WICKHAMBREAUX PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 21 JULY 2015

Present: Parish Cllr Martin Twyman Parish Cllr Robin Treacher Parish Cllr Gary Bradford Parish Cllr Charles Porter Parish Cllr Caroline Rees – For part of the meeting

City Cllr Stuart Waller PCSO Karl Shonhard

Miss Chenice Sparkes, Clerk to the Council

1. CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS AND APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Cllr Twyman welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Cllr Lodge, Cllr Faith, Cllr Rees and County Cllr Michael Northey.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest.

3. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 11 JUNE 2015 The Minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting with some minor amendments.

4. INFORMATION FROM MATTERS ARISING 4(1) Cllr Twyman reported he had spoken with Sarah Bowmon, Senior Legal Advisor at City Council, regarding his Disclosable Pecuniary Interests form. The legal department have requested that Cllr Twyman fill out another form to the guidelines outlined in a letter recently sent. 4(10.9) The Clerk reported she had sent all the usernames and passwords for the Parish Council accounts to all Councillors. A couple of Councillors reported having some difficulties in getting used to the new accounts and asked the Clerk contact EiS to enquire whether it would be possible to have a training session. 4(10.10) The Clerk reported that a comprehensive response was received on 01 July 2015 to her letter regarding the redundancy of Arboricultural Officer Jon Lambourne at Canterbury City Council. Alison Hargreaves, Executive Support Officer to Colin Carmichael, informed the Parish Council that TPO works are now be managed by the Development Management Team and Conservation Area Notifications are now managed by the Heritage and Design Team. Notification of works to trees within a Conservation Area will be assessed by a heritage officer with regard to the visual amenity of the location and the contribution that the tree makes to the Conservation Area. Applications for works to trees subject to a TPO are now being dealt with by planning officers, due to the nature of the legislation, and who have been trained by a qualified Arboriculturalist in the types of work which they will be expected to consider. 4(13.v) Cllr Twyman reported that the footpath along the riverbank has now been cut. 4(13.vi) Cllr Porter reported that he his negotiations to get the number of cuts scheduled for the Nature Reserve have been successful, with 18 cuts reduced down to 6.

5. REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND CITY COUNCILLORS City Councillor Stuart Walker Cllr Walker reported that he was very pleased to support the joint application for funding with Simon Cook from Bridge and with Parish Council. He explained that there was still some money left in the budget for the Rural Area Members Panel (RAMP) funding and encouraged the Parish Council to consider whether funding could help with any community projects. ~ 1 ~

Cllr Walker also reported that he attended the Serco meeting last month which he found to be very informative. Although he felt the service being provided was much better, more work still needs to be done to ensure that some of the issues do not recur again in the future. Serco are not happy with their contract and are looking into selling the contract to another company. They can only sell the contract if the purchasing company will provide exactly the same or an improved service laid out in the current contract.

Much of the last month has been spent on the 87 houses planning proposal in which the planning committee voted 7-5 against the application. A lot of work still needs to be done but a special thank you to Cllr Mike Gallagher, Chairman of Littlebourne Parish Council for the opposition they organised with only five days’ notice.

Cllr Walker reported that he is pleased to announce that he has been able to organise two surgeries in Bridge and Littlebourne; the first held on 16 July 2015 in Bridge and the second on Thursday 23 July 2015 in Littlebourne. These surgeries give local residents, who may not have had the opportunity to get in contact with the Citizens Advice Bureau, the chance to attend a drop-in session to make first contact. There are two further sessions planned for September and it is hoped that if they are successful more funding will be made available to continue these.

Cllr Walker also reported he wishes to submit a motion to RAMP on speed limits in villages and outside schools to be considered by full Council before putting a proposal to County Council. In addition he wishes to put forward another proposal on whether any money could or should be spent to celebrate the Queens 90th birthday next year in the form of a large party. He asked the Parish Council if they would consider holding a party similar to the Jubilee in the village or join with other rural villages in the area to hold one massive celebration party.

PCSO Karl Shonhard PSCO Shonhard reported that between 11 June and 21 July 2015 there had only been two crime reports received for the Parish. The first report was for harassment between two ex- partners and the other theft from a vehicle where a delivery driver had his bag stolen from his lorry while he was delivering a package.

