Minutes of Council of the 15th November
Birdham Parish Council
Minutes of the Meeting of the Council
held on Monday 15th November 2010
at 7pm in Birdham Village Hall
Present: Cllr Meynell (Chairman), Cllr Mrs A Parks (Vice Chairman), Cllr Mrs Barker, Cllr Mrs Cobbold, Cllr Churchill, Cllr Tilbury, Cllr Way
Apologies: Cllr Mrs Leach, Cllr P Montyn (WSCC & CDC) and PCSO A Bromley
Absent:
In attendance: The Clerk, Cllr P Jones (WSCC & CDC), twelve members of the public.
77-10 Declarations of Interests
There were none.
78-10 Urgent/Additional items notified to the Chairman or the Clerk prior to the meeting.
The Clerk reported that there two additional planning applications that should have been on the agenda but were missed, namely BI/10/04039/EXT Premier Business Park and BI/10/04306/DOM Grevillea Bungalow.
The Chairman, whilst declaring a prejudicial interest, informed the meeting that there was to be a public meeting concerning the proposed extension to Birdham Parish Church on Friday 19th November at 7.30pm.
79-10 Minutes of the meeting held on the 18th October 2010
.Resolved: that the minutes of the 18th October 2010 be signed as a true and accurate record.
Proposed by Cllr Cobbold and seconded by Cllr Barker
80-10 Matters arising from the Minutes
i) Land Bequeathed to the council – The Clerk reported that the Solicitor had carried out access searches for the land bequeathed to the Council. Unfortunately it appears that there is no direct access from Longmeadow Gardens so the Council will, ultimately need to negotiate with third parties.
ii) Minute 75-10 iii – The Clerk confirmed that he had arranged a meeting which will be held on the 20th January 2011 at 6pm in the Village Hall. The meeting will be entitled ‘So you Want to Become a Councillor’ and will have speakers from Chichester District Council, SALC and Birdham Parish Council. The Agenda has yet to be finalised but, on completion will be published on the Council website and notice boards and possibly a Parish Newsletter. It is anticipated that invitations will also be offered to other Parish Councils on the Peninsula.
81-10 Clerks’ Report:
i) The Clerk had previously circulated to all members a copy of the LDF News Update published by CDC. It is unsure at this moment how the Legal Challenge to the decision by the Communities Secretary - Eric Pickles - to scrap the regional housing targets which was launched, and won, by housing developers will affect if at all the comments made in the newsletter.
ii) The Clerk reported that he had attended a Regional One Day Conference organised by the Society of Local Council Clerks. Which was interesting for the information that was given out, ie the cessation of the Audit Commission which then raised the question of the External Audit, who, when and at what cost. The content of the Democracy Bill due to be published on the 18th December and the potential impact on Parish Councils.
v) Reports from Members of WSCC/CDC
Cllr P Jones (WSCC & CDC) stressed the importance of attending the CDC sponsored Parish’s Meeting on the 17th November.
He then went on to say that next stage in the Social Housing proposal for Birdham would be subject to negotiations with the land owner but were unlikely to take place until June 2011. Cllr N Way the owner of the land declared a prejudicial interest and left the room.
A general discussion then took place with questions raised concerning the input of the Parish Council in terms of design and positioning as they had in the Wittering project. The answer was yes, the Council would have the same involvement.
It was also pointed out that all discussions would be in the public domain with consultation open to everyone.
82-10 Planning matters including CDC decisions:
Applications
BI/10/04039/EXT Premier Business Park, Birdham Road, Birdham
(As we did in 2008 we would point out that the address shown for this application is wrong. It is NOT in “Appledram”, or Apuldram Parish, but in Birdham)
This appears to be a non-material amendment to planning permission BI/08/01359/COU to convert the former office building into a classic car showroom, which was permitted. The changes involve the insertion of folding doors into the front elevation and a change in the roof line to allow one continuous flat roof behind the pitched roof line. The Council raised no objection to this plan in 2008 but asked the Planning Officer to ensure that there was no change in the external appearance of the building and that the neighbours at Birdham Farm did not lose any amenity because of the close proximity of this building to their boundary.
This application does involve changes to the external appearance. We consider the insertion of the folding doors not to be a radical change in itself. We continue to be concerned however about the display of vehicles for sale on the forecourt which will be facilitated by this change. We would ask the Officer to review the history of double counting of car parking spaces and the use of the same spaces for display, which was subject to condition.
The changes to the roof appear to be to allow greater use of the roof space as first floor accommodation including lift access. The effect of the flat roof will be to project the bulk of the building towards the rear and the boundary with Birdham Farm. We note that the only windows on the rear elevation are skylights and that they are 2.19 metres from the floor to prevent overlooking onto the Birdham Farm property.
On balance the Council has NO OBJECTION to this application but asks the Officer to review and keep in mind our previous comments from 2008 on environment and limitations on advertising.
BI/10/04306/DOM Grevillea Bungalow, Main Road, Birdham
This is an application to extend this bungalow by redeveloping an office building and forming a link with the existing property. Grevillea Bungalow lies some forty metres back from the Main Road and the whole property is surrounded by dense trees. The office building appears not to have been used at all for a number of years. The development is modest in scale and will not interfere with the amenities of any neighbours. The Council has NO OBJECTION to this application.
