). None
 
OPEN FORUM held after item 6 (Affordable Housing)
 
4. To receive an update on current Planning Applications and to consider any new Planning Applications.
 
 The Clerk provided a written report as follows:
 

Cllr Hopwood reported he had read the Dept for Transport publication ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’ forwarded by HAPTC and that it contained no new information that would assist.

Clerk reported that sections of Church Lane and Green Lane had been patched and re-surfaced.
 
ii. Web Site:   Chairman reported that he and Clerk had arranged to meet with Mark Thomas on Sunday 01 October to review and update website. Councillors were asked to review the site and submit comments/suggestion to Clerk before this date.  Action: All

Clerk reported that the response to the Broadband Survey had been disappointing with only 15 responses in total and it was not thought that this would influence BT very much. Clerk also reported that Paul Turner had agreed to collate responses and phone round to try to boost response numbers in order to put together a more significant approach to BT.  Action: Clerk
 
iii. Land and Property:   Cllr Gould reported he had received two estimates for fencing the allotment land from B R Robinson - £2,870 + VAT and Creative Fencing - ££3,000 + VAT.  Cllr Gould also confirmed he had spoken to Paul Neville who has a contact who may be interested and will quote if he is.

Chairman asked if there was still sufficient interest in the allotments, this was confirmed and it was agreed that initially 3 allotments would be prepared and sufficient land to be fenced to allow this to extend to 6 in future.

Clerk confirmed this should be sufficient to put together a grant application to BDBC and Cllr Cazenove reported that at the last BDAPTC meeting it had been stated that BDBC had sold allotments in Churchill Way for approx £300,000 and some of the proceeds were to be spent on allotments in the parishes.  Action: Clerk

Clerk agreed to pursue Onyx as Anna McNair Scott had mentioned at the Annual Parish Meeting that they sometimes supported such projects.  Action: Clerk

Clerk reported that she is still waiting for SE Water to come back with revised quote for connection at mains in Green Lane.

Phone Box: Clerk reported on going email correspondence with Phil Bennett of BT regarding new signage now installed but phone still not working; Also sign says cards only and phone still has coin slot only!
Email received from Phil Bennett, I/C BT payphones:

'I was dismayed to see a door was put on the cash box; it appears to have been promptly robbed, fortunately not to the detriment of the housing. I have applied through our internal channels to have the service made permanently cashless, hopefully service will be resumed as promptly, in the meantime I will chase it up my end, that is, and I’ll ring the local engineer to see if he can prioritise the job.

There is an outstanding underground fault, no dial tone, that has been reported by the payphone engineer, he visited on the 1st of September, hopefully we can complete all the works in one go.'

POND:    Cllrs Cazenove and Hopwood reported they had started to research what is involved in renovating the pond opposite Hill Farm Cottage. The area around the pond needed to be strimmed to examine the extent of the problem. David Hill, BDBC ‘Tree-man’ has been consulted and has confirmed that some trees would need trimming but did not specify which trees. The trees would need to be marked in Winter and the work would need to be done by specialist contractors; he estimated it would take 2 men 5 days and would cost approx. £2,000. Julian Evans of Nightingales has recommended some local contractors.  In addition to the tree work, the pond itself would need to be cleaned out, Cllr Hopwood to pursue and liaise with Paul Turner, who is a qualified Pond Warden regarding this. The possibility of obtaining grants for this work to be explored. Chairman pointed out that it would be necessary to obtain authorisation before the parish spent any money on the project and it was also discussed whether people living adjacent to the pond might be approached for a financial contribution. The costs and sources of funding for Gravel Pits project to be identified. It was discussed and agreed that it should be established whether the villagers were keen for this project to go ahead and the matter should be included in the next newsletter. There was also some discussion regarding the ownership of the site, Portsmouth Estates have apparently not registered the land as belonging to them, so it was agreed to investigate whether the Parish Council could register the land. Councillor Hopwood agreed to continue making investigations and put something on the table at the next meeting. Action: Cllrs Cazenove, Hopwood and Clerk
 
iv. Burial Ground: Cllr Hopwood reported that the purchase of a wheeled strimmer would be delayed until 2007.
 
