Minutes of the Meeting of the Ash Parish Council held in Ash Village Hall
on Monday 5th November, 2007 at 7.30pm.

500. Present
Mr Foat (Chairman), Mrs Bilham, Mr Cooper, Mr Darvell, Mr Gregory, Mr King, Mr Lambie, Mr Palmer, Mr Pratt, Mr Whitburn, PCSO Mrs White and two parishioners.

501. Apologies for absence
Prof Swingland, District Cllr Bartlett and Chandler, County Cllr Ridings.

502. Nominate a Publicity Officer - Mr Palmer

503. Declarations of Interest
Councillors were invited to declare items on the agenda in which they have a personal or prejudicial interest. Mr Palmer declared a personal interest in Item 507.

504. Minutes of the 1 October and 30 October 2007 Meetings
Mr Whitburn proposed, seconded by Mr Pratt and it was agreed that the minutes of 1 October were signed as a true record.
Mr Whitburn proposed, seconded by Mr Cooper and it was agreed that the minutes of 30 October were signed as a true record.

505. Matters Arising from the minutes of the last meeting not listed on the agenda
Item 490 ii): Mr Foat and Mr Lambie were unavailable to attend the Annual Liaison Meeting of Town & Parish Councils on 15 November.

506. Public Question Time
The members of the public wished to make representations on a planning application which was agreed.

The meeting was adjourned.

507. Police Report and PCSO Report
PCSO White reported on the damage in the centre of Ash on 31 October. The incidents had been serious and the PCSO was meeting with the Community Safety Unit Officer to form a plan of action. Community Warden Priestly was not available for Ash and PC Wright had been working out of the area. Other incidents had been noted and it was re-iterated that it was important to report to the police any crimes taking place on 01304 24 00 55. The Parish Council incident log had been sent to the Dover Community Safety Unit for October.

The mobile police unit had been in the village and there had been four visitors of which three enquiries referred to Sandwich. The contact number for the PCSO is 0777 222 6204.

The meeting was reconvened.

It was proposed by Mr Palmer and seconded by Mr Gregory and agreed that the Parish Council requests further police support especially in the evenings and on Fridays and Saturdays.

Mr Gregory raised whether an alternative use for St Nicholas House could be as a police unit base. It was noted that the siting of police stations was not a matter for the Parish Council and that no decisions had been taken by the owner of the property, Dover District Council to alter the use of this site.

508. District Councillor Chandler‘s Report
Cllr Chandler was unable to attend the meeting and had sent a written report. It was noted that the Dover District Council Public Toilets in The Street Car Park had been vandalised again and repairs had cost over £1000 in the past 12 months. They will remain closed until a solution is found to prevent damage.

A proposal to close them and re-use the building as a community resource, maintained / leased by the Parish Council had been suggested by DDC who requested the views of the Parish Council.

The Parish Council agreed that as long a toilet facility was retained, it would agree to continue to consider further proposals on the matter from DDC.

Sandwich Neighbourhood Forum – The next meeting will be held on December 11th at 7pm at the Cartwright & Kelsey School when two specific, possible, solutions to providing more access and leisure facilities for young people in the community will be looked at and their feasibility for the Ash area discussed. This is an open meeting and every one is very welcome.

509. Planning
a) Applications – comments categorized as no comment (ambivalent), positively supports, objects:

i) 446: DOV/07/01125 Little Knell Farm Cottage, Knell Lane, Ash. Erection of rear conservatory extension. No objections.
ii) 447: DOV/07/001139 12 Chequer Lane, Ash. Outline application for the erection of a detached bungalow.

The meeting adjourned for the parishioners to make their representations on 12 Chequer Lane:
- a petition supporting the increased visibility due to removal of the hedge had 17 signatures and access was no longer an issue; vehicles were felt to be more secure with the removal of the hedge
- at a later date a more substantial fence would be erected
- the mature oak and rowans would stay
- there would be shared access for the two properties.
The meeting reconvened.
Pending confirmation from Kent Highways that there were no safety issues with the access, there were no objections to the application.

iii) 448: TC/07/00108/TC: Reduce crown by no more than 20% to one silver birch. Public car park, The Street, Ash. It was noted that this application was on behalf of the Parish Council. No objections.
iv) 449: DOV/07/01004: 1 Guilton cottages, Durlock Road, Guilton. Replacement front door. No objections.

