MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH HELD ON 21st APRIL 2015 IN SWALLOWFIELD PARISH HALL AT 7.30 P.M. ______
Present: Mr P. Sampson (Chairman) Mr. J. Anderson (Vice-Chairman) Mrs. C. Clark Mr. G. Collender Mr. E. Handley Mrs. H. Lewis Mrs. M. McDonald
Members of the public: 40 Guest Speakers: 4
Apologies for absence: None
NB: This is not a verbatim account, but is provided to give a flavour of what was said.
1 Welcome, Introduction to Speakers and format of meeting
Cllr. Sampson welcomed everyone and explained that the theme of the meeting this year was to recognise and celebrate the great variety of activities that take place within the Parish under the title of “What Happens in our Parish”. Around the room many groups had prepared boards with photographs and information and Cllr. Sampson thanked them for putting together such an impressive display. The Annual Report detailing all the work done by the Council with help from residents is available to take away, can be downloaded from the website or by request from the Parish Office.
He introduced the three speakers; Cllr. Stuart Munro, our Ward Councillor who represents the Parish at WBC, Mr Mark Robins, CEO of Farley Estate which has a diverse range of businesses in our Parish and Mr Peter Baveystock, who heads up the Waste Services Team at Wokingham and his colleague Mr David Allen, who is responsible for the Swallowfield Parish.
2 Cllr. Stuart Munro, Borough Councillor
Cllr Munro talked about how the Borough has changed since he became a Councillor and then spoke about some of the issues which have been key to our Parish including housing, roads, flooding and SDL development. He finished by stating that he is committed to maintaining this fantastic Parish and will continue to be a voice and ears at the Borough.
Peter Sampson - We very much appreciate the work you do to support the Parish Council.
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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH, 21st APRIL 2015
3 Mr. Mark Robins, CEO, Farley Farms Estate
Mark gave a very interesting insight into how the Farley Estate has investigated the history of the parkland and how it is now working to restore key features, in particular open vistas at both ends of the park and planting and fencing in line with an 1809 map.
He explained that the Horse Trials had been a great success and will be held again this year on 20/21 June. Hosting such an event in an historic park gives a new purpose/function for the park and gives people access to a fabulous setting. He hoped that the event will continue to grow in status and might eventually become one of the premier events in the UK.
Mark then went on to explain the situation regarding the iconic Pitt Bridge which is the logo of the Parish Council and forms a wonderful view as you enter the village.
It has been damaged by silting up in the river and now needs significant maintenance work, but there is a lot of work to be done to done; the Environment Agency need to be convinced that work needs to be carried out on the river to prevent further damage and applications for grants need to be made, it will be a “long game”. The bridge is part of the history of the Parish and Mark and the Farley Estate would appreciate any support you can give to help move forward the repairs.
Finally Mark mentioned two WW2 Pill Boxes which are found on the Estate, one in Arborfield and one in Swallowfield. The one in Swallowfield disappeared in the winter under a tree. Before the other one is lost Mark would like to open it up with an information board so that this important part of our heritage can be preserved.
Peter Sampson: Thank you for all your support and maintaining a very positive relationship with the Parish Council. The farming community forms a big part of our Parish so it is important that we continue to work with all our farmers and your help and guidance on this is also much appreciated.
4 Mr. Peter Baveystock, Manager, Waste Services, Parks and Open Spaces, Wokingham Borough Council
The tag line for the team is “Cleaner and Greener”. Peter is now responsible for Parks and Open Spaces which in addition to all waste and recycling services.
WBC has lots of challenges, 70% of its expenditure this year will be spent on Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Waste. This is the 4th year of the blue bag collection which was introduced to encourage recycling. Each year WBC was processing 32,000 tonnes. Year 1 the residual waste was reduced by 20% but it has climbed back up and in Year 4 residual waste is down by 10% on the original figure – 26,5000 tonnes are still being processed at a cost of £170 per tonne to process.
He highlighted some key facts:
If everyone moved 1kg from their blue bags into the black recycling boxes it would save 1/3 million pounds each year. 1/3 of each bag is food waste which could be avoided completely – so before you go shopping, plan your menus, look in your cupboards, make a list and only buy what’s on it. A family could save £400-£500 each year if they planned what they bought. This year’s litter pick was the biggest ever, with 5 ½ tonnes collected across the Borough. ______Page 2 of 4 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH, 21st APRIL 2015
WBC also contributes to the 2 recycling centres, Longshott in Bracknell and Smallmead in Reading. Whilst we would encourage people to use these centres it would be better if people could reduce the waste they produce and consider other options. More bins doesn’t mean less waste, we need to educate people to take litter home. WBC are introducing variable cutting regimes, we will keep sightlines clear, but may leave other areas to allow wild flowers to grow and encourage bio diversity.
Peter Sampson: Thank you very much Peter. The Parish Council is extremely grateful to you and your team for all the help we get, especially in supporting our fly tipping initiatives.
Peter thanked the three guests for their very informative presentations and for taking time out of their schedules.
Peter then asked each of the Councillors to introduce themselves and explain the areas on which they are lead councillor. He also mentioned the team who co-ordinate all the activity on behalf of the Council, Liz Halson, Clerk, Emma Shepherd, Finance Officer & Hall Bookings, Mike Hibbitt, Caretaker and Stephen Haynes, Parish Warden.
He then explained that after many years’ service Angela King and Barbara Stanley had decided to stand down as councillors. He thanked them for their significant contribution to the Council over many years and presented them with a small token of appreciation.
Barbara Stanley – it’s been a pleasure serving on the Council, many people don’t realised what a complex range of issues your council has to deal with and how hard they work.
Angela King – I really enjoy living in such an amazing parish and have enjoyed serving on the Council. You have an amazing Council looking after you.
5 Questions, answers or motions from parishioners
5.1 A33 Mary Bayliss – A33 by pass – there was a very serious accident on the A33 this week and it just highlights how dangerous the road is, particularly the roundabout for the turn off to Barge Lane which people approach far too fast. Can something be done to address this? Stuart Munro – people accelerate past the garage; it is a very fast road. Matt Davey, WBC is looking at it and talking to the police. It has a bad history and we are investigating. Mary Bayliss - There is also no central barrier which adds to the danger.
B3349 – outside Handpost House The other place which is particularly dangerous is the right turn into Barge Lane from the B3349 (Basingstoke Road) because of the grass not being cut outside Handpost House.
John Anderson – it is likely that the speed at that point of the road will be reduced to 40mph Mary Bayliss – I’m not sure that will help Peter Sampson – the police will be obliged to enforce the limit.
5.2 Food Waste ______Page 3 of 4 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH, 21st APRIL 2015
Mary Sangster – Do WBC have any plans for food waste collection. Peter Baveystock – no, it’s expensive, likely to cost ¾ million pounds. Food waste in blue bags does get processed and some energy is reclaimed. Mary Sangster – it would reduce blue bags though Peter Baveystock – it would be more cost effective if we could educate everyone to generate less food waste rather than collect it separately, it would save everyone money.
5.3 Plastics Robin Bradley – what is the definition of plastic, what can be recycled, lots that supermarkets use is not suitable for recycling. Peter Baveystock –there isn’t a market for co-mingled plastics, there is only a market for plastic bottles. If other plastics go into the blue bags then we reclaim some energy when it’s recycled. Roberta Stewart – which plastic bottles can be recycled Peter Baveystock – PET & HDPE can be recycled because it is higher grade plastic. Peter Baveystock – if you put rubbish into plastic bags before putting it into the black boxes we can’t recycle it, it goes straight to landfill, so please put rubbish straight into the boxes.
5.4 Black Boxes Sally Miller – is it necessary to sort papers, card and plastics before putting them into the black boxes? Peter Baveystock – no it can all be mixed, shredded paper needs to be put into a paper sack or cardboard box, firstly to stop it blowing about the streets, but also to stop it falling through into waste when it is sorted at the recycling centre. David Mitchell – what % of the rubbish in the black boxes gets recycled? Peter Baveystock – more than 80%.
5.5 Recycling Centre Sally Miller – you mentioned that the number of people visiting the tips is increasing and causing more cost, is that a problem? Peter Baveystock – no, we would encourage people to go to the tip, however, ideally we would like them to consider other ways of disposing of their unwanted items e.g. selling them.
