ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE MEETING

Lytchett Matravers Parish Council

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday, September 7th 2015, in the Methodist Church, Wareham Rd, Lytchett Matravers at 7.00p.m.
PRESENT:
Cllrs E Wilson, (Committee Chairman), R Carswell, A Huggins, K Norris, A Cottman, M Colvey, J Taylor and Mr T Watton (Parish Clerk). One member of the public was also present.

1. APOLOGIES. Cllr Bush had given his apologies.

2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

Mr Young provided a brief report of his independent monitoring of the condition of the allotments. He reported that the following allotments appear to have had a little activity – 29, 32 and 53. The Parish Clerk advised that he would review any recent correspondence with the holders of these plots and write to them if necessary to ask them to bring their plots back into cultivation.

3. MINUTES OF ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 6th July 2015. It was RESOLVED to accept the minutes as a true record, and they were signed by the Chairman.

4. MATTERS ARISING AND ACTON POINT UPDATE.

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. CARRIED FORWARD

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. CARRIED FORWARD.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – MUGA: damage to pitch (split seam). It is understood that the Sports Club is awaiting dry weather to lift the Astro pitch in order to bond it. Given that the importance of this matter, Cllrs Colvey and Cottman indicated that they would invite Mike Fudge, Secretary of the Sports Club, to a Full Council meeting to report on both this and that the matter of the damaged pitch fence. CARRIED FORWARD.

Minute 6, 1st September 2014 – Footpaths / Jubilee Walk – communication to footpath users about the risks to farm animals from dog faeces: it was noted that no article has yet been produced for the Lytchett link. It was felt that there is an opportunity to request Claire Lees to prepare something which could be used in the Lytchett Link. The intended article is hoped to offer three different viewpoints (i) agricultural / farmer (ii) sports and leisure (iii) residential. Cllr Cottman will seek input on this from Mike Fudge, and also find a resident willing to give their view. CARRIED FORWARD

Minute 6, 3rd November 2014 – Other Open Spaces – overgrown brambles at corner of Huntick Rd and Huntick Estate: it was understood thatCllr Taylor would take this up with his contact at Synergy Housing. The brambles had been cut back but the bench is overgrown again. It was agreed that Cllr Taylor would approach his contact at Synergy again to try to agree a regular programme of ongoing maintenance with them or that they remove the hedge and bramble roots completely. However the brambles are still present. Action: Cllr Taylor to approach synergy housing about this.

Minute 6, 11th May 2015: Allotments, dog nuisance. The Parish Clerk had prepared and circulated the intended short article for allotment holders requesting that dogs at the allotments be kept under control; and also pointing out the dangers of dog fouling in proximity with crops being grown for human consumption. Action: Parish Clerk to forward a copy to the Allotment Society for discussion at the forthcoming liaison meeting.

Minute 6, 11th May: Foxhills Open Space – Investigation of cost of installing kissing gates or other suitable barriers to each end of Willow Walk. The Parish Clerk referred to the quotation received from a local contractor for this work. After a brief discussion it was agreed that the Parish Clerk should ask the contractor to install a barrier at the Deans Drove end only, initially. The Contractor is also to be asked to install the missing feather boards in the fence. Action: Parish Clerk to contact the Contractor accordingly.

Minute 3, 6th July 2015. Receipt of Committee Chair and Vice Chair acceptance of Office. The Parish Clerk handed acceptance of office forms to the elected committee Chair and Vice Chair for their completion and return – which they duly did.

A general discussion then took place regarding outstanding items requiring attention by the Village Handyman. As part of this it was clarified that his role is part time in that his core regular work for the council (litter picking and play area safety checks and basic maintenance) is only a few hours per week. Consequently he combines this with other regular part time jobs. This can mean that his capacity to attend to other ad hoc jobs for the Council is limited – and some jobs are frequently displaced by more urgent or important ones the Council asks him to attend to. It was agreed that the Parish Clerk should ask him to treat the outstanding ad hoc jobs in the following priority order:

1. Rocket Park play area gate latches

2. Lytchett Astro litter bin installation

3. Recreation Ground litter bin installation

4. Refurbishment of benches on Cllr Bush’s risk assessment list

5. Wareham Rd noticeboard installation

Action: Parish Clerk to contact the Handyman to advise this priority list accordingly.

