ARLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL

A QUALITY COUNCIL

(QC –12-06-00359)

Tel: 01323 811870

www.arlington-parish-council.org.uk

 

Minutes of a meeting of Arlington Parish Council held in Upper Dicker Village Hall at 7.30 pm on Thursday 18th February  2010 (Paragraphs 10.14 – 10.29)

 

PRESENT: Councillors Mike Garner (in the Chair), John Ballard, Ed Dickie, Paula Ertl,  Doreen Goodchild, Carolyn McCutchan and Helen Proctor.

 

In attendance: Katrina Larkin (Clerk); District Councillor David White; five members of the public (items 10.14-10.23), and two members of the public for the remaining items.

 

10.14 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE. County Cllr N Bennett; District Cllr J Blake.

10.15 DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE. Received from Cllr J Ballard.

10.16 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST. Cllr J Ballard, personal interest, item 10.23(c) Wise Coach Depot; Cllr E Dickie: prejudicial interest, item 10.23(c) Wise Coach Depot; Cllr P Ertl: personal interest, item 10.23(f) Bourne Farm.

10.17 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING. The Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 21st January 2010 were confirmed and signed. .

10.18 MATTERS ARISING. The following matter was reported and noted:

Item 10.04 Weald Way, Arlington F2 – stile on the golf course. The existing stile which was scheduled for replacement had become insecure and perhaps unsafe. St Bede’s would carry out the work as soon as practicable.

 

10.19 REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS. County Cllr Bennett had reported that some 4000 responses had been received to the Waste and Minerals Core Strategy consultation. The County Council would publish a general response and tell all the respondents how to access it. Cllr Bennett and the Lead Member would continue to monitor progress and currently expected a decision around June 2010. Cllr Bennett had been appointed to represent the County Council on the South Downs National Park Authority. District Cllr White reported on the budget and council taxes for the coming year, both at District level and County level.  The results of the Housing Needs Survey were now available and being circulated, and further information on SHLAA would be forthcoming by the end of February.

 

10.20 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. Dr Turton reported that St Bede’s new proposals had generally been well received by members of the DRA. There had as yet been no formal resolution from the DRA, nor any formal request for a renewed s.106 Agreement, which was felt to be premature. When and if the time was right for a new Agreement, it would need to be linked to an actual planning application. Dr Maloney supported these comments. Extra layers needed to be added in to the plan, covering topics such as ecology and energy consumption, which needed careful consideration. The School would in the meantime continue to consult the parish and to abide by planning conditions. Dr Maloney also commented on the School’s proposals for the Wise Site. Here the aims were to keep delivery vans away from the centre of the village so that safety and quality of life should not be compromised; and to satisfy the request from residents that socially valuable parking should continue to be provided in the centre of the village. The temporary permission now being sought would be followed by consultation over the longer term plans. Mr Wollaston reported on progress in setting up a village communications network. Many groups could have access to it, and all residents would be invited to say what they were interested in and how they would like to be consulted. 

 

10.21 COUNCILLORS’ DUTIES

The current arrangements were reviewed and revised. [See list attached to these Minutes].

 

 STANDING ORDERS AND FINANCIAL REGULATIONS.  The motion ’That Arlington Parish Council should adopt new Standing Orders based on the National Association of Local Councils’ Model Standing Orders for Local Councils 2010’, was proposed by Cllr Dickie, seconded by Cllr Ertl and adjourned without discussion to the next ordinary meeting of the Council, in accordance with para 73 of the current Standing Orders. The motion ‘That Arlington Parish Council should adopt new Financial Regulations based on the NALC Model 2 (England) Financial Regulations’ was proposed by Cllr Dickie, seconded by Cllr Ertl, and adjourned without discussion to the next ordinary meeting of the Council. A draft of a new Grant Awarding Policy had also been circulated. This would be held over to the next meeting, and in the meantime a copy of the draft should be supplied to Park Mead School to notify them of the procedural changes envisaged.

 

10.23 PLANNING

(a) Response to St Bede’s new masterplan.

