HIGHCLERE PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of a meeting of the Parish Council held in Highclere Village Hall on 4 December 2001 for the purpose of considering planning applications, discussing financial matters, and setting the precept for 2002/2003.

Present

Councillor Mrs S Roberts (Chairman)

Councillor J Pearson

Councillor T Farmer

Councillor I. Davidson

Councillor R East

157/01 PLANNING APPLICATIONS

The following planning applications were considered:

BDB 51797 Mount View, Tubbs Lane, Highclere

Erection of a dwelling and detached garage with new access

Objection on the following grounds:

· Tubbs lane is steep at this location and both existing and proposed new accesses are too close to a dangerous junction.

· The house is too big for the plot, (believed to be an old clay pit), which has a high mound to the South, making useable space less than appears on the plan.

· At 8M high, this proposed house is taller than opposite and adjacent houses, and it will dominate. The design is not in keeping with other close houses.

· The existing access is at road level, but if the access were moved to the new proposed position, it would have to be steep as the road inclines and is higher than the plot at this point. A lot of surface water flows down Tubbs lane and will surely ingress upon the site via this new access.

· A new access would necessitate hedge removal, and the hedges are a feature of this lane and are important to the local environment.

BDB51925 Land at Highclere Garage, Andover Rd

Outline planning permission for B1 development with car parking and new access

Objection on the following grounds:

· The proposed new access is at a dangerous location on a long bend close to the Hollington Lane junction, although the plans submitted make the road appear to be straight. There is increased traffic on this road now compared with traffic before the closure of the Fawcetts Garage, (approximately seven years previous)

· In a recent survey for Traffic Calming, Hampshire County Council Highways representative Mr Jim Soutar has identified that there is a road safety issue in this area with the junction at Hollington lane, the Redhouse pub and Flexford close opposite.

· A new access would necessitate hedge removal, and the hedges are important to the local environment. Hedges on all boundaries should be retained.

· The closeness of the site to residential developments will necessitate strict restriction on working hours and deliveries.

· The demand for increased B1 capacity needs to be proven.

BDB 51861 Halfacre, Plot 1, Tubbs Lane, Highclere

Relief from condition 9, BDB 49293 to allow a window in the Southern elevation

Objection on the following grounds:

The reasons for condition 9 were very clear at the time of the application and the circumstances are not altered. This house is very close to the adjacent property.

158/01 RESOLUTION:

That the Parish Council shall pay the annual rent for Penwood Village Hall

The resolution was amended and proposed by Councillor Tom Farmer as follows:

That this Parish Council shall pay the annual rent for Penwood Village Hall, being the balance between the rent demanded, less any subsidy granted.

Negotiations for a new lease for Penwood Village hall were first summarised:

Penwood Village Hall with grounds and car park is currently rented under the terms of expired leases at a nominal rent of £11 per annum. Notice under section 24 was extended, and repairs to the property demanded by Basingstoke and Deane B.C.

The Borough Council has now presented a new 21year draft lease demanding a market rent of £1350 per annum with rent reviews, based on a valuation by Mr Gibbons, the Property Services Officer. The Management Committee can apply for a grant of 75% (land lease) subsidy, and then the rent payable will be £337.50.

The Parish Council has appointed the ACRE solicitor, Mr Dawson, to act on behalf of the Penwood Village Hall Charity of which the Parish Council is the Custodian Trustee.

Mr Dawson has stated that Local Authorities are under no obligation to charge a market rent, and have legal powers not to do so.

The problems with the current policy to subsidise a market rent is:

· The system of applying for a grant for subsidy is long-winded.

· The value of subsidy can change or be removed during the lifetime of the lease, and a break-clause enabling the lease to be terminated benefits nobody.

· The ability to pay is not taken into consideration.

He has recommended that the Parish Council request The Borough Council to change its policy. This will also lessen the workload for community services.

There were several other points in the lease, which needed amending, and Mr Dawson also queried the manner in which Mr Gibbons valued the site

The Parish Council has now requested the Chief Executive, Katrine Sporle to support its efforts in persuading BDBC to change its policy on charging a market rent on village hall leases.

The Parish Council has also disputed that the lease is a land lease and the Chief Executive has agreed that it is difficult to claim that a full repairing lease could be classified as a land lease, and felt sure that 95% (property lease) subsidy could be granted. She will look further into the matter and come back directly to the Clerk.