Peter Sampson – are there any motions which residents which to put forward?
None.
6 Round Table Discussions with refreshments
7 Close of meeting - The meeting closed at 9:30pm
Copies of the Annual Report were distributed and can be downloaded from the PC’s website or collected from the Parish Office.
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SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
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ANNUAL REPORT
April 2014 – March 2015
Swallowfield Parish Council Parish Office, Swallowfield Street Swallowfield, Berks RG7 1QX
Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
CONTENTS
1. Chairman’s Report ………………………………………………………………… 1
2. Financial …………………………………………………………………………….. 4
3. Planning Committee ……………………………..………………………………… 6
4. Parish Vision & Aims …………………………………………………………….… 11
5. Property …………………………….…………………………………………….... 11
6. Environment …………………………………………………...…………………… 12
7. Swallowfield Flood Resilience Group ………………………….………………… 14
8. Communication ……………………………………………………..……………… 15
9. Halls …………………………………………………………………………………. 16
10. Recreation ………………………………………………………………………..… 18
11. Transport ………………………………………………………………………….… 19
12. Calico Trust 2014 ………………………………………………………………..… 22
13. Swallowfield Parish Allotment Association ……………………………………… 23
14. Council Members and officers …………………………………………………… 24
Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
1. Chairman’s Report for Year April 2014 – March 2015
It is with great pleasure that I present the Chairman’s Report for the year ending April 2015 in a timelier manner. Last year we were significantly delayed due to the European elections held on 22nd May 2014 having a knock-on effect on the dates for Wokingham Borough Council, our own Parish Council elections and therefore the Annual Parish Meeting. During the next few pages, I would like to highlight some of the events that have occurred in and around our Parish. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list or description and I would draw your attention to the reports produced by the Lead Councillors for their areas of responsibility for greater detail.
Swallowfield PC, along with a great many other organisations and individuals around the world, participated in a number of events planned to remember the outbreak of the rather inappropriately named Great War on 4th August 1914. Swallowfield collaborated with other local Town and Parish Councils to produce a “Remembrance Trail” that linked up the war memorials located in the area. As part of this initiative, banners that told the stories of people from our Parish who gave their lives were produced and proudly displayed at the Remembrance Service and on other occasions throughout the year. They are normally on display in the atrium at Swallowfield Parish Hall and tell quite remarkable stories.
Looking back on the last twelve months it really does feel that development, in its various guises, has taken up a considerable amount of time for the Parish Council. With large developments such as at the Arborfield Garrison, the Arborfield Relief Road and locally significant applications for a solar farm at Sheepbridge Court and development of the Willow Tree Works, much time and effort has been taken up working through weighty and technical documents and attending a myriad of meetings. Whilst all Councillors became involved in this mountain of work, I really do think that Cllr. John Anderson, our Chair of Planning, deserves a special mention for his herculean effort over the last twelve months in dealing with not only the large developments but also the more standard applications that still take considerable time and require careful consideration. John, on behalf of your fellow Councillors, I would like to record our gratitude.
It would not be an accurate reflection of the past twelve months if I did not make reference to the, now approved, planning application for 38 houses to be built on the Willow Tree Works by Bellway PLC. I think it is an understatement that the Parish Council and many members of our community had issues with this proposed development; strangely, the common thread in most cases was not because people objected to houses being built on the site but that the infrastructure being proposed to support them would be inadequate. The fear of increased flooding and a worsening of the local sewerage management were dismissed by Thames Water and Wokingham Borough Council with the former claiming betterment and the latter saying it was nothing to do with them! I, along with a great many other local residents, attended the planning committee meeting at WBC’s Shute End offices and thought that the process was poor to say the least. Hearing an elected WBC Councillor say that he had to vote to approve the development because “the applicant has a gun to our head” is not what I expect from those elected to protect us. For those wishing to watch the planning committee meeting, it can be viewed at http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council-and-meetings/meetings/films-of- meetings/planning-committee-on-1-april-2015/
The situation regarding the Willow Tree Works development is, in some respects, still ongoing in that there are conditions attached to the application’s approval. Stuart Munro, our Ward Councillor, has asked for the conditions to be “reserved matters". This means that the answers and adherence to the conditions will be more visible to us rather than an agreement between WBC and the developer that we might discover after the fact.
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During all the work on the flooding and sewerage issues associated with this development, the Flood Resistance Group (“FRG”) has, yet again, been quite outstanding. The ability of the FRG’s members to understand complex hydrological issues along with devoting significant amount of time and effort made everyone aware of the issues and allowed a professional, considered and compelling response to be made. Bellway have assured the Parish Council that the FRG will be engaged on the conditions once matters are underway.
As many of you will know, the Parish Council is looking to improve what is offered from the Fieldfayre site. We are committed to keeping a shop and Post Office as a central part of Swallowfield village as well as a small number of one and two bedroom residential units; something that is not plentiful in the area. We have taken our plans to pre-planning where we received a positive response along with a few suggested changes. Currently we are undertaking a great number of surveys (Ecology, Highways impact, Landscape Management & Maintenance, Tree Survey and Soft Landscaping Proposal to name a few!) to ensure that anything we do does not have an adverse effect on the community. We have tried to be completely open about what we are doing and involve everyone in the discussions at a far earlier stage that we are legally obliged to do. I suppose that is the difference between trying to create something for the lasting good of the community rather than be completely motivated by profit! The next stage is to seek full planning permission.
Despite what it might sometimes seem, the Parish Council does not just talk about development. We are proud to provide and maintain some first class facilities. The three rooms making up Swallowfield Village Hall have good usage by local groups, residents and outside organisations who find it to be of a high standard and value for money. It would be impossible to name all the clubs that use the facilities and, if I tried, I would end up in hot water for forgetting someone! Hopefully the displays at this year’s APM give everyone a taste for the variety of uses that the hall is put to. The Halls Working Group are always looking for ways to improve what is on offer and to ensure that facilities are maintained and upgraded when funds allow.
Riseley Memorial Hall has, since 1990, been home to the RSF (Riseley, Swallowfield, Farley Hill) Tennis Club. The club provides excellent courts and coaching facilities and is enjoying a successful year with three teams competing in the Berkshire league. Riseley Memorial Hall is also where you can find Riseley Village Tea Rooms, a community venture set up by Pam Wright and her amazing troupe of cake makers, gardeners, waitresses, cleaners and DIY specialists. RVTR is approaching their third year and were recently awarded a Big Lottery grant that enabled them to make further improvements. I think it great testament to their success that I recently saw the sales particulars of a house in Riseley quoting one of the features being that it was walking distance to the tea rooms! I would also suggest that you look at the comments on the TripAdvisor website to see how well people enjoy their visits – the last time I looked, RVTR were number 4 across the whole of Berkshire for the “Coffee and Tea” category.
Also in Riseley, the Community Orchard continues to establish itself despite a few trees providing local deer with a supplement to their diet! Most of the eaten trees have been replaced (plus more robust deer guards!) and we look forward to the future when there will be a bountiful supply of fruit. An information board was added during the year to help understanding of what might be seen on the site.
The Parish Council remains committed to providing the best play facilities we are able to. To this end, we are pleased to announce that the Parish Council add to the facilities available in Riseley during the year (please refer to the following report on Recreation). In looking to the future, we would like to find a way to bring the soccer pitches at Swallowfield and Riseley back
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into better use. Unfortunately, maintenance of sports pitches is a very expensive venture and we are somewhat in the “chicken and egg” situation of creating good facilities and also having teams that are prepared to commit to using them regularly. This is something we want to work on over the next year. The MPG Court in Swallowfield is also in need of repair and upgrading and discussions are planned to understand what we can do to protect this popular facility.
I have previously mentioned the Flood Resilience Group in relation to their efforts on the Willow Tree Works development and it would be remiss of me to not recognise them for the whole range of work they undertake and advice they provide to help mitigate the risks from flooding. Working with WBC and the Parish Council they continue to look for ways to make our Parish safer and they should be publically acknowledged for the great work they do. Whilst on the point of flooding, the Parish Council recently passed a resolution concerning the maintenance of ditches and balancing ponds for which we are responsible. We have decided to seek an on-going agreement with a firm that has expertise in the management of water flows so that our ditch clearing programme can be improved in all aspects.
