Category Archives: Noise

2008 04 10 PC Minutes

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Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Fulking Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Fulking on Thursday 10 April 2008 at 8.00pm

Present : Chairman Mrs Jenny Vaughan, Vice Chairman Mr Tony Brooks, Councillors Mr Richard Corner, Mrs Jennifer Parmar and Mrs Pamela Rowland and Clerk to the Council, Mrs Paula Hazard.

Apologies for Absence : None

Declarations of Interest by Members (if any) are shown against the relevant items in the minutes.

The Chairman and Vice-Chairman signed the Appointment Letter for the new Parish Clerk.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2008 were read, approved and signed by the Chairman.

Rights of Way: DDMO 07/01 Perching Drove. No further news had been received from the Landowner so it was proposed that the Council now write to the Landowner to get an update on the legal situation regarding the Permissive Path Agreement.

Highways: The Clerk had reported potholes on the hill down to the Shepherd and Dog pub. Councillor Corner had reported a pothole at the northern end of Clappers Lane. Councillor Corner had spoken to Highways requesting Unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles signs at both ends of Clappers Lane and the Council said that they needed this request in writing from the Clerk. The Clerk to make a written request.

Market Garden: The Breach of Condition Notice was not complied with. John Arnold (Enforcement Officer MSDC) had advised There is a file with legal for a prosecution in relation to the breach of the Breach of Condition Notice for the conditions imposed by the Planning Inspector. The patio that has been constructed also needs permission and I am waiting a response from their agent in relation to that .

Preston Nomads: There had been no further progress on communication between the club and the village. Meetings that were planned had been cancelled due to illness and Cricket Club holidays. District Councillor Gina Field advised that she had contacted David Laing to arrange another meeting but had not yet received any response. It was proposed that District Councillor Gina Field and Councillor Tony Brooks should arrange a meeting with the PNCC for an informal talk.

Gina Field advised that the PNCC were still in negotiation to purchase the garages for storage facilities.

North Town Field: Danny Flynn had verbally quoted to carry on cutting the grass for the same price as last year. He would start the cutting as and when it was needed. He had also taken away the rubbish from the last clear-up.

Replacement toddler swings were installed by Fosters Playscapes. Second- hand swings were chosen because they were so much cheaper. Councillor Brooks confirmed that the sign to say that any children using the playground were to be supervised had been installed. He also advised that he needed to wait for better weather before he could fill up the bark pit.

The cost of Foster Playscape Inspections were going to increase to 32.50 from 30. It was agreed that this was acceptable.

A request from the NTF Trust had been received asking if the Parish Council would rent the whole of the field for insurance purposes. The implications of this would need to be checked in terms of the future security of tenure. There is an amount allowed in the precept for the insurance.

Village website: The website was planned to be up and running in May together with the necessary email addresses.

Conservation Area: Ed Lancaster had produced a set of draft proposals and asked the Parish Council for their comments which needed to be returned to him by 27 March. The Chairman read out a summary of the draft proposals and the Parish Council s views on each proposal.

APM: A guest speaker from West Sussex County Council has been arranged to talk about recyling. Arrangements for the food and wine needed to be confirmed.

Bird Scarer: Councillor Brooks had spoken to the farmer/landowner who has since addressed the issue and is happy to take suggestions for improvements to the noise level and siting.

Affordable Housing: The Chairman advised that MSDC are assessing sites for potential housing and the timescales of when they are likely to be developed.

MSDC Community Grant: The details and conditions of this grant were to be investigated before a note was put in the Pigeon Post asking for suggestions.

Financial Matters The Chairman and Vice Chairman signed off the interim audit, cheque list and cheque stubs.

A renewal quote from Allianz Cornhill for the village insurance for 817 had AOB been received. Councillor Corner was seeking an alternative quote from another company.

County Councillor Mr Peter Griffiths addressed the meeting about Highways, Health and Adult Services. District Councillor Mrs Gina Field addressed the meeting with an update about Health, Core Strategy, Leisure Division and Planning Hearings.

Mr Goodridge commented on the MSDC’s Conservation Area proposal to put the overhead telephone and electric cables underground in terms of the disruption and upheaval of the work. The Parish Council felt that it was a good proposal but in reality the prohibitive cost of the work would mean that it would be a very long way off actually happening.

Mr Linford strongly expressed his concern that the residents of the Market Garden site had not complied with one single condition imposed by the Planning. The Council agreed to write to Mr Arnold (Enforcement Officer MSDC) to also strongly express this unsatisfactory situation.

Mr Linford also raised concerns about the upcoming auction of the land at Small Acres because it had a history of planning applications to develop the site.

Mr Rowland requested that the letter to the Perching Drove Landowner about the Permissive Path agreement should ask for a speedy response as this matter had taken a long time.

Ms Dyos informed the Council that a generator had been running in one of large wooden sheds on the corner plot of land owned by Michael Cox. As planning permission has only been given for using these sheds for storage she requested that the Council pursue this matter.

