Minutes of Ticehurst Parish Council meeting
held on 4th March 2008 at The Village Institute, Ticehurst, East Sussex at 19:30

Present:  Cllrs. Goodall ©, Burley, Simmons, Mitchell, Langdown, A Cook, Maynard, Hastings, Seemann, and Semple.  In Attendance  Cllrs. Elliston, Jenkins and Barnes.

Public Questions:
There were  members of the public present and the following issues were raised:
Re-cycling:  Mr Pugh, secretary of the Cross Lane Bungalows Ass. addressed the Council, thanking them for writing last month to RDC but that only a limited improvement had come of it, and their re-cycling boxes have still not been delivered.  It was resolved that the Clerk should write again.
Cllr. Seemann requested that a resident at 31 Springfields  who qualifies for assisted collections is not receiving this service and the bins in the garden of No 29 are over flowing.
Graffiti:  There was much discussion about the extent of the graffiti that had appeared in the three wards of the Parish over the weekend – point 14.0 on the agenda.
Traffic Calming at Upper Platts:   Ms. Jane Avards addressed the meeting about the proposals and it was resolved that the Clerk should meet with her and ESCC to discuss the scheme.
Traffic Calming in Flimwell:  A gentleman from Flimwell asked if the Council could put pressure on ESCC to regularise the speed limits through Flimwell, that fluctuate from 30 mph to 40 mph, that leads to high levels of speeding.  The Clerk explained that the Review of Rural Speed Limits has only identified Wallcrouch as a possible site for speed reduction.  It was resolved that the Clerk should write to ESCC requesting a review of the Flimwell road – B2087.  Cllr. Maynard pointed out that the Council have budgeted a large amount of money for expenditure on traffic calming measures within the Parish over the next financial year.

0.0   Declarations of Interest:  Cllr.  Seemann declared an interest in item 5 on the agenda – Affordable Housing as a member of Rother Homes Board and Cllr. A Cook declared a personal  interest in item 20, The Bell Field.  This was duly recorded in the register of interests.

1.0  Apologies for absence:  Cllr. R Rigby sent his apologies as he is away and Cllr. G Cook as he was working in London.

2.0  Approval of the minutes of 5th February 2008:  Cllr. Maynard proposed these as an accurate record, seconded by  Cllr. A Cook and approved as a true record of those proceedings.

3.0  Appendix of Outstanding Matters:
Footpaths:  Clerk has written to ESCC requesting improvements to the Farthing Hill to Steelands Footpath and this has now been put on their list for action.
Village Maintenance Teams:  The Clerk reported that she has sent a list to ESCC Maintenance Dept. for action in the summer.
Ditch in Springfields:  Downland Homes have agreed to dig out the ditch in the next financial year, but feel that a drain would not necessarily work and be very expensive.
Woodroffe Lodge:  Clerk reported that a meeting with Rother Homes has been set for 19th March 10.00 am at the Village Club.
RDC Car Park:  No response from RDC regarding a pedestrian access to and from the car park.
Allotments:  Allotment holders have been invoiced for 2008/09 year and to date 15 agreements and cheques have been received.
Action Plan:  Clerk is awaiting covering letter and will then start filling the envelopes.
Drains:  ESCC have Steelands Rise,  High Street,  Wallcrouch and Cottenden Rd. on their  list to carry out ‘rodding’ works to clear the drains to prevent overflow.  Church Street also suffers and it was resolved that this should be added to the list.
Litter: Clerk reported that she has written to the Football Club asking them to have a clear up of the field.
Furniture Barn:  RDC have confirmed that permission was granted for the extension being constructed there.
Bus Stop:  Clerk has written to ESCC asking for a license to erect a bus stop near Corner Farm, and written to residents opposite to inform them of the Council’s intentions.
Rosemary Lane:    Cllr. Langdown is organising a clearing up day in Rosemary Lane on  29th  March 2008.  Mr and Mrs Halden have done a clearing up session in the Lane which the Clerk has thanked them for, but it also means that the excessive rubbish there is an on-going problem.

4.0  Correspondence List:
Flimwell High Street:  Road surfacing repairs are scheduled for 2009.
Springfields  Road Resurfacing:   ESCC have put forward a proposal for traffic movements during resurfacing works in Springfields, due to start on 16th June 2008.   Cllrs. felt that the proposal was a sensible one and the Clerk was requested to write back to Mr Heasman endorsing his suggestion.
Traffic Management:  It appears from the Review of the Rural Speed Limits that Wallcrouch is the only area in the Ticehurst Parish that might be considered for a speed reduction.
Traffic Calming:  Mr Fryer has sent a letter to Ticehurst News and Views, a copy of which he forwarded to the Council.  It was resolved that the Clerk should write back and thank him for his comments.
Traffic Calming ESCC response:  Mr Banks  of ESCC has responded to the Council’s letter, and will organise the installation of five extra reflector posts at the entrance to Springfields.  He also expressed concerns about the feasibility of having a pedestrian crossing in the middle of the village, if it would lead people on to the ‘bus stop island’.
Kent County Council:  Clerk has repeated the request for a ‘no right hand turn’ sign to be installed at the top of Rosemary Lane, where it junctions with the A21.
Light in Church Street:  Mrs Sperring has written to the Council about the lack of light in Church Street leading to her having a fall and  on-going osteopath treatment due to this fall.
Police Report:  Four people have now been charged with the attack on a Cllr. last year and the matter will apparently be going to Crown Court.

