Category Archives: North Town Field

2007 10 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 October 2007 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 minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2007 were read, approved and signed by the Chairman.

Rights of Way: DDMO 07/01 Perching Drove. The Landowner had suggested that access revert to the status quo, but the PC were not happy with this and asked that the agreement for a permissive path still be put in place. The Landowner agreed to go back to his solicitor for advice and that he did not wish to offend anyone.

A Statement and Map under Section 31(6) of the Highways Act had been received from WSCC regarding the estate of the late Brian Harris, showing the rights of way over his land. The Clerk was asked to check these rights of way with the definitive map in her possession.

Highways: Parking on the bend by the pub. Councillors Brooks and Parmar had had two meetings with the Landlord of the pub, the second of which was also attended by Martin Small of the National Trust (NT). The NT’s stance was that parking was not their problem and that visitors to the proposed National Park would be encouraged to come by public transport. Extra parking would mean more customers and any extension to the pub would be strongly opposed. The meeting ended in stalemate.

Market Garden: The conditions imposed by the Planning Inspectorate were still outstanding and the Clerk was asked to write a strong letter to the Head of Environment and Planning at MSDC to ask why enforcement action was taking so long.

Preston Nomads: The PC had met with PNCC officers and a plan of action had been put in place with a follow up meeting due in November. After this follow up meeting a plan of action Cricket Club would be made public.

North Town Field: Unfortunately the Chairman of the Trustees died before the Clerk had the opportunity to write to him. The Secretary of the Trustees advised that he would publicise the nomination of new trustees in Pigeon Post and that they would go to vote after the PC meeting scheduled for 10 January 2008.

Grass cutting had taken place as scheduled throughout the summer months. The contractor advised that one more late cut may be necessary if the grass carried on growing.

Rospa report. A site meeting had been difficult to arrange and so it was agreed that everyone make an effort to agree a convenient date.

Village website: Richard Linford was progressing with the website and the quote of 50 a year for web hosting was agreed to by all PC members. The Clerk asked Mr Linford to provide her with an invoice with his costs in order that they could be reimbursed.

Village Signs: Only one letter of response to Paul Wayne s letter had been received and as this was from the artist it was agreed to let the matter lie.

Conservation Area: The appraisal of the Conservation Area had taken place and a public exhibition was to be held in November, with details being published in Pigeon Post.

Village Sign: Condition of sign at junction of The Street and Clappers Lane had been reported to Highways who said they would put it on their schedule of works and that if it needed to be replaced, a similar one would be used, not a metal one.

Lawn Mower: The now redundant lawn mower was now in the safe keeping of Councillor Parmar until such time it be needed again.

Joint Meetings: Two joint meetings with Poynings had taken place. One on Health, the outcome of which Councillor Corner said he would publicise in Pigeon Post, and Housing, which would result in a survey to establish if Fulking had a need.

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

Councillor Corner had received a quote of 40pa for the officials indemnity cover and it was agreed that this be taken up. Councillor Corner agreed to speak to Allianz to get the necessary paperwork.

AOB The Parish Clerk reminded the meeting of the new refuse and recycling system. She then advised that, due to personal reasons, she would stand down as Clerk in April 2008, as this would be the end of the one year that she had agreed to give the new Parish Council. The vacant position would be advertised in Pigeon Post.

Gina Field, District Councillor and Peter Griffiths, County Councillor addressed the meeting on various issues including the legal battle concerning the Princess Royal Hospital, the Highways Rangers and grants available to the PC.

Councillor Corner had attended a meeting on Rural Issues but there were no particular needs for Fulking.

Councillor Brooks advised he was in consultation with Mr Rawlings regarding the hedges in Clappers Lane and that they were to be cut back imminently.

A member of the audience advised that he would be putting in for planning permission for a mobile home at Folly Farm as he needed to live on site. He was advised that this would be discussed at the relevant planning meeting.

Mr Sapsted reported that the street lamp on the junction of Stammers Hill and The Street was not working and the Clerk agreed to report this to Seeboard.

Dates of Next Meetings: 10 January & 10 April 2008. The meeting closed at 9.35pm

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2007 04 12 PC Minutes

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Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Fulking Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Fulking on Thursday 12 April 2007 at 8.00pm

Present : Chairman Mr Robert Rowland, Councillors Mr Tony Brooks, Dr Jen Green, Mrs Carolyn Loveless and Clerk to the Council, Mrs Sheena Trist (late arrival).

Apologies for Absence : None

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

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

Due to the relocation to Devon of Councillor Nick Bremer and his subsequent resignation, Chairman Mr R. Rowland proposed Councillor Tony Brooks as Vice-Chairman. This was seconded by Mrs Carolyn Loveless.

Rights of Way Bollards on Bridleway 6B the Backway. No further problems had been reported with cars parking on the backway and no feedback from the South Downs Conservation Board. The PC agreed to let the subject lie unless there were further complaints.

