BEPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Chairman: Mr. Howard Ewing
Clerk: Mrs. Lorraine Grocott, BEM, BA Hons (Local Policy)
23 West Meade, Milland, Nr Liphook, Hampshire, GU30 7NB
Tel 01428 741393… Email: postmaster@milland-wsc-pc.gov.uk
Website – http://www.bepton.org

MINUTES of the Meeting of BEPTON PARISH COUNCIL
Thursday 29 September 2016 at The Park House Hotel, Bepton Road

Present: Mr H Ewing (in the Chair), Mrs R Hart, Mrs C Bower, Mrs L Milner (LM),
Mrs Alex Cunningham, Dr J Wilkinson
Seven Members of the Public

493. Apologies – Mr G Ryan,
Cllr C Neville (District Councillor) Cllr Gordon McAra, (County Councillor)
494. Declaration of Interests of Members on Agenda – There were none.
495. Co-option of Councillor – Declaration of Acceptance of Office
Following the resignation of Mrs Helen Hollowood the District Council have advised that the
Council can co-opt a new member. Dr Julia Wilkinson was proposed by Mrs R Hart and seconded by Mrs C Bower. Dr Wilkinson signed the Declaration and was welcomed onto the council. She will take on the responsibility of Rights of Way in the parish from Mrs Hollowood.

496. Public Participation –
497. Minutes of the Meeting 14 July 2016 – were approved and signed.

498. Report from the District Councillor – The Clerk read Cllr Caroline Neville’s written report
Points from the report are as follows: –
• We all need to increase the amount of recycling to 50% by 2020.
• CDC are offering a fortnightly garden recycling collection at a cost of £1pw.
For more information on garden recycling http://www.chichester.gov.uk/gardeningrecycling.
• CDC voted 25 to 14 on Proposal no.2 for Chichester by-pass.
• A public meeting to discuss South Pond in Midhurst was held on 28 September.
• CDC vehicles are to have trackers fitted so they can be more regulated and cost effective.
• Concern has been expressed about the move of the Post Office facility from The Tuck Shop to the garage just beyond the roundabout on the Petersfield and Chichester Road. People are worried about the parking, access when cars are coming in and out of the garage and danger to the elderly and children. Comments can be made on the post office website or go to http://www.supportthepeoplespost.co.uk.
• A Brocante market is being planned for Midhurst Square in the Spring.

499. Other District and County matters
The Local Government Boundary Commission has issued the following:
CDC – Draft Electoral Review – Midhurst will include Bepton, Cocking, Iping, Midhurst, Stedham, West Lavington, Woolbeding with Redford and Elsted & Treyford. Elsted & Treyford have asked that they be included in Harting.
WSCC – Final Recommendations – Midhurst will be in the Chichester District.

500. Matters arising from the Minutes
• SALC Briefing in July – Mrs Cunningham, Mrs Hollowood and the Clerk attended
• The public are taking an interest in the new interpretation panel on Bepton Down.
• The autumn issue of the Bepton Newsletter will be distributed.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 29 September 2016

501. Community Fibre Partnership programme –
Stacey King, Regional Partnership Director, South East.
This is an initiative under which they will work with local communities to deliver improved broadband. It is separate from WSCC’s Better Broadband programme, from which Bepton Village is unlikely to benefit.

This initiative will do some exploratory work to see what solutions might be available. They will then give the Parish a quote for the cost, including what funding is available from BT, central government, other sources, etc. The understanding is that the community will have to raise part of the funding.

503. Chairman’s Items
1. A new Highways contact has been appointed for the Bepton area.
2. Noted that the manhole cover outside Horringer is unstable.
3. The drain on the corner near Frogmore needs flushing out and the overgrown grass needs strimming off.
4. There had been fly-tipping in Bell Lane and Simon Verrall has used the Love West Sussex app.
He was advised that the District Council dealt with fly tipping and it was reported to them.