Mr Sapsted asked why MSDC had not notified objectors about a planning decision to a recent planning application. Councillor Rowland explained that there had not been a public planning meeting for this application.

Dates of Next Meetings: 10 July and 9 October 2008 and 8 January 2009.

The meeting closed at 8.45 followed by a public meeting to discuss the proposed Beachdown music festival.

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2008 01 10 PC Minutes

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Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Fulking Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Fulking on Thursday 10 January 2008 at 8.00pm

Present : Chairman Mrs Jenny Vaughan, Vice Chairman Mr Tony Brooks, Councillors Mr Richard Corner, Mrs Jennifer Parmar and Mrs Pamela Rowland and Clerk to the Council, Mrs Sheena Trist.

Apologies for Absence : None

Declarations of Interest by Members (if any) are shown against the relevant items in the minutes.

The Chairman welcomed the Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council Mrs Hersey and her husband Councillor Mr Hersey.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2007 were read, approved and signed by the Chairman.

Rights of Way: DDMO 07/01 Perching Drove. An e-mail was sent by the Chairman to the Landowner but a response had not been received.

Highways: There was no further news or developments regarding parking by The Shepherd and Dog. A planning application had been lodged with MSDC but this did not include provision for extra parking.

The hedges in Clappers Lane had been cut back. The faulty street lamp had been reported to EDF Energy and it had been repaired. Councillor Corner agreed to speak to Highways about the possibility of a ‘Unsuitable for Heavy Traffic’ sign at either ends of Clappers Lane.

Market Garden: District Councillor Gina Field had been in contact with MSDC Planning who had advised that the Hearns had been served with a Breach of Condition Notice (BCN) on 3 Clappers Lane December 2007. This required them to remove the old Huet caravan on the site and to provide details of the laying out and landscaping of the site (including lighting) and to then implement the approved details within 56 days. If the BCN is not complied with then MSDC can move to a prosecution in the magistrate’s court. This would be at the end of January and Mrs Field agreed to pursue this with Planning at that time.

Preston Nomads: Two meetings had been held with representative from the cricket club. There were still some matters outstanding but it was hoped that these would be resolved shortly. The Cricket Club lights that had been approved by Planning were now in place and felt to be much better than the ones there previously. Noise was still a problem and it would be suggested to Preston Nomads that they consider sound baffles on their equipment and intensive planting on the boundary to try to muffle any noise.

North Town Field: It was agreed to ask Danny Flynn to carry on with the grass cutting for the 2008 season and the Clerk was asked to contact him to ask for a quotation and schedule of cutting.

Further to the Rospa report, a site meeting had been held and various actions agreed. Councillor Corner agreed to speak to Highways about road signs. Councillor Brooks had removed the moss from the surfaces and built up and turfed the levels. He had also been quoted 35 for an engraved sign to say any children using the playground were to be supervised and it was agreed that this quotation should be accepted. A quotation of 240 (4 x 60 bags) had been received to replace the bark pit and it was agreed to wait until the weather improved to do this work.

Village website: Richard Linford was progressing with the website.

Conservation Area: A presentation was held in the village hall in November 2007 and questionnaires handed out. These were currently being assessed and a report/recommendation would be available in the Spring.

Parish Clerk: Two local residents had approached the Clerk regarding the forthcoming vacancy and she had explained what the role involved. Formal applications were awaited.

Financial Matters: The Chairman and Vice Chairman signed off the interim audit, cheque list and cheque stubs.

Indemnity cover for officials was now in place and the increased fee will be included in the 2008 premium.

It was agreed that the Clerk’s salary be increased to 8.04 per hour, in line with the NALC published payscales.

The precept for 2008/09 was set at 4,980, an increase of 5%

APM: The date for the Annual Parish Meeting was set for Thursday 1 May 2008. County and District Councillors would be invited to attend, along with Neighbourhood Watch, the Social Committee and Poynings Parish Council. The Clerk to ask Ed Lancaster if he would like to give a talk on the Conservation Area.

AOB: A complaint had been received about a noisy bird scarer and although this was not a PC matter Councillor Brooks said he would speak to the owner to try to resolve the problem.

It was asked if money could be included in the precept to cover the cost of tree surgery etc in the North Town Field as at present money was raised by locals for this. As the precept for 08/09 had been set it was agreed to look at this for the following year.

Affordable Housing. The Chairman agreed to follow up about the survey.

A grant of 1,000 is available from MSDC to go towards anything needed in the village. A note to be put in Pigeon Post to ask for any suggestions.

District Councillor Mrs Field advised that they were still fighting for the Princess Royal Hospital. Mrs Hersey, Chairman MSDC, also spoke about the Princess Royal with particular reference to the Maternity Unit.

Dates of Next Meetings: 10 April, 10 July and 9 October 2008 and 8 January 2009. The meeting closed at 8.50, followed by a public meeting to propose and vote new member(s) onto the North Town Field Trust.

