Agenda for the Council Meeting on Monday the 21st November 2011

Birdham Parish Council

28 Langdale Avenue, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8JQ

Tel : 01243 790402 Fax : 01243 784478

Email : clerk@birdhamparishcouncil.org.uk Website : www.birdham.org.uk

Clerk to the Council : David J Siggs

MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

I hereby give you notice that a Meeting of Birdham Parish Council is to be held on Monday 21^st November 2011 in the Main Hall at Birdham Village Hall at 7pm and all members of the Council are hereby summoned to attend. All residents are invited to attend.

David J Siggs - Clerk to the Council

AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence

2. Public Question Time. (In accordance with Standing Orders 1d – 1l)

3. Declaration of interests

4. Approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17th October 2011

5. Street Lighting Private Initiative – Sam Angus SSE Contracting to report.

6. Land bequeathed to the Council – Clerk to report on current position

7. Clerk’s Report including:

i) WSCC Reports, highways matters and correspondence

ii) CDC reports including correspondence

iii) Other related matters

iv) Reports from Members of WSCC/CDC if appropriate

8. Planning matters including CDC Applications and Decisions

Applications

BI/11/03616/FUL Chichester Yacht Club Chichester Yacht Club Chichester Marina Birdham

Replacement of existing pontoons. Reshaping of existing safety boat zone/land together with new (small) spur taken from existing slipway.

BI/11/03981/FUL Blue Ribbon Plants Wophams Lane Nursery Wophams Lane Birdham

Erection of ground mounted Solar Photovoltaic panels.

BI/11/04446/DOM Mr & Mrs James Carpenter Vine Cottage Church Lane Birdham

Extension and alteration of Vine Cottage, including demolition of existing single storey extension, conservatory and the adjacent garage/workshop, and construction of new single storey extension, new conservatory and new garage/studio.

Decisions

BI/11/03029/FUL Mr And Mrs L Van Rooyen Creek Cottage Westlands Estate Birdham

Replacement of existing house with new dwelling. PERMIT

9. Correspondence

10. Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 2012 – Consider setting up a working group

11. Determine and formulate a policy for meetings with developers.

12. To debate & determine the provider of the Councils website & instruct the Clerk in preparing contracts. See the attached paper submitted by Cllr Grafham.

13. Reports:

i) Play area and playing field

ii) Village green and pond

iii) Police & Neighbourhood Watch

iv) Communications/Parish Newsletter

v) Other

14. Finance

To receive and approve a financial report

Budget for 2012/13 (1^st Look) – Previously Circulated

15. To review the Risk Assessment Policy.- Previously Circulated

16. Reports of meetings attended by councillors

17. Items for inclusion in next meeting.

THE PUBLIC HAVE A RIGHT TO ATTEND ALL MEETINGS

OF THE COUNCIL AND ARE WELCOME

AGENDA ITEM 9

BI/11/03616/FUL Chichester Yacht Club Birdham

This is an application to replace the existing two pontoons with larger and more robust versions, to create zones for the storage of safety boats and to re-grade parts of the foreshore in relation to these works.

The existing pontoons are reaching the end of their life and need to be replaced, in part because of the success of the Club and the amount of people who now use them, especially in the summer. The replacements are to the same pattern as those on the outer side of the lock to Chichester Marina, adjacent to the site.

The replacement East pontoon will be 7 metres longer and slightly wider. At the seaward end there will be two 6 metre long “fingers” either side of the pontoon. And alongside the main pontoon there will be a flat area (a “dock”) for a safety boat. Some re-grading of the ground at the landward end may be necessary for access to a bridge linking the land to the pontoon, as at present.

The West pontoon will be to a similar pattern but without the safety boat dock as part of it. It too will be longer than the present pontoon. At the landward end the intention is to re-grade the shingle beach between this pontoon and the main slipway. The shingle appears to overlay concrete blocks which form the existing partial seawall. They are reputedly left over from the boat construction work for D-Day landing-craft and are in a poor state. The re-grading will be reinforced by a 450mm high retaining wall of railway sleepers at the landward end.

The planning questions are to do with amenity and environment.

The site lies right on Chichester Harbour in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is prominent when viewed from the water and the adjacent road. It is also adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a RAMSAR wetlands site.

