Present:
Mr G W Bisson – Chairman
Mr M Abbott
Mr F Alexander
Mrs E A Butcher
Mr J Charlesworth
Mr E Gailor
Mr M Gammon
Mr D Newport
Mr M Rollé
Mr J Wilding
Mrs P Wyeth
Clerk to the Council:
Mrs M H Weston
In Attendance:
9 members of the public
Mrs R Judd (Parish Councillor, Ashurst and Colbury)
1 Presentation by Mrs Rita Judd
Mrs Judd explained that following an article in the Lymington Times that the New Forest Transport Community Action Network had suggested to Hampshire County Council that Lyndhurst traffic be diverted via Ashurst at peak times the matter had been discussed at a meeting of Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council.
Mr Charlesworth had made a presentation to Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council on 13 April 2004 and they had assumed they would be contacted again when more information was available. It was noted that Mr Charlesworth would be attending Ashurst’s June meeting.
Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council’s views on this matter were that to divert traffic from Lyndhurst to other parts of the Forest would jeopardise chances of getting a by-pass and if signage were used to send traffic through Ashurst at busy times drivers would divert via Beaulieu.
Ashurst and Colbury Parish Council felt that a committee should be formed whose members were drawn from every forest village parish council so that the matter could be discussed positively from the view of the whole forest area and that this committee should meet bi-monthly to keep all Parish Councils informed. At present there was a danger of pitting one village against another.
The Chairman thanked Mrs Judd and she left the meeting.
2 Election of Chairman
The Clerk asked for nominations for the position of Chairman.
It was proposed by Mr Alexander, seconded by Mr Gailor and
RESOLVED: That Mr Bisson be elected to the post of Chairman for the ensuing year.
3 Election of Vice Chairman
The Chairman asked for nominations for the position of Vice Chairman. It was proposed by Mr Bisson, seconded by Mr Wilding and
RESOLVED: That Mr Rollé be elected to the post of Vice Chairman.
4 Public Participation
Mrs Sara Phillips explained that she was spearheading a campaign for road safety for the children of Lyndhurst and would like to know what support the Parish Council could offer. Parents of children at the school had been asked to fill in a questionnaire and this had shown that the overriding issue was a need to reduce the speed of traffic, particularly lorries, approaching the school access routes.
Other suggestions such as barriers were not considered appropriate by the authorities as they would preclude emergency vehicles using these areas. Parents felt that more should be done to make the crossing safer – flashing lights and signage - and an overall reduction in speed using a 20 mph speed limit. It was suggested that the path running from the Thatched Cottage in Romsey Road to the back of the school field could be utilised.
RESOLVED: That this matter be added to the Agenda for the June meeting and that any additional points that residents would like to make be sent to the Clerk as soon as possible.
5 Vacancy for a Parish Councillor
The Chairman explained that following Mr Drew’s resignation at the April meeting the statutory procedure had been adopted and posted on all noticeboards and the website. No signatures had been forthcoming and it was now necessary for the Parish Council to decide on a method of co-option.
Mr Newport proposed that the vacancy be advertised on the website and noticeboards for a period of two weeks and applicants could then be interviewed.
Mr Charlesworth stated that the Parish Council had already received a request from a parishioner to become a Parish Council and he would like a co-option to take place at the May meeting.
RESOLVED: That, following a show of hands, the vacancy be advertised on the noticeboards and websites for two weeks following which co-option could take place. If more than one candidate was forthcoming they would be invited to make a presentation to the full Council at the June meeting where a decision could be made.
6 Appointment of Committees
RESOLVED: That the Committee structure remain as determined in the previous year and as shown below.
Allotments:
Mrs E A Butcher (Chairman) |
Mr F E Alexander |
Mr M S Gammon |
Amenities:
| Mr F E Alexander (Chairman) |
Mr J Charlesworth |
Mr M R Rollé |
Mrs P A Wyeth |
Cemetery:
Mr J C Wilding (Chairman) |
Mrs E A Butcher |
Mr E Gailor |
Mr D Newport |
Planning:
Mr T M Abbott (Chairman) |
Mr J Charlesworth |
Mr E Gailor |
Mr M S Gammon |
|
Mrs P A Wyeth |
Recreation Ground:
Mr M R Rollé (Chairman) |
Mr D Newport |
Mr J Wilding |
Bypass:
| Mr J Charlesworth (Chairman) |
Mr F Alexander |
Mr M R Rollé |
| Mr J Wilding |
* Mr K Barber |
* Mr M Woolley |
* – not Parish Councillors
Plus Chairman and Vice Chairman to all meetings.