When it comes to helping the community the FRG is not alone. The bright colours of the Swallowfield First Responder’s vehicle is now a common site having been called to 537 calls during 2014 just in the local area and, with an average time to scene from despatch of just over 6 minute, you can appreciate the life-saving capacity they offer within our community. What is staggering is that this represents 4754 hours of their own time that the Responder Group have given up to help others. Closely related to the First Responders Group is the Heartstart Group that provides courses dealing with conscious and unconscious casualties, cardiac arrest, suspected heart attack, choking and serious bleeding. These courses have been extremely popular and details on available places for future courses can be found at http://www.heartstartswallowfield.co.uk/
Recently, you might have seen what you thought were post boxes appearing on the side of some buildings. Don’t be fooled and don’t post your letters; these are Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) that, thanks to the Heartstart team, have been located at three sites in our Parish (Victory Hall, Swallowfield Parish Hall and Riseley Memorial Hall). For those unfamiliar with AEDs, they automatically diagnose a life-threatening cardiac arrest in somebody thought to be having a “heart attack”. The AED is then able to treat the patient, if they require it, through defibrillation which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. The AEDs have simple audio and visual commands and are designed to be simple to use for the layperson.
The Parish Council would be nothing without our hard working and dedicated staff. Liz Halson keeps us all in order as Parish Clerk, Emma Shepherd on finance and halls, Mike Hibbit as caretaker and the newest member of the team Stephen Haynes who replaced our long-serving Parish Warden, Eric Nichols who retired during the year. We have a first class team that deal with all the demands put upon them by Councillors and residents alike in a friendly and efficient way. On behalf of the Parish Council, and the Parish as a whole, I would like to thank them sincerely.
Finally, the Parish Council was very sad to have two Councillors resign after a great many years of service to the Parish Council. Barbara Stanley and Angela King are two ladies well known and respected by the community. Their popularity also extends to people putting their trust in both Angela and Barbara to act on their behalf at a local level as they both attracted a high percentage of the votes cast at the May 2014 elections. I have always valued the advice and guidance offered by them both and will miss their input but I am sure that they will continue to play an active role in a great many local activities; including, but I hope not
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exclusively, keeping an eye on the Parish Council. Angela and Barbara, I wish you the very best and hope that you will not miss the endless meetings too much!
I am very proud to have been Chairman of Swallowfield Parish Council for the last year. It is a role I take very seriously and, if asked by my fellow Councillors, I am looking forward to the challenges of the next twelve months.
Peter Sampson, Chairman, Swallowfield Parish Council
2. Financial Report for Year April 2014 – March 2015
It has been another very busy year for the Parish Council and balancing the books continues to be a challenge. After a considerable amount of discussion the Council decided it was not possible to plan to break even in 2014-15 due to the many pulls on resources. We started the financial year expecting to end it with a negative result of some £8,000, as noted in last year’s report. Keeping the ditches owned by the Council clear, removing fly-tipping and maintaining all our other assets in a fit for purpose state were the main reasons for this expected overspend. There are 3 playgrounds and the new youth area at Riseley, two recreation grounds, two halls, a tennis club, the village shop, street lighting, an MPG court, the list goes on.
I am pleased to say that despite the fall in rental income and ever increasing costs, the year has ended with a small positive balance due to better than expected revenue from our halls (up £5,000 on the previous year) and good performance from our investments.
At the time of writing this report, we have not completely finalised the valuation of investments at 31 March, but despite the continuing tough economic environment, our portfolio continued to perform well and is holding approximately the same value as last year despite utilisation of funds to purchase flat 1 Fieldfayre. Towards the end of the year we also sold The Marshes property and the proceeds from this sale will be used to help fund the Fieldfayre project if we receive planning permission.
The Parish Council probably debated even harder this year than last on the budget. There are so many things that we would like to be able to commit to, but with a finite amount available to us we had to make some tough decisions and really focus on the most important areas for 2015-16. We have agreed a budgeted income of £151,090 against budgeted expenditure of £156,200 which leaves a shortfall of £5,110. The Council will work very hard to balance the books without an overspend, as we did in 2014-15. Some of the main reasons for our decisions on income and expenditure are as follows:
The Council will need to spend some of its capital held in investments to fund the Fieldfayre project (if planning permission is granted) therefore a reduction in investment income is planned Property rental income has fallen following the sales of the Marshes property and will fall further once the next phase of the Fieldfayre project gets underway To compensate for the fall in income the Council is only committing £12,000 to major maintenance costs for the year compared with almost £24,000 this year The Council believes it is imperative to continue clearing and maintaining ditches to help with flood alleviation so extra funds have been budgeted for this
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
The Council has had to include a sum for elections in the budget due to the potential requirement from parishioners to impose an election The Council also has included a small amount to cover the cost of transferring some of its oldest records onto digital media to preserve them and make them available to all. Costs continue to increase year on year. Despite low inflation in recent months, wage bills are rising each year, utility costs are rising and maintenance costs continue to creep up. The Parish precept continues to be the lowest in Wokingham Borough for a band D household at £19.37 compared with £68.50 in Arborfield and Newland. The increase over last year was minimal at £237 or 1.2%.
Carolyn Clark, Lead Councillor, Finance
Financial Policy Statement
Budgets are set to ensure adequate provision is made to cover the costs of public areas and playgrounds maintenance, street lighting, ditch clearance, halls running costs and paying our staff, amongst other costs. We also have various projects each year which are carefully considered to ensure public money is spent with due consideration. The funding required to meet our expenditure is achieved from a combination of the precept, investment income and revenue from the halls.
The Parish Council has a policy to maintain its investments so that a significant portion of the annual running costs of the Parish can be met from the income derived. The income is important to us because the Parish Council cannot use the capital sums invested to maintain services and meet general running costs. If the Parish Council relied purely on the precept income, it could not deliver the varied services that it does today.
The Council’s objective is to seek a balanced portfolio geared towards income, with a low to low-medium risk profile. Our stockbroker reports quarterly on the portfolio performance and recommended investment activities and will assess risk by reference to the whole portfolio.
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3. Planning Committee Report Year to 31st March 2015
The Planning Committee has been kept busy over the past year with the Bellway Homes application for the Willow Tree Works site, the Arborfield Garrison SDL applications, associated relief roads and secondary school, solar farm at Sheepbridge Court Farm, outline proposals for the Balcombe Nursery site and a surprisingly large number of smaller scale applications.
Willow Tree Works
Bellway Homes submitted its planning application to develop the Willow Tree Works site (otherwise known as Winkworth Engineering) for housing in May 2014 and a formal consultation period followed which closed on 3rd July. The Parish Council wrote at length about the plans reflecting the issues, concerns and suggestions put forward by the many residents that attended the consultation meeting. Over 50 individuals and families responded to the consultation and all have raised concerns about the proposals.
The major concerns relate to flood risk and the limited capacity of the sewage pumping station and pipeline to the next outfall which is unable to cope in periods of high rainfall due to surface water infiltrating the foul drainage network.
The Swallowfield Flood Resilience Group (FRG) produced a lengthy report on the flooding and sewage issues and this has been followed up with numerous meetings and discussions with the developer, WBC, Environment Agency, Thames Water and their consultants.
The FRG has adopted a constructive stance, recognising that development in some form is inevitable and that technical solutions exist, albeit at a cost to the developer. It has proposed various measures that could address the issues it has raised. The group has worked extremely hard to present the case which it believes justifies the requirement for such measures.
The FRG has also achieved a great deal by persuading WBC to request an extended period of groundwater monitoring and full hydrodynamic modelling of surface water flows pre and post development to ensure that the proposed drainage measures are sufficient so that there is nil detriment to existing properties which are at a lower ground level than the new homes would be.
At one point, the application was scheduled to come before the WBC Planning Committee in December 2014. Councillors on the committee undertook a site visit and a large group of local people turned out in cold weather to demonstrate their concerns. In the event, the application was deferred to a later date.
Whilst there have been some minor improvements to the plans such as the introduction of a swale along the western boundary, there is still a very long way to go if the demands of the FRG and Parish Council are to be satisfied. At the time of writing, dialogue continues. The application will now go before the WBC Planning Committee for determination on 1st April 2015.
