Category Archives: Shepherd and Dog
Village Clear-up Sunday 24 March 2013 from 10.30a.m.
First group starts at the corner of Clappers/Holmbush Lane and moves South.
Second group starts at the corner of The Street/Clappers Lane and moves North.
Third group meets at the Ram House by the Shepherd and Dog and moves up The Street via North Town Field.
Bring suitable gloves and bin liners. If this time is not convenient, choose you own, but please do your bit.
Portable Defibrillator Machines for Fulking
Tricia writes:-
The Village has been given a gift of 2 defibrillator machines by the Henfield Heart team.
We plan to have one attached to the outside of the Village Hall and the other at the Shepherd & Dog. We are fund raising to pay towards the containers they are kept in. I am contributing in memory of Lucie. We are waiting to hear if the Social Fund will also make a donation.
In the meantime Dave Fletcher paramedic is going to do training sessions on:-
Sat 5th January at 11am.
Sat 12th January at 9.30am.
Sat 19th January 9.30 am.
All ages welcome, you never know when or where you will need this skill. It is far simpler these days, & the machines tell you clearly what to do. I had to perform Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation on Lucie, I was relieved I’d just been updated, but it was frightening and lonely. Hence I feel strongly about as many people being trained as possible.
Tricia
The Old Farmhouse
The Old Farmhouse is the only stone-faced building in Fulking and is believed to have been the original manor house. This property and Septima Cottages are probably the oldest buildings in the village. It is thought that the original building dates back to the 12th century and the mullioned windows and the east wall are 16th century. At one time a great hall extended north at the back of the house and a portion of the wall of this room remains part of the rear garden wall. The building has massive oak beams and one of the bedrooms has a floor of adzed oak planks, polished to a beautiful patina by many years of use. Up to 1930 the roof was finished with Horsham stone and until 1939 it had three staircases, but now has just two.
In the 1980s an elderly lady and broadcaster of Sussex history came to Fulking and gave a talk describing how she used to come to the village via the Dyke Railway just before war was declared in 1939. She lived with her aunt in The Old Farmhouse at one time and was able to show the present owner of the property where the third staircase had been located.
Stories associated with The Old Farmhouse abound. Smugglers are said to have used a hatch in the roof to pass kegs of brandy through to the shop next door. There is also supposed to be one, or possibly more, secret passages within the building. It has been suggested that one of these led to St Andrew’s Church in Edburton, but given the distance involved, this seems unlikely. Another theory is that the house was connected to the Shepherd and Dog for smuggling purposes, but so far, no evidence of the existence of either of these secret passages has been discovered.
There is a small room where, in 1651, King Charles II is said to have hidden, before escaping over the Downs, via the bostal, to Shoreham harbour, from where he left for exile in France and it is thought that the house was also used as a refuge by folk able to leave London during the Great Plague in 1665, which also occurred during the reign of Charles II.
Yet another tale describes how, in 1940, a very attractive young lady and equally attractive young man stayed at the house. They were a very quiet couple who kept themselves to themselves and never socialised or talked to any of the villagers. It seems that subsequently they just disappeared and were never seen again. It was only much later that it was discovered that they had been arrested as spies.
Of course, the house is reputed to have a ghost. It seems that she takes the form of a charming, little, old lady, dressed in white who carries a bible. Apparently, she makes herself known mainly to children, but during WWII she was seen by seventeen Canadian soldiers who were billeted there in late 1943. These men went on to serve in the Italian campaign and during that time they wrote to friends in Fulking, telling how the old lady was always with them when ever they went into action and not one of them was wounded.
From the 1920s to the 1950s the house was used as a tearoom and a large white teapot was painted on the roof to attract customers, particularly walkers, who could see it quite clearly from the Downs. Between 1920 and 1939 this was run by Miss Dolly Coles and during this time her customers included the writers H.V. Morton, Ernest Raymond and Jeffrey Farnol. It was reputedly in these tearooms that a conversation on the merits of oil lamps versus electric lights took place (possibly around 1935 when electricity first came to Fulking), giving Patrick Hamilton the idea for his 1938 play Gas Light which was later made into two films (British 1940, American 1944). The tearooms reopened after the war and eventually closed in the 1950s.
Tony Brooks
[Copyright © 2012, Anthony R. Brooks. Adapted from Anthony R. Brooks (2008) The Changing Times of Fulking & Edburton. Chichester: RPM Print & Design, pages 156-158.]
