Minutes of the Monxton Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 19th March 2014 in the Monxton Village Hall at 7.30pm.
Present : Cllr Sarah Dowding – Vice Chairman, Cllr Judith Balding, Cllr David Eaglesham, Cllr David Bateman, Richard Waterman – Parish Clerk, County Councillor Mrs Pat West, Members of the Public – 9
Apologies : Cllr Mike Cleugh – Chairman and Cllr Ben Few-Brown.
WELCOME – Cllr Sarah Dowding welcomed everyone to the meeting.
DECLARATION OF INTEREST
Cllr Judith Balding declared and interest in the issue of flooding and the Weir
Cllr David Eaglesham declared an interest in Planning Application 14/00154/FULLN
MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
Cllr Sarah Dowding signed the minutes of the November meeting as a true record. Matters arising from those minutes :
NOTICE BOARDS – The Clerk reported that he now has the new notice boards for the Bus Shelters and has arranged for them to be installed.
VILLAGE GREEN – The Clerk will remind Clive Hutchinson about clearing away the compost heap on the Village Green and the additional grass cutting work at Sunnybank.
OVERGROWN HEDGE SUNNYBANK – This has now been cut.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A slot had been booked by a Parishioner but they were not present.
PARISH REPORTS
ENVIRONMENT AND FOOTPATHS – Cllr Judith Balding
PILLHILL BROOK
Monxton Parish Council and a number of residents have objected to Lord Simon Tanlaw’s planning application No: 14/01556/FULLN, in its current form. MPC would support a revised application if these conditions are imposed and enforced.
a. The design is changed to V-Shaped
b. The proposed height of the weir is reduced so that the bottom of the weir is at the same depth as centre of the river bed.
c. The full flood risk assessment is produced for the upstream area i.e. Monxton Village: The current application makes no mention of the risk of flooding to the surrounding area, and the flood risk will be increased if the new weir is allowed to be raised.
The retrospective application for the bridge on the same stretch of the Pillhill Brook has still not gone to committee and no time frame has been provided by TVBC.
PUMPING STATION
Pumping out by tanker going on since 1st January 2014. Today 2 more pumps have been delivered and are now working – the tankers have now gone. Cllr Judith Balding reported that she has had four meetings with the Environment Agency and Southern Water to discuss the flooding and sewage problems the village has suffered. Cllr Judith Balding wishes to thank Sir George Young MP for his support and intervention, as the Southern Water over-pumping and installation of two biomass tanks were thanks to him getting involved. Most of the over pumping is ground water and not sewage, the EA are monitoring the contamination in the water.
FLOOD ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Monxton has formed a Flood Advisory Committee, which will be a sub-committee of and reportable to, the Monxton Parish Council. To date, the committee comprises Cllr Judith Balding, Adrian Drage, Pamela Fisk and Paul Richards. This committee has been formed to liaise with villagers and the four agencies involved in dealing with the issues which have arisen from the pumping station flooding.
FOOTPATHS AND BRIDLEWAYS
Nothing to report
SUNNYBANK – Cllr David Bateman
RESIDENT’S HEDGE OVERGROWING THE PAVEMENT
A group of volunteers helped with cutting the hedge back.
ENTRANCE TO SUNNYBANK
The entrance was broken up and there was quite a dip in the road of about 20cm and after nearly 4 years this has been completed (just needs white lining)
OVERGROWN HEDGE IN RED POST LANE
This has all been cut back to a good distance from the road.
GRASS CUTTING/TIDYING
Requested that two areas of grass be cut at the entrance to Sunny bank.
Also the area opposite Silver Birch Fm (Monxton Village sign) could be cut by the contractor who cuts the village green. When this is overgrown it is quite unsightly and does not give a good appearance to the entrance to the village.
FLOODING ALONG ANDOVER ROAD
The drainage issues have still not been resolved despite constant updates being put on the Hants Web site. Cllr Bateman has been in contact with Southern Water and they are going to clear the sewers/drains and then jet the system, if there are still underlying problems they will put camera’s down the line to check for collapses and possible root penetration.
Cllr David Bateman spoke about the amount of rubbish on the verge between Sunny Bank and Red Post Bridge. He suggested that fluorescent jackets and litter pickers are obtained from TVBC so that a working party can be organised to pick up the rubbish. Cllr Mrs P West suggested that a grant be submitted to her devolved budget to purchase these items for the village. The Clerk was asked to find out prices and submit an application.
Cllr Sarah Dowding spoke about the County Council Lengthmen Scheme. This will be investigated and Neighbouring Parishes contacted to see if they would be interested.
TRAFFIC – Cllr Sarah Dowding
NEW SIGNS
No HGVs (by railway bridge – wrong location, will be moved within 4 weeks)
No HGVs sign for Chalkpit Lane – 4 weeks
REQUESTS TO NELSON LORRIES AND THE LANGDOWNS FOR ONE WAY SYSTEM
Weekly reminders, nearly always ignored. It was noted that Quarley Village are experiencing the same problems. This was discussed at length, there were reports of damage caused to cars and near misses.
COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH SCHEME
£2500 is needed to finance the equipment and 6 volunteers.
POSSIBLE BOLLARDS FOR THE SMALL GREEN (Abbotts Ann Road/Broad Road)
Residents have stated that they would prefer privately-owned staddle stones – Highways will not allow this and the height and type of bollards to be used are under discussion.
