Draft Minutes, Yet to be Confirmed of the Meeting of the Ash Parish Council held in Ash Village Hall on Monday 4 June, 2007 at 7.30pm

371 Present: Mr Foat, Mr Cooper, Mr Darvell, Mr Gregory, Mr Lambie, Mr Palmer, Mr Pratt, Mr Whitburn and Mrs Chandler, District Councillor.

372 Apologies for absence: Mr Bartlett, Mr Potts, Mr Ridings, Prof Swingland, PC Wright.

373 Declarations of Acceptance of Office and Written Undertakings to Observe the Code of Conduct Were Completed – Mr Darvell.

374 Nominate a Publicity Officer
The following councillor volunteered to provide the Onlooker report: Mr Pratt

375 Declarations of Interest: Councillors were invited to declare items on the agenda in which they have a personal or prejudicial interest. No such interests were declared.

376 Minutes of the meeting held 14 May 2007
The minutes were proposed by Mr Palmer, seconded by Mr Pratt, agreed and signed as a true record.

377 Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Last meeting
Item 370 i) Bunker Storage at Woodnesborough was privately owned and there was no access to the general public.
Item 370 ii) The query on low flying planes from Manston over Westmarsh had been referred to the Thanet Council Planning Department.
Item 368 i) The report by Mr Whitburn on the Dover District Council Waste Forum meeting of Mon 21 May 2007 was distributed. Dover District Council’s recycling rates were showing a steady improvement. The new draft contact for waste management due for renewal in October 2008 would be available for consultation. Weekly collections will remain part of the specification and some card and plastic collection would be included. DDC would fund the installation and emptying of dog and waste bins if the sites were agreed with DDC. Information for the public is available and to promote recycling, officers welcomed invitations to local events. The Waste Team can be contacted on 01304 872 428.

The meeting was adjourned to allow Mrs Chandler to contribute to a discussion on finding a solution to the storage of waste between weekly collections. Mrs Chandler reported that she and Mr Bartlett would be meeting Mrs Clair Pitts, the Waste Services Manager, and would raise the issue of more frequent emptying of dog and waste bins in the parish.

The meeting was reconvened and it was agreed that the Clerk would contact the Waste Services Department to ask for the bins in certain sites to be emptied, as happened in Wingham and to invite

the officer responsible for Ash to walk around the parish to inspect the sites of existing bins and to attend the next Parish Council meeting.

378 Public Question Time - There were no members of the public present.

379 Policing
PC Wright was on leave and had sent his apologies. The meeting was adjourned so that the Community Warden, Mr Priestly, could give his report on issues at Ash Village Hall Car Park, at the DDC Molland Lane Car Park and at Wood Ley. The Warden and PC Wright were following up the most recent incidents of graffiti and anti-social behaviour. The CCTV’s had been very useful.

Mrs Ovenden and the Clerk had not been able to attend the launch of the Dover District Neighbourhood Policing Team on Friday 27 April.

It was agreed to take the District Councillor’s Report as the next item on the agenda.

380 District Councillor’s Report - Mrs Chandler
The details of the new council’s cabinet and portfolio holders were given, and Cllr Bernard Butcher is the new Chairman of the District Council. One of the local councillors, Mr Smee had to postpone taking up his duties due to ill health in the family.

The Duke of York School in Dover would host the World Archery Championships in August. The Sandwich Forum, where the three tiers of local government and the public could discuss local issues, would next meet in Ash Village Hall on Thursday 6 September with the NHS as the main agenda item.

The Dover District Council Planning Department was undergoing a review and Mrs Chandler and other councillors would be attending a meeting on planning enforcement issues. The new reception area at the Council Offices in Whitfield is due to be finished in September. Issues on the collections of black boxes have been taken up by the councillors.

The meeting was reconvened.

381 Police Community Support Officer
The meeting with Sgt Thomson and the draft contract which was distributed were discussed. It was proposed by Mr Pratt and seconded by Mr Whitburn and agreed that:
- the contract is acceptable to the Parish Council
- that the Clerk would write to the Ash Village Hall Committee to ask if the PCSO could make use of the facilities during their shift, including the occasional use of the library area for a day time surgery and if a locker for their uniform could be stored there
- that other equipment if necessary could be stored by the Parish Council
Further that Mr Potts be asked if he wished to be the Parish Council contact for the PCSO and a final decision on this is to be taken at the July meeting.

382 Planning
a) Following concerns that had been raised by local parishioners, Mr Pratt had spoken to the DDC Planning Officer, Mr Paul Francis, about enforcement issues on caravan sites in the Parish and gave a detailed report summarised as follows:
- Clampits Farm: enforcement action was being taken on unauthorised caravans and planning permission had been refused for the conversion of chicken houses to holiday lets
- Wass Drove Campsite: enforcement notice due to be served for removal of caravans
- site near Ware Court crossroads: court warrant being sought to gain access.

b) Applications – comments are categorised as no comment (ambivalent), positively supports, or objects:
429: Holly Tree Cottage, Durlock Road, Ash. DOV/07/00497 Erection of rear conservatory extension, alteration to front garage door to bay window and internal alterations – Positively supports.