Edburton and Fulking in the 1922 Kelly’s Directory for Sussex
Frederic Festus Kelly was a senior Post Office official who purchased the rights to a London trade directory in 1835 and went on to become the most important 19th century publisher of commercial directories. A University of Leicester digital library project devoted to such directories observes that “Kelly’s success was based on the innovative content and formats of his publications. He championed the production of county and provincial directories covering all settlements in a given area. These provided a wealth of information about each place, often including a commercial, street and classified trades section. He also retained the title of Post Office Directory for some time, giving his publications an aura of officialdom.” There is an informative 1893 interview, “The Baedeker of Babylon” [PDF], with Kelly’s grandson about how the directories were compiled.
EDBURTON (anciently Eadburga’s Town) is a parish 4 miles east from Bramber Station on the Horsham and Shoreham section of the London, Brighton and South Coast railway, 10 north-west from Brighton and 53 from London, in the Horsham and Worthing division of the county, hundred of Atherington and Poynings, rape of Bramber, union and petty sessional division of Steyning, county court district of Brighton, and in the rural deanery of Hurst, archdeaconry of Lewes and diocese of Chichester.
The church of St. Andrew is of flint and stone, in the Early English style, and has a tower containing 3 bells: nine of the windows are stained: the font is of lead, and dates from 1180: the church was restored in 1878, at a cost of £1,573, and has 225 sittings. The register dates from the year 1559. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £320, with residence, in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and held since 1913 by the Rev. Edward Griffith Evans M.A. of Clare College, Cambridge, hon. O.F.
Lord Leconfield, who is lord of the manor, and the Crown are the principal landowners. The soil is green sand, clay and part gravel; subsoil, chalk and clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats and potatoes. The area is 1,094 acres; rateable value, £735; population in 1911 was 114 in the civil and 302 in the ecclesiastical parish.
Letters through Small Dole. Upper Beeding is the nearest telegraph office. Poynings is the nearest money order office, 2 miles distant. Wall Letter Box near the church.
Public Elementary School (mixed), rebuilt in 1873, enlarged in 1883, for 75 children; Miss Averil Haigh, mistress.
- J. Clayton J, M.I.O.E. Clappers Lane
- Rev. Edward Griffith Evans M.A. (Hon. C.F.), Rectory
- Henry Harris, farmer, Perching Manor
- John Radcliffe Passmore, farmer, Edburton Farm
- John Powell, market gardener
- Walter Augustus Powell M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.Lond. physician & surgeon
FULKING, Folking or Faulking (in Domesday Fochinges), in the ecclesiastical parish of Edburton, was constituted a separate civil parish under the “Local Government Act of 1894.” It is about 4 miles east from Bramber station on the Horsham and Shoreham section of the London, Brighton and South Coast railway and 8 north-west from Brighton, in the Lewes division of the county, Steyning union and petty sessional division and Brighton county court district. The Crown is lord of the manor. The soil is green sand, clay and part gravel; subsoil, chalk and clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats and potatoes. The area is 1,552 acres; rateable value, £1,546; the population in 1911 was 188.
Post Office: Percival Lucas, sub-postmaster. Letters through Small Dole, Sussex. Poynings is the nearest money order office, 1 mile distant. Pyecombe is the nearest telegraph office, 3 miles distant.
- Major Albert Adams, Old Farm House
- Robert Atkins, The Croft
- Mrs. Black
- Charles E. Clayton, Holmbush Lodge
- Laurence Clayton, Badger Wood
- Samuel Payne, Fulking House
- Duncan Sinclair, Hall Farm
COMMERCIAL
- Mrs. Maria Baldey, Shepherd & Dog Public House
- Thomas S. Hills, farmer and assistant overseer, Fulking Farm
- Percival Lucas, grocer, Post Office
- Arthur Pinker, farmer
- Joseph Robinson, farmer, Perching Sands
- Henry William Uridge, farmer
[All material transcribed, with minor formatting and punctuation changes, from pages 359, 360 and 373 of the 1922 edition of Kelly’s Directory for Sussex, published by Kelly’s Directories Ltd., London.]
