Minutes May 2006

Minutes of the Annual Meeting held on Monday 15th May 2006 at 7pm in the Main Hall at Birdham Village Hall

Present: Cllr Tilbury; Cllr Mrs Baillieu; Cllr Mrs Rees; Cllr Drew; Cllr Churchill;

In attendance: The Clerk; County Cllr Daws-Chew; 2 tree wardens;

12-06cl. Election of Chairman of the Council for 2006-7 and to receive Declaration of Office. It was proposed by Cllr Mrs Rees and seconded by Cllr Drew RESOLVED that Cllr Tilbury be elected as Chairman for 2006-7. Cllr Tilbury read and completed the Declaration of Office which was witnessed by the Clerk.

13-06cl. Election of Vice-Chairman of the Council for 2006-7 and to receive Declaration of Office. It was proposed by Cllr Tilbury and seconded by Cllr Churchill RESOLVED that Cllr Mrs Rees be elected as Vice-Chairman for 2006-7. Cllr Mrs Rees read and completed the Declaration of Office which was witnessed by the Clerk.

14-06cl. To appoint representatives to outside bodies including:
i) Play park – Cllr Churchill
ii) Civil Protection Emergency Planning - Cllr Mrs Parks
iii) Village Hall trustees – Cllr Tilbury; Cllr Mrs Rees; Cllr Kyte; Cllr Ms Huskisson
iv) Manhood Mobility Volunteer Service Ltd - Cllr Mrs Rees
It was proposed by Cllr Mrs Baillieu and seconded by Cllr Drew RESOLVED to approve the above. It was agreed to write to the Secretary of the Harbour Conservancy about the parish vacancy on the board.

15-06cl. Apologies were received from Cllr Meynell.

16-06cl. Declaration of Interests The Chairman commented that former District Cllr Taff Davies is not present. The Adjudication Panel of the Standards Board for England has disqualified him from standing as a councillor.

17-06cl. Approve and sign the Minutes of the Meeting held on 24th April 2006
It was proposed by Cllr Drew and seconded by Cllr Mrs Rees RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 24th April 2006 be approved and that they be signed by the Chairman.

18-06cl. Matters arising from the Minutes dated 24th April 2006
i) Min 4-06cl i) Village Pond sign. The Clerk reported that this had not been put up yet, and that the Rospa inspection was due in June. There could be problems with our insurers if the sign is not up by the date of the inspection. Cllr Drew agreed to undertake this.
ii) Min 4-06cl iii) Trees along the Canal – Cllr Ms Huskisson was not present to make a report.
iii) Min 4-06cl iv) Light – the Clerk reported that the day after the April meeting she had received a letter from the Clerk of Earnley Parish Council asking the Parish to continue to maintain the light, and they would make a donation to its costs annually. However, she had already sent off the letter to Southern Electric, who have contacted her about the matter by phone. She is awaiting their reply as to when they will take the light off Birdham’s account.
iv) Min 4-06cl v) Chichester Harbour Management Plan – Cllr Ms Huskisson was not present to report.
v) Min 5-06cl iv) Notice board. The Clerk reported that she has placed an order for the board as discussed at the last meeting. She is awaiting confirmation of the order including the length of time before it will be delivered.
vi) Min 4-06cl ii) Bus to Bishop Luffa – County Cllr Daws-Chew has looked into this again but there is no funding to pay for buses.
vii) Annual Meeting with the Parishes – Cllr Mrs Rees cannot attend.
viii) The chairman had had lunch with the Chairman of the County Council last week, and the items discussed covered traffic and climate change, as well as pressure on the government to re-consider the amount of housing to be placed in the area.

