Minutes of the Birdham Parish Council meeting held on the 20th April 2015
Birdham Parish Council
Minutes of the
Meeting of the Parish Council
held on Monday 20th April 2015
at 7pm in Birdham Village Hall
Present: Cllr Pocock (Chairman), Cllr Hamilton (Vice Chairman), Cllr Churchill
Cllr Brooks, Cllr Ayton and Cllr Firmston
Apologies: Cllr Barker, Cllr Cobbold, Cllr Finch (CDC)
In attendance: The Clerk, Cllr Montyn (WSCC & CDC), Cllr Marshall (CDC) and 15 members of the public.
Absent:
136-14 Public Question time in accordance with Standing Orders 1d -1l:
A resident asked why the minutes had not been published on the website.
The Clerk said that whilst it was not a requirement to publish un-adopted minutes he had previously done so for the benefit of residents. However, he had just not had the time to do so with the March minutes.
137-14 Declaration of Interests:
There were no declarations of interest given.
138-14 Approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on the 16th March 2015.
it was resolved to adopt the minutes of the 16th March 2015 as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
139-14 Matters arising from the minutes of the 19th November 2012:
Minute 89-12 - Land Bequest. The Clerk said he had finally found the problem with the Land Registration. Apparently the Land Registry Office had managed to get the information of the bequest and Birdham Straight House mixed up and had failed to use the correct information in other areas of the registration process. After some discussion between the LR Office and the Councils Solicitor the LR Office had accepted responsibility and were in the process of rectifying the problem.
140-14 Clerks’ Report:
i) WSCC – Nothing to report at this time.
ii) CDC –
a) The Clerk said that as a result of enquiries he had made to CDC Enforcement Team it had become clear that the concerns relating to the work being carried out by the owners of Birdham Farm are unfounded at the present time.
b) The Clerk was in receipt of a communication from CDC that indicated the Pallant House Gallery would be open free of Charge during the period 25-26th April.
iii) Reports from Members of WSCC/CDC –
a) Cllr Montyn said that he was not happy with the situation concerning Birdham Farm and would be chasing CDC Enforcement to be wary.
b) Going on to the Op Watershed application and the delay in getting things done for Walwyn Close residents he said that the decision making process had taken far too long. He was to have a meeting the following day with WSCC Members for the area and Officers who had been dealing with the various applications to both determine if he could speed things up and get a better deal than was currently on offer.
At this point the Chairman advised that the amount of money that had been offered should not be discussed as this could easily compromise negotiations with third parties.
Cllr Firmston asked who would be responsible for the maintenance if the work did go ahead.
The Chairman said that as yet no decision had been made on that point.
Mr Barrington said that if negotiations failed and the work goes ahead in the gardens as was originally suggested then the maintenance would be the responsibility of the house owners as riparian owners. He went on to say that negotiations were underway with the land owner who had suggested that an open ditch could be dug which would do the job as well as any culvert, it would be cheaper and could be completed that much quicker.
c) Cllr Montyn went on to say that decision on the Local Plan is still awaited and is now likely to be in Mid-May.
d) Cllr Marshall said that he was concerned about the sea ward side of the structural wall of the main lock at Chichester Marina, he is pursuing the owners to get any repairs carried out prior to any major problems being experienced.
e) The Chairman, noting that Cllr Montyn and Cllr Marshall were both standing down from the CDC, proposed a vote of thanks for all of the work that they had both undertaken on behalf of the residents and the Parish Council.
iv) Other related matters – There were none.
141-14 Finance and Corporate:
i) To receive and approve the financial report.
The Clerk presented the financial reports for the month of April (shown at annex a). He reminded members that this was the first statement of the new Financial Year and also included the first tranche of the Precept in the value of £21725.18. The current balances are as follows;
Balances held at Bank
| £36732.62 | |
| Designated Funds | £29654.17 |
| Ring Fenced Funds | £13033.00 |
| Available Funds | £14989.89 |
| Creditors | £ 6177.56 |
The Clerk offered to answer any questions that Councillors may have.
It was resolved to adopt the Financial Report.
142-14Update on the Neighbourhood Plan
Cllr Brooks said that no other activity had taken place on the Neighbourhood Plan. However, the Inspector that had originally been chosen to carry out the independent assessment was now not able to carry out the work. It was therefore proposed and subsequently resolved that Ms Janet Cheesley be appointed as the Inspector to examine the Neighbourhood Plan.
143-14 Planning matters including applications and CDC delegated decisions:
i) Planning Applications to be decided.
BI/15/00388/DOM - Mr Stephen Terry Houseboat Infinity Chichester Marina Birdham
To extend houseboat by 6m x 3m to incorporate bedroom and storage.
The Council decided to raise No Objection to this application however, they were concerned about the potential impact on the AONB.
BI/15/00795/TPA - Mrs Rosemary Page 26 Longmeadow Gardens Birdham
Reduce northern sector by 2-3m (back from property) on 1 no. Oak tree (T1) BI/95/00032/TPO.
The Council raised No Objection to this application.
BI/15/00646/DOM - Mr Chris Bateson Timbers Crooked Lane Birdham
Single storey extension to kitchen.
The Council raised No Objection to this application.
BI/15/00796/ADV - Mr & Mrs M Eade The Barnyard Birdham Road Birdham
Erection of freestanding V forecourt sign.
The Parish Council Objects to this application on the grounds of size and proximity to the AONB. In its objection the Council suggests that the applicant consider adopting the AONB guidelines on advertising signs and perhaps using two signs rather than the huge existing sign.
BI/15/00915/ELD - Mr Paul Knappett Kellys Farm Bell Lane Birdham
Used as an office for over 10 years.
