Minutes of Bramley Parish Council
held in the Village Hall on Monday 18th June at 7.30pm.
Minutes
Parish Councillors present were:
Chair Claire Penfold, Parish Cllrs. Alison Jayawardena, Malcolm Bell, Anthony Durrant, Patrick Murphy
Also present were:
Borough Cllrs Chris Tomblin and Ranil Jayawardena, 6 members of the public
1.0 Apologies
Cllrs. Dalton Hopkins, Richard Wood, Janice Spalding, Chris Holland, PCSOs
2.0 Minutes of the last meeting
Proposed Cllr. Bell, seconded Cllr. Durrant.
3.0 Guests Alex Piper and Steve Walsh, BDBC sports and recreation
It was explained that BDBC has audited current sports provisions around the Borough and it was reported to the PC that there is around £100,000 of S106 funds available to improve/ enhance/ develop provisions for sports and recreation in Bramley. The Parish Council were invited to work with BDBC to decide how to make best use of these funds for Bramley’s residents.
Partnership working with other organisations such as the football club, Bramley Primary School (if facilities were available out of hours) or the Clift Meadow trust could be considered. It would also be possible to add the funds available for sports and recreation to other community S106 funds, if for instance a new community facility were to be built which also had some specific sports facilities or changing rooms etc.
It was agreed that the PC would aim to come up with some ideas for discussion at the September meeting.
It was agreed that a copy of the sports provision audit for Bramley would be forwarded to the Clerk so that there was a clear list of what was currently available, its’ condition, and any identified shortfalls detailed. It was explained that depending on the project to be taken forward, there was a level of support available from the sports and recreation department at the civic offices as they have the expertise to lead such projects.
It was noted that there was a potential overlap with the Parish Plan questionnaire Committee and the Neighbourhood Development Plan, and that there was an opportunity to work together to establish what the village wants and what plans could be taken forward.
4.0 Monthly Income and Expenditure, circulated by way of ‘Budget Tracking’ spreadsheet.
No comments.
4.i Accounts for payment were approved.
Proposed Cllr. Penfold, seconded Cllr. Spalding
Cheques for approval:
Jamie Snow salary £279.10
Sarah Smart – Clerks Pay, allowances, expenses £1,092.92
Total £1,372.02
4.ii The Annual Return was approved, see appendix.
Proposed Cllr. Penfold, seconded Cllr. Durrant.
Duly signed by Cllr. Penfold.
5.0 Planning
See appendix for applications
Cllr. Penfold explained that the application or a change of use of land to residential, put forward by residents in Wallis Drive, was rejected. Reasons shown in appendix.
6.0 Police, County and Borough Councillor Reports
Borough Councillors Report
Borough Cllr. Ranil Jayawardena explained that meetings were in progress about the redevelopment of Basing View, which would be around a fifteen year project. The Borough are close to signing a development agreement and once the right terms are agreed and the right partner signed up, there will be some exciting plans ahead.
He explained that there are to be some changes to commissioning across the Borough, with the Borough Council moving from being service providers to service facilitators. He explained that the services would continue to be funded, and gave the example of refuse collections where the Borough Council continues to fund the service which is contracted out, offering cost savings.
Cllr. Tomblin explained that he has been working to get up to speed with issues affecting Bramley and Sherfield. He also explained that the issue of Manydown was being looked into and there was to be a decision whether to carry out an internal, or external investigation funded through public money.
He reported that a planning application for a site in the previous LDF, Marnell Park, had been received, and that defences were down as there was no LDF in place. He explained that this was the first opportunist approach from a developer since the LDF process has reverted to the site selection stages. Cllr. Penfold asked for further insight into the potential for developers putting in requests for planning and Cllr. Tomblin explained that the Borough’s Planning Department might take the view that while there is no LDF in place, they might hold back and give more time.
The matter of Neighbourhood Development Plans was discussed and Cllr. Jayawardena confirmed that until there is a Local Plan, a Neighbourhood Development Plan cannot be completed as there was potential for it to be in conflict. It was agreed that the Parish Council should continue investigating its’ own Neighbourhood Development Plan and if they decided to proceed, the Parish’s own plan could be ready at around the same time as the Local Plan is published. It is thought that the Local Plan might near completion late 2013 – 2014.
