Minutes of the meeting held on 3rdJuly 2008at 7.45 p.m. in the MethodistChurch, London Road, Ashington
Present: CouncillorsK. Hayler(Chairman), B. Norton (Vice Chairman), K. Wood, T. Kearney, R. Brennan,N. Clark, L. Horton,M. Woolley,N. Carver
Parish Clerk Karen Dare
District Councillor Roger Arthur
Three members of the public
231/08 APOLOGIES AND REASONS FOR ABSENCE
Apologies received from Cllr. J. StillwellCounty Councillor F. Wilkinson
(personal commitments). Neighbourhood Warden Paul Conroy also sent apologies – he had been called out to deal with an issue but would send a report for inclusion in the Minutes.
232/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
None
233/08 APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on the 5th June 2008 were approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman. Proposed by Councillor Horton and seconded by Councillor Clark, and agreed.
234/08 REPORT FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WARDENS
Crime - Reported Crime as indicated in the signal incidents report from Horsham Police for the month of June was as follows: Assault on resident in Church Lane - Offenders arrested. Report of cars driving on recreation ground - Offenders cautioned with Section 59.Theft of manhole covers in Windmill Close.
Anti – Social Behaviour - Some reported noise nuisance on the Recreation ground in the early hours of the morning - Police informed. Two Scooter riders cautioned for anti-social riding in Church Lane- Cautions issued Section 59 Warning.Extensive littering on Recreation Ground by youths gathering around roller - Youths cautioned.
S.I.D - S.I.D.has been booked for use on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th July, any volunteers interested in taking part in the exercise should contact the Wardens.
Community Projects - Take up for the Community Wardens Challenge Football trophy has been poor and the event may have to be cancelled because of lack of support.Crime prevention products available to residents at cost price at the Residents meeting on July 9th.
235/08 REPORT FROM DISTRICT AND COUNTYCOUNCILLORS
CountyCouncillor Wilkinson had confirmed by email that he would chase up the highways work at the southern end of London Road as this had yet to be completed.
District Councillor Roger Arthur would report on issues as they arose during the meeting.
ACTIONS OUTSTANDING:
D = Minuted but deleted from next agenda.
C/F = Minuted and carried forward to ‘Actions Outstanding’ on the next agenda.
To list = moved to the list at the end of the minutes until some progress is made
236/08 Item 32 Handover of Persimmon Homes land - balancing pond area, part of western tree boundary and various pieces of verge in Covert Mead.
And
Item 33Persimmons Homes re: land west of Footpath 2606.
No further progress. Councillors expressed concern that in the current financial climate the Council had no guarantee of funds if Companies went into liquidation. It was agreed that the Clerk write to Horsham District Council to formally ask them to take enforcement action on these s106 agreements. KD/BN C/F
The Sands/Viney Close–No further progressC/F
237/08Item 141 Play Area Grant
The Clerk is attending the ACCT meeting of 10thJuly to discuss the lease and will ask for a minimum of 5 years and automatic renewal of the lease unless ACCT has planning permission to develop the site and if ACCT were able to develop the site then a clause in the lease stating that ACCT would find us an alternative site in Foster Lane for the play equipment.ACCT may not agree to these conditions. The Clerk will also discuss likely rental costs. KD
A letter outlining the project had been sent to nearby residents explaining that the Council was well aware that this is a residential area and steps would be taken to minimize noise & disturbance from the play area. All had been invited to attend the exhibition. To date only one resident had expressed concern.
Seven quotes were received by the deadline of 16th June. Final consultation with local children from the 3 schools will be undertaken in July. In addition, an exhibition will take place on 12th July 10am-3pm at the Youth Club and everyone is invited to attend. Kate’s Cakes were donating cakes for the event. It is anticipated that plans will be finalized by the end of July following a project meeting. KD C/F
238/08 Item 150 Private School, Billingshurst Road
A meeting will take place on 17th July between representatives from the School, District Councillors and Planning Officers.The Parish Council are not invited to attend (at the request of the School). HDC have assured the Parish Council that no decisions on Local Needs will be made at this meeting and any discussions on Local Needs will be passed to the Parish Council for comment.