A call was made to report the attempted theft of a horse on 10 June 2015 by a silver Mercedes but was only reported after the incident took place. A cyclist was hit by a van on Stodmarsh Road, details were exchanged between the driver and the cyclist with the driver claiming responsibility for the incident, but the driver has since disappeared. Two vehicles were reported to be parked in The Street outside Tudor House and not taxed. PSCO Shonard reported he has personally looked into the matter and confirmed that both vehicles are legally taxed but appear to not have current MOT’s. An intelligence report has been issued and the case is on-going.

PSCO Shonard reported on the new Country Eye App, recently launched in conjunction with . The app allows users to record and share information on crime, suspicious behaviour and damage in their home community whilst out and about. The app has been built to help residents and farmers in Kent report information quickly and efficiently with all information securely stored in a central database accessed by the voluntary Country Eye team who are fully trained by Kent Police. Country Eye has the full backing of Kent Police with information being sent securely to the relevant authorities. Kent Police is committed to responding to concerns in rural communities and to carrying out high visibility patrols. The information collated through the app with give officers a greater understanding of potential problem areas.

Signing up to the app is simple; the system requires a contact number, email address and postcode. The app records and disseminates information using the phones camera and GPS location settings. Recording information is intuitive; users will click the camera icon, take an ~ 2 ~

image, choose from a drop-down menu the type of crime, whether a crime reference number has been issued, and any other useful information. The location, time and date will be automatically recorded. The app can also use an existing image from the camera’s photo library. The app is not intended for emergency purposes.

County Councillor Michael Northey Cllr Northey sent the Clerk his report to present on his behalf as follows: “ I have now signed the paperwork, with a Member’s Grant of around £2,400, for the 7.5 tonnes HGV limit in Nargate Street between its junctions with Church Road and High Street, Littlebourne has long wanted this and there have been long negotiations regarding the preferred route. We now believe that the best available solution has been reached and expect the ban to come in during the autumn after the necessary work has been carried out.

Regarding Kent County Council, I am pleased to say that Kent schools continue to improve. In 2011 only 54% of our schools were rated good or outstanding, well below the national standard. Our target was for 82% of Kent schools, including academies, to be good or outstanding and this has been achieved. We are indeed now at 82%, a fraction above the current national standard. We are aiming for 90% by 2020. Our education team gives huge support and advice to all schools, especially the struggling ones.”

6. HIGHWAYS (i) Cllr Twyman reported that Nargate Street, Littlebourne will be closed between the junctions of Church Road and Drill Lane on 27 July 2015 for three days. It will be necessary to close the road overnight while carrying out the minor drainage work within the carriageway. (ii) Cllr Twyman reported that a manhole outside Wickham Lane by the finger post and T- Junction alongside the river is collapsing. The manhole has been reported to Kent Highways and Cllr Twyman will be monitoring the situation. (iii) Cllr Twyman reported that at the last A257 meeting a brainstorming session was held with only 6 out of the 15 members in attendance. At the meeting it was proposed to carry out improvement works on every junction from Canterbury to Sandwich and Preston to Aylsham. The A257 group have requested views from local Parish Councils for the proposals to be submitted before the next meeting on Saturday 12 September 2015. The Parish Council discussed the proposals but felt Kent Highways were more experienced and qualified to give their views and discuss possible solutions. Although the Parish Council had no strong views on the proposals they did feel that incorporating every junction along the A267 seemed rather excessive.

7. PLANNING CA//15/01308/FUL – Otters Quest, Seaton Road – The Parish Council has no objections to the proposed single-storey timber garden lodge.

Tree Works Creekers Barn, The Green – The Parish Council had no objections to the cutting back of fir tree branches overhanging gardens of Chimney Pot Cottage and White Cottage.

Wickham Court, The Green – The Parish Council have no objections to removing leaning stems and trees overhanging the highway and crown lift to 5.2m to the group of trees on the corner of Grove Road and Wickham Court Lane.

Chislet Wind Farm Cllr Treacher reported that the Government have raised the bar on public consultation that will come into force for the potential application for Wind Farm. If enough local opposition is voiced then the Local Authority will refuse the application. In addition the Government has also removed tax incentives for green renewable energy projects which may make the scheme unviable. The Parish Council asked the Clerk to write to the local Parish Council St Nicholas at ~ 3 ~

Wade and Sarre voicing ’s support of their opposition to the proposals, offering assistance if required. The Clerk was requested to send a copy of the letter to Canterbury City Council to make them aware of the Parish Council’s opposition to the proposals before they are submitted as a formal application.