EXTENDING SPEED LIMIT ZONES
Broad Road 40MPH and Green Lane 30MPH is proposed.
RURAL PILOT SCHEME FOR 20mph ZONES
Amport and Monxton are on the shortlist – chosen in May 2014
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH – David James, NHW Co-ordinator.
REPORTED CRIME
Police bulletins over the past two months have again primarily covered non dwelling crime such as thefts from sheds and cars together with advice on telephone scams and nuisance cold calling.
High burglary rates from sheds indicate that they are not only easy to break into but there is a large market for the stolen contents. With this in mind, consider if the property kept inside would be better stored elsewhere.
Historically we see a rise in thefts from beauty spot car parks during the spring and summer months when more people are out and about enjoying the countryside.
Most offences of theft from vehicle are opportunist. If valuable possessions such as handbags, sat nays, mobile phones and cameras are left inside a vehicle, it is much more likely to be targeted by thieves.
The list of telephone scams grows longer and more imaginative and now includes boiler maintenance and of all things ,protection against nuisance calls!
On a brighter note five men were sentenced on Friday, February 28 to a total of 26 years and three months imprisonment at Winchester Crown Court following a lengthy investigation by officers across northern Hampshire into a series of rural dwelling burglaries. These offences were committed by a team of professional burglars operating from London and Kent who were forensically aware and highly organised.
Crime Alerts: Since the last meeting an alert was issued on the 15th February which was distributed in Monxton and posted on Monxton Matters. It covered Police reorganisation and yet another email scam.
MONXTON PARISH COUNCIL FINANCE – Cllr David Eaglesham
Cllr David Eaglesham gave a full report on the Monxton Parish Council Finances. Proposed by Cllr Sarah Dowding, seconded by Cllr David Bateman. Balance Sheet attached to the presentation, and displayed on the Village Notice Boards.
Cllr David Eaglesham tendered his resignation as from the 31st March 2014. He has served on the Parish Council in the role of Financial Officer for fourteen years and feels that the time has come for a new person to take over this role for the community. Cllr David Eaglesham stated that it has been an honour to serve with a variety of Councillors over the years.
Cllr Sarah Dowding thanked Cllr David Eaglesham for doing such a sterling job, the Parish Council and the members of the Public echoed this. Cllr Mrs P West stated that it has been a pleasure working with Cllr David Eaglesham over the years.
Cllr David Eaglesham stated that he will finish off the current accounts before handing over to the Parish Clerk. Points that need to be addressed are :
1. The original Village Hall Deeds need to be traced, the Parish Council have a copy.
2. The Insurance Policy needs to be reviewed and the Employers Liability certificate displayed in the Village Hall.
3. The Bank mandate needs to be changed.
4. The accounts will need to be Audited
5. The VAT refund claim needs to be completed.
PLANNING
1. 14/00154/FULLN – MPC objected to Mr Alan Kings application to build a house at Langley on the grounds it was in contravention of planning policies SET03, 06, ENV 15 and many others.
2. 14/00300/FULLN – MPC objected to Lord Tanlaw application for a new weir at Upper Mill House unless certain conditions are imposed and enforced.
3. MPC has been advised by Alpine Group at Manor Farm that they have two builders interested in the potential of developing the site and they have discovered a site at Walworth with the potential to build a new workshop which they can move.
4. 14/00501/TREEN – 1 x Salix – Pollard at approx 2.5m, remove two main trunks 13m -Field House, Abbotts Ann Road, Monxton. No Objection
5. 14/00449/FULLN – Conservatory to front of property – Whipsiderry, Monxton Road – No Objection.
6. 14/00391/FULLN – demolition of outbuildings and erection of new dwelling and double garage. This planning application had only been received the day of the meeting. Mr Flippance, the agent, addressed the meeting and explained the application, the points raised were noted. This is a new house for an expanding local family.
WEB SITE – Cllr Sarah Dowding
- Have email addresses for 70% of the parish (75% excl Sunnybank)
- 121 households in parish – email addresses for 84 households.
- Only 6 houses confirmed without email
- Recent leaflet drop to all households without email, to request email information, if available
- 207 subscribers in total for newsletter
RURAL BROADBAND – Cllr Sarah Dowding
Hampshire County Council has signed a contract with BT Openreach to roll out super fast broadband to 59,000 properties across Hampshire by the end of 2015, increasing coverage from 80% to 90% of premises. The County Council has also started a procurement to extend super fast coverage to a further 27,000 premises by the end of 2017, which will mean that 95% of premises in Hampshire will have access to super fast broadband.
Monxton PC meeting with HCC and BT Openreach on April 23 to gain an understanding of the current phone network and the challenges and costs involved in upgrading services to superfast speeds.
There are specialist providers that can help – type `rural broadband solutions’ into a search engine to find them – and BT Openreach will enter into direct contracts with communities in certain circumstances.
Cllr Mrs P West suggested that Cllr Sarah Dowding contacted County Councillor Mr Andrew Gibson as he is overseeing the upgrade of the Broadband.
VILLAGE PROJECTS
Village green clear up
Village Pond project
Village verge weeds reduction
This has been delayed until the Spring due to the lack of interest. It is proposed to hold shorter time-slots on 5th & 6th and 12th & 13th April any time between 10am – 12noon.
CLOSE OF THE MEETING
Cllr Sarah Dowding thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.
DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
21st May 2014 in the Village Hall at 7.30pm followed by the AGM at 8pm
Monxton Matters 