7.0 Transport Highways and Parking
The matter of the S106 funding available was brought up in respect of the potential for a footbridge. Cllr. Jayawardena explained that in addition to the S106 monies allocated to Highways and already being spent on improvements and traffic calming throughout Bramley, there was a further funding allocation which may be available through the Borough Council. He explained that while it had appeared to the PC that it was an either:or with the Campbell Road roundabout and the footbridge, with the possibility of Network Rail providing some funding, and these funds available through the Borough Council, it may be possible to consider both. It was noted that the footbridge appeared to be a controversial matter and the results of the Parish Plan questionnaire would be reviewed in respect of this question.
8.0 Draft Communication and Engagement Strategy
A document had been circulated prior to the meeting for Cllrs. to comment. A new communication and engagement strategy was developed to aid the Parish Council in working with its’ residents. This draft was agreed as a first stage document and would be published. It was noted that as the Parish Council approached new projects over the coming year, there would be an opportunity to put the intentions into practise, and if necessary adapt the strategy to include improvements.
In particular it was agreed that one aim of publishing the strategy was to specifically explain to residents that the Google Group was not the most effective way of bringing concerns or complaints to the attention of the Council. It was agreed that the community would benefit from this forum returning to general community use as there had been a couple of occasions where residents had been put off making use of this forum because a few users were not providing a welcoming atmosphere. The Parish Clerk had successfully created a new website and it was agreed that this should be promoted as the main ‘go-to’ site for Parish Council business. Clerk
9.0 Environmental Matters – Culvert in Longbridge Road
It was noted that the Parish Council had been unable to reach the developers who are still responsible for the Cinder Track and Culvert until it is adopted. Residents’ concerns and complaints were being looked into by both Hampshire County Council and the Borough Council and it was hoped that an update into their recommendations would be available by the July meeting. CT
10.0 Representative Reports – Parish Plan update
Cllr. Penfold explained that the questionnaire containing 65 questions rating all aspects of the community was due to be delivered imminently. By knocking on doors and allowing several methods of returning the completed questionnaires, the Parish Plan Cttee were hopeful of at least a 50% response rate.
Community Feasibility Study
Further to earlier discussion at the public interval it was explained that Cllr. Holland had, at the Annual Meeting, been assigned the task of talking to those people who had been working on the project, both inside and outside of the Council, to bring together a report about the current status. It was explained that Cllr. Holland had arranged a meeting in July with ex Cllr. Ferguson and the architect Mark Penfold, and it was stated that to allow continuity, John Ferguson would remain as a non-councillor advisor on this working party. CH
Travellers
It was noted that the travellers who had been on part of Bramley Green had moved on, and were now on a piece of land near to the Incinerator off the A33. The matter of the security of Bramley Green was highlighted once again and Cllr. Bell, the neighbourhood watch co-ordinator in the area including the Green, would continue to work with the Duke of Wellington Estate to try to keep an eye on the barriers and locks, which had gone missing on several occasions. It was noted that in addition to the barriers, large logs had been placed across the entrances which had been provided for the benefit of the grass cutting equipment.
11.0 Items for the next meeting
It was noted that the Parish Council intended to hold a separate training session for Councillors with a proposed date of 10th July, subject to availability of space to hire within the village. This would not be a Council meeting, but an opportunity for learning about Committees and their terms of reference. Cllr. Tomblin as Chair of Chineham Parish Council was offering to attend to discuss the way that Chineham have developed a committee system of working.
It was agreed that Mark Penfold would be invited to report on the Community Facility Study.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 9.05pm.
Chairman ……………………………………………………………………………………Date……………………………
Appendices
4.ii Annual return
Local Councils in England and Wales
Annual Return
For the Year Ended 31st March 2012
BRAMLEY PARISH COUNCIL
Section 1 – the Statement of Accounts – Analytical Review of Entries
Box Title 31/03/11 31/03/12
Inc/Dec where over 15%
No £ £ %
1 Balances brought forward 42,281 26,566
2 (+) Annual Precept 27,300 85,995
3 (+) Total Other Receipts 11,817 3,431
4 (-) Staff Costs 14,233 12,854
5 (-) Loan interest / capital repayments n/a
6 (-) Total other payments 40,599 16,634
7 (=) Balances carried forward 26,566 86,504
8 Total Cash & Investments 26,766 86,754
9 Total fixed assets 128,733 140,090
10 Total borrowings 0 0
Variation box 7/8
Balances carried forward 86,504
Less debtors 0
Less VAT 0
Add Creditors 250 allotment deposits
Cash and bank 86,754
Variations over 15% are provided with an additional detailed breakdown to the Internal Auditor and also to the Audit Commission. The Annual Return will be displayed in a public place for not less than 7 days, before 30th September 2012.
