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Chairman Treasurer Secretary

Ann Edwards Kate Hunter Mike Harrington 1 Croftlands Drive Wingrove Cottage 9 Townfield Close Ravenglass Main Street Ravenglass Ravenglass Cumbria CA18 1SJ Cumbria CA18 1SL

Tel 01229 717088 Tel 01229 717291 Tel 01229 717328 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

MINUTES of the Third Annual General Meeting held in Parish Hall on Tuesday 20 th May 2003 at 7.30 p.m.

Present: Alan Bell, Philip Broadhurst, Shirley Broadhurst, Frank Chamberlain, Ann Edwards, Jane Frémont, Steve Hallett, Mike Harrington, Kate Hunter, Norman Inglis, George Jones*, Jackie Pharaoh, Stuart Robb*, Sue Robb*, Carol Stent, Roy Stent*, Wendy Turner, Peter van Zeller. In attendance: Andrew Lowe ( National Park Authority), Anna Scamans (Voluntary Action Cumbria). Apologies for absence: Brian and Patty Kennish.

1 Welcome by the Chairman The Chairman welcomed members to the meeting, including four new members whose names are starred above. She also welcomed two Advisers, Mr Lowe and Ms Scamans, who have attended Committee meetings regularly throughout the year and given much helpful support and advice. 2 Minutes The Minutes of the Second Annual General Meeting held on 21 st May 2002 were confirmed.

3 Matters arising from the Minutes Minute 7.1: Flagpole: In last year’s Minutes members were invited to submit designs for a Ravenglass flag. The Secretary reported that the Committee had since been advised that the flying of any flag other than a national flag might require planning permission.

4 Chairman’s report The full text of the Chairman’s report was circulated with the agenda for the meeting and reprinted in Newsletter No. 4. The Chairman referred briefly to the following matters:

4.1 Traffic calming, Pennington Arms – Post Office area After considerable efforts by the Forum to raise funds for its agreed contribution to the costs, work commenced in very poor weather in February this year. Capita dbs had engaged contractors from whom they expected the highest standards of workmanship, which was to serve as an example of what could be achieved when cobbled forecourts were restored further down Main Street, but the results were a great disappointment to the Forum, the Parish Council and the whole village. Remedial work was undertaken and, apart from a few remaining details, the work is now satisfactory. The Chairman invited members to view the display of pictures of the site before and after the improvements. Ravenglass Village Forum 3rd AGM, 20-5-03: Minutes

4.2 Millennium Garden The Chairman thanked all those who had voluntarily undertaken weeding, replanting and care of the Garden. It was still a matter of trial and error to find out which plants could best survive the salty conditions and occasional flooding. She thanked Mr Brian Kennish and his gang of volunteers who erected the flagpole in time for HM The Queen’s Golden Jubilee

4.3 Promoting Ravenglass The Forum’s A Quick Look at Ravenglass leaflet had been a success. Last year’s print run of 10,000 copies was now nearly exhausted and a reprint of 10,000 would be ordered. The Chairman thanked all the local businesses that had contributed to the cost. A new leaflet, provisionally titled Ravenglass Heritage Trail , was now being edited. This would be A3 size, folded, and would give more information on the history of the village. The Editors (Mrs Hunter, Mrs Stent and Mr van Zeller) were thanked for their work, which included a great deal of research. Mr van Zeller was now establishing links with the ‘Hidden Britain Centres’ scheme, which was being piloted in this area. This is still in its early days but it should provide a good means of attracting visitors.

4.4 Support The Chairman thanked all Committee members and officers for their hard work during the year. Messrs Hallett and Inglis, who had both made important contributions, wished to retire this year and volunteers were needed to fill their places. Mr Lowe and Ms Scamans were thanked for their valuable advice and professional help. The Chairman also thanked Muncaster Parish Council and the residents of Ravenglass for their good wishes and support for the Forum in its work.

5 Treasurer’s Report and Accounts Received: • Balance sheet for the year ending 31 March 2003. • Certificate from Mr A. Cliffe of Seascale that the Accounts had been audited and found to be correct and in order.

