ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE MEETING

Lytchett Matravers Parish Council

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday, March 2nd 2015, in the Village hall, Vineyard Close, Lytchett Matravers at 7.00p.m.

PRESENT:

Cllrs E Wilson, (Committee Chairman), R Carswell, A Huggins, K Norris.

One member of the public was also present.

1. APOLOGIES. Cllrs M Colvey, A Cottman and A Bush.

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

Mr P Young reiterated his previous offer to undertake intermittent visits to the Allotments to view and report back on their condition. This kind offer was formally accepted, and it was agreed that the Parish Clerk would write to Mr Young at the end of March with confirmation of which plots are let and which are still vacant. Action: Parish Clerk to write to Mr Young accordingly.

3. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST, AND CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL DISPENSATIONS UNDER SECTION 33 OF THE LOCALISM ACT 2011. There were none.

4. MINUTES OF ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 5th January 2015. It was RESOLVED to accept the minutes as a true record, and they were signed by the Chairman.

5. MATTERS ARISING AND ACTON POINT UPDATE.

The following comments on matters arising from the last E&A Committee meeting were provided.

Minute 6, 7 July 2011. Recreation Ground. Millennium viewpoint plaque. Cllr Bush indicated that he is to obtain longer bolts to enable it to be securely fixed. CARRIED FORWARD.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – Recreation Ground: Litter bin near skate park. The Parish Clerk reported that the bin had been delivered to the Village handyman for installation.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – Allotments: top dressing for area of rubble. It had now been resolved to leave the area in its current condition. DISCHARGED.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – Allotments: Pavilion. It was noted that this has now been removed. DISCHARGED.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – MUGA: damaged pitch fence. It was agreed that this matter needs to be pursued with the Sports Club urgently. Cllr Cottman to raise it with the Sports Club to avoid further deterioration. Action: Cllr Cottman to speak to members of the Sports Club accordingly.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – MUGA: damage to pitch (split seam). Despite it being reported at the December Full Council meeting that the Sports Club is organising a contractor to attend to this at a cost of around £500, it was noted that this has still not yet been attended to. It was agreed that this matter needs to be pursued with the Sports Club urgently to avoid further deterioration. Action: Cllr Cottman to speak to members of the Sports Club accordingly.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – MUGA: litter. The Parish Clerk has asked the Village Handyman to install the bin. This bin has been installed. DISCHARGED.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – Footpaths / Jubilee Walk – communication to footpath users about the risks to farm animals from dog faeces: Cllr Maitland had previously pointed out that there is suitable information on this matter on the DEFRA website which can be used to form an article for Lytchett Link.Cllrs were also reminded that a local landowner had written to Lytchett Minster & Upton TC (copied to Lytchett Matravers Parish Council) regarding this problem and had provided some further background material to the issues and risks involved. It was felt that this too was a good resource to draw on for an article in the Lytchett Link. It was agreed that Cllr Taylor should be asked to write the article for the Lytchett Link. Action: Cllr Taylor, as Footpaths Officer, to prepare such an article for inclusion in the next edition of Lytchett Link.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – Flower boxes: Cllr Cottman has made and installed one of the two boxes. CARRIED FORWARD.

Minute 6, 3rd November 2014 – Club Hall: planning application submitted by the scouts: It was noted that this application has been submitted and is currently under consideration by Purbeck District Council. DISCHARGED.

Minute 6, 3rd November 2014 – Foxhills Open Space – fly tipping adjacent to Synergy Housing land: It was noted that the fly tipping in question has been removed. DISCHARGED.

Minute 6, 3rd November 2014 – Other Open Spaces – overgrown brambles at corner of Huntick Rd and Huntick Estate: it had been agreed that Cllr Taylor would report the matter to his contact at Synergy Housing to verify whether it is their responsibility and, if appropriate, to ask them to attend to it. Action: Cllr Taylor to speak to his contact at Synergy Housing. CARRIED FORWARD.

Minute 6, 5th January 2015 – Recreation Ground – replacement dolly posts. The Parish Clerk reported that the Village handyman had replaced the missing dolly posts. He also had a project in hand to replace the damaged bollard at the Eldons Drove car park.

