Parish Council

Minutes of the Full Council Meeting of Medstead Parish Council – Wednesday 9th September 2020. (Held virtually on Zoom platform)

Present: Cllrs. Deborah Jackson, Charles Clark, Georgy Fuzzard, Andrew Jackson, Ken Kercher, Roy Pullen & Mike (Jo) Smith.

Also in attendance: Peter Baston (Parish Clerk). ACTION 20.098 OPEN SESSION i. Cllr Pullen asked if Medstead Parish Council were going to be involved in the national “Village Green Clean Up”. It was agreed that Medstead Parish Council would not be participating this year. It was noted that there was still a pile of traveller’s rubbish to be removed by Norse. The Clerk was asked to remind Clerk Norse that this still requires removing. ii. Cllr Fuzzard mentioned that there had been evidence of garden rubbish being dumped in the Knapp. It was advised that this could be considered as fly tipping and EHDC could be informed. iii. Cllr Fuzzard mentioned that some local residents were not aware that the Wildflower Meadow at Cedar Stables existed and suggested that a sign be Maintenance displayed. This would be considered further by Maintenance Committee. Committee

20.099 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Cllr Mike (Ja) Smith.

20.100 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS None.

20.101 COUNCIL MINUTES i. The minutes of the meeting held on 12th August 2020 were proposed as a Cllr Deborah true record by Councillor Clark seconded by Councillor Andrew Jackson and Jackson will be signed by the Chairman in due course.

ii. Matters Arising:

20.102 COMMITTEE MINUTES AND REPORTS i. Planning Committee The minutes of Planning Committee of 10th August have been circulated. Cllr Pullen stated that there was very little to report this month with one of the smallest numbers of applications.

ii. Maintenance Committee a. Chairman report. The Committee had not met since the last Full Council meeting. The Clerk has confirmed with the relevant contractors the Council's acceptance of quotes for tree work at The Knapp, repairs to the Cemetery gates and renewal of the swing seats in the enclosed playground. Implementation of these works is awaited. The County Council has advised that, despite their earlier reluctance to carry out any work on footpaths this year, they will now be cutting back vegetation on FP's 2 (from Hattingley Road towards Wield), 14 (from South Town Road adjoining the Cemetery to the Common Hill/Bighton Road junction) and 28 (from the Hussell Lane/Redwood Lane junction to Jenny Green Lane) and on BW 701 (from Abbey Road to Park Woods). b. Three quotes for the replacement of the dragon’s teeth on the football side of the Green alongside Roe Downs Road have been received by the Clerk. However, one quote used a different method of installation which was considered preferable by Council and the Clerk was asked to get comparative quotes from the other two contractors to allow a meaningful comparison, Clerk which would then be considered further by Council. c. Tree Survey. It was agreed that the Clerk should sources quotations for a Clerk further tree survey for all Parish owned trees. d. Wildflower Meadow. Cllr Pullen reported that the original meadow was to have been turfed, however the requirement was legally changed by the developer to use seed. The Clerk had contacted two organisations for professional advice on maintaining the area. Council requested that the Clerk contact the and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust for their assistance. Although Cllr Pullen advised Clerk he was not happy with the wording thereof. Once a date is known to meet on site, the Clerk will notify all councillors who may wish to attend. The Parish Lengthsman is visiting Medstead in w/c 14th September and Council suggested that South Town Rd footpath again needs to be made wider and Clerk would be placed on the task list for the Lengthsman.

iii. Finance and General Purposes (F&GP) Committee Chairman report. No meeting since last Full Council. Meeting with Village Hall Committee to agree the revised lease agreement has been delayed due to holidays but is expected to take place in the next couple of weeks. As the Village Hall is currently not open for use, this will need to be conducted through the Zoom platform.

20.103 MEDSTEAD PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN REPORT i. Incursion onto Village Green by travellers (13-14th August 2020). Access was obtained by cutting through the padlock on the new metal barrier. The arrival of 3 caravans and associated vehicles was noted by a resident who contacted the police. The Council’s Policy on Dealing with Illegal & Unauthorised Encampments was activated. I met on site with the Police and, as the Landowner’s Representative, gave verbal notice to each of the vehicles that they were trespassing and requesting that the vacate the land owned by the Parish Council. The Police were not able to enforce Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1964) but did continue to monitor the encampment. The travellers left in the early evening of 14th August, without the need for obtaining additional legal support. The rubbish and abandoned equipment were gathered into one area and fenced off awaiting collection by Norse (external contractor) and the gate secured by a chain and padlock. Based upon this experience, suggested amendments to the Council’s policy will be forwarded for consideration by F&GP.

ii. Covering Communication with residents during Clerk’s leave. Liaising with Cedar Stables residents regarding the recent Councillor working parties at the wildflower meadow. Many thanks to those Councillors who have been able to give their time to help. Recent visit by councillors to view the meadow on Common Hill inadvertently caused concerns for the landowner and resident who maintains the meadow. I was able to give reassurance that the Council has no designs on the field and were only admiring the work that has been done.