The Treasurer reported that the Forum had had a satisfactory financial year. The major event was raising funds for a contribution to the traffic calming work in the Pennington Arms – Post Office area. Extra work on drainage problems and laying a flagged walkway towards the Post Office entrance had increased the original costing of £14,035 to £16, 560 (+ VAT recoverable by the LDNPA). The Lake District National Park Authority paid that amount in full and recovered from the Forum £1,650 in donations received and held in trust pending completion of the work: • £50 from Copeland Borough Council, • £500 from the Seascale & Bootle Neighbourhood Forum, • £100 from Ravenglass Charter Fair Committee, • £1,000 from the J P Jacobs Charitable Trust. In addition the following grants for the work, which do not appear in the Accounts, were paid directly to the National Park by donors: £1,000 from Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust, £100 from Muncaster Parish Council and £500 from the Muncaster Castle Estate. Mr van Zeller played the main part in raising those funds by locating sources and drafting applications. 14 local businesses contributed £235 towards the cost of the Quick Look at Ravenglass leaflet. At the end of the year the Forum’s bank balance was £543.44 in credit.

Proposed by Mrs Stent and seconded by Mrs Pharaoh that the accounts for the year ending 31 March 2003 be adopted. The motion was carried unanimously.

6 Elections Reported that Messrs Hallett and Inglis wished to retire from the Committee this year. All other officers and members were willing to continue to serve and there were two vacancies to fill.

2 Ravenglass Village Forum 3rd AGM, 20-5-03: Minutes

Mr Lowe was invited to conduct the elections as an independent party without a vote.

The following were proposed and seconded:

Office Candidate Proposer Seconder Chairman Ann Edwards Mike Harrington Kate Hunter Secretary Mike Harrington Carol Stent Shirley Broadhurst Treasurer Kate Hunter Jackie Pharaoh Philip Broadhurst Committee Alan Bell Philip Broadhurst Norman Inglis Shirley Broadhurst Jackie Pharaoh Wendy Turner George Jones Shirley Broadhurst Philip Broadhurst Stuart Robb Wendy Turner Kate Hunter Carol Stent Frank Chamberlain Shirley Broadhurst Peter van Zeller Carol Stent Alan Bell

There being no other nominations, the above candidates were elected to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.

7 National Park Adviser’s comments Mr Lowe reckoned that he had driven 1,000 miles on visits to Ravenglass since the last AGM to share in the Forum’s work. He shared the general disappointment over the initially poor workmanship of the cobbling in the Pennington Arms – Post Office traffic calming scheme, especially as he had given a hands-on demonstration to the contractors of the methods that should be used. However, he was pleased when the problems were finally sorted out. He warned that the National Park Authority’s budget for 2003-04 would be largely absorbed by the Authority’s obligation under European Union legislation to recover and reinstate land at Ullswater that had been used for unauthorised development. Without help from the Government there would be no funds left for improvements in Ravenglass or other desirable activities such as archaeology. However, the Forum had a waiting list of projects of various sizes and he would be quick to claim for it any funding that might become available. He mentioned a recent visit to Ravenglass by National Park Voluntary Wardens during their annual conference. Many of the Wardens had known the village for many years but had not visited it recently. They were very impressed with the improvements that the Forum had achieved. Mr Lowe assured the Forum that he would continue his support for its activities. The coming year or two would be a time for planning but he would look out for opportunities to claim any funds that became available.

8 Any other relevant business

8.1 Sea ramp Reporting as Chairman of Muncaster Parish Council, Mr Hallett said that the Council had discussed the matter with the Highways Authority, which was now drawing up plans. The Ravenglass Boating Association had offered £400 towards the cost of works and the Council was now looking for further sources of funds.

8.2 Parking issues: public meeting Members had recently been made aware of two proposals which, if implemented, could have serious effects on village life and drive visitors away: • the proposal by the Lake District National Park Authority to impose charges for the use of the Village Car Park, which it owns; • publication of a variation order by Cumbria County Council that would extend the limits of present parking restrictions in Main Street and restrict parking to residents between the Post Office and the floodgate.

Mr Hallett announced that Muncaster Parish Council was opposing both plans and had sent letters of objection. A public meeting had been arranged provisionally for Tuesday 10 June at 7.30 p.m. in Muncaster Parish Hall. The appropriate officers of Cumbria Council, Copeland Borough Council and

3 Ravenglass Village Forum 3rd AGM, 20-5-03: Minutes the National Park had been invited to attend and hear the objections of residents. Mr Hallett urged all members to attend, bring their neighbours and speak.

