THE BOURNES FORUM
Minutes of Meeting at Fishbourne Club, Fishbourne
26th February 2003
Commencing at 7.00pm
PRESENT:Cliff Archer – Chidham Parish Council
Dennis Borsberry, Bosham Parish Council
Nigel Brown – Chairman of Funtington Parish Council
John Burton – Chairman of Southbourne Parish Council
Barry Clarke, Marden Parish Council
Martin Edney – Compton Parish Council
Frank Garrett – Chichester District Councillor
T A Hall – Funtington Parish Council
Graham Hicks – Southbourne Parish Council
Sam Howes – Deputy Chief Executive, Chichester District Council
Steven Johnson – Highways, West Sussex County Council
Susan Kerby – Chairman, Fishbourne Parish Council
David Lowsley – Senior Engineer, CDC
Barry Mann – Clerk, Chidham and Funtington Parish Councils
Tania Murphy - Policy Officer (Forum Administrator),CDC
David Myers – Chairman, Bosham Parish Council
Paul Over - Head of Property Services (Forum Coordinator), CDC
Val Owen – Westbourne Parish Council
Bob Riley, Service Development Manager – Chichester District Council
Julian Snell – Fishbourne Parish Council
Cliff Spawton – Chichester District Councillor
John Stilwell – Stoughton Parish Council
Graham Tipper – Clerk, Fishbourne Parish Council
Lawrence Tirebuck – Clerk of Southbourne Parish Council
David Todd – Westbourne Parish Council
Bernard Trinkwon – Chichester District Councillor (Bosham Ward)
Philip Wise – Contracts Engineer, Wastes Management, West Sussex County Council
Marilyn Wright – Clerk of Stoughton Parish Council
Apologies:
Jan Copsey – Bosham Parish Council
Joan Graham – Westbourne Parish Council
Helen Kilpatrick, West Sussex County Council
John Marsland – Chief Executive, CDC
1. Minutes of Last Meeting
Susan Kerby – Chairman of Fishbourne Parish Council, introduced herself as chair for the evening and welcomed everyone to the meeting. The Minutes of the last meeting were accepted with the addition of the name David Myers of Bosham to the attendance list of the last meeting. Susan Kerby congratulated Steve Johnson on behalf of the Forum on his recent MBE.
2. Matters arising
Paul Over advised the Forum that he had received correspondence from Ing Fischer at the Highways Agency regarding the work to be undertaken to the A27 in relation to noise and that a decision would be made soon concerning when the work would be carried out.
It was agreed that Paul Over would contact the highways Agency to seek additional information concerning the timetable for works.
Paul Over passed on thanks to the Forum from John Kingdon for the completion of the questionnaires that had been provided at the last meeting of the Bournes.
3. The South Downs National Park – Sam Howes, Deputy Chief Executive – Chichester District Council
Sam Howes spoke of the proposed South Downs National Park. Sam explained that observations should be submitted to DEFRA by Friday 28th February. Sam mentioned that once comments had been received by DEFRA, they would be analysed and that a public inquiry was inevitable at the end of this year, which would take between 12 and 18 months.
Any debate concerning the boundary of the National Park would take place within the area concerned, whilst the debate in relation to the principle of the National Park would happen at a more central location. A report would then be put to the Secretary of State, with 2007-08 to be the likely date of decision.
Sam mentioned that there had been a number of representations by parishes – with the majority objecting to the National Park.
4. Flooding Action Plan – David Lowsley, Senior Engineer – Chichester District Council
David Lowsley referred to the flooding action plan that had been formulated following the last meeting of the Bournes Forum. David mentioned three items within the action plan that he felt were the most important issues to address –
1. Undertake a survey to identify ordinary watercourses and the “big” issues.
2. Keep a record of the main areas of flooding.
3. Work with / encourage landowners to ensure that they provide ditch maintenance regularly.
David also referred to a document that he had circulated – ‘Managing Flood Risks in Parishes – A Best Practice Guide’, produced by the Hampshire Flood Steering Group – 2nd Edition. David mentioned the Flood Action Plan at Appendix B of the document and encouraged parishes to complete this – it would be sent to each Parish Clerk electronically.
David encouraged all parishes to complete the flood action plan template and suggested that a seminar be held in relation to flooding, where representatives from the District Council, Environment Agency and Highways attend to assist with final completion.
David requested that parishes completed and return the parish survey by the end of March.
5. Grass Cutting in Summer – Steven Johnson, West Sussex County Council
Steven explained to the Forum the role of West Sussex County Council in relation to grass cutting. Steven stated that grass cutting and vegetation management are undertaken by WSCC, with rural and urban areas cut. Verges are also looked after, along with weed control. There is also periodic cutting of roadside grass – to make the areas safer for highway users.
Steven mentioned that there are three rural grass cuts per year – in April, June and late September. A visibility cut is also undertaken in between these three cuts. Urban grass is given seven cuts per year between March and October – this is a front-loaded programme. Hedges are cut once per year. Steven also mentioned that there are three treatments of weed control per year – these are in March, June and September.
Steven told the Forum that there is an increasing number of complaints concerning private hedges and that there could be a possible increase in the number of cuts of urban verges in connection with parish and district councils.
Steven spoke of the additional cost of removing grass cuttings, explaining that this is not carried out as it is very expensive and there is nowhere to put it. The damage caused by vehicles being parked on verges was mentioned as a problem for the grass cutting teams.
Steven suggested several ways in which parishes could help:
· Monitor performance of WSCC’s contractors working in parishes – Steven Johnson will provide a timetable for when contractors are in the local area.
· Report grass cutting problems with factual information.
· Identify possible solutions to problems.
· Liaise with residents to ensure that verges are kept free of unnecessary obstructions.
· Help to ensure that verges are free from litter.