Proposed 87 houses development in Littlebourne and the potential impact on the Nailbourne Drainage and Sewage System Cllr Twyman followed on from City Cllr Walker’s comments regarding the proposed 87 housing development which was recently refused. As part of the Little Stour and Nailbourne Flood Group, Cllr Twyman was informed of the proposals and voiced concerns and objections to the proposals based on flooding grounds.

Currently there are two main pipelines for drainage and sewage in the village, the first located in The List in Jubilee Road flowing down the hill where it gets pumped back up a parallel pipe towards Twyman and Holdstock owned land. Although the proposals included a state of the art drainage system for the new houses, it did not include the upgrading of the current pipes in use for the rest of the village. Littlebourne has a history of requiring tankering of sewage in the winter months and with the introduction of an additional 87 houses, this will put an enormous amount of pressure on the existing system which is not always adequate for the current number of houses in the village in its current state.

The Clerk was asked to write a letter to Littlebourne Parish Council to thank those who have worked so swiftly with such short notice and to request that the Parish Council be kept informed in the event that they can offer further assistance in the future.

8. PARISH PUBLICITY The Parish Council discussed whether a more active approach should be taken to advertise topics discussed and decisions made at Council meetings. It was agreed to defer making a decision until the September meeting where all Councillors will be present.

9. Rose Inn Proposal for Classic Car Show on Village Green Cllr Bradford reported that he had been approached by the owners of The Rose Inn to request the use of the Village Green once a month to hold a classic car show to attract more people to the village. Cars will be limited to between 10-20 and the shows will only be held in the summer period if the weather permits.

Cllr Rees thought it was a good idea to encourage new people to visit the village but before considering making this a regular event, a one off trial show should be held to see how well the event is attended and monitor how the event is marshalled. A post Green inspection should then be held to assess if any damage has been caused and how well the area has been cleared up. In addition Cllr Rees felt that this suggestion could be enhanced to benefit the whole community, perhaps with fundraising opportunities for the event to raise money for the village.

Cllr Treacher reported he liked the idea but could not see how an event like this would be practical. Parking is already a large problem in the village and this event would require the parking of additional 10-20 classic cars on top of the extra people travelling to the village to see the cars. Cllr Treacher agreed with Cllr Rees that more could be incorporated to benefit the whole village community.

Cllr Twyman felt that if this show were to be allowed to proceed then a precedent will be set that any future events will be allowed use of the Village Green. There is the increased risk of damage caused by regular use of cars driving on it; repairs have been needed in the past where vehicles have mounted onto it near the road. In addition there is a drain which crosses through the centre of the Green, not too far beneath the surface, which could become damaged ~ 4 ~

by the use of heavy vehicles. Perhaps the most important issue is that of insurance. Who would be responsible for making the necessary repairs to the Green, who would be responsible should something go wrong and someone get injured?

It was agreed that, as all correspondence between the Rose Inn and the Parish Council has been through Cllr Bradford, that Cllr Bradford should speak with the owners to outline what would be required before permission would be considered. The Rose Inn will have to agree to obtaining insurance for the events and provide a copy of these documents to the Parish Council to hold on file, provide a detailed event plan showing how the event will be managed and marshalled, restrict the number of cars that can park on the Village Green, have adequate clean up measures in place for after the event and take all responsibility should the Village Green become damaged. If the Rose Inn agree to these demands then a formal letter will be send to the owners outlining this discussion and will be decided at a future Parish Council meeting once all the relevant documents have been provided for the Parish Council to make an informed decision.

10. CLLRS’ REPORTS Village Hall – Cllr Rees reported that the redecorating of the Village Hall will be carried out in the summer holidays. Cllr Rees also reported that John Joice has swapped to another insurance firm that specialises in Village Halls and is also cheaper. The first aid kit is now located in the Kitchen and David Burton has produced a new Health and Safety document for the Village Hall.

Playing Fields – Cllr Rees reported that she had a site visit with Jack Gallant from Stripy Lawns to discuss the cutting of the grass on the boundary of the Playing Field on Thursday 02 July 2015. She pointed out the little Oak tree and a large tree root to prevent damage to their machinery and it was agreed that all future cuts will go up to the boundaries, at no extra cost. A cut has taken place since and this agreement has been fulfilled. Cllr Rees agreed to monitor the situation and liaise where necessary.