John Ruskin, the pump house, and the fountain
Artist, botanist, geologist, poet, polymath, proto-socialist, writer (39 volumes), and much else besides, John Ruskin (1819-1900) was a cultural colossus of Victorian England. He gave his first sermon when he was five years old and published his first journal article when he was fifteen. Today he is primarily remembered as the greatest art historian of his era. Residents of Fulking, however, have another reason to remember him — as a civil engineer: “He smiled a little at himself in later years when .. he said that civil engineering was his true bent and that his devotion to literature and art had all been a mistake, and that England had lost in him a second Telford.” [E.T. Cook (1912) The Life of John Ruskin, London: George Allen, Volume II, pages 163-164]
“The inhabitants of Fulking .. had for a long time a great difficulty in obtaining an adequate supply of drinking water. A hilly gathering ground was near, but nature seemed to have intended the water for other localities. All sorts of expedients were adopted, but all proved a failure. It happened that Ruskin occasionally visited the district, and the idea occurred to somebody that he might be able to help. The request was a strange one, but Ruskin began to think what could be done and, in the end, devised a scheme which has given Fulking as much water as it can ever hope to consume. Works have of course been required, but they did not cost very much, and they certainly do not disfigure the locality. The people have not been slow to show their gratitude for the boon thus conferred, and near the well which gives the inhabitants a constant service they have erected a beautiful marble memorial.” [Pall Mall Gazette, August 26, 1891, from the Manchester Examiner, reproduced in The Works of John Ruskin, London: George Allen, Volume 34, page 719. PDF]
“John Ruskin .. had the idea of harnessing the waters of the Fulking stream to power an hydraulic ram which would pump the supply around the parish. The little Gothic pump house is still there and on it is a plaque bearing an inscription from Psalms 104, 10 and 107, 8.” [Brigid Chapman (1988) West Sussex Inns, Newbury: Countryside Books.]:
“The various structures associated with the village’s ingenious nineteenth century water supply are a unique feature of Fulking. Around 1886, water from the spring (located close to the Shepherd and Dog Public House) was harnessed to provide the village with its own piped water supply. Two men are credited with devising and instigating this scheme. One was John Ruskin .. and the other was Henry Willett from Brighton. The system supplied the village with piped water until mains water eventually arrived in 1951. The arrangement consisted of an hydraulic ram driven by water from a brick lined reservoir/balancing tank (located in the garden of the Shepherd and Dog) pumping water up to a reservoir close to Old Thatch on the north side of The Street. Although no longer working, the system remains largely intact today.” [Ed Lancaster (2008) Fulking Conservation Area, Haywards Heath: MSDC, page 9. PDF]
Tony Brooks reports that Ruskin used to stay at The Old Bakehouse (next door to the Shepherd and Dog) and that the new water supply involved “four reservoirs: one under each of the hand pumps in The Street, one for the drinking fountain by the entrance to the North Town Field and one at Perching Manor. The villagers maintained the system and the last person known to have been in charge of it was the local builder, Charlie Franks, who lived in Fulking all his life”. [Anthony R. Brooks (2008) The Changing Times of Fulking and Edburton 1900 to 2007, Chichester: RPM, page 29.]
The key component of the Ruskin/Willett scheme was the hydraulic ram pump. It was invented by Joseph Michel Montgolfier in 1796 and modern versions are still in use today. Its key advantage is that it requires no external source of energy beyond that supplied by an existing water flow.
“The pumphouse by the roadside was part of the supply arrangements which continued until a new supply was provided in 1953. There is a small fountain in the village which [bears] the following inscription: ‘To the glory of God and in honour of John Ruskin Psalm LXXVIII that they might set their hope in God and not forget but keep his commandments who brought streams also out of the rock’.” [“A Ram Pump at Fulking”,Sussex Industrial Archaeology Society Newsletter 5, January 1975].
Ruskin’s water supply collaborator, Henry Willett, a wealthy local brewer, was responsible for erecting the fountain with its inscription. Ruskin, however, was less than enthusiastic, writing to Willett in June 1887, with “sincere thanks for your kind note .., but I am too sad and weary just now to see anything; and I was grieved by your inscription on the fountain, for it made my name far too conspicuous, nor did I feel that the slightest honour was owing to me in the matter” [The Works of John Ruskin, London: George Allen, Volume 37, page 591.].
For more information on the local water supply, see Anthony R. Brooks (2008) The Changing Times of Fulking and Edburton 1900 to 2007, Chichester: RPM, pages 28-30. Interested readers may also wish to try and track down the following items: (i) Paul Dawson “John Ruskin, Fulking and the water supply”, Friends of Ruskin’s Brantwood Newsletter, Spring 1996; and (ii) Joyce Donoghue “Looking into Ruskin’s Sussex connection”, Friends of Ruskin’s Brantwood Newsletter, Spring 1995.