The pontoons will certainly be larger and therefore more prominent when viewed from the clubhouse or from the roadway between the club and the lock of the Marina. But the general ambience here is of boat storage and sailing activity. The “rib” safety boats will be more prominent in their new storage and it would be desirable when they are replaced to choose a less prominent colour than the present orange. But the ambience here is in any case of multi-coloured sailing boats. We do not therefore consider that the amenity of this site and the views of it will be unduly damaged by this part of the development.

The regrading will have to be undertaken with some care. The shingle is largely under water at high tide but, in this position, the disturbance of habitat is likely to be minimal. We would defer to expert advice (from Natural England, for example) on this.

The Council has NO OBJECTION to this application.

BI/11/03981/FUL Wophams Lane Nursery Birdham

Wophams Lane Nursery is bordered on the eastern side by the A286 and to the north by Wophams Lane. The site of this application is at the rear of the property and cannot be seen from either road. The site lies outside the Chichester Harbour AONB.

The application is for an array of ground-mounted photovoltaic cells at an angle of 35 degrees to the ground, to offset energy costs at this nursery business. The issues would be intrusion into the views from the AONB, glare from the angled glass and intrusion into the amenity of neighbours. None of these applies here.

The Council has NO OBJECTION to this application.

BI/11/04446/DOM Vine Cottage, Church Lane, BIrdham

This is an application to demolish and replace a single storey extension and conservatory and the existing garage and to create a new garage /studio, and in addition to alter some of the existing house. The site lies within the Birdham SPA and the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The existing flat-roofed extension is of no particular merit. It projects 2.6m from the house and is 2.4m high. The proposed new extension projects 7.1m from the main house and is 4.4m high to the main ridge. We do not believe that this will involve loss of amenity to the neighbours and there are no overlooking issues as the fenestration is all on the ground floor.

There are considerable alterations to the north elevation but we see no problem with the new windows and entrance here. We have some concerns about the triple roof light on this elevation as the neighbours to the north are only 25 metres away but this could be overcome by conditions on screening hedges maintained to a suitable height.

The existing garage has an area of 59.84m2 and a maximum ridge height of 4.3m. The proposed replacement has an area of 78.84m2 including the studio and a ridge height of 5.5m. The detailing of the west elevation looks domestic and there should be a condition that this may not be used as separate accommodation or sold separately from the main house. The height also seems excessive and could have implications for neighbours to the east.

We believe that there are certain matters of detail which need to be attended to before permission is granted but overall have NO OBJECTION to this application.

AGENDA ITEM 12

Review Paper

Table of Contents

Document Summary 3

Scope 3

Website 3

Social Networking 3

History 3

Website Review 5

Social Networking Review 9

Facebook 10

Twitter 10

Document Summary

The purpose of this document is to outline the Birdham Parish Council’s (BPC) current position on on-line communication, review potential on-line channels available to BPC and make a recommendation on their use in the future.

Scope

The focus of this document is on two channels of open communication over the internet, namely a website and social networking.

Website

Having a website is a pre-requisite for providing consumers with access to information and contact details for any company or organization, including parish councils, where the consumers will be parish residents, local businesses, visitors to the area and other interested parties. Websites are still the most accessible form of on-line communication and have the widest reach.

Social Networking

Social networking is a more recent on-line phenomenon that has very quickly become a mainstream form of communication for individuals, businesses, organizations and many other groups and communities. There is an on-line network now to satisfy just about every need, be it a personal, charitable, professional or government institution. (I found around 200 different sites offering ‘networking/meeting’ for different purposes and social groups.)

Security note:

Whatever form of on-line communication being considered, security is always of primary concern. Not just from the point of view of data protection for administrators, contributors, members and viewers, but also considering misuse – e.g. , hacking, giving wrongful information and recently even ‘cyber attack’ (ref. wikileaks.org).

History

While on-line communication is an ongoing concern for BPC, it was raised most recently at the June 2011 meeting of BPC.

This extract is from the original communication discussion document issued ahead of the June meeting and relates to electronic communication:

[Extract begins]

Electronic communication: The council have a web-site, developed by a local company, which contains minutes of meetings, agenda’s etc. The council have recognised the web-site could be improved for users and for administrators and to this end £1500 has been included in the proposed 2011/2012 budget.