Proposed Cllr Tilbury seconded Cllr Cobbold that the Clerk be authorised to forward to the CDC Planning department the decisions reached.
CDC Decisions
The following decisions were noted
BI/10/00861/FUL Prof Tony Welch Shepherds Alandale Road Birdham
External works and change of use of the original electrical substation to form single dwelling. REFUSE
BI/10/04126/DOM Mrs Jan Panagiotopoylus 108 Crooked Lane Birdham
Single storey flat roofed rear extension with rooflights. PERMIT
BI/10/04190/TPA Mr David Hollands-Hurst 22A Longmeadow Gardens Birdham
Fell 4 no. Leyland Cypress trees (T11-T14) (marked on plan as T1-T4). Reduce crown by 15% on 1 no. Monterey Cypress tree (T8) (marked on plan as T6). All 5 no. trees subject to BI/97/00036/TPO. PERMIT
83-10 Correspondence:
i) A copy of a letter from Mr & Mrs John McMeekin to CDC raising their objections to the Haines Planning application.
ii) A letter from Mr John Fitzmaurice reference the Poppy Appeal.
iii) A copy of a letter sent to the CEO of CDC, received from Mr K Wright concerning flooding in Church Lane
iv) The latest edition of the Sussex Review from the Sussex Branch of the CPRE
84-10 Reports:
i) Play area and playing field – A report and quotation from Arborotech was presented to the Council by Cllr Tilbury. It was agreed that the Clerk be authorised to commission the work to be carried out with the exception of the work required to the Oak trees on land owned by the estate of the late Mr Adams. The work carried out by Hyde Martlet on adjoining trees and hedging owned by them was considered to be of extremely poor quality and detrimental to the amenity value of the area. The Clerk was asked to write to Hyde Martlet pointing out the work done and asking if remedial work might be undertaken.
ii) Village green and pond – The Clerk reported that we had still not received the report of the inspection carried out in early summer and had resorted to other methods in an attempt to get this much needed report expedited. As at 4pm today the report had still not been obtained despite asking for assistance from other CDC officers.
iii) Police and Neighbourhood Watch – PCSO Ann Bromley had submitted a report via email. Apologising for her absence due to a Rest Day she went on to report the following information,
19/10 - Theft of Diesel from tractors on Westlands Farm
25/10 - Theft of fuel tanks and funnel between 17th and 24th October from Birdham Marina
26/10 - Report of Hare Coursing in Sidlesham Lane
26/10 - Fatal road accident on bends at Somerley - Bookers Lane junction with Bell Lane.
28/10 - Section 59 warning (2nd on vehicle so vehicle towed away) given to speeding motorist in Bell Lane.
31/10 - Hare coursing in Almodington.
03/11 – Break-in to outbuilding on Main Road Birdham - tools stolen
13/11 - Males fighting at Total Garage on Main Road.
PCSO Bromley also asked if attendees might be reminded that the Police are able to offer property marking (garden equipment) and horse tack/equipment marking free of charge - contact PCSO Anne Bromley on 07881 518742 to arrange appointment.
85-10 Finance:
A financial paper had been prepared by the Clerk and was circulated to Councillors. This showed:
Balances held at Bank: £50621.80
Designated Funds: £25586.04
Available Funds: £25035.76
Creditors: £376.78
Resolved: To accept the financial report.
Proposed by Cllr Cobbold and seconded by Cllr Churchill
The Clerk requested permission to attend a one day training course on H&S, Risk Assessment & Appraisal organised by the SALC on 17th November in East Grinstead. This was approved.
86-10 Web Site
Cllr Way gave an update on the current position regarding the web site and in doing so thanked those members of the public who had assisted the working group. The Council would shortly be in a position to submit requirements and a specification to at least three companies who could carry out the work for the Council. A further meeting of the Working Group was due to take place on the 22nd November.
87-10 Reports from Councillors attending meetings
Both Cllr Cobbold and Cllr Tilbury had attended the Village Hall Quiz night.
88-10 Public session:
Mr K Wright referred to his letter to the CEO of CDC about the flooding in Church Lane and explained his theories on why this was being experienced. He asked what could be done and by whom and also when.
Cllr Meynell asked Cllr Tilbury what had become of the ‘Ditch Survey’ that had been carried out? Cllr Tilbury said that the very little had progressed due to the turmoil experienced by CDC Officers. He would however, pursue this further with CDC. He then went on to speak about the drainage fall and the possibility of it being insufficient to meet demands. He would pursue the CDC Drainage Officer to carry out dye tests. He also stressed that in an emergency residents should contact Southern Water if foul water was reaching the surface.
Cllr P Jones (WSCC & CDC) said that he was concerned about the drainage on the Manhood generally. He did feel that the majority of ditches were in fact soak-away ditches rather than flowing ditches.
There being no further business to be dealt with the meeting closed at 8.40 pm
The next meeting of Council will be held on the 20th December at 7pm in the Village Hall.
Signed ___________________________ Dated ____________________
Chairman