504. Finance report – Mrs Grocott RFO

The above payments were approved by the Council.

a) The Clerk to arrange for a half year check on the accounts.
b) On-line banking – new forms were being prepared for
1) a mandate change to delete Shirley Fay and add Carey Bower
2) arrange for the online and telephone banking forms to be completed and sent to Nat West.
c) PKF Littlejohn LLP had signed off the accounts for 2015/16. The Conclusion has appeared on the notice board with the accounts. The accounts and details are now on the council’s website http://www.bepton.org.
c) The clerk asked for a review of her rate of pay so that it aligns with other councils in the area.
Mrs Hart and Mrs Milner were asked to carry out a review.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 29 September 2016

505. Planning Report – Mrs Hart

COUNCIL’S RESPONSE TO APPLICATIONS: –

SDNP/15/05369/FUL & SDNP/15/05370/LIS
Mr. Mark Bisland of Padwicks Farm requests permission to convert and extend the Grade 2 listed barn to create a two bed holiday let. This is a resubmission of SDNP/14/03133/LIS & SDNP/14/03131/FUL. Permit.

SDNP/16/02291/FUL
Bepton Hotels Ltd requests permission to convert a small corner of the field opposite Park House Hotel to create an overflow car park. This application was called in by the SDNPA. Refused.

SDNP/16/04161/TCA
Mr J Morley of The Old Schoolhouse gives notification of intention to crown, reduce and thin 4 trees, to pollard 1 tree and to fell 1 tree. Letter of no objection sent. Permit.

SDNP/16/03902/CND
Mr Ian Lawless of Gardeners Cottage requests a variation of condition 1 from planning permission SDNP/15/06243/HOUS of an addition of a window on the south elevation. Letter of no objection sent. Await decision.

506. New Flight Path Proposal from TAG Farnborough Airport – Mrs Bower
TAG held a public meeting at Capron House on 20th September to explain their ACP (Airspace Change Proposal) for the flight path to Farnborough Airport from the south. At present the flight path is quite wide, covering an area, west to east, roughly from South Harting to Pulborough, with ‘medium flow’ of aircraft over the Midhurst area, and the ‘main flow’ over the Petworth area. The proposed changes will narrow the flight path in a westward direction, with Midhurst (and consequently Bepton and our area of the South Downs) in the centre of the ‘main flow’. According to the presentation, the government/Civil Aviation Authority advice is for ‘concentration rather than dispersal’. The new flight path will also free up more airspace in the east, reducing conflict with Gatwick’s flight paths. The proposal states that the aircraft will be flying at an altitude of 5,000-6,000ft over the Midhurst area, 1,000ft higher than a present, however it is still possible that some aircraft could fly as low as 3,500 ft. The proposal has to be approved by the CAA before any changes can take place. The consultation period has been extended to Wednesday, 2nd November and the document is available at http://www.consultation.tagfarnborough.com.

The council discussed the proposal. The council will be writing to set out its concerns and objections to the proposal which will include an increase in noise and how that will impact on the tranquillity of the Downs. There is also the question of the impact on other airspace users like the gliding clubs,
which will be further squeezed by the restriction on their airspace from Farnborough. They will also be asking about the long term strategy for flights over this area.

507. Highways & Byways & Environment

a) Cycle ride through Bepton on 2nd October. – The Chairman had contacted UK Cycling Events and they responded apologising for some of the behaviour of their riders last year. The events are not promoted as a race but are instead a sportive which encourages more leisure riders as opposed to experienced riders. They do ask the riders to be vigilant and respectful of other road users especially down the narrow country lanes.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 29 September 2016

b) Midhurst Area Cycling – meeting was held on 21 September. There was a report on West Sussex Cycle Forum meeting held at County Hall on Tuesday 6 September and a report on Chichester District cycle meeting held at County Hall on 13 September. WSCC have agreed a Walking and Cycling Strategy document. A strategy has been set out for the Jubilee Path, Midhurst and there is progress on the Cocking cycle route on similar lines to Stedham.
c) Community Support Teams – The community support teams ‘highway rangers’, were set up to deal mainly with ‘green’ issues such as overgrown vegetation, obscured and dirty road signs. West Sussex County Council decided to cease funding them in 2014/15 but the highways department continued to fund them from one-off underspending. Now the cabinet member for highways and transport has decided to end the scheme permanently in order to save £320,000. In future local communities will have to arrange and fund themselves.

508. District /County Organisations
a) North Chi CLC meeting 27 September
b) CDC – All Parish meeting 28 September
c) WSALC – AGM – 17 October – HE to attend
d) NW & NE Community Forum 6.30pm, 10 November, Leconfield Hall Petworth RH/LM

509. Other Matters – There were none.

Date of next meeting – Thursday 24 November, 7pm at The Park Hotel, Bepton.

Chairman: …………………………………. Date: ……………………

These Minutes are unconfirmed until signed by the Chairman.