Arborfield Strategic Development Location (SDL)
When the Arborfield Garrison Landowners Consortium submitted its original application covering the northern half of the Arborfield Strategic Development Location (SDL), the Parish Council raised concerns that traffic from the SDL would use the country lanes through Farley Hill and Swallowfield as a rat run to reach the M4 at J11, the Park and Ride being constructed
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at Mereoak and the A33 to Basingstoke. Further concerns were raised about the effects of the development on flooding in the Loddon catchment, particularly the flood plains around Swallowfield. The Council was also concerned that without the application for the southern half of the SDL it only had half of the story.
In the event, the application was withdrawn and Crest Nicholson took over responsibility as Development Manager and now leads the planning and delivery of the northern part of the SDL. A period of dialogue took place involving Curtin & Co., a company that it had engaged to help manage the issues raised by the local community. Since then, a revised application has been submitted for the northern half of the SDL and a further application was submitted by the Marino Family Trust covering the southern part.
Water from much of the southern half of the SDL drains into the river Blackwater upstream of Swallowfield and the Parish Council raised further concerns about the effect this could have on flooding in the village. Measures are required to encourage the infiltration of surface water into the water table locally as happens at present and the construction of attenuation systems that would ensure water flow rates into the Blackwater are kept at manageable levels during periods of high rainfall.
The Parish Council is pleased that WBC is now looking at the wider implications of these developments on flooding throughout the Loddon catchment and that its comments on highways and traffic implications have resulted in some worthwhile changes.
WBC has also submitted its application for the Secondary School which is dependent on approval of the Crest Nicholson application on whose land it would be built. WBC has ambitious plans for the school to open for Year 7 intake initially in September 2016. The Parish Council commented on the Secondary School application, raising concerns that there was insufficient parking provision and that the parish was not explicitly identified as being within the catchment. It has since received assurances that it will be within catchment but this carries with it implications for school traffic passing through Farley Hill.
The Crest Nicholson and Secondary School applications were both approved at a WBC Planning Committee meeting on 25th March 2015.
Arborfield Cross Relief Road
Further detail emerged concerning the route of the Arborfield Cross Relief Road following more detailed ground surveys. As had been expected, this follows the general line of “route B” as described in the consultation process. In more detail, the suggested route runs from the A327 through the fields to the west of, and close to, Greensward Lane to a junction with Swallowfield Road. It continues, passing southwest of Arborfield Court through a cutting in the ridge, to re- join the A327 at a new roundabout to the south of the Langley Common Road roundabout. The junction with Swallowfield Road is expected to take the form of a staggered crossroads which it is hoped will discourage traffic from using the lanes through to Swallowfield as a rat run. Central refuges will be provided where the two footpaths cross the line of the road.
Balcombe Nursery
The current owner of the site and his planning consultant convened a public meeting in early June to present their ideas for the site to nearby residents and the Parish Council. Currently the site has planning approval to complete the development of a large Garden Centre with parking for around 100 cars. The centre would also have sales areas for caravans, camping equipment, conservatories, fencing, and stone landscaping. This scheme, if completed, would
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
have a significant urbanising effect and makes no provision to deal with the water run-off onto the Basingstoke Road which occurs even now, without the large areas of roof and impermeable surfacing. The construction of the access some years ago was sufficient to make the planning consent permanent, allowing the development to be completed at any time.
An outline planning application has been submitted for an alternative development of three dwellings, rustic in appearance and modest in scale which would be more in keeping with the location than the Garden Centre. The main issue relates to planning policy and the least harmful option in planning terms. The harm is assessed by making a comparison between the application and the most likely fall-back. In the 1990s, applications for more urban style developments were turned down on appeal because the Planning Inspector’s view at the time was that there was little likelihood of a Garden Centre being developed on the site and the site was still a green field then. Consequently the site remaining a green field was seen as the likely fall-back scenario. Time has moved on from the 1990s and now, with 6,000 homes due to be built in the Arborfield and South of the M4 SDLs, a Garden Centre becomes a more viable proposition. In addition, large quantities of hard core have been dumped on the site by previous owners prior to the failed applications to turn it into a Builders Merchant’s Yard. This means that there is now no realistic prospect of it ever being returned to green field and it should be regarded as a brown field site. The alternative proposal that has now been advanced is strongly supported by local people and the Parish Council considers it to be less harmful in planning terms than the Garden Centre which is considered to be the likely fall-back if this application fails. It is anticipated that this application will be listed for a WBC Planning Committee meeting on 29th April 2015.
Sheepbridge Solar Farm
One of the more unusual planning applications was for a solar farm installation at Sheepbridge Court Farm. The majority of the site falls within Shinfield Parish with a small area in Swallowfield but the scale of the application was such that Swallowfield Parish Council would have been consulted anyway. It comprises a large ground-mounted solar array capable of generating up to 9MW of electricity, enough for around 3,000 homes. There is an example of such an installation flanking the south side of the M4 in Burghfield between J11 and J12.
The Parish Council is generally in favour of green energy but only if it is of the right type and in the right place. The disadvantage of this scheme is that it impacts views from the heritage asset of Swallowfield Park and affects the Loddon Valley, an area which separates the settlements of Swallowfield and Shinfield which is destined to take further housing development to the East.
The Council voted by majority to object to this application because of its adverse impacts, highlighting a change of direction in central government policy away from using green field sites in favour of brown field ones, and industrial and domestic rooftops. The Parish Council had also made a number of other detailed comments in its original consultation response to cover the eventuality that the application was approved.
In the event, the WBC Planning Committee put greater weight on the need for green energy and so approved the application.
It was gratifying to see that our main comments on the detail of the scheme in the event of it being approved had been addressed or confirmed as follows:
Additional conditions requiring a decommissioning scheme to be produced and agreed within 6 months of approval had been added by way of an update.
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A more explicit condition calling up the landscape and ecological management plan and requiring mitigation outside the site boundary to be implemented at the start of implementation had also already been added by way of an update. The money to go to the parishes (£18K to be shared), although not a planning consideration, is now confirmed by the developer and on the public record. It was also confirmed that a financial bond to cover the cost of decommissioning exists in the lease between the landowner and Orta Solar but again this is not a planning consideration.
Since approval of the application, a proposal has been made to divert the footpath that runs from the farm entrance up to Hyde End Lane in Shinfield to pass to the south of the solar farm where it would provide views of the River Loddon and form part of a longer term scheme to extend the walk along the river. The path would be just outside the main flood zone. There are still issues to be resolved because of the proposed planting of a hedgerow which would help screen the solar farm from Swallowfield Park. This hedgerow was to have been planted on the south side of the footpath creating a corridor for walkers and obscuring the views of the river. WBC is exploring the possibility of repositioning it to the north side of the footpath but the height would then need to be reduced to avoid it shading any solar panels.
Planning Application Trends
Apart from the regular stream of small applications at a residential level, the Parish Council has noted an increase in the number of applications for Certificates of Lawful Existing Use or Development (CLEUD) and a regular stream of enforcement notifications. These CLEUD applications are designed to regularise situations where a use or development has been implemented that requires but does not have the necessary planning authorisation and could potentially be the subject of enforcement action. If the applicant can demonstrate that the use or development has persisted throughout a certain period (10 years in the case of a change of use) without a break and without being challenged, then the application is granted regardless of whether it is contrary to planning policy or not. In these circumstances, there are no grounds on which the Parish Council can object. Unfortunately this is a mechanism that is used to get around planning restrictions by the back door where a conventional application would be certain to fail. Consequently, the Parish Council looks to challenge any such application if there are grounds to suggest that the claims are not valid. It may be difficult to recognise some changes of use, for example where a different class of business use takes place, and it is these that may go unchallenged.
This trend highlights the importance of local residents being vigilant about possible unauthorised uses or developments and acting as the eyes and ears of the authorities. Any suspected breaches of planning should be raised with the Planning Authority (WBC) and the Parish Council so that they can be formally investigated. The informant’s identity is not disclosed publicly.