19-06cl. Clerk’s Report including
a) WSCC Reports, highways matters and correspondence
i) Copies of the booklet “For Better Tomorrows” are available for councillors to take away with them.
ii) A CD of the West Sussex Transport Plan has been sent to the Council and will be placed in the correspondence file for councillors to read.
iii) Highways Department have sent details of the drainage work to be carried out at Crouchers Barn, which will begin on 15th May for six weeks, and involve traffic-light controlled working between 9.30 and 16.30 each working day.
iv) The Council has received a Statement of Community Involvement: First Review Preferred Option. Comments must be received by 23rd June. Cllr Mrs Rees agreed to look at this for the Council.
v) Finger post at corner of Crooked Lane and Church Lane had been damaged for some time, but has now been repaired thanks to John FitzMaurice.
b) CDC Reports including correspondence
i) A number of documents have been sent to the Council on the LDF. Cllr Tilbury had looked at them for the Council. He reported that the number of dwellings in Birdham up to 2018 has gone down to 50-70. Long Meadow site would take quite a lot of this. Comments on the hierarchy of need for housing have been taken into account, and holiday homes have been re-defined as holiday accommodation. The new draft does not confirm that the SPA will remain exactly as it is, although there is a strong presumption that way. Even though no green field building is in the plan for Birdham, some green field building may take place where no other site is available. Horticultural development at Sidlesham and Almodington has got out of hand as it is not just used for that purpose. The industry has been pressing the District Council to improve Wophams Lane and Sidlesham Lane. Latest cost for A27 improvement is £64m rather than the £70m previously stated, and the rest of the money may have to be found locally. Most traffic will come down the A286 rather than the minor roads. Responses have to be in June 16th. Agreed that the chairman should draft a reply, which would be circulated and the council could hold a special meeting if necessary.
ii) The Annual Meeting with the Parishes will now have an extra item on Affordable Housing presented by Austin Wade. This was noted.
iii) Shona Archer has replied to the comments made by the Council about Premier Business Park to say that an investigation has been launched and that the owners have been made aware of the problems. They have also been told about the need for planning permission for their yellow signs, and have been asked to remove them.
iv) Environmental Health has sent details of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environments Act 2005 and has asked for comments from the Council on some matters relating to this. Cllr Churchill agreed to look at this for the Council.
v) Details have been received of Chichester District’s Residents and Business Garden Competition. This was noted.
c) Other related matters
i) The Harbour Conservancy has sent details of when maintenance will be done to footpaths in the AONB. This was noted.
ii) The Patient and Public Involvement Forum for West Sussex will be holding their AGM on 16th May at 6pm in the Old Court room, the Council House, Chichester. The Royal West Sussex one will be holding their AGM on 18th May at 1pm in Bassil Shippam Centre, Tozer Way. Anyone is welcome to attend these meetings. This was noted.
iii) Action in Rural Sussex will be holding a series of Parish Plan surgeries in June. The nearest to Chichester is at Graffham Empire Hall on 6th June between 9am and 8pm. Appointments need to be booked in advance. It was decided Cllr Drew should attend to this. Clerk to book for 7pm.
iv) The now-defunct ODPM has sent a discussion Paper on Local Authority Byelaws in England. Any comments need to be sent in by the end of May. Cllr Tilbury agreed to look at this for the Council.
v) The dates for the meetings for the rest of the year 2006 are proposed as follows:
June 19th; July 17th; September 18th; October 16th; November 20th and December 18th.
These are all the third Monday in the month.
vi) The clerk further asked the Council if any councillors would be able to assist with serving refreshments at the Peninsula Community forum on June 7th in the Village Hall at 7pm. Cllr Mrs Baillieu and Cllr Mrs Rees offered to help.
vii) The Chichester Canal Trust has elections for its Trustees and as a member Birdham has a vote in this. It was decided to vote for five candidates.

20-06cl. Planning Matters including CDC decisions
A paper detailing planning matters had been circulated to all councillors.
Plans to be considered at the meeting:

BI/06/01652/DOM – Mr and Mrs Gracie, Northleigh House, Main Road, Birdham PO20 7BY – Proposed residential dwelling and replacement garages. It was decided to obtain the advice of Cllr Meynell on this application.

Plans considered since the last meeting to be ratified:

BI/06/01519/DOM – Mr and Mrs R Gubbins, Danes Acre, Lock Lane, Birdham P020 7BA – One additional window to first floor – NO OBJECTION

BI/06/01590/PLD – Mr and Mrs J Charlesworth-Nawn, Birdham Yacht Club, Lock Lane, Birdham – Construction of foundations to damp proof course level, planning permission BI/74/78 dated 13/12/78. Development confirmed by CDC, dated 14/06/82, as having commenced
The Council understands that it is being asked simply whether the remains of the footings up to damp proof course height which exist on the site are identical with those which were installed in 1978. If they are, the work may be deemed to have started and can now continue on the basis of the 1978 permission.

We have consulted Mr W.P. Ahern, who is referred to in Mr Tupper’s affidavit, and he says that there is no reason to believe that the brickwork and concrete there now is anything but the footings and not, for example, the remains of the previous yacht club building. It was he who advised that, when worked stopped on the site, the footings should be paved over to protect the cavities.

Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, there is no reason why the application should not be granted.

The Council has, however, two concerns:

The first is about design. We wonder whether the 1978 design for a landmark building on one of the most sensitive sites in Birdham – indeed a signifier of Birdham for those approaching by water and adjacent to the Birdham tide mills – is still acceptable in location and environmental terms in 2006. The criteria for granting planning permission may have been different in 1978. We recognise that there may be no room to raise this question on the present enquiry. We have not seen the planning conditions of 1978 but we wonder whether conditions had been agreed on materials and finishes of the building and whether there is scope for some rethinking here.

