EASEBOURNE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 12TH JULY 2006 The first ten minutes were available for the public to express a view or ask questions about any item on the agenda. The public were welcome to stay and observe the rest of the meeting. Present: Mr I Heustice, Mr D Warner, Mr J Stringer, Mr D Pack, Mr P Rhodes, Mr J Dabson, Mrs E Hamilton, Mrs J Deacon-Ford, Mr F Martin, Mr M Fay (CDC), Mr T Pemberton (WSCC), the Clerk and one member of the public. 06/07 20 Apologies for Absence: were received from Mrs A Marchand and Mr B Gowar 21 Declaration of Interest: there were no declarations at this meeting. 22 The Minutes of the meeting held on 10th May 2006 were signed as a true record. All in favour. 23 Matters Arising: none 24 The County Councillor, Mr Pemberton reported on the following: The merger between Surrey and Sussex police forces will not now go ahead. Instead the money needed for the amalgamation will be put into neighbourhood policing. The next meeting of the North Chichester County Local Committee will be held on 12th September 2006 at Fernhurst Village Hall. In view of the extreme water shortage in parts of the county, WSCC are offering a "Full Water Butt Kit" at the special price of £37.95 with free delivery. The kit includes a 200 litre water butt, water butt stand, down pipe rain divertor kit, childproof locking lid and a 7 litre watering can. This offer is exclusive to West Sussex residents and can be obtained by telephoning 01884 841515. From 1st July 2006 the WSCC highways maintenance contract has been awarded to May Gurney Ltd, for an initial period of 5 years, with the possibility of extending to 10 years. Mr Pemberton withdrew to attend another Parish Council meeting. At a later point in the meeting the Clerk was asked to write to Mr Pemberton, requesting an up date on the provision of a new footpath at Budgenor Lodge and the access problems for traffic entering and leaving the site from the A286. 25 The District Councillor, Mr M Fay reported on the following:The refuse re-cycling rate in 2004 was 20% and the latest figures show that this has now risen to 31%. Green (garden rubbish) collection bins will be gradually introduced throughout the district, commencing in September 2006, although Easebourne will probably be included in 2007. They will be optional and emptied fortnightly. There will be a charge for the green bins of £25 per annum for the 140 and 240 litre sizes and £35 for the 360 litre capacity. Mr Fay was asked if there were any plans to include glass in the domestic refuse collection. He said that this was not planned and glass would need to be disposed of as at present. The Pallant House art gallery in Chichester is now open. Mr Fay urged support for St Richard's Hospital. (see agenda item 32) 26 Finance: a) The following payments were noted (cheque numbers 800-) £ 411 Cowdray Heritage Trust, donation...........................................................500.00 b) The internal check of accounts for May and June 2006, by Mr Stringer, was noted. c) The return of the accounts for year ended 31st March 2006 from the internal auditor and the display of the "Notice of appointment of date for the exercise of elector's rights" on the notice boards was noted. Mr Heustice told the meeting that the internal auditor, Mr R Martin, had made minor observations on the Parish Council's Minutes and these would be adjusted accordingly in the future. Mr Heustice also endorsed Mr Martin’s comments that the overall standard of book-keeping and accountancy is excellent.....and the Clerk is to be congratulated for this. d) The expenditure for the first quarter of 2006/2007 was noted. (copy appended) 27 Planning: a) The following planning decisions were noted EPC CDC 05/04576/FUL: Loves Farm, change of use to mixed farm agriculture/ 06/00881/DOM: 26 Lutener Road, new porch and dormer at rear....................No obj Permit 06/01064/DOM: Merricks, Easebourne St, single storey rear extension.......... No obj Permit 06/01098/DOM: C51 Sowters Building, alterations & refurbishments............... No obj Permit b) Planning application EB/06/02319/DOM, Budgenor Cottage, for permission to extend garage and convert store room over to accommodate elderly relatives, was discussed. The applicant, Mr R Drayson, was in attendance at the meeting and answered questions from the Councillors on various aspects of his application, including the possibility of an extension to the existing house, the provision of utility services via the main house and the suitability of the proposed garage extension to house elderly and infirm relations. Mr Stringer proposed and Mrs Hamilton seconded a Parish Council recommendation of no objection to the application with the proviso that the utility services are definitely supplied through the main house. Majority in favour. 28 Reports from the Panelsa) Playground: There has been a recent incident of fly-tipping near the entrance to the playground. This was reported by the Clerk, to the Cowdray Estate, and resulted in the very prompt removal of the rubbish. The fence at one side of the playground is in need of re-erecting. This is the responsibility of the Parish Council and the Clerk was asked to contact Mr R Page and ask him to repair this. b) Burial Ground: nothing to report c) Footpaths: the normal spring growth of weeds etc that overhang the footpaths are now dying back due to the lack of rain and hot weather. d) Grants: a letter of thanks has been received from the Cowdray Heritage Trust following our recent grant of £500. 29 Village Action Plana) Communications: The notice board at the junction of Dodsley Lane and Dodsley Grove has been removed temporarily due to the concern, expressed by a member of the public, about the difficulty in gaining access to it. The steps leading to the board have been damaged several times, possibly by large vehicles turning into Dodsley Grove. The Clerk has been asked to arrange re-siting of the board to a suitable position adjacent to High Path. b) Affordable Housing: The Clerk was asked to arrange a meeting with Mr R Windle of the Cowdray Estate to discuss the latest position on the future of the disused allotment site to the rear of Cowdray Road, with view to providing more affordable housing for the village. 30 Cowdray Heritage Trust: Mrs Hamilton spoke of the latest developments at the Cowdray Ruins project and was pleased to announce that a donation of £50,000 had been received towards the fund raising target. There will be a future talk on the conservation techniques used at the Ruins. On 9th September there will be an evening event, as part of an English Heritage UK wide day, to celebrate our national heritage. Mr Stringer proposed and Mr Warner seconded that the Parish Council pay for two tickets (2 x £25), possibly for the Chairman and the Clerk, to attend this event. Majority in favour.31 Sussex Pathwatch: Mr Martin told the Council that there had been publication of display leaflets and quick reference cards to make the public aware of the aims of Sussex Pathwatch. The quick reference cards enable the public to report incidents of illegal use of public rights of way by motorised vehicles.32 St Richards Hospital, Chichester: following recent publicity about the questionable future of the hospital the Clerk was asked to write to the Strategic Health Authority, expressing the great concern of the Parish Council for the future welfare of its parishioners. A public meeting has been arranged for Thursday 13th July 2006 at the Grange in Midhurst, where questions may be asked of a speaker from the Strategic Health Authority, amongst others.33 Correspondence: two late items of correspondence as follows:Notification of a public exhibition of the planning proposals for King Edward VII Hospital, to be held in the dining hall at the hospital on 19th & 20th July from 11.00am to 7.0pm, 21st July from 11.0am to 5.0pm and 22nd July from 11.0am to 4.0pm. A letter from a local resident disagreeing with the Parish Council’s comments on planning application EB/06/02365/FUL, Polo Cottage, Hollist Lane. Clerk to acknowledge receipt. The next Parish Council meeting will be held on 13th September 2006 at 7.30pm. The meeting closed at 9.05pm. Mrs Carole Allan, Clerk to Easebourne Parish Council |
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