Another trend that we are seeing is the result of a change to National planning policy which allows redundant farm buildings to be converted for residential use (up to three dwellings) as permitted development provided the site and buildings fulfil certain criteria. Permitted development is allowed as of right and doesn’t require planning permission but in these cases an application has to be made to the Planning Authority to seek confirmation that the proposal meets the relevant criteria. If it does, the Planning Authority has very limited grounds for objection such as highways and impact on nearby heritage assets such as listed buildings. It is only the neighbours that officially have a say on these applications.
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Community Infrastructure Levy
Consultation took place on the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which replaces certain Section 106 contributions on new residential developments. This comes into effect from April 2015. Town and Parish Councils will also receive a ‘meaningful proportion’ of the CIL money raised. This can be up to 25% of CIL receipts in areas with an adopted Neighbourhood Plan, and up to 15% (capped at £100 per existing council tax dwelling) in areas without a Neighbourhood Plan.
Neighbourhood Planning
The Parish Council decided in 2013 that it would not develop a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish because the cost would far outweigh the benefit at that time. It should be noted that the Village Design Statements produced a number of years ago for Swallowfield and Riseley still form part of planning guidance. Nevertheless, the Parish Council has been keeping this decision under review.
The development of such a plan is costly due to the need for professional support, scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate and the referendum necessary for its adoption. Its development would require widespread community involvement and would need to be community led in order to succeed.
The aim of these plans is to give more control over planning policy and land use within their area of coverage. However, they cannot alter planning policies established at Borough and National level and therefore only provide additional policy to fill gaps where needed. The main driver for such plans nationally is in areas which are destined to take significant new development, to control the nature and siting of such development. In our Borough, the scope is more limited because the identification of sites for future development and of settlement boundaries is determined at Borough level. There is within Borough policy a general presumption against development in the countryside and in favour of development within settlement boundaries so a Neighbourhood Plan could not change these things. It is however possible that such a plan could help shape the nature of developments that would be allowed and strengthen policies governing land use in the countryside.
Your Chair of Planning would like to hear from anyone who feels that there are gaps in current planning policy on land use in the parish that such a plan could address and anyone who would be willing to get involved. Please contact me directly or pass your contact details and thoughts to the Parish Clerk. If there is sufficient interest, the Parish Council’s Planning Committee would consider running a workshop to identify what such a plan might achieve and whether such a project would be worthwhile.
John Anderson – Chair, Planning Committee
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4. Parish Vision and Aims Report 2015
This area of responsibility was formed to enable the Parish Council to make strategic plans taking into account the aims of the Council which are to retain our rural aspect and to continue enriching our very strong community. During this year the Parish Council has had to react to major issues:
Planning the new build at Fieldfayre Working in co-operation with the Flood Resilience Group to make informed comments to the Borough Council re the Bellway planning Application for the Winkworth site. The attendance at many meetings re the development of Arborfield and the subsequent comments written.
The Future
As the Housing Developments are completed in the surrounding areas the Parish Council will have to put in place plans to enable us to cope with the increased use of our Parish as a recreation area. The Parish Council will need to continue to work closely with the FRG to continue our progress in tackling the flooding issues related to the geographical area in which we live. The pressures on housing will increase especially when the Cross Rail is complete. However despite what seems immense changes to come I am sure with thought and goodwill the Parish will continue to be a vibrant community living in beautiful surroundings.
Angela King, Lead Councillor, Vision and Aims
5. Properties Report for Year 2014 – 2015
I think this is the first time a review of our properties has been included in the Annual Parish Meeting Report. I am sure too that there are many parishioners who probably do not know that the Parish Council (on behalf of the Parishioners) actually owns properties! I certainly did not have any idea about these assets until I joined the Parish Council in 2012. Since then I can definitely confirm there has been a lot happening, and the Council has never been busier with property matters than it is now.
It was agreed in principle in December 2013 that the Council should purchase Flat 1 in the Fieldfayre building to ensure that any plans to improve the site would be made possible with full ownership of the whole site. The Council actually completed this purchase in April 2014. The Fieldfayre site is now fully owned by the Council.
You will have read in the Newsletter over the last year or so about the Fieldfayre site and the vision the Council has for improving it and making it a far more positive asset. Discussions and consultation have been on-going since Autumn 2012 and now I am pleased to report that finally the Council is in a position to submit a full planning application. I am sure the Council often wondered if this day would ever come, and although it is the very first step on our journey to improve the building by returning it to something more approaching its original design, whilst also addressing the shortage of properties suitable for those starting out or wishing to downsize, it feels like something of an achievement to have made it this far. We are grateful to everyone for their input and feedback. The professionals are apt to refer to our project as “small” or “not complex”, I wish they could have attended the many, many meetings we have
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spent weighing up every proposed action or idea! That said we are now very pleased with the plans we have and hope that we can maintain the momentum to keep the project moving forward over the coming months.
The Council will continue to provide updates on the project in the Newsletter and on the website. The Council of course owns and runs 2 very popular Halls, the Parish Hall and the Riseley Memorial Hall, home to the RSF Tennis Club and the Risely Village Tea Rooms. A significant amount of time and energy (not to mention money) is spent by the Council staff and Councillors to ensure the Halls are suitable for use by everyone who has an activity in them. I think we are very fortunate that in a rural Parish like ours we have access to so many and varied activities led by some many dedicated people.
In addition to Fieldfayre the Council owned a property known as The Marshes which is located off of School Lane in Riseley. The property was left to the Council initially to enable it to provide housing for those not fortunate enough to be able to own a property of their own. The building was most recently occupied for many years by a local person who has lived in the Parish all of their life. Due to advancing years the tenant needed some help and recently moved into residential care which meant the property was empty. The Council again thought long and hard about the best action to take. The property could have been renovated and kept as an asset but it was felt that the location and fabric of the building was not best suited in this day and age for the original purpose. So the Council sold the property at auction in January this year and will use the proceeds to help with the Fieldfayre project and endeavour to ensure the continued goal of providing accommodation for people who maybe can’t afford to buy a house in the Parish right now.
Carolyn Clark, Lead Councillor, Properties
6. Environment Report for Year 2014 – 2015
The Parish Council takes all matters to do with the environment very seriously and we do our best to try and understand what “The Environment” means to different members of the community; to some it is the beautiful countryside we are lucky to have where we can admire nature at its very best and to others it is the way they earn their living; with success often finely balanced on such vagaries as the weather, the market price of their produce and variable production costs. With the latter very much in mind, the coverage of the Environmental Working Group was expanded during the past 12 months to also include rural crime, our liaison with the farming fraternity and our participation in the Shinfield and Swallowfield Neighbourhood Action Group (“NAG”).
To reflect the importance we place on protecting people and their property from the threat of flooding the PC have, for the second year, produced a separate report from the Flood Resilience Group (“FRG”) and the monthly Parish Council meetings FRG in a category of its own to ensure it remains prominent. I continue to be impressed by the dedicated, active, well- connected and unbelievably knowledgeable individuals that make up the FRG. This was particularly highlighted during the last 12 months when we saw the forensic approach they took to protecting the community in the face of the development of the Willow Tree Works. We are very fortunate indeed to have them as part of our community.
I know that I might sometimes sound like a stuck record (or whatever the download equivalent is!!) in that again I wish to highlight the issue of litter and fly tipping. If only I could come back to
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you with better news this year but, unfortunately, that is not the case. Our location makes us the number one parish within Wokingham Borough Council for incidents of fly tipping; not a league that we should be proud of leading. I know that this angers and frustrates a large number of us and it is to many people’s credit that they do more than complain but get out and try to make a difference. Such an example is the Annual Litter Pick, held this year on 28th March 20145, which saw just over 50 people go out and tidy up our Parish, collecting 150+ black bags of other people’s rubbish only to see new litter appear the following day in areas that had been cleared. Very sad indeed and not all done by people that pass through our Parish! Once again, many thanks go to Nigel and Celia Adams for organising the event in conjunction with Liz Halson, our Parish Clerk. I would urge as many as possible to get involved in next year’s event. In a strange way, it is a lot of fun!