5.0  Affordable Housing:  Cllr.  Seemann declared an interest in this matter.  Hastow Housing Association have been in discussion with RDC about ‘exception sites’ and feel that the field to the rear of the Cherry Tree is the most attractive site.  They are considering making a formal offer to the landowner.

6.0  Annual Assembly:  The date of the Annual Assembly has been set for 22nd April 2008.   It was resolved that a £300 budget be set for advertising, and refreshments.  The event should be advertised in the Courier and News and Views.  Cllr. A Cook added that she had asked Chris Willis, editor of News and Views to unveil the plaque to mark the lottery grant that was received to refurbish the hall floor at this event.  Cllrs. felt that this was a very good idea.  Cllr. Mitchell and Cllr. Semple offered to help the Clerk organise the event on the same lines as last year.

7.0  Light in Church Street:  Local consultation about the light has resulted in three people wanting the light reinstated as it is  (£48), and three people wanting a new Opalo down light  (£205.44).  There is the further letter from a Flimwell resident about a fall she had.  It was resolved that the down light be installed and the Clerk should instruct EDF accordingly.

8.0  Bus Stop at Flimwell:  Cllr. Langdown reported that the license had been applied for and near by residents have been informed of the proposals.

9.0  Village Square:  The Clerk reported that she and Cllr. Langdown had established that none of the Square was registered.  It was resolved that the Parish Council should attempt to register it in the Council’s name. Cllr. Langdown pointed out that the access/exit across the island is often blocked by cars and it was resolved that the Clerk should write to ask ESCC to provide a ‘no parking’ marking to allow free access to the Square.

10.0  Safety Audits:  Cllrs. have now had time to  assess the needs at the Playgrounds and Ponds.  It was resolved that they would get together on 18th March 2008 at 10.00 am to produce a list of essential improvements for the forthcoming year.

11.0  Footpaths:   The Clerk reported that she has written to ESCC to ask them to organise the refurbishment of the  Farthing Hill to Steelands footpath which has become water-locked.  This is now on their ‘to action’ list.

12.0  Parking on Pavements:  Cllr. Langdown reported she will target parked cars in the evenings when the problem worsens.  Cllr. Yeo reported that she has put some notices on cars and taken their number plates.   Cllr.  Mitchell  reported bad parking on the junction of Old Wardsdown essentially making it a single road on the junction where  children play.   People who live in Union Street  are using the entrance to Old Wardsdown to park their cars off the main road.  It was resolved that the Clerk should write to ESCC and ask for solid white lines at the entrance to the estate to act as a deterrent to parking.

13.0  Loan Request:  Cllr. A Cook on behalf of the Beatrice Drewe Trust requested a loan of  £3000 towards  the refurbishment of the Institute car park (Total cost is £13000).  It was resolved that any application to RDC should mention that the Parish Council  have contributed towards it. Cllrs. voted to lend the money, rather than ‘gift’ it.  Cllr. Cook explained that security cameras would involve planning applications and at present the Trust do not have the funds to commit to this.

14.0  Graffiti:  Cllr. Langdown circulated pictures of the spate of graffiti which on the whole had occurred last weekend – Sites include:  Hilbury Gardens bench, phone box in the square, Bus stop in the square  Pickforde Lane Car Park, rubbish bins, a van in Springfields, fencing in Steelands Rise, a van in Church St, the Football Pavilion, speed limit signs, the NFU sign, garages in Acres Rise,  re-cycling bins in Pickforde Lane, the Stonegate sign, the Primary School.  Most have a significant  ‘Weeno’ tag indicating that it is likely to be one offender.  The Primary School have asked if the Council can arrange for cleaning up – and it was resolved that the Clerk should contact  Carol Studley (Safer Rother Partnership) to obtain cleaning up packs. There was some discussion about the best form of ‘rehabilitation’ should the culprit be found. 

15.0  Traffic Calming in Springfields:  Discussed in correspondence item.

16.0  District and County Reports:

DISTRICT:  Cllr. Jenkins reported that the increase in District rates would be 4.83%, the increase being mainly attributable to the free bus pass scheme.
COUNTY: Cllr. Barnes reported that the coming year would see a 3.9% increase in Council tax with an intention of limiting this to 3.5% next year.

17.0  Finance Report:   The Clerk tabled an up to date reconciliation and the following cheques were sanctioned for payment:

18.0  Planning Committee Report:  Cllr. Maynard reported that the Planning Committee objected strongly to the additional four houses at the back of lower St Mary’s  should have been an intitial application which would have made two of the four affordable – piece meal  contrary to the village plan.  Well Being Clinic in Ticehrust inappropriate for a conservation area façade

19.0  Items for the April agenda:    Community Bus  (MY)
Follow Up to appendix – tabled at meeting.    The Chairman asked the small committee delegated to  respond to a solicitors letter to stay behind and draft a response to a letter received this morning.  This was duly done and the Clerk asked to send that response off the next day.

20.0  The Bell Field:  Cllr. A Cook declared a personal interest as a neighbour to this piece of land.  No matters to discuss.

21.0  Date of the next meeting:  The meeting closed at 9.00 p.m. and the date of  1st April 2008 was set for the next meeting.