Cllr Proctor tabled a note commenting favourably on the siting of the proposed new sports pitches and offering background information and advice on the implications of the scheme for the Weald Way and other footpaths. Substantial comments had also been received from a resident who was concerned that if the development was to win local support it must be strictly controlled and kept to a minimum, endeavouring to retain the agricultural environment of the area as much as possible. The main thrust of any future restrictions or Planning Obligations must be to limit the use of the land to sport and prevent the introduction of more intrusive elements such as building, parking, paths and lighting which would alter the agricultural character of the area. A further concern would be access to the new pitches, which it was felt should be from existing School property to the north west, not from Michelham Priory Road.  In discussion it was agreed that the plan was imaginative and was to be welcomed in principle. Councillors resolved not to put a motion calling for a variation of the current s.106 Agreement, as it was accepted that this would be premature, but the detailed comments made in anticipation of a future planning application would be kept on file. Cllr Dickie commented that some residents would also like to see engagement between the School and the village on a range of other issues such as recycling, environmental issues, the shop etc., where joint action could benefit the community. This too was agreed.

 

(b) Pre-planning application consultation by St Bede’s School. Renewal of planning permission WD/2008/2137/FR for the use of the former Wise Coach Depot, Coldharbour Road, Upper Dicker, for car parking, maintenance and associated lighting. The Council resolved to support these proposals.

 

(c) New applications.:

WD/2009/7050/AD: Forest Yard, adjacent Forest Lodge, Abbots Wood, Caneheath, Arlington BN26 6SJ. Deer Larder and store, had been withdrawn and replaced by WD/2010/0100/F: Forest Yard, adjacent Forest Lodge, Abbots Wood, Caneheath, Arlington BN26 6SJ. Agricultural/forestry development comprising a self-contained single storey larder on a concrete hardstanding together with a concrete pad frontage and a containerised storage unit. Both proposals were for development reasonably necessary for the purposes of forestry and would replace facilities granted under temporary permission WD/2007/0331/F. The council agreed NOT TO OBJECT to these proposals, but to request that the units should be either resited or at least screened with native trees or hedges, to minimise their unattractive impact at the entrance to a popular woodland walk.

WD/2010/0150/FR: Bourne Farm, Coldharbour Road, Upper Dicker BN27 3PZ. Retention of part existing pool building, removal of existing roof and replacement with lower roof. The Council would NOT OBJECT.

 

(d) Planning permission granted by WDC:

 WD/2009/2480/F: Old Brickyard Cottage, Coldharbour Road, Upper Dicker, nr. Hailsham, BN27 9PZ. Two storey rear addition. APC took note.

 

(e) Tree Preservation Order confirmed:

TPO 2009/0022: trees on land at St Bede’s Senior School, The Dicker, BN27 3QH. APC took note. The Clerk would obtain further details for the Tree Warden.

 

 ADOPTION OF RED TELEPHONE KIOSK

Councillors noted with approval that BT had now offered revised terms for the adoption of the red telephone kiosk outside the Yew Tree Inn, Arlington, by the parish council. The power supply would remain connected with BT paying all bills in the short term. The power would be disconnected at some point, but at BT’s expense, and APC would be contacted before that happened in case they wished to retain the power supply at their own expense. The Clerk was instructed to proceed with the adoption, which had been approved in September 2009.

 

10.25 FINANCE

The bank reconciliation for the period ending 31 January 2010 was approved.

The  following accounts, including precepted donations, were approved for payment:

 

15.02.10

S/O

Mrs K Larkin

February salary

£247.83

18.02.10

101185

NameHog Ltd

Web hosting

£47.66

18.02.10

101186

Cllr D Goodchild

Travel expenses

£58.32

18.02.10

101187

Park Mead Primary School

Donation

£500.00

18.02.10

101188

Cuckmere Community Bus

Donation

£100.00

18.02.10

101189

Cuckmere Flood Forum

Donation

£50.00

18.02.10

101190

Anchor Staying Put

Donation

50.00

18.02.10

101191

Dicker Village Hall

Hall hire

168.00

18.02.10

101192

Mrs K Larkin

February expenses

TBC

 

The precepted grant of £50 to Anchor Staying Put, was separately approved as s.137 expenditure. The service offered by this organisation should be publicised in the next Newsletter.