We, along with the local landowners, continue to work closely with Peter Baveystock and his team at Wokingham Borough Council’s Waste and Recycling department and Thames Valley Police. The PC attends regular meetings with them and participates in a cross town and parish council group to discuss areas of concerns and, most importantly, ways to make improvements. Last year we initiated a scheme with landowners and WBC to get fly tipping removed more quickly to minimise not only the environmental impacts but also to try and prevent sites becoming regular dumping grounds. I am delighted to let you know that the PC has again allocated funding for this project. In last year’s report I mentioned plans to use cameras to detect offenders. The discussions that ensued with WBC and Thames Valley Police turned out to be long, arduous and to all practical purposes unworkable. The law offers enormous protection for people that might be filmed by the PC committing illegal acts and it is very likely that any evidence collected would be inadmissible in a prosecution. We are currently considering a “Plan B” which might circumvent some of the rules and hope to bring more positive news to you next year. Not all aspects covered by the Parish Council under the heading of environment are as depressing as fly-tipping and litter. The Parish Council continues to focus on providing natural outdoor areas that can be enjoyed by all and provide a good habitat for a range of plant and animals. The Community Orchard planted in October 2011 is becoming established on its Riseley site. Since planting, a few trees have been lost, mainly to deer regarding them as a delicious addition to their diets. We are very grateful to the Community Council for Berkshire, in conjunction with the Big Lottery, for replacing these and for providing some more robust deer guards. An information sign has also been erected so that visitors are better informed about the varieties and history.
Environment issues when it comes to planning are covered in both the Planning and Flood Resilience Group’s reports. With large developments such as at the Arborfield Garrison, the Arborfield Relief Road, and locally significant applications for a solar farm at Sheepbridge Court and development of the Willow Tree Works, much time and effort has been taken up working through very significant and technical documents in order to make a reasoned response on the environmental impacts. It is a moot point on whether or not such significant effort has had an effect on the outcomes but the alternative would be to make no response and I do not think that is what our parishioners would want us to do.
Finally, I would like to give the commitment that the Parish Council will continue to represent the community at the appropriate meetings and by making vigorous representation as required on all matters to do with the environment. We are very fortunate to live in an area with great natural beauty and heritage that, if it becomes lost or falls into decline, becomes extremely difficult to restore.
Peter Sampson, Lead Councillor, Environment
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7. Swallowfield Flood Resilience Group Report 2014-2015
SFRG continues to be an admired and respected voice in the community and throughout Berkshire, trying to ensure the parish is kept safe from both fluvial and pluvial flooding. Meetings are open to all and the group meets regularly in the Rose Room at Swallowfield Parish Hall. Dates of meetings are published in advance in the Parish Council minutes.
The group has expanded in 2014 with more residents joining from the community to protest against the lack of resilience in the plans for the Bellway development on the Willow Tree works site. The FRG have spent countless hours in meetings with the applicants, Wokingham Borough Planners and both their hydrological experts trying to find a way forward that will not have the potential to cause extra flooding or sewerage problems, to the wider area around the site. The parish is lucky to have such dedicated and skilled engineers in our midst who are able to argue the case on our behalf. The work is still ongoing as a previous planning application due to be heard in December was postponed until 2015.
Also FRG have been pleased to have representations from the wider environmental community: the chairman of the Loddon Fisheries and Conservation Consultative is now an active member of the group. They hold meeting 4 times a year, very often at Swallowfield – details can be found on their website http://www.lfcc.org.uk/. They are not simply about fish but try to connect parties throughout the Loddon catchment with similar interests and attempt to encourage those with issues to the deal with them in a sustainable way. They have established links with The Environment Agency, local wildlife and conservation bodies, other flood groups within the Loddon catchment not to mention a number of local angling clubs and societies.
Members of the group regularly attend wider flood group resilience meetings. FRG are part of the Loddon Catchment Partnership which is attempting to look at flooding across the whole catchment and identify areas of greatest risk and by working together identify opportunities for flood risk management. FRG are part of the newly formed Lodden Basin Flood Action Group. This type of approach that has shown benefits in other parts of the country and targets the fact that a local problem can be alleviated (or exacerbated) by work, perhaps a significant distance, upstream Members of the group are expert in key areas of resilience and sewerage and regularly lobby The Environmental Agency, Thames Water and the local MP on behalf of the parish.
FRG are most grateful to the personal and helpful links with the flood and drainage team from Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) who attend meetings and work with us to complete local flood alleviation projects.
FRG now help the Parish Council by reporting on any flooding implications on planning applications.
Recent successes include a grant award from the Community Council for Berkshire (CCB) .Following meetings with Peter Sampson and Lee Atkins; CCB submitted 2 applications to the Berkshire Community Foundation's Berkshire Flood Recovery Fund. Both grants were awarded. The first grant will fund a project concerned with formalising the Swallowfield emergency response flooding plan and enabling key elements of the plan to be issued to every household in the parish. Part of this will include money for a hydrological survey and data analysis required by the Flood Resilience Group and for the design and print of the publications.
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The second grant will enable 3 or 4 other communities to learn from the experiences and expertise present in Swallowfield to produce their own flood response toolkit and to create a 'How To' guide for publication, based on Swallowfield's excellent example.
2014-2015 projects
Winter 2014 was the wettest on record with Swallowfield Park becoming lake for much of the time- but no houses were flooded! Trash screens fitted at head walls to Naylors Ditch and Meadow ditch (owned by SPC) to prevent flooding from debris caught across the ditch. Requested by FRG and paid for by WBC Naylors and Meadow ditch and balancing pond owned and cleared annually by SPC Funding for regular maintenance of parish owned ditches in annual parish budget. Regular working parties organised by members of the group and willing locals to hand dig and clear areas where the digger can’t reach! Clearing and kerbing of Part Lane to prevent flooding. Requested by FRG and undertaken and paid for by WBC.
All this takes lots of energy and commitment. Please do join us and work together to keep the parish safe! We also have fun, eat cake, enjoy each others’ company and meet up for an annual Christmas dinner each year!
Margaret McDonald, Lead Councillor, Resilience
8. Communications Report for Year 2014 – 2015
The Parish Council is always aware of the need to communicate with our parishioners in the best possible way. We use a number of ways of doing this.
Parish Council Newsletter
The PC newsletter is probably the most visible and important method that we use to communicate. It is produced on a quarterly basis and delivered to every household in Farley Hill, Riseley, Swallowfield and Stanford End, thus reaching those parishioners who are not on internet and therefore do not have access to the web site or Facebook.
The newsletter is an A4 publication averaging 24 pages per issue, and it is now printed in colour. Contents include:
Reports from the Chairman, who gives an overview of current PC activities; reports from Lead Councillors and Wokingham Borough Council Societies and Sports Clubs Forthcoming activities of local interest Local information
Web Site
The Parish Council website contains information about community activities, local facilities including the Parish Hall, the services and function of the Parish Council and contact details for the Parish Clerk and Councillors. There is also an A-Z directory to help you find all of the
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information and contacts that you need. We have also included links to local weather and travel together with Clubs and Societies who have their own web sites.
During the last year, we have completely updated our web site and we now have the ability of making available the very latest information concerning Parish Council activities and, of course, information on all matters affecting the parish. These include, for example, events taking place in our halls, planning applications, and imminent road closures. We welcome your feedback on our new website and your suggestions for future additions and improvements.
The Parish Council has set up its own Facebook page to give users instant appropriate information on the PC’s activities. Parishioners can also post their own messages about local events or ask questions. We are encouraged by the response we have received on this social media activity and the number of “likes” we are getting.
Please contact the Council if you have questions regarding the Parish Council and its operation, if you have any concerns about Parish issues or if you think there is something the Council can help or support you with.
Gordon Collender, Lead Councillor, Communications
9. Halls Report for year 2014-2015
Swallowfield Parish Hall and Riseley Memorial Hall are two major assets that belong to the Parish Council and we work hard to maintain them to the highest of standards. The halls provide the most important venue for parish and social events.
Swallowfield Parish Hall is the hub of parish activities, as the office of the parish clerk and the finance officer, who is also the booking clerk, is situated at the front of the building. We do ask members of the public to respect their time and that of the booking clerk especially, who only works 18 hours per week. There are many calls on staff time as the hall becomes more heavily used, because of this there are times when the office will not be open to all members of the community, as sometimes the officers are out at meetings or striving to get work completed to deadlines, and we do ask the public to respect this.