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2011 04 14 PC Minutes
Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Fulking Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Fulking on Thursday 14 April 2011 at 7.30pm
Present: Chairman Mr Tony Brook, Vice Chairman Mrs Pamela Rowland, Councillors Mr Richard Corner, Ms Jo Hudek and Mrs Jennifer Parmar.
Apologies for Absence: Clerk to the Council Mrs Paula Hazard
Declarations of Interest by Members (if any) are shown against the relevant items in the minutes.
County Council update: None (no County Council representatives attending).
The minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2011, as previously circulated, were approved, accepted and signed by the Chairman.
Highways: Flooding — The Chairman has compiled a Flooding Report detailing all recurring flooding problems in the area and submitted this to WSCC Highways and Peter Griffiths. This has resulted in a successful site meeting between the Highway Officer, Chairman and Clerk resulting in: jetting of drains by corner of Kent Cottage, Four Acres corner, and Shepherd & Dog corner; plan to stop soil erosion on northern bank of Shepherd & Dog corner; a ditch dug at the Four Acres corner for water to soak away. Highways confirmed that WSCC is responsible only for the first metre of the ditch off the road so the ditch has only been dug for that length. We ideally need a longer ditch to cope with heavy rain.
The Highways representative also stressed the responsibility of landowners to drain their land properly. Highways believe the main source of the problem in Clappers Lane is water coming off the land and ditches not being maintained adequately. The landowners need to ensure that their ditches are kept clear and free running. Ditches on the land running on the eastern side of Clappers Lane need digging out and maintaining in order to reduce water on the lane. WSCC Highways has written to the landowner to this effect. No action has been taken by the landowner to date.
Correct Signposting for Roadworks: WSCC and Peter Griffiths have been advised about a problem with incorrect road closed signposting at the Shepherd & Dog pub. When Highways plans to carry out roadworks where the road is still available for access, they must put up access to business signs. On 14 Feb the access open to business sign was not put up, only road closed only sign up. (Ref 557735). This has impacted both the pubs and Springs on a number of occasions.
North Town Field Play Area: The grand opening of the improved Children’s Play Area will take place on 22 April at 11am as part of a wider celebration including an Easter Egg hunt. Representatives from Viridor and WSCC have been invited.
NTF lease: The PC is arranging to register the lease with the Land Registry (which is an obligation of the tenant). This will reduce the insurance costs with one policy covering both the play area and NTF.
Field tidy-up: A major tidy up of the southern bank of the field was held in February. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped out.
Rights of Way: Diverted Footpath 4dF — There was no further news from the Rights of Way Committee.
Reopening of Bridleway11F — There was no further news from West Sussex Rights of Way.
Bridleway 5/3F — The PC has contacted the South Downs Joint Committee as they had previously carried out some work to improve the drainage. They advise that responsibility for the maintenance of rights of way within the South Downs National Park will pass to the local authority (i.e. West Sussex County st Council) on April 1. This means that the PC will need to look to them to fund the maintenance of this type of work. The SDJC advised that on a previous project to do this type of work, the local PC requested support from the Mid Sussex Bridleways Group. MSBG has been contacted to seek support. Awaiting response.
Village Plan: The draft Village Action Plan was discussed and final comments taken at a meeting on 10 February. The Plan booklet is now in production and should be ready for printing shortly.
Ram House: Further to the repairs to the Ram House, undertaken and paid for by the National Trust, there is no further news on the NT taking ownership of the House. A reminder letter will be sent to the NT.
Lower Kents: The planning application was received by MSDC in October and has now been passed to the PC and is available to residents for public for consultation. The PC has passed on its objections and concerns and those expressed by local residents at the Planning meeting. We are now waiting to be informed of the date of the MSDC Planning Committee meeting which is likely to be in May or June due to the local elections.
Powered Microlights: The Chairman raised the issue of noise and nuisance caused by powered microlights at the South Downs National Park Authority February meeting. The SDNPA are looking into it.
Market Garden Site: The Chairman read out to the meeting the letter received from Claire Tester, Head of Planning at MSDC in response to the PC’s letter. Copies of both letters were made available to attendees. The MSDC letter did not address the issues and concerns raised by the PC in respect of dealing with the expiry of planning permission. The letter merely states that there are no plans to offer additional sites for travellers and offers information for the family occupying the Market Garden site and advises them to contact the Housing Needs Team.