All agreed, including District Councillor Roger Arthur, that the Parish Council should not be excluded from the meeting – Clerk to write to Andrew Frost explaining why the Parish Council should be present at the meeting. KD C/F
It was also agreed that the Clerk write to members of the Development Control (South ) Committee explaining the various attempts to exclude the Parish Council from this issue and other events since the application was discussed by them on 20th November 2007. All felt that members of the Development Control (South ) Committee were probably not aware of what had gone on since November 2007. KD C/F
239/08 Item 161 Mill Lane
It will cost about £600 to purchase and lay a lorry load of road planings. It was agreed at the May meeting that the area to be repaired would be from the western edge of Fairfield Road to the tarmac surface of Mill Laneas this was a ‘Through Road’ available to all Highway users and not solely for use by residents from nearby properties.
It was previously agreed to write to local residents to inform them about the work once the Parish Council had agreed to the expenditure. Councillors approved the expenditure from s106 Transport Funds. The expenditure would now have to be approved by the CLC before works could commence. KD To list
240/08 Item 162 National Express Service
Results from the Parish Council Village Surgery on 13th June – no-one completed the questionnaire. It was agreed that there was not enough support in the village to ask National Express to stop in Ashington. D
241/08 Item 169 Decorative Signs
The History Group willmeet later this month and will look at appropriate designs and provide some cost estimates. It is possible that a wrought iron sign (not heraldic) could be made. It was reported that the wooden Ashington sign at the south of the village was obscured by overgrowing vegetation – the Clerk confirmed she had already reported it to WSCC Highway Rangers. BN C/F
242/08 Item 170 Street Scene Wardens
The Clerk wrote to HDC to ask how often the Wardens visit Ashington, what level of support they are offering as there was concern that Ashington was not visited by the Wardens as we have our own Neighbourhood Wardens. No response. It was noted that Steyning Parish Council also have the same concerns as they too have Neighbourhood Wardens. The Chairman is meeting with Mike Rumble on 4th July and will report back. KH/KD C/F
243/08 Item 156 Co-op deliveries
The Clerk had asked for a meeting with the Area Operations Manager and local shop Managerafter some delay a date of 17th July had been proposed. Cllrs Brennan, Horton, Clark & Stillwell could attend (depending on the time). Clerk to confirm the time and invite one or two residents from Turnpike Way and to ask them, by way of a briefing note, what exactly they would like to achieve given that there are constraints eg lorries must be allowed along Turnpike Way for deliveries to properties. KD C/F
Noise recording equipment was installed in a neighbouring house on 18th June and shows no statutory noise nuisance
District Councillor Arthur had agreed to check with HDC Environmental Health whether there is a Code of Practice associated with this type of activity. He reported that there is a Code but it is voluntary and does not need to be adhered to. He suggested that whilst the nature of the business had not changed the volume of business has increased significantly and it may be possible to ask for planning constraints to be imposed in light of this. Clerk to follow up.KD C/F
244/08 Item 171 Layby, London Road
The Clerk was asked to check with WSCC how they selected a contractor, whether a competitive tender process was undertaken – WSCC replied ‘The scheme was not put out to tender. It will therefore be undertaken by our term contractor May Gurney or of their approved sub-contractors’. KD D
245/08 Item 172 Picnic Bench, Posthorses Play Area
It was suggested at the last meeting that the bench currently outside the play area could be moved into the play area. The Clerk informs the Council that the bench is well used and perhaps would be better staying where it is. A new picnic bench would cost @£600 including installation for a vandal proof bench, concreted to the ground. It was agreed that nearby residents would be consulted by the Clerk to establish if there were problems with youths in the area at night as a new picnic bench could attract more youths to the area. If there were no problems then it was agreed that the Chairman & Clerk apply for a CLC grant for the bench. Cllr Wood reminded the Council that there were TPOs on the trees. KD C/F
246/08 Item 173 Hole Street through to the Wiston Tea Rooms
The road surface is undulating/uneven. WSCC has confirmed that the road surface is adequate for the types of traffic expected on this rural road. The Clerk has previously been in discussions with Highways and the Police about large lorries using this route as a ‘rat run’. The Police have been monitoring the road and recently issued 3 FPNs to drivers of large vehicles ignoring the width restriction. The Police will continue to monitor the situation.
