Minutes of the Bi-monthly Parish Council Meeting. 18 March 2009
Church Hall 7.30pm
Present: Mr A Harland (Chairman), Mr Field, Mrs C Ranjbar, Mrs E Smart, Mrs D Kennedy, and Mr C Bond. Clerk (Mr J Paul).
Also in attendance Mr C Chaplin (CC) {for items 1 to 10.1} and Mrs M Whitehead
1. Apologies for absence. Mrs T Tull, Mrs D Pound and Mr D Pound.
2. Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held 21 January 2009. Mrs Smart proposed and Mrs Ranjbar seconded that the minutes should be signed as a true record.
3. Declarations by Councillors of personal interests in items on this agenda. None
4. Matters arising from the above minutes not dealt with in separate items below. None
5. School House. Mr Chaplin was invited to speak. He reported that as County Councillor for Sidlesham he made enquiries about the situation on the development of the redundant house and garden. He had received from the Clerk letters concerning the house and was surprised that so little progress had been made over the past six years of communications with WSCC and developers. He understood there was a difference of views between the governors and the PC. This was explained that as the consideration of the house had taken so long, new governors were now raising suggestions that had already been resolved by previous negotiations. Mrs Louise Goldsmith (CC) was new to the portfolio but undertook a site visit with WSCC Officers. Contacts will now be re-established between WSCC and CDC concerning possible planning permissions. Mrs Goldsmith favoured affordable housing. Mr Chaplin agreed to keep the PC informed any progress.
6. Parish Consultation.
6.1 “Transport, Recreation and Amenities”
Topic / number of replies/ PC consideration
*Allotments / 1 / Insufficient requirement
*Annual village ball and other community events / 2 / Dedicated organisers needed.
*Barn dance / 1 / As above.
*Bus service improve in Highleigh / 3 / Clerk to contact the bus company.
*Bus shelter Lockgate/Boxham / 1 / Expense not justified.
*Businesses list / 1 / Website has suitable page, Clerk to publicise.
*Children’s play area, Manhood Lane / Church Hall / 11 / Communications already started.
*Church Hall improvements / 1 / PCC responsible but lease with only limited time to run.
*Cricket ground and club / 1 / Insufficient demand and potential village players
*Drop-in centre on some days eg hall / 1 / Lunches and coffee mornings started.
*Encourage Sidlesham festival / 1 / Donation was made, committed helpers required.
*Farmers Market / 1 / Not viable.
*Football club, to be more attractive / 2 / The FC is a separately funded organisation not PC.
*Hall, construct a new one somewhere / 5 / Think tank formed, long term task.
*Recreation ground. Make more obvious it belongs to Parish not football club / 1 / New signs?
*Sailing association be formed / 1 / Wait progress of permit negotiations with PHLNR.
*Tennis court at Recreation Ground / 1 / Very high expense not justified at present.
*Good neighbour awards scheme / 1 / Nice idea, needs a skilled organiser.
*Police Station open 24 hours on Manhood Peninsula / 1 / Chichester is not, how open is Selsey?
7 Highways, footpaths and cycle ways. General items.
7.1 Kerbing, hedge removal, grass verge establishment at Jolly Fisherman bend. WSCC will be carrying out this work to improve visibility.
7.2 Footways along the B2145. The PC instructed the Clerk to write again asking that the edges be cut back. Also that the ditch alongside the footway opposite Rookery Lane junction be cleared.
8 Amenities and Assets.
8.1 Boats permits PHLNR. A meeting with WSCC is planned but dates to suit all parties are proving elusive. 15 April suggested. Clerk to contact WSCC and all other parties.
8.2 Recreation Ground; Mr Pound reported in advance of the meeting no further progress but he had informed the Football Club they had not fulfilled their Agreement Obligation to cut recreational grass areas.
8.3 Hall work group; Mrs Pound reported in advance of the meeting that with seven volunteers a meeting would be held on 8 April to discuss the way forward and consider who else should be invited to join the group.
9. Finance
9.1 Appointment of auditors for accounts 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009. Three proposals were made and agreed to by the PC.
* Mr Harland as internal / internal auditor.
* Mrs K Cutting as internal / external auditor.
* Mazars (appointed as external auditors)
9.2 Donations, requests from charities etc.
9.2.1 Donations / Free Resource budget for 2008/2009 is £500, spent to date £270. (Manhood College prize £25, Sidlesham Festival £100, Sidlesham newcomers event £60, Poppy Appeal £35, CDC for MPP Officer £50,)
9.2.2 Remaining budget £220 for 2008/2009, the PC decided the donations to be Samaritans (local office) £50, Citizens Advice Bureau (local office) £100, 4SIGHT £40, Victim Support Sussex £40.
