Minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting of Fulking Parish Council held Thursday 6th July 2023 at 7.30pm at Fulking Village Hall.
Present
Chairman: Cllr Mark Hind
Fulking Parish Council (FPC) Cllrs Karen Healy and Tom Kardos
Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) Cllr Geoff Zeidler
There were three members of the public present and the meeting started at 7.45pm.
23/047/OM. Apologies for Absence.
Cllr Lucy Mehta (FPC) and Cllr Joy Dennis (West Sussex County Council)
23/048/OM. Declaration of Members’ Interests.
There were no interests declared.
23/049/OM. Councillors Statement.
Cllr Healy spoke to acknowledge on behalf of the Council, Clerk and villagers how pleased we are to see Cllr Mark Hind this evening despite the terribly sad loss of his lovely wife Anne. The sheer level of messages of condolences, offers of help and support illustrate how fond everyone was of Anne, how liked and respected she was and how much she will be missed. The outpouring from the community is also indicative of how well liked and respected Mark is and how much everyone appreciates all that he does for the community.
We are all very lucky to live in such a supportive community at times of adversity, we saw this during covid as well. We hope that time will heal Mark and that he will continue to feel supported by the village community.
23/050/OM. Approve the Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting of 16th March 2023 and Planning Meetings of 23rd March and 3rd April 2023.
The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting and Planning Meetings were approved unanimously by Councillors and duly signed by the Chairman.
23/051/OM. Matters Arising & Outstanding Actions To clarify and report on actions brought forward from the last meeting.
No matter arising as separate agenda items have been created where necessary.
23/052/OM. Reports from District and County Councillors.
Cllr Zeidler (MSDC) reported:-
1) The Boundary Commission report has now been adopted and the Downland Villages Ward will now be in a new “Mid Sussex” parliamentary constituency with revised boundaries comprising Haywards Heath; Burgess Hill; Hurstpierpoint & Hassocks.
2) The new Council has had its first Planning & Cabinet meetings which are progressing collaboratively. There has been regular Councillor training on a range of subjects including Planning and s106 funding. From this it is clear that, other than health & safety concerns, Planning regulations provide no basis for refusal of an application due to the transitional impact on residents during development. The only protection is through the Planning Conditions which I have requested are reviewed to ensure they are more actively enforced.
3) The Scrutiny Committee has confirmed the District Plan as a key focus and agreed to establish a Working Group of 6 Councillors to work closely with officers reviewing the development of the Reg19 Plan. This is proposed to come to Scrutiny on 18th October; and Officers confirmed their commitment to meet Parishes during its development. A key test for the Council will be the Croudace Appeal on 15th August which will test whether the current plan is still valid.
4) The budget for the Council was adopted unanimously before the election and so the services plans outlined in the budget are expected to be progressed.
5) I have not heard whether the actions following the meeting with Southern Water have been completed; but will follow up. It is proposed that the Scrutiny Committee request UKPN attend to explain how they intend to provide and improve services to existing and new residents as part of its work program.
6) Almost all the Parishes are seeking TROs or other approaches to mitigate speeding on dangerous roads with construction traffic a particular concern. I have met with Cllr Dennis of WSCC and agreed an approach to a number of situations which we will discuss at the relevant PCC. I have asked how MSDC can provide advice or assistance to residents when flytipping arises on private land adjacent to the highway.
7) Fulking – The date for appeal in relation to un-approved development at the Small Acres site is not yet set. The PC is also seeking funding to renew playground equipment.
Cllr Zeidler Reported on behalf of WSCC
There are concerns at county level regarding the low levels of immunisations in schools which could cause problems in the future. There is a promotion in local libraries to challenge children to read six books during the six which summer holiday period.
23/053/PM. Planning Application SDNP/23/02336/LIS
Location: Customary Cottage The Street Fulking West Sussex BN5 9LU
Proposal: General conservation and repair works. Structural repairs to gable end. External and internal alterations including replacement of modern fenestration, lowering of ground floor level and cleaning of historic timbers and masonry. Minor landscape works
Councillors reviewed the application and it was noted:
Councillors welcomed all the proposals to the benefit of the house, comprising of comprehensive repairs and reinstatement. Unanimously Approved.
23/054/PM. Planning Application SDNP/23/02531/LIS
Location: Customary Cottage The Street Fulking West Sussex BN5 9LU
Proposal: Conversion of attic space including enlargement of existing hatch, insertion of timber ladder and reinforcing platform
The application was reviewed by Councillors who look forward to reading the planning officers decision. No Objection raised.
23/055/OM New Councillor Co-option
Linda Comber has lived in Fulking village for many years and has put herself forward for co-option as a Councillor for the Parish.
Linda is known to other councillors and the meeting unanimously approved her co-option.
23/056/OM. Playground Update
Cllr Hind reported that the metalwork has been satisfactorily repaired by CP Restorations and the remaining repairs will be completed by Toby English in the next couple of weeks before the RoSPA inspection is undertaken.
23/057/OM. Village sign
The village sign has been down for 12 months and the contractor has not fulfilled the repair. Cllr Kardos will approach his contact to see if they can undertake the reinstallation. Cllr Hind will approach Jen Green to see if the signage can be restored.
23/058/OM. Information Items. To receive information and items for the agenda at future meetings.
None
23/059/OM. Correspondence. To discuss correspondence and respond to correspondence received.
None
23/060/OM. Financial Matters. To receive the report on the Council’s income and to approve future expenditure.
The Clerk reported that the current account balance in Barclays Bank was £6,920.39 with £13,576.38 held in the deposit account.
23/061/OM. To set a date for the next Ordinary Meeting for Thursday 12th October 2023.
Meeting closed 9:05pm