20.104 MEDSTEAD PARISH CLERK REPORT i. First draft received from Vison ICT Ltd regarding the provision of new web site. Reviewed by Clerk and Cllr Andrew Jackson and comments made to Vison ICT. ii. Have continued to monitor any updates in respect of the new Coronavirus legislation. iii. No further communication received from the adjoining property regarding the boundary fence issues. iv. Play area / adult gym equipment annual inspection completed. Report will be reviewed by Maintenance Committee v. Scrub clearance and installation of dragon’s teeth along South Town Rd boundary of Green. vi. Grant received from EHDC Councillor (Cllr May) for £750 agreed for partial recovery of costs to the new entrance to cemetery extension and repair/painting to existing cemetery gates. vii. Only one enquiry so far for the re advertised Day Work Contractor position. Closing date is early October to allow for widespread as possible of the advertising of vacancy notice. viii. Go ahead given with Hampshire Woodlands for removal of three dead trees in The Knapp. ix. Go ahead given to Robert Smith for the repair of the Cemetery gates x. Go ahead given to Sawscapes Play for the installation of two new cradle seats in the enclosed play area xi. Approached two consultants for advice on the wildflower meadow.

Cemetery Activity None

Village Green Booking(s) Medstead “Picnic on the Green” – 15th August 2020 Manor colts U10 football - Wednesday evenings 6pm to 7pm for September 2020 Manor colts U14 football – Three Saturdays at end of August early Sept. 2020

20.105 DISTRICT COUNCILLOR REPORT The report from the District Councillors included the following points: i. One small gypsy encampment is still in Alton on HCC land. Planning applications are in for transit pitches to be added to the back of the existing site in Willis Lane. Meeting booked with EHDC officers to discuss the differences between permanent and transit pitches and how such an application would be affected by the no commercial use which applies to the pitches fronting Willis Lane. Compliance are investigating. ii. Compliance are still working with much help from Cllr Pullen on the plots of land in Wield Road which seem to be attempting to build or change uses by ‘stealth’. iii. The environmental health team have been very busy with additional complaints about public nuisance of bonfires and are expecting there to be many more complaints now that building site hours have been nationally increased. iv. There have been several disturbances and anti-social behaviour problems recently around the newer estates and recreation ground in which have been reported to police, but it does need a big effort from us all to persuade people to actually report incidents to the police so that they get the whole picture and realise the extent of the problems. v. First hybrid full council meeting where some officers and members were in the council chamber and others were at the meeting remotely. This format is likely to continue for a while. vi. The meeting voted to adopt the Welfare and Wellbeing Strategy this strategy will be central to decision making at the district council and has the objective of making the lives of the most vulnerable in our society better. The full details are available on Easthants website. vii. The climate and environment strategy was also debated and adopted on the same evening. viii. A recent appeal decision was published that supported local residents and Easthants officers in refusing to allow a developer to cut down a mature oak tree on The Shrave. ix. EHDC planning department continues to work hard on the local plan review and are trying to ensure that it conforms with changes in the government guidelines that have recently been published . 20.106 CORRESPONDENCE i. Medstead Broadband Speed. The Clerk was asked to contact Beech PC before Clerk responding. ii. Medstead Tree Warden. DC Tennyson has confirmed that there is already a tree warden in Medstead and is the coordinator for the local area. Should any further volunteers come forward, the Clerk was asked to notify DC Tennyson. iii. NALC Consultation on the reform of the planning system. This was noted by Council. iv. Metal Detectorist Request. This was noted by Council but the area of land is thought to be in private ownership. However, it was agreed that the new parish council owned area at the rear of the Cemetery could be offered and the Clerk Clerk was asked to respond.

20.107 FINANCIAL MATTERS i. To receive and approve the income and expenditure report for August 2020. Due to the timing of the meeting, this would be reviewed at the next Full Council meeting.

ii. To receive and approve the bank reconciliation(s) as at 31st August 2020. Due to the timing of the meeting, this would be reviewed at the next Full Council meeting.

iii. 2019/20 Final Audit (AGAR) Report. This was noted and reviewed by Council

20.108 S106/CIL FUNDED PROJECTS i. Village Hall Car Park Extension. Cllr Pullen reported that three laurels had died and would need replacing in due course. Cllr Clark raised the issue of lighting but Cllr Pullen advised that this is the responsibility of Medstead Village Hall.

ii. Medstead Village Green. Cllr Kercher reported that the final stage of the work for this year will be carried out by Southern Ground Care Ltd in late September or early October, depending on weather and ground conditions. This will involve tining the whole area and a further implantation of nematodes.

iii. Medstead Parish Office. Cllr Pullen requested that full council approves the layout and elevations and that we proceed with the preparation of documents, etc in readiness for the quotation stage. We are recommending a timber framed construction and go out to tender on a design and build basis This was agreed and approved by Council and Cllr Pullen was asked to take Cllr Pullen this forward.

20.109 SPEEDWATCH Cllr Mike (Jo) Smith reported that the team had resumed working. The additional posts are still required to allow the Speed Limit Reminder (SLR) to be positioned in the agreed areas. The Clerk has written to HCC and a response is awaited.

20.110 COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES i. Medstead Sports Club - Cllr Ken Kercher reported The Cricket Club are arranging autumn treatment of the cricket square, which will involve the annual scarifying, top dressing, fertilising and seeding, and this year the spreading of loam, which is done every five years or so. The two Badminton Clubs and the Table Tennis Club are considering the feasibility of returning to the Village Hall, given the conditions and additional charges that the Hall Committee are applying. Cllr Deborah Jackson asked if a risk assessment had been undertaken for the pavilion. Cllr Kercher reported that there was one in place for the junior members and that the upstairs of the Pavilion was out of bounds for all users.

There were no further matters to discuss and the meeting was closed at 9.15pm.

Signed Chairman ……………………………………………………………..

Date……………………………………………………