· Consider planting verges to enhance their appearance.
The issue of the amount of litter between the Donnington and Fishbourne roundabouts was raised. Bob Riley explained that CDC are litter-picking along this road and have just started the programme of works so the area would be dealt with.
Steven explained that he could provide details of costings if any parishes felt that extra cuts could be funded. He went on to say that there is a very active group within Chichester city who have planted some fairly significant areas of verge, with shrubs rather than flowers as these are cheaper to look after. Steven stated that any requests for licence to plant on verges must come from parish councils rather than a group of residents.
6. Fishbourne Parish Council Rail Study – Julian Snell
Julian Snell spoke of the parish plan carried out within Fishbourne, where it was identified that a rail study should be undertaken. This was extended to include Southbourne, Nutbourne and Bosham, with the study being carried out by Action in Rural Sussex.
Julian mentioned some of the findings of the study, which included a lack of seating, lighting and information telephones at most stations. There was also evidence of rubbish on tracks, and CCTV only available at two stations. The access ramps were also felt to be very steep at a some of the stations.
Julian suggested that the action points from the study be taken forward by a number of the parishes covered through this study. Interest was expressed from Bosham, Chidham and Funtington. Julian Snell mentioned that he would arrange a meeting with officers at WSCC to address. Paul Over mentioned the Disability Discrimination Act which will come into effect from October 2004; explaining that it will be an offence not to make public areas available for people with disabilities and that this might be something that will need to be addressed in relation to the steep ramps to access some of the platforms.
7. Nomination of representative for the Local Strategic Partnership
Tania Murphy spoke of the Local Strategic Partnership for the Chichester District; explaining that it was anticipated that a representative from each Community Forum could attend the LSP meetings.
It was agreed that Julian Snell of Fishbourne Parish Council would be the representative for the April meeting of the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) for the Bournes Forum, and that nomination of representatives would be based on interest by individuals in a specific subject area. The Bournes would nominate an individual at its next meeting to attend the July meeting of the LSP.
8. Fly Tipping – Philip Wise – Contracts Engineer, Wastes Management – West Sussex County Council and Bob Riley – Service Development Manager, Chichester District Council
Philip Wise spoke of the definition of fly tipping from the Fly Tipping Stakeholders Forum – i.e. illegal dumping of waste. It was suggested that one of the reasons that fly tipping has increased is due to the increasing costs of waste disposal. The type of waste that is dumped is predominantly household. Philip Wise suggested that parishes could help with this issue by raising awareness of the true cost of dealing with fly tips, along with reporting fly tips. Philip mentioned two telephone numbers that can be used to report these issues: Environment Agency – 0645 333111 or 0800 807060.
Philip told the Forum that there is a minimum charge of £50 to dispose of waste and that if individuals were being told by waste disposal companies that the cost is less than that, then the waste is not being disposed of properly. Parishes may wish to publicise this in their publications.
Bob mentioned that it is very difficult for CDC to prosecute fly tippers. Substantial evidence is necessary for a successful court case and effective surveillance is not practicable over such a large district.
Bob told the Forum that Tidy Teams working for the District Council in relation to litter picking on rural roads spend Tuesdays and Fridays clearing fly tips. Bob encouraged parishes to report fly tip instances to Bob Riley’s team on 01243 534643, or
Bob mentioned that the problem of fly tipping was becoming worse, with larger fly tips, and there had been several instances recently of chemicals having been dumped. Bob told the Forum that the remit of CDC in relation to fly tipping does not extend to private land, as this is the responsibility of the landowner.
Westbourne mentioned that they had noticed an increase in black bags being dumped since the introduction of wheelie bins. Bob told the Forum that with the scheme area, 34% of domestic waste had been diverted from landfill to recycling since the introduction of wheelie bins in the Bournes area.
Bob Riley confirmed that fortnightly collections will continue, with an officer from his department available to assist with any specific issues created by the scheme on an individual basis.
As a response to a question from Nigel Brown, Bob Riley told the forum that cars are increasingly being dumped due to car owners having to pay for them to be scrapped. New regulations are due to be introduced, which will mean that the component parts of the vehicle will need to be recycled. From 2007, motor manufacturers will have to pay for the cost of recycling. Bob told the forum that his team strive to deal with abandoned vehicles within a few days, and encouraged individuals to report and instances. Abandoned vehicles can be reported on 01243 534610 or
9. Any Other Business
Interest from the Press: Tania Murphy told the Forum that she had recently received correspondence from a reporter from The Chichester Observer, expressing an interest in the work of the Bournes Forum. It was agreed that press releases should be provided to The Chichester Observer as items of interest arise.
Young People: Tania Murphy advised the Forum that she had been contacted by the Community Partnerships Team of Chichester District Council, who were looking to facilitate a two-way exchange of views and involvement with young people. Several parishes agreed that they would be happy to talk to the Community Partnerships Team in relation to youth matters. It was agreed that the Community Partnerships Team should contact parishes direct to ascertain interest.
Development Control: Val Owen of Westbourne advised the Forum that Westbourne Parish Council had not received notification of the issues for the Development Control meeting at the District Council, explaining that this had happened three times since October. Val asked whether any other parishes had experienced a similar problem. Julian Snell of Fishbourne Parish Council stated that he found the website for planning applications very slow at present.
Paul Over undertook to investigate this and report back.
10. Dates of meetings in 2003
7pm, Thursday 29th May 2003 at West Ashling Village Hall, Funtington
7pm, Thursday 25th September 2003 at St Johns Church Centre, Southbourne
Topic for next meeting – Tania Murphy advised the Forum that she had recently been involved in a Community Profiling project for the Chichester District. It was agreed that Tania should present on the findings of the Community Profile for the Bournes area at the next meeting, along with the issue of Communications to be discussed.