PARISH OF ARLINGTON

MINUTES of the ANNUAL PARISH MEETING held on 15^th April 2010 at 7.30 pm in Upper Dicker Village Hall.

1. WELCOME

The Chairman of the Parish Council, Cllr M Garner, welcomed six parish councillors and thirteen members of the public to the Annual Parish Meeting, along with District Councillors David White and John Blake. The Parish Clerk was in attendance.

2. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 23^rd April 2009, having been circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a correct record. There were no matters arising. The Chairman suggested that the parish should adopt the practice of bringing the Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting to the next meeting of the parish council (on 20^th May 2010) for approval, so that they could be confirmed and signed without undue delay. This proposal was accepted.

There were no matters arising.

3. CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT

The Chairman presented his Report for the year. A copy is attached to the signed copy of these Minutes.

4. THE UPPER DICKER PLAY PROJECT.

Cllr Dickie gave a presentation on the Play Project, which the Parish Council presently had in hand. The old play equipment had come to the end of its life, and the parents’ group led by Mrs Fradd-Gilbert had worked hard both to make proposals and raise funds for the provision of new equipment suitable for the younger age group (2-12 years, the group identified in the Parish Plan as currently being the least well served by existing facilities). The parents’ group had incorporated ideas put forward by the children themselves, and three projects had been worked up. Two were classic mass-market modern playgrounds from Playdale or Timberline, but the third design, by William Hardie, a Lewes craftsman, was almost sculptural and would use local materials to produce something much more aesthetically pleasing and exciting – but also more expensive. The adjacent Dicker Copse could be used as an environmental education resource at the same time. St Bede’s School had very kindly offered to clear the main site (in the same corner of the recreation ground as the old equipment) and to prepare the new surface.

Funding was now being sought from official sources, augmented by very welcome contributions from parishioners. The Dicker Residents would be donating the proceeds of a forthcoming exhibition ‘A Pictorial History of The Dicker’ to be held on 17^th April. This gesture was much appreciated. Display boards and information sheets about the Play Project would be available at the exhibition, and parishioners were encouraged to give their reactions to parish councillors or to the Clerk. The proposed designs could be adapted or even combined if there was support for this.

In discussion it was suggested that consideration should also be given to the need for extra parking. It was not yet clear if the new playground would become a ‘destination’ drawing in extra visitors. Another recommendation was that the designs should be shown to the children of Park Mead School so that they could vote on their preferences. This was agreed. The Chairman thanked Cllr Dickie and LARAC for their ongoing work.

5. PRESENTATION OF REPORTS

Reports were presented by the following organisations:

East Sussex County Council
District Councillors David White and John Blake
Arlington Parish Plan Action Group Committee
St Bede’s School (see below)
Dicker Residents’ Association
Leisure and Recreation Advisory Committee
Dicker Village Hall Management Committee
Arlington Village Hall Management Committee
St Pancras Church, Arlington
Holy Trinity Church, Upper Dicker
Cuckmere Flood Forum

Copies of the above Reports are filed with these Minutes.

In discussion of the Parish Plan report, the Action Group Committee who were in the process of rebuilding their structures issued an invitation for new people to join them, especially residents of the hamlet of Arlington which was currently not represented. Anyone interested should contact Jenny Holland or another member of the Committee.

Dr Maloney, the Headmaster of St Bede’s, presented an oral report. Referring to the stresses of recent years, he renewed his assurance that the School wished to operate transparently so as to remove any sense of mystery or fear from its activities. With the new approach came a new sense of direction: the strategy was to consolidate numbers and to upgrade facilities, whilst taking account of the interests of the environment and of the village as a community. Residents were welcome to use the School’s facilities and to attend events, and the School was looking for opportunities to do more in the community.

Looking ahead, the new Stud boarding houses were to be built in an ethical way, and once the contractor was chosen the School would be looking to meet with those affected and to agree a strategy. The Wise site would continue to be available for parking, and the School would try to relocate the maintenance activities currently based there, as well as improving the control of the lighting. Consultations were still in progress. The sports pitches would be the subject of a new planning application on which the School had consulted widely, and believed it had now found a solution that worked. The scheme was currently being turned into a formal proposal, and residents would be welcome to comment on it directly to Dr Maloney, by email, if they wished.

In summary, the School was a part of the community and in no way opposed to it; it was committed to good communications, and looked forward to achieving mutually satisfactory ways of living.

6. PRESENTATION OF ACCOUNTS

The Clerk presented the draft Final Accounts for the year from 1^st April 2009 to 31^st March 2010 to the meeting. These were still subject to audit, but the indications were that the parish’s general, unallocated reserves were a little too high, by about £900. The normal rule was that unallocated reserves should not exceed 50% of the precept demand (i.e. £7283 for Arlington in the financial year 2010-11).

In discussion it was suggested that the parish could put any excess towards the cost of commissioning a Traffic Management Plan, although it was noted that St Bede’s would be commissioning their own plan. The ideal would be to have a comprehensive plan involving both the ESCC Highways Department and the Education Department, although it was already known that Highways had declined to do such a plan. The Chairman agreed that the topic could be discussed at a future parish council meeting.

There was no further business.

The meeting closed at 8.30 pm.

Signed……………………………………………(Chairman)

Date………………………………………………