We held our annual User Group meeting in November 2014 where representatives of most of the regular users come along and discuss ways we can all improve the facilities. This was an opportunity to talk about our improved parish web site which gives lots of information for hall users. We requested that hall users should only put general rubbish and not end of year clear out rubbish in the Grundon and reminded users that the blue bin is solely for paper. We requested also that any damage is reported as soon as possible to help us maintain our hall to the standards we require and we asked hall users to protect the hall entry code to prevent unwelcome visitors. On a point of information, there is a key in the main kitchen cupboard should users need to lower the front bollards and there is indoor bowling equipment available if anyone wants to start an indoor bowls club.
We have received many positive comments from our hall users saying how lucky we are to have a hall with a stage, three different rooms which are easy to hire and use each with their own kitchens. Users say that the hall is a “lovely facility “, parking is excellent , there is a wide
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range of play equipment for all age ranges and the toilets are most clean and attractive! Thank you for noticing and for recognising the unsung work of cleaner and caretaker.
Four members of the council meet regularly with the clerk, booking clerk and caretaker to try to make management of the hall as easy as possible, to deal with problems and complaints and to ensure that our high standard of maintenance and cleanliness is kept. We thank all those of you who do finish their session by fully clearing and cleaning up, so that the rooms remain pristine. We were sorry to lose our regular hall cleaner, Jan, who had been with us for so many years but you will notice that we have a new cleaner since the beginning of 2015, who is keeping up standards.
During 2014 the hall continued to be heavily used. We are delighted that a local parish hall can cater for all ages and interests, from Toddler group to Zumba, to Horticultural shows to WI, Art and History. The list is endless. We are also delighted to welcome new regular hall users such as Drumming (in the Davies Room!), The Sewing Bee and Little Dramas Academy. We have welcomed Scottish Dancer training and two taster sessions for young dancers called The Knight School of Dance may well turn into a regular booking. Please note that many of these groups are run as small businesses and it causes hardship- and havoc for the booking staff - if they have to lose their slot to another group for whatever reason. Friday night is still our least used night so this may be a good alternative for any group who needs to switch sessions occasionally. Preschool continues to thrive and we are pleased that we can offer such an excellent quality of facilities both inside and outdoor for the local community.
Our new sound system seems to be a success and is well used! Parties and functions at the weekend in the main hall provide a good income, which is necessary to keep local user rates as low as we can manage. These functions though, have brought some local problems with disruption and noise but we are endeavouring to learn from this and to put failsafe practices in place to prevent further annoyance to others. The Rose Room, with its excellent conference facilities, is now becoming more widely used and we do ask people to book well in advance if they wish to hire any of our rooms.
We are also aware that the bollards, so necessary to keep unwelcome visitors from both our car parks, are causing problems and we ask drivers to take care when driving between them. As previously said, there is a key in the kitchen to lower them in Swallowfield if needed and one is held in the tea room in Riseley. The bollards are quite old and proving expensive and difficult to maintain so the clerk is hoping to investigate newer models, but this will take time.
We are particularly proud of our main hall and stage which can support a thriving amateur dramatic group, the Russell Players, and a not for profit Entertainment Group who bring professional productions to our local stage. The Russell Players youth group is alive and well, putting on a number of productions in 2014, and The Russell Players’ highly popular family pantomime in February, “The Revenge of Captain Hook” was followed by the three act play “Family Spirit” later on in the year and “Robin Hood “ in February 2015 .
The Entertainment Group have given us wonderfully varied year. The funny and fascinating Dickenson evening with Ian Keble the magician, was followed by the comic “Radio Soop” in October. The Christmas production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” by the Farnham Maltings Company was particularly successful. Over 70 tickets were sold and a small profit was made despite the generous number of free mince pies! There wasn’t a dry eye to be seen in the house at the end of the play - a marvellous result for the actor and the audience alike!
We were also delighted that the scouts were able to organise an expanded Scouts Fun Run in September.
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The success of Riseley Village Tea Room continues to justify our faith in Pam Wright, her committee and faithful helpers and volunteers. Numbers using the tea room are steadily growing, as are the numbers of celebration teas sold. The tea room was closed in January 2014 for the upgrade to the interior and the provision of new electrics and exterior CCTV cameras- all paid for by a lottery grant achieved by Tess Eagles and Pam. New tea room signs are bringing in more customers and they sold a record 96 afternoon teas over 4 days in August! So do book if you are taking a party there! The Christmas 20’s supper was a huge success before the tea room closed for the winter. It opened again in February 2015.
We are all hoping that 2015 will be as successful as 2014 and that the halls continue to play their part in bringing the community together.
Margaret McDonald, Lead Councillor, Halls
10. Recreation
Maintaining our open spaces is an important objective for the Parish Council. We want everyone to be able to use the parks and playgrounds for sport or leisure. We are unique in Wokingham Borough as we own all of the equipment you see in our parks and this can be an expensive responsibility from painting playground equipment to resurfacing tennis courts. Our assets are as follows:
Tennis courts in Riseley Play equipment in Riseley Skate ramp, youth shelter, basketball hoop and football target in Riseley Play equipment in King George V park, Farley Hill Play equipment in Swallowfield recreation ground Toddler play equipment in Swallowfield recreation ground Multi-Purpose Games court in Swallowfield Every year we look at the budget available and have to make a decision on what should be upgraded or replaced and if there is anything new we can purchase. We have strict health and safety guidelines we must meet so any safety repairs are done immediately following a quarterly inspection.
This year we have installed new equipment at Riseley for both teenagers and toddlers. We will continue to look for opportunities to add to the variety of equipment we have in the parish. Our priority for the coming year is improving the football pitches to encourage more regular use.
The Parish owns a fair amount of open space for everyone to enjoy. It all needs continual maintenance which is worth every penny if people get out and make the most of it. We have The Marshes, Swallowfield Meadow, the orchard next to Riseley Memorial Hall, Van Diemans field and the allotments in Part Lane. There are also children’s playgrounds in Swallowfield, Riseley and Farley Hill and a multipurpose games court next to the Parish Hall.
Just enjoy the many varied resources we are lucky enough to have access to here in Swallowfield Parish.
Helen Lewis, Lead Councillor, Recreation
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11. Transport - Annual Report on Highways, Transport, Road Safety
It has been quite a busy year on the highways front, and in many ways a frustrating one, but a surprising amount has been achieved.
The main issues raised during the year which are most likely to be of interest to residents are listed below, in no particular order!
Charlton Lane
Charlton Lane has been something of a running sore for residents, and the PC. Charlton Lane is a very narrow country lane that joins the B3349 Basingstoke Road to Trowes Lane.
It is used by large trucks, including articulated combinations to access businesses on Trowes Lane, which it is really not suitable for, but businesses need access and it is the least awful route.
After spending a lot of time and effort on the matter, WBC agreed to put up experimental signs banning trucks over 7.5 tonnes from turning left into, or right out of, Charlton Lane which are the most hazardous manoeuvres. The signs have proved to be reasonably successful and have slightly reduced the adverse impact on Charlton Lane residents.
WBC also decided to put up some black advisory lorry route signs directing traffic to “Trowes Lane Businesses” along Part Lane from the Odiham Road end. We did not want these in the first place and their positioning was somewhat confusing. Some have been removed already and we are still working on this issue and we are monitoring the situation in Charlton Lane.
No 72 Bus service & Riseley Bus Stops
The bus company Stagecoach operate the bus service through Riseley and they decided to change the route and bus stops, unfortunately without telling anyone what they were doing.
This caused considerable problems because the route and bus stops changed and people were waiting in the wrong place. The PC contacted Stagecoach to try to find out the exact position of the bus stops – which they did not know or could not tell us – and have been trying to get the route and bus stops adjusted since then.
We have made some progress and it appears that the bus drivers are rather more flexible and knowledgeable than the company offices. We are still working on this issue and will try to get the bus stops improved – the problem as ever being getting someone to pay for it.
Village Gateways
This is another of those on going sagas: Village gateways are a simple form of traffic calming that work by clearly defining a village boundary and which hopefully encourage drivers to slow down a bit.
We want village gateways to mark the village boundaries but it is quite difficult to get this done because the gateways must not be a hazard in themselves in case they injure someone when they lose control of their vehicle.