Appeal: 2 Hoaden Row, Hoaden, Ash. Erection of rear first floor extension and conservatory extension. No objections.

Withdrawn: 879: DOV/07/00879: Owl Oast, Westmarsh, Ash. Erection of 3 bay garage, wall and railings and alteration of existing vehicular access

Granted by DDC:
438: DOV/07/00737 The Old Forge, 72 The Street, Ash
440: DOV/07/00978 Great Knell Farm Cottage, Knell Lane, Ash
445: DOV/07/01035 Hills Down, Saunders Lane, Ash

Refused by DDC:
433: DOV/07/00784 Land adjoining Nanteos, Saunders Lane, Ash. Outline for 3 bedroom dwelling on grounds that the removal of the hedge would alter the local character of the lane.

Granted by KCC: None Refused by KCC: None

b) Kent County Council Land at A257 Ash By-Pass was sold for £22,000 at auction. Clerk to write to County Cllr Keith Ferrin further to his conversation with Mr Foat.

c) Three yearly review of DDC Licensing Policy – any amendments to existing policy available on www.dover.gov.uk/licensing/licensing-policy.doc. Clerk to check policy if there were any proposed changes to the consultation arrangements.

510. Youth Club and Update on Phoenix Centre, Sandwich
Mr Whitburn reported that he had attended the official opening of the renovated Phoenix Centre, Sandwich. Interest continued in finding a way for young people in surrounding village to be able to use the facility. Mr Whitburn is still on the Board for the STARR initiative.

511. Recreation Ground
i) Memorandum of Understanding reminders sent to Clubs. The Rugby Club continued to train in front of the Pavilion despite the area having been re-seeded.
ii) Letter received from the Football Club re dog waste at Recreation Ground. There had been an increase in the use of the Recreation Ground for the exercising of dogs. While there are many responsible owners, there had been an increase in the amount of waste on the pavements as well. The Clerk should contact the Dog Warden for the general area although they will not patrol the Recreation Ground unless paid to do so. The issue will be put on the agenda of the next Recreation Ground Committee meeting on 3 December at 7pm.
iii) Environment Assistant’s Report – the teen shelter seat had been installed. The maintenance of benches is continuing. One swing was replaced due to wear on the chains. Mr Lambie queried if it was now higher than before. Fireworks had been cleared from the Ground.
iv) The Clerk confirmed that the Ash Tennis Club had been given six months notice of the renewal of the lease on the tennis courts and the proposed change to the Schedule.

512. Parish Council Property & Environment
i) Kent County Council and Stagecoach East Kent proposal to re-locate the bus stop on Sandwich Road near Collar Makers Green as notified to residents at 99, 97 and 95 Sandwich Road in the letter from Mr Terry Elvey, KCC Transportation Engineer was noted. As were the comments from one of the residents who opposed the suggested site outside 99 adjacent to 97 Sandwich Road.

Mr Whitburn gave the background on the various meetings that had taken place and confirmed that the site remains the most suitable location for the stop and a shelter.

It was agreed that all councillors should look at the site, preferably before the budget meeting, and a decision could then be taken on how to proceed.

ii) Closure of DDC Toilets – they have been closed since middle of October due to vandalism (see District Councillor’s report). There has been further damage to the external areas and regular cleaning at the rear was now being required.
iii) Parish Archives – a meeting had taken place of interested local residents who will be writing to the Council asking for support.
iv) Bus Shelters – Mr Cooper has done a scale drawing and the Clerk will meet the Planning Officer to try and resolve the queries.
v) Draft Directory was circulated. The details of the third district councillor for the ward were missing, the waste collection days were confirmed and the web-site for Cartwright & Kelsey should be included. Mr Whitburn would divide up the delivery rounds and the directory would be available by Friday 23 November.
vi) Report from Environmental Assistant covered the problems at Pound Corner and The Street Bus Shelter. A risk assessment would be done on washing out the Bus Shelter. Various signs had not been replaced in the village and the sign post to Ware at the bottom of Chequer Lane had not been replaced. A fire engine had been called out to the litterbin in Queen’s Road Car park which had been destroyed by fire.