DDMO 07/01 – Perching Drove. The Inquiry took place on 26/27 February and the PC were awaiting the decision of the Planning Inspectorate.

Highways: parking on the bend by the pub. Parking had been as bad as ever over the Easter weekend but it was agreed that without the cooperation of the owners of the pub there was little the PC could do to overcome this.

The Sheds Clappers Lane: a retrospective application for works on the site had been received and the PC had objected to this, with a request to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) that if it be passed an embargo be placed stopping the sheds being used for accommodation or office purpose. The LPA decision was awaited.

Market Garden: the LPA had received some further information regarding the landscaping of the site. It is partially acceptable as it shows some of the stones/gravel being removed from the site and replaced with lawn. However the landscaping condition also covers lighting at the site and the LPA still have not received details of this. It was being chased up with the applicant’s agents who are based in Malta.

The LPA believe that the Hearnes have now submitted a new planning application to retain the old Huet caravan on the site to be used for storage. The advice the LPA had received is that even though the Planning Inspector put a condition on requiring this old caravan to be removed, they will have to determine the new planning application that has been submitted to retain it.

It was noted that the big caravan had now been removed from site and there was speculation that this was to make room for a new caravan to replace the burnt one.

Huet Caravan: further to a letter to Mr Tucker asking that the site be cleared of remaining rubbish, he had replied stating that this would be done as soon as possible and someone had been seen on site on 12 April. The Clerk to chase-up with another letter at the end of the month if there was no improvement.

Preston Nomads: several planning applications had been received. Variation on conditions – refused. Retrospective lights – refused. Retrospective roller shutters – refused. Electronic scoreboard – refused. New practice nets – granted.
 
Two burglaries had taken place – BBQ and oil tank, but nothing from the interior.

North Town Field: D.J. Flynn had started mowing the field but the grass clippings were not being picked up. The Clerk advised that Mr Flynn had experienced problems with the first mowing as the grass was long but that he would be picking p the grass in the future.

Further to the discussions regarding proactive Trustees for the North Town Field, the Chairman proposed Jen Green, seconded by Carolyn Loveless, to take effect from 3 May when Jen would no longer be on the PC. It was agreed to wait until the new PC were in place to nominate another Trustee.

The Ram House: the Chairman thanked Tony Brooks and Jim Sapsted for re-siting the finial on the top of the Ram House and for cutting back the trees that had caused the problem. As no response had been received from the National Trust regarding ownership it was agreed to pass this onto the new PC if they wished to pursue it.

Garages in Clappers Lane: Barry Leppard, the Tree Warden was reporting any problems to WSCC but nothing had been heard back at the time of the meeting

Village website: No one had volunteered to take on the role of coordinating the village website.

Resignation of Clerk: further to the advertisement in Pigeon Post for a new Parish Clerk, no one had come forward. In the interest of continuity and to help the new PC settle in, Mrs Trist agreed to stay on in the post for at least another year. However, she was now going on holiday in July and would not be available for a meeting on 12 July. It was agreed that due to these exceptional circumstances the July meeting be held on the 5th.

Grant for defibrillator: Michael Trist had only received two responses from parishioners willing to be on the defibrillator rota for the defibrillator and this was not enough for it to be a viable proposition. The idea was therefore shelved.

APM: The date for the APM was set for 8.00pm 10 May. Richard Corner agreed to speak on behalf of Neighbourhood Watch and Bob Rowland for the Social Committee. MSDC had already been contacted by the Clerk to see if they would provide someone to speak about the new rubbish collection system. Carolyn Loveless agreed to organise refreshments and glasses.

Dates of next meetings: 5 July and 11 October 2007, 10 January and 10 April 2008.

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

Renewal paperwork had been received from Allianz Cornhill. The Clerk had made enquires about professional indemnity but they do not provide this cover. Their advice was that the PC was covered for Public Liability in case of error or omission and that as long as Councillors abided by the Code of Conduct then they were covered. It was agreed to carry on with renewal and for the new PC to take up further cover if they required it.

AOB There was no any other business.

Closing remarks: as this was the last meeting of the current PC, the Chairman thanked his fellow Councillors for being such a dedicated Council and also gave his thanks to Mrs Trist.

He went on to say that he had greatly enjoyed his time on the PC and as Chairman but expressed caution at the suggestion that the village be run by referenda as it is the duty of a PC to express the wishes of the parish and to decide what is best for the village as a whole. If a referenda route be followed the PC would be denied the very reasons for which it was elected and that this should be considered very carefully when voting on 3 May.

Date of Next Meeting 5 July 2007.

The meeting closed at 8.50 p.m.

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Rodent Care

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Following MSDC’s decision to move to monthly waste collection, more volunteers are sought for the Fulking “Rat Patrol”. The only equipment needed is an axe handle or a machete. The Patrol assembles every night at 1.00am in North Town Field. Contact Paul on 857XXX, in the first instance.

Rodent Care

[Note: a decision on whether to merge the “Rat Patrol” with the “Vandal Vigilante Group” is still pending.]

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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