8.3 Main Street: new parking restrictions Members living in the area affected by the proposals for ‘residents only’ parking expressed concern about the effects of the new regulations on their right to park on their own forecourts. It was not clear whether the Highway Authority was aware that the forecourts outside the limits of the carriageway are private land on which it has no power to mark out parking bays. If the Authority is aware of that and it intends to mark parking bays within the limits of the carriageway, it will then be legal for residents with parking permits to block each other in by using those bays. That makes no sense and will only cause greater obstruction of the highway. Mr Lowe regretted that neither the County Council nor its agents, Capita dbs, had thought to consult the National Park on the matter. They were not legally obliged to do so but their proposed action would affect a Conservation Area. The Forum has already planned to restore cobbled frontages in that area and the work would include residents’ parking bays on their own forecourts, marked out in natural materials. Mr Karl Melville of Capita dbs has had dealings with the Forum and is aware of this but apparently his voice has not been heard by his colleagues. Members shared Mr Lowe’s concern that, instead of the sympathetic use of natural materials, that part of Main Street might now be disfigured by the application of large quantities of line paint and restriction signs more appropriate to an urban area.

Noted that Muncaster Parish Council has already submitted detailed criticisms of the proposal to the County Council.

Agreed that the Forum supports the Parish Council’s objections and, in addition, objects to the environmentally insensitive methods indicated in the published documents for implementing the new regulations.

8.4 Village Car Park Mr Lowe said that it was a great embarrassment to him that he had not been formally consulted about the proposed introduction of charges in the Village Car Park by colleagues in the National Park Authority who were responsible for the proposal. He confirmed that the Authority had received the Forum’s statement of objection and congratulated the Secretary on his statement of the Forum’s case. Members supported the Committee’s argument that the imposition of charges in the Village Car Park would: • frustrate the Forum’s efforts to persuade visitors to leave their cars in the car park and explore the village safely on foot; • cause an increase in the number of vehicles entering Main Street beyond the Post Office to seek free parking; • cause inconvenience to residents and increase the danger from vehicles turning round there; • eventually drive visitors away, thus threatening the survival of local businesses; and that the proposal was therefore a breach of the Lake District National Park Authority’s statutory obligation to care for the welfare of residents of the National Park.

8.5 Action on parking Reported: (a) that the Secretary had sent a statement of objection to the Lake District National Park Authority’s proposal to impose parking charges in the Village Car Park; (b) that he had copied the statement to Muncaster Parish Council, the News and, on the advice of the Parish Clerk, to Cllr. Sue Brown of Cumbria County Council and the Rev. Ian Hall (member of the Lake District National Park Authority); (c) that the Whitehaven News had taken up the story, following its recent coverage of the effects of the introduction of parking charges and restrictions in Seascale, St Bees and Cleator Moor; (d) that Muncaster Parish Council had lodged objections to both proposals and that the Minutes of its meeting on 13 May contained a summary of its objections, which members were urged to read; (e) that the Parish Clerk had copied the statement of the Parish Council’s objections to Cllr. Brown and the Rev. Ian Hall;

4 Ravenglass Village Forum 3rd AGM, 20-5-03: Minutes

(f) that the Chairman had informed the Barrow Evening Mail of both proposals and the objections thereto by the Parish Council and the Forum.

Agreed: (g) that the Secretary be invited to send a letter to Cumbria County Council objecting to its proposed variation order for parking restrictions in Main Street; (h) that the County Council and the LDNPA will expect objections from the Parish Council and the Forum. Letters from individual residents, expressing their own objections in their own words, are therefore needed to make more of an impression; (i) that all members therefore be urged: • to write their own letters of objection to Cumbria County Council and the Lake District National Park Authority; • to attend the Public Meeting on 10 June and express their concerns to the representatives of those authorities; • to urge their neighbours to do likewise, whether they are members of the Forum or not.

9 Forthcoming meetings Public meeting with representatives of Cumbria County Council and the Lake District National Park Authority invited by the Parish Council: Tuesday 10 June, 7.30 p.m. in Muncaster Parish Hall.

Forum: first meeting of new Committee: Thursday 12 June, 10.00 a.m. at 9 Townfield Close.

Mike Harrington Secretary 27 May 2003 D:\RVF\Meet03-04\AGM03Minutes.rtf

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