v. Environment:   It was discussed that there had been several major water leaks along the length of Green Lane and in Bell Lane this year. In the light of the continuing water shortages and hosepipe ban it was agreed this should be pointed out to South East Water.  Action:  Clerk
 
vi. Swing:   Cllr Gould reported Weekly tests had been completed. Cllr Hopwood reported the top of the frame appeared to be twisting. Cllr Gould to investigate.  Action:  Cllr Gould
 
vii. Neighbourhood Watch:  Cllr Hopwood reported there had been a burglary at Wyckens at 1.30am on 25 August. A wallet had been stolen and keys and a Mercedes car had been taken from the drive, a white van had been abandoned on Axford Road, outside The Acorns and was believed to be associated. . The Police had been informed and are investigating this in connection with the theft of other powerful cars in the region. PC Reid had warned that everyone be vigilant and ensure all property securely locked.
 
viii. Memorial Hall – Cllr Swanston reported the last meeting had been held in July, at which it was reported; the Wine Walk had raised £242 although the bank balance was slightly lower than anticipated due to loss of revenue following cancellation of the summer barbeque. The hall had been redecorated at a cost of £3,000, new blinds to be made. The Christmas Fair is scheduled for Saturday 25 November, to be organised this year by Caroline Cazenove, and a Hog the Limelight evening is scheduled for 24 February.
 
ix. Basingstoke District Association of Parish & Town Councils:   Cllr Cazenove reported she had attended the meeting held on 27th June at which 17 parishes were represented.  The main topic discussed was Double Taxation; Cllr Cazenove confirmed BDBC are investigating supporting parishes with the upkeep of playing fields, allotments, burial grounds and ponds.

Further meetings are scheduled for, 26th September and 12th December. tbc
 
6. Affordable Housing

Cllr Taplin signed the register, declaring a personal interest but was not required to retire as discussions were restricted to a report from the working party and ‘Open Forum’.

Chairman reported that the ‘Affordable Housing Working Party’ had met on Sunday 03 September, (Cllrs Cazenove, Gould, Guinness Hopwood and Swanston attended and Clerk). At this meeting Chairman had reported on his meeting with Lord Portsmouth on 3rd July to discuss whether he would be willing to sell land for the purpose of building affordable housing. Lord Portsmouth had confirmed he was happy to make available land at sites 1 and 4 (below) that had been previously identified by councillors (following John Lancaster’s report) as their top 5 preferred sites:-

1. Next to Farrier’s Field
2. Next to Park View
3. The Lower Allotment, Green Lane (provided it was fenced)
4. Next to The Memorial Hall
5. Between Fordham House and No 3 The Green

Lord Portsmouth had made it clear that he would like to see this offset against any planning application he may make in Farleigh regarding the provision of affordable housing and for the housing association selected to build the houses to make a donation to St Martin’s Church.

Chairman also confirmed that prior to the working party meeting, he and Clerk had met Sarah Wallace, a Hart District Councillor who had taken them to visit 5 affordable housing schemes in Hart. She also gave guidance and support regarding shared equity and the importance of the Parish Council seeking the right to be consulted on Section 106 matters.

Chairman confirmed that the working party had recommended that the Parish Council proceed with the project and continue work towards establishing a site; Clerk to get in touch with Giorgio Framalico at BDBC Planning Department. Action:  Clerk

Chairman advised that he had reviewed the files from Farrier’s Field scheme and had identified the following key points:-

- The process from start to finish took 5 years; 1989 to November 1994
- BDBC Planners had originally objected to Farrier’s Field site which they considered to be too steep, to pose potential problems with sewage and have insufficient space for a traffic turning circle. (The Rural Housing Enabler, John Lancaster had recently advised that he thinks BDBC planners will be unwilling to extend the FF site.)
- The site at Lower Allotment was also considered in 1990, the Highways Dept had advised the site was on a dangerous bend, it was also outside the existing settlement and the land is adjacent to land owned by Portsmouth Estates but also Adrian Ferranti, both of whom use the land for Pheasant shooting. On the other hand the land is owned by the Parish Council and could probably support development beyond current need.