Proposals:

To review the options and costs for updating the website, e.g. updating the current site or redevelopment with a new provider (see Website Analysis document for more info)
To review the content provided on the website
To consider how the user interacts with the council via the website
To include relevant links to other local organisations and businesses
To include the website address in all other communications, e.g. the newsletter
To engage with social media sites, e.g. Facebook and Twitter, both of which are well-used by other councils and council associations.
To engage with SALC and NALC to seek advice/review guidelines for on-line communication.
To create a working group to manage the process of review and set a ‘project schedule’, breaking the process down into manageable stages with delivery milestones.

What should we communicate?

Future: Currently the future items for discussion are detailed in the agenda issued one week before the monthly meeting and posted on the noticeboards and web-site.

Proposals:

To provide links to CDC/WSCC items which are coming up
To post items to website/Facebook about future items/issues/events which may be up for discussion at later meetings than the next one

Past: Minutes are posted on the website.

Proposals:

To post all documents (correspondence, etc.) that may be requested under FOI

Current: Councillors are listed on the website with contact details for the clerk.

Proposals:

To list parish/district/county councillors relevant to Birdham on website and noticeboards.
To provide contact details on the website/noticeboards for those happy to have these publically available
To provide a photo on the website of those happy to have a photo
To put a group photo of the parish councillors into the July newsletter
To include informative pieces on the website covering the duties and responsibilities of the council, how parish councils work, planning, current newsletter, etc.
To create a ‘sister site’ to contain non-council information such as links to Birdham businesses, Village Hall, etc.

[Extract ends]

Website Review

It is generally agreed that the current BPC website is out-dated and in need of a revamp. As per the proposal at the June meeting, the redevelopment of the site has been investigated.

An initial search of parish council websites led to the identification of three website service providers that have recently provided website services to parish councils (many of them local).

The three providers are (with links to example sites, example pages included in Appendix A at the end of this document):

Access-bydesign.com (our current provider) – recent site example:
- https://northmundham.org/
- Parishcouncil.net – site examples:
  - www.ashleygreenparishcouncil.org.uk/
  - https://www.westmeonpc.org.uk/
  - www.shorwellparishcouncil.org.uk/
  - https://www.bembridgepc.org.uk/ (Gold package)
  - Python-online.com – site examples:
    - www.isfieldpc.org.uk/
    - www.horne-pc.org.uk/

Here is a list of some of the areas that have been given consideration:

Set-up cost
Features
Accessibility
Ease of maintenance
Hosting charges
Maintenance cost

The following table illustrates the comparable costs and availability of features from each provider.

	Access-bydesign.com	Parishcouncil.net	Python-online.com
Set-up cost	£2030 + VAT	£250, £450 or £800 + VAT depending on package (includes year 1 hosting and maintenance)	£500 (£250 discount through SALC) or £630 inc. year 1 maintenance.
Additional costs	£150 .org.uk registration?	£150 .org.uk registration,

£47.82 MySQL database set up£150 .org.uk registration?

@ £40 hosting set-upFeatures (see tables below)Custom/bespoke siteTemplate based, tiered packagesTemplate basedAccessibility OptionsYesNot standard, but can be offered.YesEasy maintenanceYesYesYesHosting charges?£100, £200 or £300 / yr depending on package@ £40 / yrMaintenance costs?£130 / yr (optional) or £30 / hr support

The following table is a list of the standard features available from parishcouncil.net and compares them with availability from the other two providers:

FEATURE	Access-bydesign.com	Parishcouncil.net	Python-online.com
Email Accounts

(10 POP3)

ü (if required)

Online Document Archive

Online News Section

Calendar

Links

Website Updates

Small OS Maps of the area

Local Travel Reports

Local Weather Reports

Councillor Listing Tool / Details

Site Admin Section (SAS)

Domain Name

ü (extra)

Website Hosting

Features optional for parishcouncil.net (if selecting their silver or gold package) and their availability from other providers. The rows shaded grey are the options that may not be all that useful. They have not been removed as they may still merit discussion.

