TOTTON AND ELING TOWN COUNCIL ANNUAL TOWN MEETING

Held in the Council Chamber, Totton and Eling Civic Centre at 7.30 pm. on Wednesday 19 March 2008. ------

PRESENT There were 25 local government electors present including the following Town Councillors: Councillors: Mrs. D.M. Brooks – Chairman D.A. Britton, W.R. Catt, Mrs. A.A. Coffin, G.F. Dart, Rev. L.E. Edwards, L.E. Harris, D. Harrison, D.A. Hibbert, C. Lagdon, B.D. Lucas, N.S. Penman, J.M. Sawyer, R.F. Scrivens, A. Weeks and Mrs. L.E. Weeks.

Officers present : The Deputy Town Clerk and Administrative Officer

APOLOGIES : An apology for absence was received from Councillor N.E. Scott.

MINUTES Those present had before them a copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Annual Town Council held on 21 st March 2007. All present being in favour, the Chairman signed the Minutes as a true record.

COUNTY COUNCILLORS’ REPORT

County Councillor D. Harrison reported to the meeting on the following subjects :- His responsibilities as a County Councillor cover the Totton South area. Additionally he is an elected Member of New Forest District Council and Totton and Eling Town Council, which have seen him attend a total of 560 meetings in the previous twelve months. Several organisations had received Grant donations from the sum of money allocated to him for this purpose. Grateful recipients included Tower Youth Project, Testwood Baptist Church and the 4 th New Forest (Eling) Sea Scouts who were very appreciative. He reported on the successful conclusion of improvement work in Rumbridge Street, after much delay and inconvenience. He looked forward to Phase 2 improvements which were scheduled to commence later in 2008. In respect of traffic movement, there were still concerns regarding H.G.V. traffic, for which he would continue to seek redress during his meetings. Linked to this, he was pleased to report that there had been successful deployment of Speed Indicator Devices in areas across the Town, which were a first phase project to determine the necessity of speed bumps. He would also continue to lobby the Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel to assist in the provision of an N.H.S. dentist in the Totton area which was currently sadly lacking, to the health detriment of residents. Finally, he referred to the Hampshire Action Team which meets and discusses specific issues within the New Forest area – one such topic has been the Junction Road Air Quality.

County Councillor A. Weeks reported to the meeting on the following subjects :- He introduced himself, and explained that his responsibility was for Totton North Area, and that he also served Totton South as a District and Town Councillor. As a County Councillor, he served on the Policy and Resources Select Committee and the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel. He was also an appointee of the County Council on the New Forest National Park Authority. The National Park boundary had helped in the fight to stave off major developments, such as the proposals at the former B.A.T. sports ground. He also referred to attendance on New Forest Hampshire Action Team, which looked at local issues in more depth. One success had been the proposal of funds for a controlled crossing on the A35 at Colbury. The grant fund that he had for local projects had all been allocated to several organisations, included West Totton Tots, Caterpillars Pre School, Calmore Infants, Calmore Pre School, Calmore Junior School, Age Concern New Forest East, Abbotswood School Fund, Lydlynch Home School Association, Totton Family Fun Day, Hazelwood School and Foxhills Junior School Association. He made reference to his involvement with the environmental improvements at Water Lane and his keenness to see improvements undertaken in other areas of the Town. Safety issues overseen included white lines on a dangerous bend at Calmore Drive, new crossing points in that vicinity and at Michigan Way; along with the deployment of Speed Indicator Devices that reveal cars travelling at greater speeds than those permitted. From an Environmental perspective he had been successful in preventing closure of Winsor Road toilets. Of great concern are anti-social behaviour including graffiti, vandalism and dog fouling and in order to encourage a better standard of behaviour he was keen to maximise the uniform presence on the streets of the Police, Accredited Community Safety Officers and Police Community Support Officers.

TOWN COUNCIL REPORTS

The Chairman of Totton and Eling Town Council, Councillor Mrs. D.M. Brooks reported on the following subjects :-

The trophies that had been provided by the Town Council for a tournament at Totton and Eling Tennis Centre, an evening that she had co-hosted with the outgoing Chairman Councillor David Harrison as recognition for AFC Totton football club’s achievement in reaching the final of the F.A. Vase; and a similar event for Totton and Eling Cricket Club who had won the Twenty 20 Cup during the past year. She made reference to the achievement by Gordon Small, Grounds Contract Officer who had recently completed 30 years service for the Town Council. Finally she referred to the very welcome re-opening of the public toilets at Library Road following refurbishment.

Councillor D. J. Russell, Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee was unable to attend and his report was made by the Vice Chairman of the Council, Councillor C. Lagdon to the meeting on the following subjects :-

The Council agreed an increase for 2008/2009 which would go up by only 3.7%, which is below the current retail price index. This was despite the Council providing a number of new facilities within the Town. The Council was extremely pleased with the new website which was excellent and provided a wealth of information about services in the Town. The agreement with the company that host the new website means the Council have been able to negotiate an extremely good deal, with minimal cost during the first three years. Another success had been the Accredited Community Safety Officers who had been successful in preventing anti-social behaviour, removing alcohol from underage drinkers and providing a reassuring presence on the streets.