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2007 01 11 PC Minutes

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Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Fulking Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Fulking on Thursday 11 January 2007 at 8.00pm

Present : Chairman Mr Robert Rowland, Councillors Mr Nicholas Bremer, Mr Tony Brooks, Dr Jen Green, Mrs Carolyn Loveless and Clerk to the Council, Mrs Sheena Trist

Apologies for Absence: none

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2006 were read, approved and signed by the Chairman.

Declarations of Interest by Members (if any) are shown against the relevant items in the minutes.

Peter Griffiths, County Councillor for our area, gave a brief update on subjects he was dealing with at present, including reinstatement of Best Practice within the NHS, landfill sites and speed restrictions.

Rights of Way Bollards on Bridleway 6B the Backway. Despite a strong letter from the Chairman to Andy Gatticker for an update no response had been received. The Clerk was requested to write to the Head Office at the South Downs Conservation Board. According to the parish minutes, it was noted that problems with vehicles on the Backway had been in existence since 1975.

Highways DDMO 07/01 – Perching Drove. The Planning Inspectorate advised that the Public Inquiry would take place at Springwells in Steyning on 27 February 2007. The Planning Inspectorate would like a written statement of the case that the Parish Council intended to present at the inquiry and this had to be with them at least three weeks before the inquiry date. Chairman Robert Rowland advised that he would attend.

Re parking on the bend by the pub, Councillor Loveless had not had a suitable opportunity to speak to the Landlady, but would continue to try.

The culvert at the bottom of the hill by the pub had been cleared and at present it was still clear.

Peter Griffiths offered to speak to Highways regarding a recently blown down tree in Clappers Land and various blocked drains.

The Sheds, Clappers Lane: it would appear that little activity is taking place on this site but it was agreed to keep it on the agenda.

Market Garden, Clappers Lane: the outcome of the appeal had been formally advised to the Parish Council. The Hearn family are allowed to stay on the site for a period of five years and the PC had written to MSDC to ensure that conditions were complied with in the timeframes stated, however, since then, the caravan had been burnt down and this was being investigated by the Police.

Huet Caravan: although the dilapidated caravan had been removed, a lot of rubbish was still on the site. It was agreed to hold the annual village ‘clear up’ on 4 March 2007 and this site would be included in this. The Clerk to write to Mr Tucker to request his permission.

Planning Meetings: no planning meetings had been held in the previous three months, but the Chairman expressed his dismay at the PC’s comments being totally ignored in relation to the planning application at Downside. The Clerk was asked to write to the Planning Department.

North Town Field: quotes for mowing the NTF and playground area had been sought from Sussex Field Landscapes and D.J. Flynn. These were awaited.

Discussion took place on the need for more proactive members of the Trustees of the North Town Field. Nick Bremer proposed Pam Rowland, seconded by Tony Brooks and Jen Green was proposed by Robert Rowland and seconded by Carolyn Loveless. It was thought that it was not in the best interests of the village for a Councillor to be a Trustee, but Jen Green advised that she would not be standing for election. The Clerk to find out what the process is for voting on new Trustees.

Financial Matters: the Chairman and Vice Chairman signed off the external audit paperwork, interim audit, cheque list and cheque stubs.

The precept for 2007/8 was set at £4,705.

The Ram House: no response from Glynn Jones to the Chairman’s letter regarding the National Trust taking over the Ram House. According to the Parish minutes, in 1988 Brian Harris said that the National Trust had agreed to take over ownership of The Ram. It was noted that the finial on the top was askew and Councillors Brooks and Green offered to put this back in place, as it could not wait for the National Trust and it was in danger of falling off.

Garages in Clappers Lane: MSDC had been contacted by e-mail to request that they inspect the dead elms on the site. The Clerk was asked to contact the Parish Tree Warden (Barry Leppard) to see if he could put some pressure on MSDC.

Village website: due to work commitments by the Parishioner who had volunteered to look into the village website, no further details were available at the time of the meeting.

Preston Nomads: an application from Preston Nomads Cricket Club was expected shortly and it was agreed that this would be discussed at a Planning Meeting. However, Councillors Rowland and Bremer had visited the site to inspect external lighting and roller shutters that did not appear to have planning permission and which they felt were unacceptable. The Clerk to write to MSDC to express the PC’s concerns. It was also noted that the roller shutters sometimes remained down whilst people were using the clubhouse and it was felt that this was a health and safety concern with regards to fire risk. Noise from the turf rollers was also still a problem and Councillor Brooks offered to speak to Paul Hird to see if something could be done.

Resignation of Clerk: the Chairman read out a letter of resignation from Mrs Sheena Trist, Clerk. A job vacancy would be posted in the next edition of Pigeon Post, along with calls for new Councillors to come forward for the election in May. Mrs Trist agreed to stay in the post until after the elections in May, or for one further year if no suitable applicants came forward.

AOB: There was no any other business.

Date of Next Meeting 12 April 2007.

The meeting closed at 9.00 p.m.

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