Chairman confirmed that whilst discussions were still at a preliminary stage there was work to be done before conducting a needs survey in Spring 2007 and finding out what the village thinks of a possible scheme. Members of the working party to investigate; which housing association would best meet Ellisfield needs – explore the options of how best to achieve an attractive yet functional design, whether we can take an environmental approach, whether shared equity is a possibility etc.
 Action: All

OPEN FORUM: 8.50pm to 9.05pm

Following the Chairman’s report above, discussions were extended to members of the public present. Meg Freeman stated that she felt the Chairman had covered most of the points she had wanted to raise, and supported the views expressed in relation to the importance of build quality and criticized the refusal to put in chimneys in Farrier’s Field houses, leaving them with an inefficient and expensive electric heating system. She confirmed that the steep slope of the site had caused problems as back gardens are very steep. Chairman asked Tracey Gilvear, who is a resident of Farrier’s Field how she thought her neighbours would react if more houses were built at Farrier’s Field, she responded that she did not feel there would be a negative reaction and said local people just want to be able to come back to the village. He also asked her about her experiences as a tenant of Hampshire Voluntary and she confirmed they respond quickly to problems and carry out routine aspects such as grass cutting and smoke detector testing efficiently. Tracey suggested new houses should have a porch for leaving wet clothes etc.
 
7. To receive a report from the Clerk on Administration Matters.
 
Schedule of Incoming Mail:   Copies of this schedule had been previously circulated and updated copies were distributed at the meeting. The following items were discussed:

Charity Commission 

-Annual Return To be completed and returned by 31 January 2007

HAPTC

-Preparing your Portfolio Seminars 2 Oct and 15 Nov
- Details of National Seminar on Freedom of Information
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
- Core training for Councillors 12 October, 24 October or 21 November 
- Anyone responsible for premises must carry out fire safety risk assessment by 01 October 2006. 
- Agenda for 59th Annual General Meeting to be held on Saturday 07 October at INTECH, Winchester. Booking form, Resolutions and Minutes of last meeting attached + proposed affiliation fees for 2006/7 and 2007/8; These would be £89 and £98 for Ellisfield. (This year £100)
- Announcement of Village of the Year Competition at AGM 
- The Commons Act 2006 – also detail ref abolition of Section 68 of Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW)
- Speed limits guidance - Detail on HAPTC website 
- Parish Liaison and HAPTC Enquiry Service – details of availability, times etc
- Local Council Banking Practice – progress report re on-line banking 
- Good Practice- Communicating with the Public
- 2 copies of HAPTC Bulletin 

Community Action Hampshire 

- Finance Forum Event. ‘Getting it right when applying for Grants’ Winchester Rugby Club Wed 01 Nov 6.00 – 8.15pm £7.50 – Cllr Hopwood to attend

 8. To receive a report from the Clerk on Financial Matters.
 
The Clerk provided a written report (see Appendix 1). Report noted and approved.
 
The following payments were approved and cheques signed:

R. Swanston (Litter Picking – August)   28.10
R. Avis (Litter Picking – August)   28.10
Brabbin Building Services (repairing bus-shelters) 558.13

Clerk reported the application form for adding new signatories to Lloyd’s Bank Account had been returned to bank and currently all Councillors are authorised signatories. Clerk also confirmed that the same needs to be need to done for national savings account and a request for this needs to be recorded officially in minutes; The meeting discussed and agreed same.
All Councillors and Clerk to registered as authorised signatories: Timothy Guinness (Chair) Steven Gould (Vice Chair) Caroline Cazenove, Alison Swanston, Rosemary Taplin, Peter Hopwood and Jacqueline Matthews (Clerk and Treasurer)  Action: Clerk
 
Clerk reported that Anthony Cecil had completed internal audit once again. 

In line with statutory requirements the Notice of Appointment of Date For the Exercise of Electors’ Rights was displayed on the Lower Common noticeboard on 26 June, with the 20 working day inspection period being from 10 July to 07 August.  The Annual Return was posted to the Audit Commission to arrive in time for the designated 07 August return date.
 
9. To discuss any matters which the Chairman considers urgent:   Chairman commented that it was one year since he had been elected Chairman and thanked all councillors for their support and hard work during that time.

Cllr Cazenove also thanked the Chairman for his hard work, particularly in relation to researching the way forward with the Affordable Housing project. 

Clerk reported that there had been no feedback following the last newsletter regarding the BDBC Local List project. The houses that Cllr Gould and Clerk thought might be notable were discussed and it was agreed that Clerk should take photographs and put a note through doors of houses that were to be nominated asking for any objections. Action: Clerk
 
10. Dates of the next meetings confirmed : Monday 16 October 2006 and Monday 04 December 2006
 
 The meeting closed at 9.25pm
 
 Open Forum. No one present

 Chairman ……………………………………………        Date ……….…..…………

Appendix 1 Finance Report at 4 September 2006

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