 

10.26 LARAC

The Minutes of the Leisure and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting held on 2nd February 2010 were received and noted. Cllr Dickie would be taking the Play Project on to the next stage. Currently three proposals were being devised and costed, including one from a local contractor, William Hardy of Lewes, who would be able to tailor the playground to the funds obtainable, and had very kindly chosen to waive the normal design fee. The next step would be to choose between the various proposals and then to pursue funding options, which were also being researched. The project would then be publicised locally, at an evening event at a suitable venue. The Committee wished to improve the provision of litter bins. The Clerk should establish who owned the land where the path went down to the church, as another bin could be very useful here. A second quotation had been received for the works to the reservoir seat. It was agreed that the quotation supplied by Mr Albert Warren in the sum of £320 should be accepted. 

 

10.27 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE

A request form for works to be undertaken by ESCC Highways Village Maintenance Teams in 2010 had been received. Councillors were invited to let the Clerk know of works required, such as sweeping inner pavement edges, trimming hedges that overlapped pavements, and cleaning road signs.

 

10.28 CONFERENCES

East Sussex Rural Forum , 8th March 2010 - Cllr McCutchan would attend.

Walk Wealden Leader Training, 24th March 2010 – Cllr Goodchild would attend.

Action in Rural Sussex, Village Hall Workshop, 24th March 2010 – no representative.

 

10.29 ITEMS OF INFORMATION

The following would appear on a future agenda:  the future of the Parish Plan; the setting up of a local Environment Advisory Committee; the provision of a new village sign at Upper Dicker.

It would be necessary to hold a short Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council immediately after the Annual Parish Meeting in April to cover essential business.

 

Date of next meeting: Thursday 18th March at 7.30 pm in Arlington Village Hall.

 

The meeting closed at 9.50 pm

 

Katrina Larkin

Parish Clerk

23rd February 2010

Signed…………………………………………………….Chairman

 

 

Date………………..…………………………………………………       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARLINGTON  PARISH  COUNCIL

 

PLEASE CONTACT THE CLERK IN THE FIRST INSTANCE

Mrs Katrina Larkin, The Old Cottage, Lewes Road, Laughton, BN8 6BQ

Email: arlingtonclerk@btinternet.com

 

Councillor Mike Garner

Chairman

WDALC representative

Flood Forum

Finance representative

 

 

The Olde Barn

Hempstead Lane

Hailsham

BN27 3PR

01323 441223

 

 

Councillor Mrs Paula Ertl

Vice-Chairman

Park Mead School

Police Liaison

Michelham Priory 

 

Ravenscroft

Coldharbour Road

Upper Dicker 

HAILSHAM

East Sussex  BN27 3PZ

 

01323 844666

 

e-mail:

paula.ertl@googlemail.com

 

Councillor John Ballard

Rights of Way – Arlington

LARAC

Tree Warden

 

Windlebrook

Bayleys Lane

Arlington

BN26 6RT

 

01323 483299

 

e-mail:

john.ballard@hotmail.com

 

Councillor Ed Dickie

LARAC

Cuckmere Community Bus

1 Elm Cottages

Upper Dicker

BN27 3QD

 

07834 418217

 

e-mail: ed.dickie@googlemail.com

 

Councillor

Mrs Doreen Goodchild

Highways Officer

Strategic Planning

Dicker Village Hall

 

Shermans Oak 

Upper Dicker

HAILSHAM  East Sussex 

BN27 3QJ

 

01323 844496

 

e-mail:

shermansoak@onetel.com

 

Councillor

Mrs Carolyn McCutchan

Planning – Arlington

Arlington Village Hall

Arlington Notices

 

Bates Green

Tye Hill Road

Arlington 

POLEGATE  East Sussex  BN26 6SH

 

01323 485152

 

e-mail:

cmccutchan@dsl.pipex.com

Councillor

Miss Helen Proctor

LARAC

Planning  - Upper Dicker

Rights of Way – Upper Dicker

Dicker Notices

 

2 Elm Cottages

Upper Dicker

Hailsham

BN27 3QD

01323 844680

 

e-mail:

hm.proctor@talktalk.net