Withdrawn: 421 and 421a: Guilton Rectory, Guilton, Ash. DOV/07/00381 and DOV/07/00382. Listed Building.

Granted by DDC: None Refused by DDC: None

Granted by KCC:
362 – Former Brown and Mason Yard, Ramsgate Road, Sandwich, Kent (PAG/DO/03/477/R
Refused by KCC: None

c) 26 New Street – letter from Housing Regeneration Officer, Mr John Day, reporting on meeting with the owner. The Dover District Council gave the owner six months to present a proposal or they will consider taking enforcement action.

d) Copy of letter of 10 May sent to Wimpey, Mr Sharpe, about the lack of action on dealing with the problems experienced by the residents of Collar Makers Green. The estate still has not been handed over to the management company and the process of adoption of the roads by Dover District Council is at least twelve months away from completion.

e) Copy of letter of 19 May listing objections to the development of 99 Sandwich Road from local residents.

f) Local Government Information Unit Booklet on Planning for Parish Councils was circulated

383 Parish Plan
It was agreed to draw up a list of local representatives to invite to the initial meeting in late September in Ash Village Hall Library. The Clerk to arrange the date in conjunction with Mr Whitburn arranging the lead speaker.
Information from ACRK on Parish Plan Workshops on 12 June at Stelling Minis, 30 June at Ulcombe and 12 July at Hadcombe was distributed.

384 Ash Village Hall Agreement
The letter of 23 May 2007 from Ash Village Hall Management Committee and the hiring form was noted with the clarification from ACRK and the amendments to the insurance section. Any issues of liability arising from dual use would be resolved on the facts and a designated member would be taken as the listed key holders.
The Clerk had confirmed with the insurance company that public liability cover extends to where Parish Council meetings are held. It was agreed that the hire agreement should be signed.

385 Recreation Ground
i) Issues arising from the inspection by Parish Councillors on 21 May:
- it was agreed to write to the Sports Clubs and allotment holders about when and where it was practicable to drive and park vehicles on the Recreation Ground. This is to be copied to PC Wright.
- it was proposed by Mr Darvell and seconded by Mr Palmer and agreed to put up two signs on Bye-laws. One would be wall mounted on the Pavilion, costing £69.50 + VAT. The other post mounted at the entrance to the car park at total cost including all fittings and installation of £209.70 + Vat.
- it was agreed to ask the Tree Surgeon about the suitability of re-planting in areas where diseased trees had been removed
- it was agreed to leave the corner area of the car park as it was
- it was agreed that the Clerk would write to the resident who was using the area behind the toilet block explaining that the arrangement was only acceptable as long as it did not confer any permanent rights
ii) Report from the Recreation Ground Committee covered the following:
- provision of BBQ area requires checking on any health & safety issues
- the Memorandum of Understanding was agreed for distribution to the Clubs
- it had been recommended that the Parish Council bring the area outside the Pavilion up to standard for the Clubs to maintain. Costs of turfing and topsoil would be obtained for work to be carried out September. A requirement for players to use the side doors on the Pavilion would be added to the Memorandum of Understanding.

It was proposed by Mr Pratt, seconded by Mr Darvell and agreed that when the required six months notice was given to the Ash Tennis Club for the renewal of the lease on the tennis courts the Schedule, Obligation of Trustees Para 2 would be amended.

It was proposed by Mr Whitburn, seconded by Mr Pratt and agreed to repair the fence that had been damaged by a car, at an approximate cost £60 plus labour.

It was proposed by Mr Whitburn, seconded my Mr Palmer and agreed that the repairs to the swing would be carried out.

iii) Report from the Environment Assistant had been taken at the Recreation Ctte meeting and covered recent graffiti having been removed and that the moles had returned to the Ground.

386 Parish Council Property and Environment
i) Bus Shelters – e-mail from Mr David Eaton over New Street lay-by – Kent County Council has confirmed that part of the lay-by is Highway and they will construct a small area of hardstanding and extend the footway upto the corner of Cherry Garden Avenue. It was agreed that it was not necessary to site a bus shelter but to continue with the dog / waste bin on the corner.
ii) Updating the Parish Directory - areas for future consideration covered the consideration of allowing some local advertising, whether the map should cover the front and back, estimates for the costs were needed, the Clerk would update the first 6 pages and to hold the directory electronically
iii) Affordable Housing Needs Survey – with a new officer in place at ACRC an invite could be extended to the next meeting. Updating the previous survey, it would be distributed with Freepost envelopes and the administration and collation would be done by ACRC. The covering letter from the Parish Council Chairman would also be updated and this would be taken at the next meeting.
iv) Items from the 21 May inspection – the Environment Assistant had re-installed the post at Molland Lane; it was agreed to ask the Ash Village Hall Ctte if there would agree to a site for spare planter; it was the responsibility of Lagaan’s to ensure their sign was secured in a safe manner; Mr Gregory agreed to clean the War Memorial.
v) Letter from the parishioner on Chequer Lane re sycamore tree would be referred to Mr Paul Hubbard for the KCC Tree Conservation Officer to inspect.
vi) It was agreed that holder of the half allotment No 12 should be able to take on the other half.
vii) Notice for the autumn had been given by the holder of Allotment No 1. It was agreed that the next person on the waiting list be approached with the suggestion that the allotment be halved.
viii) Report from Environmental Assistant covered the damage done to the new plants at Pound Corner in particular the ivy on the trellis. A repair had to be done on the seat in The Street and the increase in graffiti had not just been in the Recreation Ground. The fly-tipping on 4 June in the Queens Road Car Park had been reported to Dover District Council.