The matter has also been brought to the attention of the Parish Funding Scrutiny Panel, and it may consider this at the end of February 2002.

The Borough Councillor, Patrick Hedgeland has stated that his party will not support a policy change, but he also felt a 95% subsidy might be granted.

Councillor Farmer felt that whatever the outcome of the attempts to reduce the rent payable to BDBC, the balance should be payable by the Parish through the precept.

He felt that the management committee of Penwood Village Hall should not "live with a financial weight around their necks" of having to pay an annual rent. He pointed out that Highclere Village Hall was gifted and felt that both halls should have the same rent free advantage.

Councillor Mrs Sue Roberts expressed concern that in a new lease, any "ability to pay" consideration by the landlord (BDBC), took into account only the Charity's ability to pay and not the Parish Council's. This could become relevant in the event of a policy change, and it should be clear to the Borough Council that the responsibility for the rent and management of the hall lay ultimately with the Management Committee.

She therefore proposed an amended resolution to add the words "on annual application by the Village Hall Management Committee".

Councillor Ray East being vice chairman of Penwood Village Hall Management Committee made a declaration of interest and was prohibited from discussing the proposal and from voting.

This amended proposal was then discussed by the remaining Councillors, voted upon, and unanimously agreed.

It is therefore resolved that:

The Parish Council shall pay the annual rent for Penwood Village Hall, being the balance between the rent demanded, less any subsidy granted, on annual application by the Village Hall Management Committee.

Councillor Farmer requested that the Penwood Village Hall Management Committee should be informed of this commitment by the Parish and therefore be encouraged to manage the hall activities without the need to consider outstanding rent. This was agreed and the Clerk was asked to write to the Management Committee

159/01 TO CONSIDER EMPLOYEES' REMUNERATION

Litter Warden

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have confirmed that the grant for litter wardens' pay will continue in the next financial year. It was agreed that the full grant be paid as wages as in previous years. There is now a requirement to pay 27 hours holiday pay annually, and the contracts have been amended accordingly. At present the litter warden are paid to work 22 hours per month, which will now include holiday entitlement.

Clerk to the Council

At the Chairman's request, the Clerk has kept a record of the hours she has worked between 1 October 2000 and 30 September 2001. The work averages 8 hours per week including holiday entitlement. At present the Clerk is paid for 5.5 hours per week.

The Chairman proposed that from the next financial year, the Clerk be paid for 8 hours per week and also, in line with other Parishes, she should receive an allowance of £400 per annum for using her home as an office. The Chairman further suggested, that when the warranty on the Clerk's own computer runs out in June 2002, the Parish Council pay for an extended warranty. This was unanimously agreed, and replaces an earlier decision to pay an allowance for use of own computer and cost of repairs to that computer.

160/01 TO CONSIDER A GRANT REQUEST FROM HAMPSHIRE COUNTY YOUTH BAND

This was discussed and the Councillors unanimously agreed that they did not wish to give a grant, but would like to encourage the band to give a concert in either of the Village Halls to help them raise funds. The Parish Council would then pay the cost of hiring the hall. The Clerk will advise the band of this decision.

161/01 TO CONSIDER ITEMS FOR THE PRECEPT FOR 2002/2003

· Provisions were made for items in minutes 158 and 159

· Recurring expenses were provided for and increased as was deemed necessary

· Contingency funds were set aside for future legal advice. It was noted that other North Hampshire Parishes were paying jointly for legal advice to mount a legal challenge on the Greenham Common development, and it was felt that in the event of a similar need in Highclere, funds should be available.

· Other contingencies were provided for, including the Queens Golden Jubilee

· The provision for cemetery maintenance was increased from £980 to £1040 as requested by the P.C.C. There was concern that grants were available and not being sought. It was understood that there was an intention to replace the fence, whereas an environment grant could be sought to plant a hedgerow. Paths were being repaired and a wheelchair access considered. The Clerk will write to the treasurer of the P.C.C. to confirm the provision of funds, express the concerns of the Councillors, and request the Cemetery committee to outline their long-term plan and work undertaken so far, at the next Annual parish assembly.

162/01 TO SET THE PRECEPT FOR 2002/2003

The total provision was £10855.00. A general grant of £500 is given by BDBC making the precept requirement £10355

The Chairman therefore proposed the resolution:

That the precept for 2002/2003 is set at £10355

A vote was taken and the resolution was passed

There being no further business the meeting was brought to a close