It was agreed that most traffic on this road was trying to avoid the A24 Washington roundabout and that Washington village were experiencing similar problems with ‘rat runs’. It was agreed that the Clerk contact Matthew Evans, WSCC to ask for this item to be placed on the next CLC agenda and to discuss future improvements to the Washington roundabout. KD To list
247/08 Item 174 Resignation of Councillor Pat Webb
For family reasons Pat has resigned as Parish Councillor. It was proposed that the Clerk take the necessary steps to recruit a replacement Councillor. Agreed by all. It was also agreed that the Clerk write to Pat to thank her for her contribution as Parish Councillor. KD C/F
CORRESPONDENCE
248/08 For action:
- Southern Water – water resources management plan consultation document. It was agreed that the Chairman & Clerk shouldprepare a response and circulate to Councillors for comments, several comments were received and incorporated in the response KD D
- Henry Adams Development Consultants – investigating the provision of a Care Home or Retirement Housing within Ashington. Their Client owns Ashington Mill and the developers want to know if the Parish Council considers this site appropriate for this potential use.If the Council considers the site appropriate then the developers would wish to meet with the Council to possibly take the matter further. Neither the Housing Needs Survey nor the Parish Plan Survey specifically addressed whether there was a need for Care/Retirement/Sheltered Housing in the Village. There were a couple of comments from the Parish Plan Survey suggesting sheltered housing for the elderly, however, there is currently no evidence to suggest that this type of accommodation is required – a Housing Needs Survey that specifically addresses this question may be required. It was agreed that the Clerk write back to suggest that they undertook a Survey specifically to assess whether there is a need for this type of housing. The Survey should be specific as to what type of housing was required – Care, Retirement or Sheltered or a mixture of all three. KD
- HDC – proposed removal of the phone box in London road due to its lack of use. The box has been vandalised numerous times. It was suggested that a sign be installed to state where the nearest phone box is (Rectory Lane) otherwise no action. KD D
- HDC – Horsham District Housing Strategy 2008-2013 consultation document. It was agreed that the Chairman & Clerk formulate a response. KD/KH D
- WSCC – Minerals & Waste Development Framework Forum – meeting on 9th July 7-9.30pm at The Steyning Centre – Cllr Carver volunteered to attend NCa
- West Sussex Sustainable Community strategy consultation document. The Chairman pointed out that we were given only one weeks notice for this meeting. It was suggested that a WSCC representative be invited to the next Council meeting to present a summary of the document. Clerk to circulate the document to all Councillors. KD C/F
249/08 For information:
- South East Regional Sustainability Framework
- HCDRP – Partnership Plan 2008-2011
- HDC – LDF Reserve Housing Preferred Options to 2018
- HDC – Local Determination by Standards Committee found that there was no breach in the Council’s Code of Conduct following a complaint against an Ashington Parish Councillor.