5. OPEN SPACES.

Recreation ground / car park. Cllr Carswell commented on the latest proposed solution for the Recreation Ground security project – high level barrier / gates (with combination locks) on the entrances, existing dolly posts and rocks around the Village Hall boundary of the Village Hall area so that this is within the secured area. It was noted that the cost of rocks is around £50 each. The Parish Clerk also advised that the Village Handyman had met the person who maintains Corfe Mullen Rec and had discussed their solution of steel dolly posts. Terry indicated that he would seek the cost of these.

It was agreed that the Parish Clerk should order a litter bin to replace the one which has been removed from the recreation Ground adjacent to Hannams Close. Action: Parish Clerk to order this.

The actions for tidying-up the Recreation Ground listed in the July 2015 minutes have now been incorporated into the

Village Appearance project.

Row Park Paddock. Nothing to report.

Allotments.

The Parish Clerk reported that two of the holders of inactive plots which were reported on at the last meeting have responded to letters by handing their plots back. One has already been re-let and the other has been offered the next person on the waiting list but no response has yet been received.

Regarding the problem with overhanging trees from Dyetts Wood, The Parish Clerk reported that he will be meeting the PDC Tree Officer at the allotments within the next 2 weeks to discuss this.

Memorial Green/War Memorial. Reference was made to correspondence from a resident who had raised a complaint about people using the green as a picnic area. Cllr Norris indicated that he would contact PDC to check any by-laws affecting this in preparation for making a proposal to Full Council on a policy for the use of this space. This will be encompassed within the Village Appearance Project.

Cemetery. The new section of the cemetery has now been set out and the first burial in it will take place next week.

Club Hall. Nothing to report

Hedges and Ditches. Regarding the efforts to get PDC and Synergy to resolve their long standing dispute over responsibility for the hedge between Wareham Rd and the gardens of houses in Prospect Rd, the Parish Clerk reported that he had received a communication from David Fairbairn, Legal Officer at PDC asking him to mark on a map the exact location of the hedge in question. The Parish Clerk confirmed that he had replied to Mr Fairbairn with this information. .

The Parish Clerk was asked to write to a resident of Hannams Close as their hedge is completely blocking the pavement. Action: Parish Clerk to write accordingly.

Foxhills Open Space. Nothing to report.

MUGA. The Parish Clerk advised that he had contacted Steve Mills to trim back the growth overhanging the vehicle access track and pathway, and also the surrounds of the pitch – including treatment of any weeds onto its edges.

Footpaths. Nothing further to report.

Other open spaces. Regarding the Landers Reach roundabouts, Cllr Huggins commented that he had prepared risk assessments and safety briefing for the volunteers. The volunteers have considered the idea of laying chippings as a form of weed control, but due to the height of soil and amount of plant growth there is little space for them. Cllr Huggins indicated that he would arrange to discuss possible other solutions with them and report back. Action: Cllr Huggins to liaise with the volunteers accordingly.

6. VILLAGE LITTER PICK

Cllr Norris reported that Cllr Taylor has the details of the next litter pick for inclusion in the Lytchett Link. Cllr Carswell agreed to prepare a poster. Action: Cllr Carswell to prepare the notice accordingly.

7. CORRESPONDENCE.

There was none.

8. MATTERS OF INTEREST AND INFORMATION.

Cllr Cottman reported that a meeting was due to take place on 9th September at the Chequers PH to begin planning for a Village fete in 2016.

Cllr Colvey reported that the application for the road closures in connection with the planned Remembrance Day parade on 8th November 2015 had been submitted to DCC.

The meeting closed at 8.38pm.

Minutes of Environment & Amenities committee meeting 7th Sept 2015