Parish Council: Two people have submitted nomination forms to MSDC to become councillors. As the PC needs 3 Councillors to be quorate, there aren’t enough councillors to Elections form a PC. The Clerk is in discussion with Returning Officer about how to deal with this. It may be possible for MSDC to extend the deadline for nominations and for a new election date to be set probably for mid June. However, the Clerk is waiting for confirmation from MSDC.
Finger post: The main post of the sign at the junction of Clappers Lane and The Street has been painted and new, painted finger boards have been fitted. Temporary lettering has been put on the finger boards, with final lettering now being manufactured. It was noted that Clappers Lane has been misspelt. The Chairman will report this to the contractor to ensure that all spellings are correct for the final version.
Parish Clerk: The current Parish Clerk is standing down at the end of April so the position was advertised in two editions of Pigeon Post. There were general enquiries from four local people but no formal applications received. A formal application was received from Jenny Hartley who acts as Clerk for 3 neighbouring parishes and she has been offered and accepted the post.
Annual Parish Meeting: Because there will be no new Parish Council to hand over to in May, the APM is being postponed until such time as a new PC has been formed. This is dependent on the outcome of discussions with MSDC. The APM should hopefully be held in June. The new date will be publicised in the Pigeon Post. A speaker from SDNPA has been requested.
Litter Bins: Bins are not emptied by Mid Sussex. 3 bins in NTF are being regularly emptied by 2 volunteers. The Chairman asked for a volunteer to empty the bin in the bus shelter.
Financial Matters: The Chairman signed off the interim audit and cheque list.
AOB: Councillor Corner informed the meeting that EDF are in the process of changing electricity meters for some residents. This is a routine operation. Any resident affected by this will receive a letter from EDF. All electrical appliances should be disconnected when this work is taking place to avoid damage to appliances.
Councillor Corner informed the meeting that he is submitting a funding application to MSDC to get funding for the village fair.
The meeting was then opened up for local residents to raise any issues.
A resident has written to and emailed Susannah Kemp with regard to Lower Kents. She has received no reply other than to say that Ms Kemp is stepping down.
A discussion took place to clarify PC issues in respect of the fact that the current Councillors lose their powers as of 9 May. The information provided earlier in the meeting was reiterated. Jenny Hartley said that she will email her details to residents.
A resident objected to Councillor Corner’s intention to apply for funds for the village fair on the grounds that the fair generates funds for the village and therefore it was not appropriate to apply for public funds to support this venture.
The issue of how WSCC deal with road closures was raised. A resident stated that official procedures are not being followed, leading to problems for businesses and residents. The key problem is that when road closure signs are put in place it is not made clear that people are still able to access businesses (Springs, Coles, Shepherd & Dog, etc.) and houses. The PC will make WSCC aware of this problem.
A discussion about the temporary airstrip at Folly Farm took place. The matter was discussed in terms of the nuisance caused to local residents by the very frequent use of the airstrip. In reply to a question from the owner of Folly Farm, the Chairman confirmed that it is the PC’s intention to enforce the 28 day rule in respect of this airstrip and that this would be monitored by residents living close to the airstrip. The owner of Folly Farm raised concerns about possible errors in recording flight frequency since there are other aircraft and motorised hang gliders using the area. The Chairman stated that the residents monitoring usage could tell where the craft are taking off and landing because of their close proximity to the airstrip. The Chairman also raised the issue of horses being disturbed by the noise. The owner of Folly Farm undertook to give warning when the airstrip was being used so that horses could be moved but maintained his right to keep a temporary airstrip and indicated that enforcing the 28 day rule will mean that a greater concentration of flights will take place which will increase the nuisance. Two pilots who use the airstrip also attended the meeting and made clear their intentions to minimise the nuisance to residents. The issue remains unresolved in as much as those residents living close to the airstrip will still experience noise disturbance from the temporary airstrip. The PC and some residents commented that the airstrip does not appear in keeping with the ethos of the new National Park with the emphasis on peace and quiet. The Chairman reported that the PC was waiting to hear from the SDNP with regard to the policy on motorised hang gliders and small aircraft in the National Park.
Date of Next Meeting: TBA once arrangements for the new PC are in place.
The meeting closed at 8.15pm
2008 01 10 PC Minutes
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.
[ BoilerPlate plate = “PC_Disclaimer” ]
2007 10 11 PC Minutes
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
[ BoilerPlate plate = “PC_Disclaimer” ]
Quiz Night: April 1st
At the Shepherd & Dog, starting at 8:00pm and ending when the final contestant passes out.