- HDC – Development Control Minutes & Agenda. Includes completion of action against Nevada, London Road and 56 The Sands
- Emails from HDC Enforcement Officer (see Planning, Mitchbourne Farm)
- Police – re: Wiston Road (Item 173)
- HDC Planning Officer re: Item 150
- WSCC re: Item 161
- HDC – report from S&O committee detailing recommendations for improvement following investigation into the s106 procedures
- Update from HALC
- Draft recommendations from the Electoral Review of West Sussex – the Boundary Committee have recommended that Ashington move to the Billingshurst Division rather than remain within the Storrington Division. The Clerk has written to the Boundary Committee (as agreed 1st May 2008, minute 172/08) to argue that their recommendation does not take into account the interests & identity of Ashington. The Chairman will discuss this subject at the Residents Association meeting of 9th July and encourage further letters of support deadline for responses is 25th August. KH To list
250/08 General:
- Local Council Review magazine
- Local Works – guide to the sustainable communities Act
- Sussex Police – news releases
- Clerks & Councils Direct
- The Clerk
- HACVS Newsletter
251/08 PUBLIC ADJOURNMENT
One member of the public reported that there were numerous Diversion signs still in place even though the highway works in rectory Lane were completed some time ago. The Clerk would remind WSCC again. KD D
A Turnpike Way resident reported that an M&S delivery lorry had temporarily been stopped from driving up to her house. Two people and a car had blocked its route up Turnpike Way and told the driver that he was not allowed further along the road. After some time the car moved out of the way and the driver was allowed to go about his business and deliver to the resident concerned. Turnpike Way residents need to be aware that it is a Public Highway and cannot be blocked. This can be brought up at the meeting with the Co-op on 17th July.
252/08 PLANNING.
The Planning Committeemet on 18thJune and Councillors have been provided with a copy of the minutes.The minutes were agreed by all and duly signed by the Chairman.
253/08 Correspondence
HDC Enforcement Officer re: EN/08/0071 Barn construction - Mitchbourne Farm, Malthouse Lane. The Barn did not require planning permission - Part 6 Class A of the Town and Country Planning (General PermittedDevelopment) Order 1995 refers to Agricultural Buildings and Operations approved under Prior Notification.
It differs from a normal planning application in as much that it is not publicised and Parish Councils are not invited to comment.Details are submitted by the applicant and providing it meets the criteria within the Act and it is reasonably necessary for agriculture, then the works can go ahead.There is no possibility to convert the barn to residential use as it is on agricultural land and only accessible over rough ground.
New enforcement complaints:
EN/08/0396 Building Works at Normans Cottages – The Enforcement Officer has investigated and found that the garage extension and new shed base have been built on agricultural land behind the property and not within the residential curtilage. The owner will have to submit an application for change of use of the agricultural land to residential curtilage in order to proceed with the building plans.
EN/08/0340Breach of condition 3 of AS/15/90- only to be used as a private domestic garage - 1 White House, Rectory Lane. The Enforcement Officer has investigated and found no planning breaches.
254/08 Amendments
None
255/08 Applications
DC/08/1292 Single Storey extension – Gazel Lea, London Road. The Council support this application.
Horsham District Council
256/08 Approvals
DC/08/0822 Change of use of agricultural building to a 2 bed residential unit for use as a holiday let (barn south east of Malthouse Cottage Farm, Malthouse Lane) – Springfield, Spring Gardens
DC/08/0932 Conservatory – 13 Linfield Lane
DC/08/0991 two-storey extension and double garage - 29 Willow Way
DC/08/0889 Surgery to ash tree – Shona, Mill Lane
257/08 Refusals
None
258/08 Withdrawals
None
The next Planning Committee meetingsare scheduled for 16thand 30thJuly2008 at 7.00pm.
259/08 FINANCE
The Clerk has been gathering information about bank accounts that may be available so that the Council can consider spreading funds across a number of different institutions. Fitch Ratings (an assessment of bank risk) has issued a Negative Outlook for Singer & Friedlander Bank. This means ‘ The Negative Outlook is predicated on the risk of a hard landing in the Icelandic economy and the weaker outlook for a number of markets the banks have expanded into, including European investment banking and capital market activities, and the UK economy’. The Council’s Internal Auditor spent many years in the banking industry, is a professional member of the IFS and his advice would be for the Council to move some money out of S&F, spread it across a number of institutions in order to reduce the risk. In addition the £35k Depositor Protection Level does not apply to business banking. No protection is available to businesses.