387 Highways Report
i) White lines at Knell Lane had still not been re-painted and Mr Ridings would be asked for his assistance.
ii) Sandwich Neighbourhood Forum on Wed 23 May, 7pm at Wingham Village Hall, on Transport & Highways. Mr Whitburn reported on the discussion with Mr Jeremy Cooper from Stagecoach and Mr Simms from Kent Highways Services. Stagecoach was on target for the increased passenger growth with the new services and a pilot project for young people in Canterbury to provide cheap access to the network was outlined. Mr Simms spoke about the KCC Highway Service and the speed restriction reviews that would be taking place. Methods of effective traffic calming were constantly being reviewed. Mr Finn reported that the Rural Parking Warden Team was now at full strength. Kent Highways were making their assessment on requests for new double yellow lines. It was agreed to place this item on the agenda of the next meeting.
iii) Mr Cooper had spoken to Ringways and they had confirmed that as the lorry was being used by a sub-contractor they could not require it to be parked at their depot overnight. It had been confirmed that the cylinders were for calor gas and there were no safety implications.
iv) The Environment Assistant would repair the sign post at Pound Corner when the top had been painted.

388 Footpaths Report
i) Overgrown footpaths at EE90A off Chequer Lane; EE113 from the junction with EE90A towards Holness Road and EE107 at Burford’s Alley needed to be reported to KCC Rights of Way Officer.
ii) A parishioner had requested that the Parish Council report to KCC Rights of Way Officer that the stile and sign had not been re-instated on the Hills Court / Cooper Street footpath.

389 Consideration of a Parish Archive
It was agreed to put an item in the next newsletter asking for interested parties to approach the Parish Council about what sort of archive was needed including amount of space, content, storage conditions and accessibility. A letter should be sent to the Ash Society for their input.

390 Finance Report
Payments for approval:
Mr Pratt proposed, Mr Palmer seconded and it was agreed that the Financial Report be accepted and the following payments approved:

Employment Expenses £1,530.00
Maintenance £1,583.00
Administration £560.00
VAT £265.00

VAT Refund Deposit £3,567.00
Current Account as at 24 June 2007 £3,000.00
Capital Reserve Account as at 25 June 2007 £81,763.00
It was agreed that the Clerk would update the Council on regulations covering expenses for the next meeting.

391 Report on the Year End Accounts
The internal auditor’s report detailed a number of corrections on the VAT return and suggested filing the full finance report with the minutes. All other matters were satisfactory.
It was proposed by Mr Whitburn, seconded by Mr Palmer and agreed to give a thank you gift to Mrs Hume for all her work in having carried out the internal audit.
The annual accounts had been distributed and Mr Whitburn proposed, seconded by Mr Darvell that the Ash Parish Council’s Annual Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2007 are agreed and that the Audit Return be signed by the Chairman and the Clerk.

392 Correspondence
i) New Code of Conduct – subject of Standards Ctte meeting on 6 June; local Councils were asked to adopt the standard code in August with Standing Orders updated as appropriate. The Clerk would prepare the suggested changes to Standing Orders for the consideration of the Council for the August meeting.
ii) Request from D Burridge and J Guy to complete survey on 20th century military and civil defences in Dover District was to be passed to the Ash Society with a copy to the Chairman.
iii) Whitfield Action Group – Mr Whitburn proposed, Mr Pratt seconded and it was agreed to make a donation of £50 towards the costs of the submission on the SE Plan, as it included a representation from Ash Parish Council.
iv) Safer Kent Awards leaflets were distributed.
v) The latest copy of the Kent Highway Services newsletter is on the Kent County Council website, at the following link http://www.kent.gov.uk/publications/transport-and-streets/KHS-News.htm?

Circulated:
i) Open Studios 30 May, 1,7,8,14,15 July – local artists showcase work
ii) Deal Festival 29 June to 14 July
iii) Environment AGENCY Newsletter – Pegwell to Kingsdown Coastal Defence Strategy
iv) Walks in Kent

393 Website Report - Details of Councillors for the web-site and noticeboards were confirmed.

394 Parish Council Newsletter & Press Releases
The request from the Welfare Officer for the Kent Benefits Partnership for a short article in the Parish Council Newsletter was agreed and it was suggested that it could be passed to the Parish Magazine.

395 Any Other Business
i) There was a discussion over the graveyard at St Nicholas Church which is the responsibility of the Parochial Church Council. This may be an issue for discussion in the Parish Plan.
ii) The Clerk would supply the maps of the Parish Footpaths to all Councillors.

There being no other business the meeting closed at 10.20pm.