Cllr Rees reported that the playing field was used for the school fair on Sunday 05 July and sports day soon after on Thursday 09 July 2015, where numerous comments were received regarding how lovely the field looks, especially at the increase in space now. Teachers comment that it was the first year they had not had to pick up dog mess prior to the event and it was great not to have to collect balls from patches of nettles. The benches donated by The Rose Inn have been a great success; with more parents bringing their children to the park after school and staying longer as they can now sit down. More families are visiting for picnics and generally the park and Playing Field appear to be more respected, with litter being placed in bins and dog owners clearing up after their dogs. A collection at the school fair raised a further £15.87 towards new play equipment.

There has been no decision from the Four Villages Post Office and Shop fund but Cllr Rees reported she has obtained a further survey for the fencing and a quotation from Mackay Fencing and Gardening. Further quotations will be obtained at a later date.

Since the last meeting it has been discovered that Charlie Savin cannot treat the Sumac growth because a special license is required. Cllr Rees met with Mark Jones on Monday 13 July 2015 to discuss the growth and was informed that it will require strimming again and spraying at an appropriate growth stage. A quotation was provided for the treatment of the Sumac as well as the grinding of existing tree stumps along the boundary and along the fence beside the footpath. All the work has come to a total of £600.00 including VAT but Cllr Rees has requested a breakdown to show the individual items in the hope of saving some money.

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Cllr Rees reported that she and Cllr Lodge jointly attended Natwest Canterbury on Thursday 02 and Thursday 16 July 2015 to chase up the paperwork to formally open a bank account. A formal complaint has been lodged and assurances have been received by management that the new account application will now be processed within a week.

Cllr Rees reported that she met with Mark Perkins on 15 July 2015 at the Playing Field to discuss the nettles that are creeping through from his strip of land into the park. Mr Perkins has kindly agreed to spray these nettles along the complete length of his boundary and in addition has offered to spray along the back boundary. In September Mr Perkins has offered to sow some grass seed upon the bare patches below where some of his trees overhang the Playing Field.

Village Greens – Cllr Bradford reported that flowers have been kindly donated for the flower pots on the bridge and he has been watering them.

Flood Protection – Cllr Porter reported that there has been a problem with the sewage pump in Mill Close with five incidents in the past week. The first incident appeared to be caused by an electrical fault with the suspected cause a number of foreign objects blocking the pipes and has since progressed from there. The problem appears to have been resolved at the present time.

Cllr Porter also reported that a number of drains around the village, especially in The Street and by the Village Green, are becoming heavily blocked up with silt. Kent Highways normally prepare all the drains for winter in September but the Clerk was asked to contact Kent Highways to inform them of the situation.

11. FINANCE The expenditure totalling £1531.53 was authorised, made up of: • Jane Birt – Mowing Stodmarsh green - £100.00 • Matt Mackay – Replacing three posts on the Village Green and a gate post - £310.00 • Inside Out Services – Painting the posts and chains on the Village Green - £650.16 • Chenice Sparkes – Reimbursement for retired Councillor thank you gift cards - £200.00 • Chenice Sparkes – Reimbursement for gift voucher for Richard Barton, Internal Auditor - £25.00 • Chenice Sparkes – Clerk salary July 2015 - £144.57 • HMRC – Employee and PAYE July 2015 - £31.80 • Stripy Lawns – Mowing recreation ground 20 June and 04 July 2015 - £70.00

12. CLERK REPORT AND CORRESPONDENCE (i) A letter was received from Barton Court Grammar School detailing their proposals for expanding the school within their grounds. The formal consultation on the proposals end Friday 18 September 2015. (ii) The Clerk and Councils Direct July 2015 was received (iii) A letter from Aon Insurance was received confirming the Parish Councils insurance has been renewed.

13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS (i) Cllr Porter reported that he had received some correspondence from UK Power Networks regarding the re-location of the electricity sub-station. The new proposed re-location will be put on the September agenda for discussion. (ii) Cllr Treacher reported that Environmental Health have now been contacted with regards to the issue of the church bell ringing. (iii) Cllr Twyman reported that there is to be a service on Friday 24 July 2015 to unveil a new bench in the graveyard to commemorate residents who lived in the village many years ago.

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The meeting closed at 10:00pm

Signed………………………...... (Chairman)

Date…………………………......

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