In budget for 2009/2010:- Manhood Community College, Newcomers, Poppy Appeal, (Festival?).
9.3 The clerk requests approval and recording of the following transactions.
9.3.1 Payments to be made: -
9.3.1.1 Church Hall hire January to March £22:50
9.3.1.2 SALC subscription £304:06
9.3.1.3 Clerk expenses £60:25
9.3.2 Payments made
9.3.2.1 CDC Recreation Ground Dog waste bin annual emptying charge £263:72.
9.3.2.2 SC Timber (tree surgeon) felling of large, dead ash tree at Florence Pond £200.
9.3.2.3 M Brown (Grass cutting paid 19 November 2008) £120
Mr Field proposed all the transactions should be approved, Mrs Kennedy seconded and all councillors present agreed.
10 Reports.
10.1 Pagham Harbour Local Nature Reserve Advisory Board. Mrs Smart reported that another very fraught meeting took place on 11 March. A major item was the Visitors Centre proposals with the consensus against such an expensive project on the edge of the harbour. Majority agreed something required at present site. RSPB representative considered that was unsuitable. The meeting also received a glossy publication of the ‘Harbour Plan’; this document although signed off in 2007 had been amended since without consultation and without costing. Full minutes of the PHLNRAB meetings are now available on the WSCC website.
10.2 Annual meeting with the parishes CDC. Mr Field reported that the meeting covered items of community strategy; local salaries, low compared with other parts of the county; local housing needs; District Watch on fly-tipping, road rubbish picking, etc; the merger of the hospital trusts; Parish Plans (Clerk to check that David Hyland has details of Sidlesham review); District Action Chest. (CF)
10.3 Manhood Parishes Road Safety Group. Mobile SIDS- Community Speed Watch assessment of Sidlesham completed. Six agreed sites named; one near recreation ground entrance; two in Keynor Lane; two in Highleigh Road; one on Paddock Straight. None agreed suitable in B2201. The specific hazards listed for each site. The proposals now forwarded to WSCC for approval. Further requirements are that each parish must have a designated lead person (STAG?) and a police representation (PCSO). Parishes will have a SID for two week slots, volunteers have to be CRB checked. Training courses are not required but whole volunteer team will be required on first day to observe.
Bolt on SIDS (CASPAR) CF attended at the Selsey Fire station 2 March. Mr Andy Horner has sufficient money to run the scheme for a year (including £2000 grant from CLC held by STAG). Locations in Sidlesham proving difficult as existing street furniture used. Normally this would be lampposts. Other posts are too short. Bolt on extensions may be used. Equipment only suitable for B2145 and possibly near the school.
The Young Drivers Skills courses will now continue.
Mrs Smart requested that another Parish Councillor should replace her on this Safety Group.
10.4 Peninsula Forum and LDF update. Mr Harland reported the meeting was addressed on Parishes and the Law; for work groups it was stressed that the Code of Conduct applies. LDF 355 new houses / annum required in the sub-coast area; strategic gap designations are at risk of abandonment. However, LDF production cannot progress without the A27 improvements and an increase in sewage capacity at Apuldram Works; both requirements currently at risk of no progress in the foreseeable future.
10.5 Medmerry Managed Realignment Scheme. Mr Field reported that a meeting brought items up
to date. The earth bunds will have heavy clay cores topped with compacted soil. The clay will be transported into the area by road, the soil probably won by ditch digging alongside the bunds. The large number of clay bearing lorries would come along the B2145 then probably across to Ham via the Sidlesham sewage works roads.
11 Correspondence.
11.1 CDC Leisure Grants Programme
11.2 CHOPP; Chichester Older Peoples Partnership (send to Good Companions Club).
11.3 LDF Core Strategy update on potential delays. (see above 10.4)
11.4 Friends of Pagham Harbour newsletter (Visitor Centre and Ferry Pool hide)
11.5 Culvert problem, Highleigh Road. Mr Tynan copied to the PC communications with Highways.
11.6 Sewage resurgence problem, Highleigh Road. Mr Tull informed the PC by email of the still ongoing problems and lack of activity by Southern Water to alleviate the problem.
12 AOB
12.1 Dates for Diaries; Newcomers event (PCC) 16 May; Parish Council AGM / bimonthly meeting 20 May; Annual Parish Meeting 27 May.