513. Highways Report
i) Roundabout maintenance is the responsibility of Kent Highway Services and all items from last meeting had been reported and most have been actioned (hedge cutting at Rec Ground ordered; pot holes at Warehorn had been marked and the 30mph sign cleared).
ii) Matthew Simms, KHS, has moved to Jacobs as a Director and the interim Head of Operations for KHS is Dennis Button.
iii) Mr Cooper confirmed that most of the road signs were in a reasonable condition but that all the white lines through the village needed re-painting.
iv) The double yellow lines along side Alldays needed repainting.
v) The request for double yellow lines leading to the junction of Cherry Garden Lane and Sandwich Road to be followed up.
vi) The programme of bus stop marking is continuing and they would be marked so that it was possible to enforce the no stopping on the stops.
vii) A large pothole is near Castle Farm on the Richborough Road going towards Richborough.
viii) The hedges at Highland Court on the road to Westmarsh need cutting back for road visibility safety.
ix) The No Through Road Sign at the Down Field Farm crossroads to Ware Court is missing.

514. Footpaths Report
i) It was agreed to hold the Footpaths Committee meeting in January.
ii) The hedge along the pavement between Chilton Square and Goodban Square was overgrown.
iii) The new footpath between Crackstake and EE465 is overgrown and is obstructed by a tractor tyre.

515. Finance Report
i) It was proposed by Mr King, seconded by Mr Whitburn and agreed to increase the Environmental Assistant rate in line with the increase for the Agricultural Wages Board rate for Craft Workers, as from 1 October 2007.
ii) It was proposed by Mr Whitburn, seconded by Mr Cooper and agreed to pay to the clerk the 2.45% increase agreed by the National Association of Local Councils with the Society for Local Council Clerks, backdated to 1 April 2007.
iii) Mr Lambie asked for clarification on the payment of mileage rates.
iv) The Finance Report was proposed by Mr Whitburn, seconded by Mr Cooper and agreed:
Employment Expenses 1,594.00
Administration 148.00
Maintenance 331.00
VAT 50.00
Total 2,123.00

Deposits - Book Royalties 16.00
Current Account as at 16 Nov 2007 4,091.00
Capital reserve Account as at 16 November 2007 57,564.00

516. Parish Plan Update
The first meeting of the Steering Group had taken place and Mr Whitburn had been elected Chairman and would be applying for funding to go towards some of the costs. The next meeting would be on Tuesday 27 Nov, 7.30pm at Village Hall Library.

Mr Whitburn proposed and it was agreed that the Parish Council would manage a ring-fenced account on behalf of the Parish Plan Steering Group.

517. Traffic Calming
The background to the work done in the past on investigating appropriate traffic calming measures was explained; and some proposals such as speed bumps would have caused sufficient vibration to damage the older buildings on The Street and in the other conservation areas; Speedwatch had not been taken further due to the difficulties with training and having sufficient volunteers; and the request for gateways to the village while still on the table with Kent Highways had not met their criteria for priority expenditure. There was insufficient room between junctions to put in a zebra crossing at the shops and the flashing speed indicators require Kent Highways authorisation to install and they had not agreed to any of the sites at the entrances to the village that had been suggested.

Official guidelines do not permit 20mph restrictions through the village, however, it is open to the community to put in a voluntary restriction, as long as the signs cannot be confused with the official speed restriction signs. It has been used in other areas and is being discussed in neighbouring parishes and towns. Mr Cooper would obtain costs and there may be some economies of scale if other parishes joined.

It was agreed in the meantime to ask the police to carry at speed checks at appropriate times.

518. Affordable Housing Needs Survey Update
Mr Hall (AwCiRK) had received the go ahead from Dover District Council and it was agreed to distribute the survey before Christmas. It would be ready for collection by Friday 23 Nov.

