MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL HELD ON
8 MARCH 2007 AT 7PM IN THE
APPLIANCE BAY, FIRE STATION, OAKFIELD ROAD.
PRESENT: Council Members
Mr. J. O’Sullivan (Chairman) Mr. S. Dobbin
Mr. G. Breeze Mrs. P. Connon
Mrs. V. Goodall Mr. B. Lambert
Mr. R. Lowe Mrs. S. Wyer
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Mr. J. Gunning and County Councillor Martin Daws-Chew
IN ATTENDANCE: District Councillors Keith Smith and Mary Green, PCSO Ann Bromley and fifteen members of the public.
07.35 There were no declarations of interest.
07.36 Minutes of the last meeting
Proposed by Cllr. Wyer, seconded by Cllr. Lowe the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
07.37 Public Questions The public attending the meeting requested to speak on item 8.1, planning application number EWB/07/00627/FUL Seamac Limited 186 Stocks Lane East Wittering. Residential development of 6 no. 3 bed houses.
07.38 Report from District Councillor Keith Smith
District Councillor Keith Smith asked if he could speak on item 8.2 and 17.3 if was able to help with information on these matters. District Councillor Mary Green asked if the Youth Club sign on the gate in Church Road could be updated to read the correct Youth Leader’s name. The Clerk offered to report this to West Sussex County Council.
07.39 Finance
07.39.1 The Council received a statement of the current financial position.
07.39.2 The Chairman had agreed and signed the bank reconciliation.
07.39.3 The Council unanimously agreed to the Audit Commission’s proposal to retain Mazars as the Parish Council auditor for the financial year 2006/7 together with their increase in fees to £400.
07.39.4 On a proposal from Cllr. Breeze, seconded by Cllr. Lowe the following accounts totalling £4146.71 were approved for payment at this meeting.
Payee Item Cheque No Amount
Doug Goodman Parish Maintenance February 2007 000203 480.00
J. Griffith Clerk Salary - February 2007 000204 1039.57
J. Griffith Clerk Expenses 000204 62.76
Inland Revenue only Clk Tax & NIC final qtr 000205 774.87
Oak Properties Office electricity 000206 197.14
Witterings Youth Ctre Donation 000207 1500.00
Southern Electric Pavilion supply 000208 16.06
Sidlesham Basket &
Bedding Nursery Bedding plants 000209 40.95
Tawny Nursery Bedding plants 000210 35.36
07.40 Planning
07.40.1 Application for consideration
EWB/07/00627/FUL Seamac Limited 186 Stocks Lane East Wittering. Residential development of 6 no. 3 bed houses.
The Chairman read out a précis of objection letters received before asking the public for any comments they wished to make. The Council then discussed the application at great length before a proposal by Cllr. Wyer, seconded by Cllr. Connon was agreed by the Council to object to this application for the following reasons:
1. This site currently has a single dwelling, an application for 6 houses is over development of this site
2. Concern that increased parking could hinder access by service vehicles and emergency vehicles.
3. The doctors, dentist and school are already working to capacity and will not cope with additional users.
4. A pedestrian crossing point across Bracklesham Lane is vital for the safety of the residents accessing the buses and shops.
5. The Parish Council suggests that a mini roundabout should be considered as a solution to the busy junction at Stocks Lane/Bracklesham Lane/Beech Avenue.
The Parish Council added the following comments:
6. Because of the busy junction all vehicles associated with the building of this development must park on site, including all delivery lorries, and wheel washing must be carried out.
7. Any Section 106 monies for Community Facilities to be allocated in consultation with the Parish Council.
07.40.2 EWB/06/05640/FUL Simon Cooper Land And Development Land East of 32 Middleton Close Erection of 11 residential dwellings and all associated infrastructure. Mix to consist of 4, 3, 2 and 1 bed houses.
Cllr Lambert and District Councillor Keith Smith reported that Chichester District Council Development Committee permitted this application on the casting vote of its Chairman.
07.40.3 Section 106 Contributions. The Council agreed to Cllr. Lowe’s request for the District Council to provide details of the Section 106 contributions made to highways, the school and library from the developments in the Parish over recent years and how they have been spent.
07.41 Kosy Kot site
The Clerk reported on minutes dated 1981 regarding the purchase of this land by Chichester District Council and that further clarification is being sought as to the Parish Council’s involvement.
07.42 Booker Green
Proposed by Cllr. Dobbin, seconded by Cllr. Breeze the Council agreed to a budget of £500 to employ a contractor to remove the stones from Booker Green.
07.43 Regional Housing Strategy Review 2007
The Council agreed that the consultation document is circulated and the Clerk submits comments.
07.44 Parish Council Election - 3 May 2007.
The Chairman reported that the open morning on 3 March was a success and several residents attended. It was noted that nomination papers would be available for the Parish Council election from the Parish Office from 13 March 2007.
07.45 Action Plan
The Council agreed to defer this item until after the election in May.
07.46 Pagham to East Head Coastal Strategy The Chairman urged Councillors to complete the questionnaire enclosed in the Strategy booklet and return them to the Clerk for her to submit them by 31 March.
07.47 Millennium Clock. Cllr. Lowe explained that a maintenance contractor had been found but there were some difficulties in finding ways to access the clock in accordance with Health and Safety rules. He hoped to have more information on the exact costs by the April meeting.
07.48 Community Facilities in Bracklesham
07.48.1 Cllr. Lambert provided the Council with an update on the recent discussions with the BBCA and CDC regarding the order of development priorities on Bracklesham Park. Proposed by Cllr. Lambert, seconded by Cllr. Breeze the Council agreed that now the initial landscaping and associated works are nearing completion the next priority should be the play facilities followed by the community centre and necessary car parking. One abstention.
07.48.2 The Clerk was asked to report to the District Council the fact that the ramp to the beach at the end of Shore Road was damaged.
07.48.3The Council unanimously agreed to place a combination padlock on the gate at the eastern end of Booker Green to prevent the gate from being left open.
07.49 Highways
07.49.1 Traffic Calming on the Manhood Peninsula. The Council received a report from Cllr. Wyer on a meeting held to discuss this issue. On a proposal by Cllr. Wyer, seconded by Cllr. Connon the Council agreed to the suggestion that Parishes on the peninsula should work as a group to obtain appropriate traffic calming.
07.49.2 Disabled Ramps. The Council received a request from a disabled resident to modify the slopes along the northern side of E. Wittering village centre so all have an acceptable gradient and for all dropped kerbs to also be of acceptable height to improve road safety. The Clerk was asked to make enquiries with West Sussex County Council regarding these matters and report back to the Council.
07.49.3 Bus Stop at junction of Bracklesham Lane and Stocks Lane. Proposed by Cllr. Breeze, seconded by Cllr. Lowe the Council agreed to defer this matter until further information is available regarding the Highway requirements associated with the planning application for the community centre.
07.49.4 Street Light Report. The Clerk was advised that Col. 1 Church Road is unlit.
07.50 Annual Parish Meeting. The Council agreed that the Chairman give his annual report on the Parish and that PCSO’s be invited to give a talk on their work.
07.51 Parish Council Office The Clerk advised that there had been a successful display of energy saving information provided by Espace and Chichester District Council.