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
Some funding was found and the PC paid some money to WBC to get gateways installed, but so far nothing has happened. It has become one of those on/off/on/off situations with the design and positioning changing with monotonous regularity.
We now await the outcome of the proposed speed limit change before making a decision about the installation of gateways.
Speed Limits
There have been a lot of requests over the years for a 30 mph speed limit on the Basingstoke Road through Riseley, and on Church Lane in Farley Hill and the PC have strongly supported this for many years but there was always strong opposition from WBC, and in particular the Executive Member for Highways who would not agree to any reduction of speed limits unless the Police agreed to enforce it.
The problem was the police would not agree to enforce a specific limit that did not exist yet, so we went round in a bit of a ridiculous circle. The good news is that during the year there were changes within WBC and the Executive member for Highways was promoted, and the new member seems to be much more flexible and agreeable where speed limits are concerned. Therefore, it now looks as though the speed limit through Riseley will be reduced to 30 mph.
Even better news is that WBC has agreed in principle to a 30 mph limit on Church lane through Farley Hill.
A33 and Norton Road
The residents of Norton Road have been suffering from commuter traffic trying to avoid the tail back from the A33 Swallowfield bypass roundabout, using Norton Road as a “rat run”.
The simple solution of putting a restriction on Norton Road proved to be anything but simple, because signs are often ignored unless enforced, and there was no point moving the problem a couple of hundred yards down the road into Chapel Lane.
Various options have been looked at – no entry, no left turn, no motor vehicles except for access, a barrier half way along, and so on. It all takes a long time. The residents of Norton Road produced a petition but this was not adequate because Chapel Lane residents have to be consulted too. This has now happened and WBC has reviewed the results and will carry out more detailed investigations shortly before proposing a solutions.
The real problem of course is the roundabout, because its queuing traffic at the roundabout in rush hour that is causing delays and frustration and is causing desperate drivers to go charging off looking for alternative routes.
The problem here is the county boundary runs along Welsh Lane – the road from the Country Park roundabout to the A33 roundabout, which is in Hampshire and so comes under Hart DC who understandably, if annoyingly, do not see it as their top priority.
We hope to get some improvements made to the roundabout, including an improvement to the sight lines entering the roundabout and slowing down traffic entering the roundabout from the bypass to give drivers a chance to get out!
We do not know how long it will take, but watch this space....
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
Basingstoke Road double white lines
Before the Swallowfield bypass was opened, the Basingstoke Road was the A33 and we had the honour to possess the longest set of continuous double white lines in the country! The bypass has been open for 25 years now but we still have a lot of double white lines left.
The double white lines were intended to keep traffic flowing along an arterial route and it is illegal to park where there are double white lines. Obviously residents would like to park legally on the road and there can be road safety benefits as well because parked vehicles have a traffic calming effect that will go well with the new 30 mph speed limit. Obviously we do not want to remove too much of the double whites as that could encourage drivers to overtake where sight lines are bad.
Developments – Arborfield SDL, Shinfield and Willow Tree Works
The planned developments at Arborfield, Shinfield and Willow Tree Works are progressing quite quickly now. Planning permission has very recently been granted for 2000 houses at Arborfield and 38 at Willow Tree. Inevitably this will generate more traffic and the PC, along with other affected Parishes has been working hard to get better mitigation into the plans. We have had some success but it will have to be an on-going process.
Work has already started on the Shinfield bypass and preparatory works are being done for the construction of the new bridges over the M4 next to the Black Boy bridge.
A new roundabout will be built on the A327 close to the Magpie and Parrot and the developers want to close the A327 for 2 weeks in the summer to build this. If this does happen it will be interesting to see where the traffic goes!
Goods Vehicle Operator’s licences
During the year several applications have been made for goods vehicle operator’s licences or for variations to them for operating centres within the Parish.
Parish Councils are in an awkward position with these applications because legally we have no power to oppose them or to make representations. Borough and Town councils can, as can individual residents who may be affected but PCs are specifically excluded from the list. We therefore have to make representations to WBC and hope they agree and act upon them.
The applications have to follow a very precise time schedule and there is very little time to make representations – applicants have to advertise in a local paper and anyone who wants to make representations has 21 days from the advert to do so.
Edward Handley, Lead Councillor, Transport
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
12. Calico Trust Report to the 2015 Annual Parish Meeting
The Calico Trust continues to give help to groups and individuals within the Parish. The officers remain unchanged with Dr Beacham as chairman. This year we have given financial help to local schoolchildren and an organisation benefiting the community as a whole.
We have made every effort both in the Parish Newsletter and the Loddon Reach to give awareness of the Trust. Those who think the Trust can offer assistance should contact me or the Swallowfield Medical Practice.
M Goldsmith (secretary to the Trust) (9882490)
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
13. Swallowfield Parish Allotment Association
Review of 2014
2014 was a year of consolidation for the Association with no new developments taking place but a steady movement forward dealing with whatever the weather and wildlife could throw at us.
Our finances remained limited but sound despite a few people giving up their plots due to various changes to their personal circumstances. However by the beginning of 2015 new tenants had taken on the vacant plots and there is now only one half plot available. Sadly during the Summer and again later in the Autumn we experienced a number of break-ins when various items were stolen from the site and individuals. This was a most challenging period for the Association, looking at how we could make the site more secure and advising plot holders how to make their equipment less attractive to thieves. However it is the nature of allotmenteers not to fall in the face of adversity and I am pleased to report that no-one gave up their plot as a result of this experience. The Police were very helpful and supportive and our thanks go to PCSO Sam Stelfox who maintains an ongoing watchful interest over the site. On the site our natural wildlife pond took shape increasing the number of frogs on the field which is great news in managing the ever thriving population of snails and slugs. This pond has also made a huge difference to some of the flooding issues we experienced in previous years.
On 29th June we opened the site for Open Gardens Day which was a great success with a constant stream of visitors.
On 11th July we held our annual fund-raiser which this year was a BBQ. The weather was clement in the end and despite a modest turn-out we still managed to raise £223.
During 2014 the Committee set up a new approach to maintaining the site field by holding a working party weekend. This was a great success with everyone joining in at some point over the weekend to cut grass, chop back brambles and generally tidy up the site and maintain our car park area. This approach will be continued with 2 weekend events during 2015.
Plans for 2015
Our main project for this year is to really push forward with fund raising. We want to install a composting toilet and ultimately build a clubhouse. Both are major expenses and we will approach the National Lottery Awards for All to help but before doing so we want to demonstrate that we have made serious efforts to raise some of the money for ourselves. We are also developing a ‘Friends of SPAA’ scheme to encourage people to join us in our activities even if they don’t want to take on an allotment themselves. Information about this scheme will appear in the Spring.
Cynthia Goodyear
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Swallowfield Parish Council Annual Report, April 2014 to March 2015
14. Swallowfield Parish Council - Members, Officers and employees
Members:
Mr. J. Anderson – Field House, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield RG7 988 5884 Mrs. C. Clark – 5 Curly’s Way, Swallowfield RG7 1QZ 9882573 Mr. G.E. Collender - Brambles, Trowes Lane, Swallowfield RG7 1RQ 988 5747 Mr. E. Handley – Greenacres, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QX 988 3600 Mrs. A. King - Riseley Cottage, School Road, Riseley RG7 1XN 988 4126 Stood down 14th April 2015 Mrs. H. Lewis – Bay Tree Cottage, Castle Road, Farley Hill RG7 1UN 973 0490 Mrs. M. McDonald – Bird in Hand House, The Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QY 988 3251 Mr. P.N. Sampson – 1 Curly’s Way, Swallowfield RG7 1QZ 988 8571 Mrs. B. Stanley – Northcote, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QX 988 2021 Stood down 23rd March 2015
Chairman: Mr. P.N. Sampson Vice-Chairman: Mr. J. Anderson
Officers and employees:
Parish Office, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QX
Clerk: Mrs. E. Halson 988 5929 Financial Officer: Mrs. E. Shepherd 988 5444 Halls Caretaker: Mr. M. Hibbit Parish Warden: Mr. E. Nichols (retired Dec 2014) Mr. S. Haynes (from March 2015)
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