The Council decided to raise No Objection to this application however, they ask that should the principle authority be minded to grant permission that conditions are imposed to prevent the use of the building as either a holiday or residential home
BI/15/00989/DOM - Mr & Mrs Morelli 11 Greenacres Birdham
Ground floor and first floor extension (to the west facing elevation), internal alterations and roof conversion.
The Council decided to raise No Objection to this application however, they were concerned about the increase in height to this otherwise development of two storey dwellings and the potential overlooking of neighbours.
It was resolved to authorise the Clerk to notify Councils decision to CDC Planning.
ii) Delegated Decisions to be noted.
BI/15/00003/DOM Mr David Thompson Copper Beech Church Lane Birdham
Rebuild first floor side extension with new design and two flat roofed rear ground floor extensions. PERMIT
BI/15/00403/DOM Mr Peter Mckenzie Field Cottage Westlands Estate Birdham
Extensions, partial raised roof, loft conversion, garage conversion and recladding. PERMIT
BI/15/00339/FUL Premier Marinas Former Chandlery Building Chichester Marina
Change of use of ground floor from retail (Use Class A1) and restaurant (Use Class A3) to create five self-contained two-bedroom residential units (Use Class C3). Replacement of existing flat roof with pitched roof including dormer windows to create upper levels to the existing flats. PERMIT
The delegated decisions were noted.
144-14 Correspondence – Not previously circulated:
Three subscribed too magazines had been received and circulated during the meeting.
145-14 Reports:
i) Play Area and Playing Field. – The Clerk said that he had meetings with various parties to get some idea of the possibility of providing more challenging play equipment suitable for all ages. He also said that items within the play area had been damaged by vandalism which would result in the Parish Council and more importantly the residents paying for repair work that was estimated to be in the region of £500.00. The repairs had been logged and would be dealt with this coming week.
Three residents questioned the reason for the play equipment for older groups and expressed a wish that more money should be spent on the childrens play area. The Clerk explained that it was not for him to make any form of decision on where money was to be spend however, a number of the completed surveys carried out for the neighbourhood plan had clearly stated the need for older childrens equipment. He was therefore duty bound to at least have some indication of what could be provided and at what cost in order that both Councillors and residents would be properly informed prior to any decisions being made.
ii) Village Green and Pond. – There was nothing to report at this time.
iii) Condition of Village Ditch/Drain Network. – The Chairman reported that whilst the ditches in the main part of the village were now almost all in good order there was still some concern over those in Bell Lane and Bookers Lane. A 6” culvert had been run where a 9” culvert should have been used which created a restriction resulting in considerable flooding in the past. The culvert does belong to WSCC who are looking at ways to resolve the problem.
Mr Barrington said that he was still very unhappy with the support that he was getting from WSCC in that 17 items of the 20 point plan which had been agreed with WSCC had still not be done. He felt that he had achieved nothing in the last two months. He went on to say that the Surface Water Management Report should be on the WSCC web site in due course. He felt that more money was being spent on reports than on practical items which would resolve the problems.
The Chairman said that the Opus report indicating who own what in relation to culverts and ditches was on the Parish Council web site.
iv) Police and Neighbourhood Watch – There was nothing to report.
v) Communication Working Groups – There was nothing to report.
vi) Other - The Clerk reported that he had been contacted by a resident who wished that an additional dog bin could be installed at the end of the footpath in Westlands Lane. Although this is a Parish Council responsibility the costs to provide a bin are somewhat high at £800 for installation and the first year of emptying and are certainly not within the budget for 2015/16.
146-14 Reports of meetings attended by Councillors;
The Chairman reported that he attended a workshop which had been run by CDC to outline the detail of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the likely impact on Birdham. He was however disappointed that from all of the Parishes eligible to attend he was one of just three.
147-14 Items for inclusion on the next agenda:
There were none suggested.
148-14 Date of Next Meeting:
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council to be held on the
18th May 2015 at 7pm in Birdham Village Hall
There being no further business to discuss the meeting was declared closed at 9pm
Signed ___________________________ Dated ____________________
Chairman
Annex A
| Birdham Parish Council | ||||||
| Financial Statement as at 17th April 2015 | ||||||
|
£ |
||||||
| Bank Accounts as at 31st March 2015 |
36732.62 |
|||||
| Receipts to date |
21725.18 |
|||||
| Expenditure to date |
780.74 |
|||||
| Balance |
57677.06 |
|||||
| Represented by; | ||||||
| Current Account (Barclays Community A/c) |
32153.23 |
|||||
| Deposit Account (Barclays Premium Business A/c) |
18713.02 |
|||||
| National Savings |
6810.81 |
|||||
| Total |
57677.06 |
|||||
| Less | ||||||
| Reserve @ 50% of Precept |
21063.13 |
|||||
| Loan Reserve for half year |
8591.04 |
|||||
| Outstanding Cheque/s - | ||||||
| Total |
29654.17 |
|||||
| Ringfenced Funds | ||||||
| Op Watershed |
6768.00 |
|||||
| New Homes Bonus |
6265.00 |
|||||
| Available Funds | Total |
14989.89 |
||||
Signed Clerk to the Council 17th April 2015 Payments to be considered B Geary (Litter Picking)
70.00
Clerks Expenses (Telephone/stationary etc.)
118.91
SSALC Local Council Review
17.00
West Sussex ALC Ltd (WSALC/NALC Subscriptions)
437.16
A Dover (Clearing bus stop at stores)
168.00
CDC (Dog & Litter Bin Clearance)
586.57
Southern Electric (Street Lighting)
211.12
M J Visual (Village Hall Projection/NHB Grant)
4558.80
AiRS (Balance of Subscription)
10.00
Total
6177.56