Minute 6, 5th January 2015 – Recreation Ground – longer term plan to prevent unauthorised access of vehicles onto the Recreation Ground. Cllr Carswell reported on progress which he and Cllr Cottman had made in researching options for this. Cllr Carswell and Cottman are to prepare a paper on this matter to present to Full Council – after undertaking some consultation with stakeholders such as the Sports Club and the Scouts. Action: Cllrs Carswell and Cottman to consult the key stakeholders and prepare a paper for Full Council accordingly. An indicative price had been obtained for soil to create bunds. No price has yet been obtained for blocks of stone. It was agreed to RECOMMEND to Full Council that the Parish Council’s £500 share of the Members’ Budget which County Cllr Drane had available be used towards the cost of materials for this project.

Minute 6, 5th January 2015 – Foxhills Open Space – addition of new path to the maintenance contract. It was confirmed that this had now been added to the contract. DISCHARGED.

Minute 9, 5th January 2015 – Naming of Foxhills to Deans Drove path – It was noted that Cllr Bush is checking with the Primary school on their progress towards a suggested name for the path.

Minute 10, 5th January 2015 – adding Lime Kiln Rd to the DCC Highways regular gritting route. Cllr Norris and the Parish Clerk had reported to DCC the recent vehicle incidents and had been advised by DCC that they have not added Lime Kiln Rd to their regular routes for gritting.

6. OPEN SPACES.

The following items were discussed.

Recreation ground/car park. Nothing to report.

Row Park Paddock. Nothing to report.

Allotments. The Parish Clerk reported that two of the recently cleared vacant plots have so far been let. He is working through the waiting list offering the vacant plots to those on it in turn.

Discussion then took place on issues to consult allotment holders on at the forthcoming meeting half-yearly liaison meeting. The Following recommendations to Full Council were agreed:

(i) In order to address the persistent problem of slow payment of rentals by a small number of tenants it is RECOMMENDED that with effect from the 2016 rental year, a rule is introduced that if rental payments are not received by 31st January each year (i.e. one month after the rent falls due) the tenancy of a plot will be deemed to have ended, and the plot will be offered for re-let to the next person on the waiting list.

(ii) To address the problem of some outgoing tenants leaving plots in poor condition, it is RECOMMENDED that with effect from the 2016 rental year, new tenants will be required to pay a deposit equivalent to one year’s rental, in addition to the rental fee itself. This deposited sum will be returned at the end of the tenancy, unless it is necessary to use it to undertake work to bring the plot back into a condition suitable for the next tenant as judged by the Parish Council.

Memorial Green/War Memorial. Nothing to report.

Cemetery. Nothing to report.

Club Hall. A resident adjacent to the car park has written to the council to point out damage to their fence – which they suggest has been caused by cars parked in the Club Hall / Cadet Hall car park. Action: Cllr Wilson agreed to visit the site to examine the car park and fence and report back.

Hedges and Ditches. Nothing to report.

Foxhills Open Space. Nothing to report.

MUGA. Nothing to report.

Footpaths. Nothing to report.

Other open spaces. Nothing to report.

7. Progress update on Risk Assessment of physical assets.

It was noted that Cllr Wilson has completed the Risk Assessment of the Cemetery.

8. CORRESPONDENCE.

Cllr Norris reported that he had been corresponding with Dorset ANOB about how they may be able to help the council to replace damaged and / or missing finger posts.

9. MATTERS OF INTEREST AND INFORMATION.

Cllr Huggins commented on information he had received that permits to use the public tip at the Nuffield industrial estate, Poole, are due to expire on 31st March 2015. Concern was expressed about this because the Nuffield tip is popular with local residents as it is closer and more convenient than the tip at Westminster Rd, Wareham.

Cllr Huggins also commented on the lack of a footpath on Huntick Road, beyond the junction with Foxhills Rd. He expressed concerns at the danger to pedestrians who have to use this road to journey on foot to properties on Huntick Rd, or to use the road to get to Lytchett Minster or Lytchett Minster School. Action: This matter is to be raised again with the County Council via County Cllr Fred Drane.

The meeting closed at 8pm.

Minutes of Environment & Amenities Committee meeting 2nd March 2015