FEATURE	Access-bydesign.com	Parishcouncil.net	Python-online.com
Local Directory		O
Sponsored Links		O
Planning Application	Y	O	Y
Site Search Function	Sitemap	O	Sitemap
Homepage Ticker		O
Usage Statistics		O
Homepage Visitor Counter		O
Online Contact Form	Y	O
10 Additional Email Accounts		O
Site Registration / Emailer / Newsletter	O	O
RSS / News Feed	Y	O
Email-a-friend		O
FAQs / Knowledgebase		O
Photo Gallery		O
Homepage Photo Gallery		O
Blogs		O
Online Games		O
Large OS Maps		O
Youth Section		O
Consultations		O
Scrolling News		O
Chairman’s / Mayor’s Reports		O
Upcoming Events		O
Questionnaires		O
Online Poll		O
Special Maps		O
Village Hall Calendar and Booking Form	Y	O
Discussion Forum	Y	O
FLITE (Forum Lite)		O
Secure Councillor Login		O
Parish Plan		O
Flash Clock		O
Walks Editor		O	Y
A-Z of Services		O
Social Networking Links	O	O
Other		O

Each of the providers offers significant improvements over the current BPC website and all include the core features that would be essential for a new website to include.

Website Summary

Parishcouncil.net would appear to offer the most features if selecting their gold package, however it could be argued that several of them are overkill for a parish council website. It is template based (as standard) although a bespoke option is available (at a price). It does not offer accessibility options as standard but there are ways that accessibility can be improved using the browser settings and a little know how, but this information would have to be made available. Parishcouncil.net have offered to include this if required.

Access-bydesign is easily the most advanced of the site offerings and as a bespoke site it would be unique and be designed to be eye catching and engaging. The design uses the latest language development enabling sites to be responsive and automatically change to best fit different devices, e.g. standard PC monitors, tablet, mobile phones. It also offers the most accessibility options.

Python-online offers are no frills, template-based site that is still visually pleasing, easy to navigate and still offers the key features for a Parish Council website. It is also the cheapest of the three providers over a 10 year period that includes support and maintenance.

Social Networking Review

The two most popular social networking sites are Facebook and Twitter and operate in very different ways. Most people are now aware of these sites but not all will know how they work. A short description of each is included below.

Analysis of these sites shows that they are widely used by Parish Councils to communicate information to the public.

I would recommend BPC setting up accounts on both and working out details for administration of those accounts.

Facebook

Facebook is a site that requires registration and allows members to provide as much or as little personal information as they wish and to post updates to their ‘wall’. This is a very popular tool with people wanting to keep in touch with old friends, distant friends, or just lots of ‘friends’ in general. It allows for public and private messaging, supports photos and events.

Public bodies and private companies have taken to setting up a profile on Facebook with limited posting permissions, so they can make posts, reveal news and advertise events, while restricting public posts onto their walls.

There are examples of parish councils using this very effectively, but it is necessary to promote the fact that the council has a Facebook site in order for people to know to look for it and ‘like’ it so that they receive the posts.

It is simple to set up a Facebook account and in Birdham it should be relatively easy to promote its existence and get people to ‘like’ it and receive any updates posted by the council.

It is also a positive step to encouraging younger members of the community to engage with the council.

BPC could also be friends with, or like, other local community bodies and share their updates and vice versa.

Facebook updates can be posted from mobile phones and other handheld devices using SMS, while smart phone apps allow profile maintenance and other functionality too.

Twitter

Twitter is a different kind of social networking site. Its main selling point is that it only allows short posts, or ‘tweets’ to give them their correct description. The maximum length for a tweet is 140 characters. Accounts on Twitter are all prefixed by the ‘@’ symbol.

Users receive tweets only for those accounts that they have selected to ‘follow’ so this also means likewise only followers of the Parish Council will receive its tweets.

This means that the Twitter account would also have to be promoted and quoted whenever possible to build up a list of followers.

It is possible to tweet links to other sites with further information, it is also possible to re-tweet somebody else’s tweet provided that you follow them and receive the original tweet or the re-tweet.

Subjects can ‘trend’ on Twitter, often with the use of the ‘#’ tag preceding a particular name, phrase of event etc.

Twitter is also used by companies and community bodies to share information with the public – as interesting as possible to try and build up more and more followers.

It is one of the more widely used networking sites across generations.

Tweets can be posted from mobile phones and other handheld devices using SMS, while smart phone apps allow profile maintenance and other functionality too.