519. Sandwich Neighbourhood Forum
Mr Whitburn reported on the process for assessing the KCC Small Capital Grant Applications for the Forum which on the whole had worked reasonably well. There had been a wide range of applications including some from Parish Councils for items such as noticeboards, the renovation of local paving area in a shopping area as well as church renovations, publicity for a training organisation, sports and recreation equipment and a memorial.
Mr Whitburn had attended the assessment meeting for the Forum as it had been a one year pilot project. The next meeting would be in Ash on 11 December at 7pm on providing youth facilities (see District Councillor’s report).

520. Reports
KAPC Oct 25 meeting attended by Mr Foat and Mr Whitburn covered information on:
• Kent International Airport at Manston and their future plans for developing passenger as well as freight services
• The move to have all planning applications done via the internet and that the longer term implications would be that Parish Councils would only receive electronic copies. KAPC is following this up.
• District Councils should have an arrangement whereby they can provide ordinance maps to Parish councils either free or for a nominal charge. This is being checked with Dover Council.
• The Local Strategic Partnership is re-starting. There are some indications that the councils in East Kent - Dover, Thanet and Shepway are working together.

Action with Communities in Rural Kent AGM
Mr Whitburn reported that it had been a positive meeting and that Parish Plans had been discussed in detail including their usefulness to agencies and funding bodies as well as local communities.

Police & Parish Forum 18 Oct
Mr Cooper reported that traffic issues had not been discussed as shown on the agenda but will be covered at a meeting in the New Year. The development of the Partnerships & Communities Together (PACT) initiative was explained, the role of the Dover Community Safety Unit, the structure for PCSO’s and community policing and the request to parish councils to invite monthly reports from either the PCSO or the community warden / police officer.

521. Elections for the DDC Standards Committee
Mr Whitburn proposed, Mr Pratt seconded and it was agreed to vote for Councillor Keith Gowland - Whitfield Parish Council.

522. Appointment of Trustee for Cartwright & Kelsey Charity
Mr Whitburn proposed, Mr Palmer seconded and it was agreed that Mr Darvell be the Parish Council appointed trustee for the Cartwright & Kelsey Charity.

523. Correspondence
i) KAPC papers for the AGM on 10 Nov to Mr Foat & Mr Whitburn who explained that one of the motions would be to change the name of the organisation to Kent Association of Local Councils.
ii) It was agreed to put a poster/notice put on the parish noticeboard for the charity Volunteer Reading Help which recruits and trains volunteers to assist primary school children with their reading.
iii) The Mobile Unit from Centre for Independent Living that provides information to help to stay independent wished to visit Ash. It was suggested that they contact DDC to ask to use the Street Car park and Monday morning is usually quite busy in the village.
iv) The request from PPIF for completion of survey on provision of health care in rural communities was passed to Mr Darvell.
v) Letter from KCC was noted about the Post Office Closures and on the launch of their campaign on www.kent.gov.uk/postoffice
vi) It was agreed to send a letter of support to the Capel-le-Ferne Parish Council in their campaign to save their Post Office.
vii) Information on the Dover Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) Capital Projects fund running to 31 March 2008 to assist Town and Parish Councils in delivering key objectives in the Dover Area was noted. The Clerk is to check on the key objectives and report back to the next meeting.

Circulated:
i) KAPC AGM Papers 10 Nov
ii) Rural Housing Trust Annual Report 2007
iii) ERHA Annual Report 2007
iv) Stour Countryside Project Issue 38 Autumn 2007
v) Dover Regeneration Plans CD
vi) The Relay September 2007
vii) The Arbour Autumn Winter 2007 – Kent Men of Trees Journal
viii) Action with Communities in Rural Kent Annual Summary 2006–2007 & Rural News No85 Oct 07
ix) Paper issued by Standards Board on Predisposition, Predetermination or Bias.

524. Website Report
It was agreed to put details of the PCSO on the web-site.

525. Parish Council Newsletter & Press Releases
It was agreed to notify the Police authority about the proposed Press Release on the PCSO.

526. Any Other Business
i) Mr Gregory suggested a mobile unit in the Recreation Ground for young people. This could be added to the agenda if Mr Gregory wished.
ii) Mr Gregory raised the base for the police unit again and it was suggested that he ask PC Wright and the PCSO for their views before going to Superintendent Doe.
iii) Mrs Bingham asked for Twinning to go on the next agenda.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 10.25am.