There had been positive feedback from residents regarding the Local News Leaflet, which was issued in January to each property. There were three other leaflets later in the year, available for collection from all Council buildings. They cost less than 17p each to produce, and if anyone wished to see a particular topic covered then please let the Council know.

A busy year would follow with projects like The Eling Experience, and he concluded by thanking the Town Clerk and his staff for their excellent work in the Town.

Councillor D.A. Hibbert, Chairman of Amenities Committee reported to the meeting on the following subjects :- The new BMX track was completed and well used. The War Memorial works had just commenced, to record the names of the fallen from Totton. A major clear up had taken place on the Green Route around the play areas to give better visibility from the paths. There was a general ongoing maintenance and replacement of play equipment across the Town Council play sites. The Eling Creek Café had received a makeover, with a new menu for Valentine’s Day and the forthcoming Easter Menu has seen an increased number of visitors although more are still needed! There had been modifications to the toilets at Calmore Village Hall for disabled access, and external decorations had taken place. The Arts Centre at Hanger Farm was thriving with lots of performances and exhibitions. The contract for the new Splash Pool at Eling had been awarded and on the way to completion. The replacement minibus had been ordered. The squash courts at West Totton Centre have been refurbished, and a storage extension at Hounsdown Village Hall had been completed. Additional dog waste bins were to be installed following a consultation exercise, and last but not least we were assisting the Carnival Committee to revive Totton Carnival.

Councillor G.F. Dart, Chairman of Planning and Transportation Advisory Committee reported to the meeting on the following subjects :-

Of 250 incoming planning applications during the past year, approximately 100 had been subject to assessment at Committee with the remainder processed under delegated powers by our planning officer. In addition to this significant workload Committee Members spent much of the year examining the following issues : Revised Town Centre proposals which comprise £1.4 million Rumbridge Street capital expenditure scheme (scheduled to commence later in 2008) and £400K Water Lane Triangle Improvement Scheme (scheduled to commence early 2009). The Totton Air Quality Action Proposals by New Forest District Council were debated and the provision of additional monitor stations along with a comprehensive traffic survey, with particular emphasis on accurate assessment of HGV volumes accessing Eling Wharf and the Town. Response had been made to the Local Development Framework which would ultimately replace the adopted Local District Plan. The Hampshire Minerals and Waste Development Plan had important implications to the Parish, as did the proposals for extended flight paths over the New Forest which demanded a suitable response. Proposals by the bus operator to reduce services were robustly challenged, although it was hoped that there would be further dialogue between all parties. He thanked the Committee Members and planning officers for all their hard work.

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS The following questions were put by the electors present and Councillors answered questions where possible. a. Alderman Edith Randall : Heavy traffic from Calmore estate does not leave Totton via Ower after concluding their business. There are signage issues. She also expressed concerns over the Linden Homes appeal, on building proposals at Little Testwood Farm. She hoped that the Town Council could bring pressure to bear on New Forest District Council in terms of the appeal, as once the green space was gone it would never come back. Councillor A. Weeks responded that the traffic item was on the Hampshire Action Team work plan. He also stated that the Town Council were unanimous in their rejection of the scheme and it’s subsequent appeal. He hoped that the Planning Inspector would agree when he made his report. b. Mr. F. Roberts : Expressed his concern at the consultancy fee payable to ensure Hampshire County Council made the correct appointment for the top job. This was ultimately the Council Tax Payers of Totton who were paying for this. Councillor D. Harrison responded, and stated that it sometimes aggrieved him the way monies were allocated towards different projects. All he could do was to voice his disapproval as appropriate, and he urged caution against some matters reported in the local press. c. Mr. F. Roberts : Concerned over potholes at the West Totton Centre car park, and the state of some of the roads in general around the Town. Councillor G. Dart responded, informing him of the meetings that occurred twice yearly with the Hampshire Highways Assistant Engineer. He agreed that there was neglect of the highways, that had been prevalent over a number of years. He would robustly pursue any carriageway items that were not corrected at the time of the following meeting. The Deputy Town Clerk informed the Meeting that he was awaiting final conclusion to the building works at West Totton Pharmacy whereby the car park would be completely resurfaced, but in the interim any large potholes would be remedied as and when they were notified to the Council. d. Mr. M. Southgate asked what was happening to the Hanger Farmhouse, as the building was becoming dilapidated and an eyesore. Councillor D. Hibbert said that the Grade II listed building had recently been purchased privately, and would become a residence once again after renovation. e. Mr. B. Spinney asked whether there had been any proposals for the Stocklands site at Calmore. Councillor A. Weeks responded that the site was owned by Hampshire County Council and secured and locked. There were no proposals of which he was currently aware. f. Barbara Vidal stated the footpaths in St. Michaels Road were in a very bad state of repair, and that there was insufficient lighting. Councillor Mrs. Brooks responded that the repair of footways remained the responsibility of Hampshire Highways and said that this would be pursued. Councillor G. Dart said he was constantly reminding the Leader of Hampshire County Council about areas of deprivation and the non- utilsation of previously allocated funds.

The meeting closed at 8.30 pm.

Word : David : Special Meetings / Minutes : Annual Town Meeting 19 March 2008