Clerk’s note – details about the budget for the year 2012-2013 are available on the Parish Council website.
Public interval
Charles Lewis, Chairman of the Bramley Branch of the Royal British Legion, approached the Chair to discuss the disused RBL site within Bramley. He explained that 4 ½ years ago the RBL had agreed to develop this site. He reported that the Parish Council had been in discussion about the use of this land as they were not keen on the idea of building 25 new houses here, and instead asked to work in partnership on this community site. He explained that the RBL are becoming impatient that no decision has yet been made about whether the Parish Council wanted to promote this site for community use, such as a potential new village hall. If the Parish Council were to decide not to work with the RBL to maintain this site for community purposes, the Bramley Branch of the RBL will go ahead with their plans to develop the site on behalf of the charitable trust. He explained that in its’ current state the RBL site is an embarrassment to the organisation and urged the PC to make a decision. Cllr. Penfold explained that the Parish Council were soon to expect a report from the independent study being carried out, which was looking at the potential community use for this, and other sites throughout the village. This information would enable the Parish Council to consider whether it wanted to continue to work with RBL to safeguard this site for community use. Charles Lewis explained that he was concerned because there had been a change in the Parish Council and as the ex Cllr. John Ferguson who had been working on this project was no longer a Member, he was concerned that the new Parish Council were not supporting this project and that there was no continuity. Cllr. Penfold explained that another Parish Councillor was tasked with working with John Ferguson to bring the results of the Study to the Parish Council so that they could decide the best way forward.
Cllr. Durrant asked whether selling to a developer was the only other option RBL were considering, and Mr Lewis explained that the RBL were holding off as they were keen to do the best for the community, but that as a Charitable Trust they were obliged to get the best return on their assets.
Phil McCorry brought the Parish Council’s attention to a recent incident in the village. He explained that in August last year, a member of the public was apprehended in Jibbs Meadow after committing an offense involving the One Stop shop. The case had appeared before Winchester County Court last month and the two people accused pleaded Guilty. The Male received a 20 months prison sentence, the female a 9 month youth rehabilitation order.
5.0 Planning
BBD/75805
Change of use of open space to residential land and erection of a chain link fence
Land adjoining 32 & 34 Wallis Drive and 6-9 St James Close, Bramley, Tadley
Rejected**
**Conditions or Reasons: The proposal seeks to change the use of an area of open space which is a very effective landscape buffer, contributing to the rural appearance and character of the area. The enclosure of the landscaping strip and its change of use to residential land would erode the contribution that the open space currently makes, and would have a detrimental impact and be unsympathetic to the rural landscape character and visual amenities of the area. As such the proposal would be contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework and Saved Policies E1, E6 and C7 of the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan 1996-2011 and Appendix 14 – Countryside Design Summary of the Design and Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document.
The application site has the potential to provide a valuable wildlife linkage and a habitat for protected species. It has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that the proposed development would not lead to a detrimental impact upon the biodiversity of the site and thereby the wider area contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework, Saved Policy E7 of the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Local Plan 1996-2011 and the `Landscape and Biodiversity` Supplementary Planning Document.
BDB/76099
Subdivision of ground floor office unit and conversion of first floor office unit to 2 no. 1 bedroom flats
Ronald Court, The Street, Bramley RG26 5BT
Not yet decided
BDB/76482
Erection of two storey side extension
10 Beaurepaire Close, Bramley, Tadley, RG26 5DT
With Planning Team
BDB/76449
Erection of a single storey rear extension following demolition of conservatory
Moggies Roost, Sherfield Road, Bramley Green, Tadley, RG26 5AJ
With Planning Team
BDB/76293
Large/Major Development Change of use of land from countryside to mixed use agricultural holding and private equestrian use. Erection of a barn for hay storage and lambing, American barn with 6 loose boxes and construction of a manege
Land south of Tudor Farm, Silchester Road, Bramley
With Planning Team
BDB/76387
Insertion of window to end elevation
The Granary, Minchens Court, Minchens Lane, Bramley, Tadley, RG26 5BH
Not yet decided
BDB/76381
Single storey side extension
29 Longbridge Road, Bramley, Tadley, RG26 5AN
Not yet decided