It was noted that following the resignation of Mr Drew there were now vacancies on the Allotment Committee and Recreation Ground Committee. A quorum will consist of two Councillors plus the Clerk.
7 Appointment of Representatives to Outside Bodies
RESOLVED:
(a) That Mr T M Abbott be re-elected to the Lyndhurst Charities Trust.
That, apart from the vacancy that had occurred following the resignation of Mr Drew, representatives to outside bodies remain as determined in the previous year and as shown below.
| Citizens Advice Bureau |
|
Vacancy |
| New Forest Consultative Panel |
T M Abbott |
E Gailor (Reserve) |
| Village Lighting & Decorations Committee |
|
G Bisson |
| Lyndhurst Welfare Charities |
Mrs P Wyeth |
T M Abbott |
| Public Transport Representative |
|
T M Abbott |
| Village Twinning Committee |
|
G Bisson |
| New Forest Association of Local Councils |
G Bisson |
M Rollé |
| Chamber of Trade |
|
J Charlesworth |
| Community Association |
|
J Charlesworth |
8 Disclosure of Interests
Mrs Wyeth declared a non-prejudicial interest in Agenda Item 15 as she was a member of the National Park Authority and Chairman of New Forest District Council Planning Committee.
9 Apologies for Absence
An apology for absence was received from County Councillor Kendal.
10 Minutes of Previous Meeting
The Minutes of the meeting dated 12 April 2005 , having been circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a correct record with one amendment. The venue for this meeting had been Lyndhurst Community Centre.
11 Matters Arising from the Minutes
(a) Obstruction of Pavement
At a recent meeting of Lyndhurst Chamber of Trade Mr Charlesworth had sought members’ views on whether they would have any objection to this matter being reported and Chamber members felt this should be done.
However Mr Bisson stated that, in accordance with the minutes of the May meeting, the Parish Council should continue to monitor the situation for the time being.
It was noted that as work was being undertaken on windows at the Chinese Restaurant barriers had been erected blocking use of the pavement. However, provision must be made for pedestrians and Mrs Wyeth had reported the matter and it was understood the situation had been rectified.
(b) Car Park
Clothing and Book Bank : It was noted that these have now been placed in their previous position, occupying a disabled parking space. Mrs Wyeth explained that it had been necessary to provide additional disabled parking spaces but that the situation would be monitored for six months and residents should make their views known.
White Lining and Yellow Hatching : An assurance had been given that most of the work would be completed before the next Bank Holiday at the end of May.
12 County Councillor ’s Report
County Councillor Kendal had sent his apologies for non-attendance at the meeting. Due to the County Council elections there had been no relevant meetings since the date of the last Parish Council meeting.
13 Minutes of Committee Meetings
The minutes of the Planning Committee held on 26 April were presented.
14 Reports from Representatives of Outside Bodies
PC Ennew presented his Crime Report and apologised for his absence at the last Parish Council meeting. This had been due to constraints on his time caused by a recent crime wave involving three youngsters.
A new computer system had also been installed. He affirmed that he was keeping a watchful eye on the new wine bar but that no difficulties had arisen to date. With regard to lorries approaching the village from Cadnam, PC Ennew stated that he was issuing fixed penalty tickets when he apprehended the culprits.
He stated that there was once more a problem in the car park in the evenings.
RESOLVED: To invite the CCTV Manager at New Forest District Council to give a short presentation to the July Parish Council meeting.
Mr Charlesworth had attended a meeting of the Chamber of Trade and explained that members were now operating a radio system to keep in touch with each other and inform members of possible trouble in the village. The Community Centre would be participating in the scheme.
Mr Charlesworth stated that the Woodside Singers would be holding a concert on 25 June and the VE Day Commemoration Dance would take place on 2 July.
Mr Abbott stated that there had been no meeting of the New Forest Consultative Panel because of the elections.
Mr Bisson had attended the launch of the New Forest Trust and had information available to any Councillors interested in finding out more.
15 NFALC – Request Regarding Planning
A letter had been received from NFALC asking for the Parish Council’s opinion regarding the way in which planning applications within the National Park should be dealt with. Briefly, the options consisted of :-
(1) The NPA having complete responsibility for all planning matters.