The second is the present and future need for this building. On Friday, 19th May, the nearby Chichester Yacht Club will open is new buildings which are very close by, having doubled in size. Our fear is that this new building will be put up, that it will be discovered that there is no demand for the extra facilities, and there will then be an application to change the building to residential use, which we would oppose in present circumstances.

BI/06/01582/DOM – Mr and Mrs Hammond, Windward, Westlands, Birdham PO20 7HJ – alterations and side extension – NO OBJECTION

BI/06/01604/OUT – Mr RF Stirland, 4 The Triangle, Westlands Lane, Birdham PO20 7HG – outline residential, 1 no dwelling and garage – NO OBJECTION

CDC Decisions

BI/06/00777/DOM – Richard Dale, Tradewinds, Lock Lane, Birdham PO20 7BA – proposed ground and first floor rear extension – PERMIT

BI/06/00815/DOM – Mr and Mrs W Hines, 14, Walwyn Close, Birdham PO20 7SR – proposed rear UPVC conservatory – PERMIT

BI/06/01038/DOM – Mr and Mrs D Finnamore, Broomer Farm, Lock Lane Birdham PO20 7AX – Two storey residential extension REFUSE

BI/06/01125/DOM – Mr and Mrs J Goodwin, Fosgrove, 1 Burlow Close, Birdham PO20 7ES – Demolition of existing garage, utility and ensuite erection of 1.5 storey side extension and loft conversion – PERMIT

BI/06/01027/DOM – Mr and Mrs Winterbotham, Fir Trees, Shipton Green Lane, Itchenor PO20 7BZ – Variation of condition to allow domestic garage with habitable accommodation – REFUSE.

The Chairman and the Tree Wardens had attended the Development Control Committee South about a poplar backing onto Walwyn Close. In the end the committee allowed up to 30% pruning.

21-06cl Correspondence
Correspondence to be circulated includes:
Clerks and Councils Direct May 2006
Local Council Review May 2006
WSCC Connections April 2006
NPFA AGM papers etc

22-06cl. Reports:
i) Village Hall – the Chairman reported that at the Annual Meeting of the parish we were unable to present the accounts of the Village Hall to the Council as they were not available. The Chairman now has a copy of this. The Council wishes to give back to the Village Hall the sum which is held in the name of the Village Hall, as soon as funds permit. It was proposed by Cllr Tilbury and seconded by Cllr Churchill RESOLVED to do this.
ii) Play Area and Playing field – the Clerk reported that she has contacted Foster Playscapes about the chain bridge and the need to grease the swings, and they will do the work as soon as possible. Cllr Churchill reported that surface rust is showing on the tops of the swings. Need to get Mr Muffat to do it. The grass needs cutting.
iii) Village Green and Pond – no report
iv) Footpaths and Bridleways – no report
v) Neighbourhood Watch – Cmdr Clarke has spoken to the clerk and said that there are no reported incidents since the last meeting.
vi) Tree wardens – Marianne reported back on the course she had attended. WSCC are offering up to 15 trees free of charge to each parish to put on amenity ground. The tree wardens will draw up a suggestion for where the trees might go to be discussed at the next meeting. It is possible that there might be a group meeting with the wardens from the whole of the Manhood. The Tree Wardens were thanked for their hard work.

23-06cl Finance including possible donations to charitable bodies
A Financial Situation Report had been circulated to all councillors as well as a list of charities supported during the last year.

Payments made since the last meeting to be ratified:

Clerk’s salary (April) 485.37

Receipts, current account – VAT refund, March 4361.57

Receipts, deposit account - nil

Receipts, village hall account – nil

Payments to be considered:

Mrs Geary, litter, May 65.00
Adrian Dover, grass 106.50
Principal, photocopier service, includes 8.75 VAT 58.73
Clerk’s expenses, includes 1.19 VAT 12.54

Notes:

The Clerk has since the last meeting transferred £10,000 to the Village Hall account and £15,000 to the deposit account so they can be earning interest until the money is needed.

It was proposed by Cllr Drew and seconded by Cllr Churchill RESOLVED to approve the Financial Report.
It was further proposed by Cllr Mrs Baillieu and seconded by Cllr Tilbury RESOLVED to make the following donations:
The Samaritans £50
Chichester Ship Canal Trust (membership) £15 plus £35 donation
4Sight £50
Victim Support £50
Manhood Mobility Volunteer Service £150
Citizens’ Advice Bureau £50

24-06cl. Reports of meetings attended by Councillors - none

14. Public Session
Bob Norris will be cycling for charity and asks for sponsorship.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.05pm