(2) The NPA embarking on a partnership with NFDC so that their existing planning control department looked after some types of planning applications while the NPA looked after the remainder and retained overall responsibility for all planning and control.
(3) The NPA should contract out all planning work to NFDC who would retain responsibility for all applications.
RESOLVED: That the Clerk contact NFALC to report that this Parish Council would favour option 2 but would have preferred more time and information regarding the likely policies of the NPA before reaching a decision and would welcome more details when they became available.
16 Correspondence
Nick Hunt, Principal Engineer (Transportation) NFDC – correspondence regarding compromise plans for traffic calming at Emery Down.
Copy letter from Mel Kendal to Mrs Sara Phillips – Road safety for school children.
HAPTC – Retirement of Mrs Suzanne Hudson, Director.
RESOLVED: That the Clerk send a letter of appreciation to Mrs Hudson.
Colin Wright, Transport Officer, HCC - Timetable for the New Forest Tour bus.
Jeremy Smith, Team Leader (Policy) Mineral and Waste Planning, HCC – Consultation on minerals and waste issues “More From Less”.
Michael Chilcott, Emery Down & Bank Village Hall Trust – Letter of thanks regarding grant aid (£300).
Maureen Robinson, Branch Chairman, New Forest & Romsey Victim Support – Letter of thanks regarding grant aid (£50).
Bruno Peek, Chairman, The Trafalgar Weekend – Guide to taking part (21 – 23 October 2005).
17 Car Park - Coach Park
The Chairman showed councillors a preliminary scheme produced by New Forest District Council for possible improvements to the coach park in the main car park.
This would involve coaches being driven into the car parking bays instead of being reversed in and was more environmentally acceptable. There was a possible reduction in the number of coaches that could be accommodated but the benefits on safety grounds outweighed this.
It might be possible to trial the scheme with white lining this summer.
RESOLVED: To recommend that these measures be pursued.
18 Grant Applications
(a) Dorcas
RESOLVED: That as this charity had not received a grant in the past and did not appear to benefit local people no grant be made on this occasion. However, Dorcas would be given the opportunity to place information on the Parish Council website.
(b) Vitalise (formerly The Winged Fellowship)
RESOLVED: That as this charity had not received a grant in the past and did not appear to benefit a number of local people no grant be made on this occasion.
19 Accounts
Confirmation was given for the following accounts now due for payment:
| Mrs M Weston |
Clerk’s Salary and Expenses |
£729.68 |
| Mr C Payne |
Turning off and Reinstatement of water supply at the Allotments |
£52.00 |
| Lyndhurst and District Community Association |
Room Hire (Planning) |
£18.00 |
J Malcom & Son |
Maintenance at Cemetery (March) |
£168.00 |
| Removal of Rhododendrons at Cemetery |
£70.00 |
| Maintenance at Cemetery (April) |
£168.00 |
Total |
£406.00 |
| Southern Water |
Water Charges at Allotments |
£130.68 |
20 Memorials and Purchases
Confirmation of the following purchases granted since the date of the last meeting was given:
| No 2535/5 |
Margaret Elizabeth Heathcote Piggott |
£74.00 |
Burial plot |
| No 2534/69 |
Edna May Harris |
£42.00 |
Cremation plot |
Confirmation of the following memorial granted since the date of the last meeting was given:
| No 2127/79 |
Gwen Brooks |
£21.00 |
Additional Inscription |
| No 2504/M |
David Burton |
£37.00 |
Headstone |
| |
Paul James Bailey |
£16.00 |
Memorial Tree |
21 Items for Discussion at the Next Meeting
Traffic safety for school children – The Clerk to ask for a copy of the questionnaire sent to parents.
Filter notices – Shrubbs Hill/A35.
Agenda items brought forward from Agenda for May meeting.
Any other items brought to the Clerk’s attention by 6 June 2005.
Those present were reminded that the next meeting would be held in Appletree Court and Vivian Reid of the Hampshire PPI Forum would be making a presentation.
Rumour Corner
It was noted that the Scouts would shortly be seeking funds to enable them to replace their hall.
It was noted that members of the press had not been present at recent meetings and the Clerk was asked to make enquiries.
It was noted that Mr Alexander would be putting out the contract for cleaning of public seating in the village.
The Chairman thanked those present for attending and closed the meeting. |
