Quarley Parish Council Minutes - September 2004

Minutes of the Quarley Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 21st September 2004 in the Quarley Village Hall at 7.30pm.

Present : Cllr Mrs J Ferguson (Chairman)
               Cllr Miss L Cross
               Cllr Mr M Venables
               Richard Waterman – Parish Clerk
               Borough Councillor Mr N Arnell
               Members of the Public - 3

Apologies : Cllr Mrs G Tubbs and Cllr Mr W Marshall.

WELCOME  - Cllr Mrs Ferguson welcomed everyone to the meeting.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING – Cllr Mrs Ferguson signed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record. Matters arising from those minutes :-

VILLAGE HALL – Cllr Mrs Ferguson reported that problems with drains and foundations has delayed the planting outside the Village Hall. Installing raised planters is being looked into, possibly using railway sleepers.

STREET LIGHTING – It was reported that No 1 Street Light is again not working properly. The Clerk will report this to the Street Lighting Department.

ROAD DRAINS – The road drain on the corner of Park Lane was discussed. Hampshire Highways are looking at the problem, it is believed that this drain leads to a soak away, the size of the soak away and its position is not clear. When the drain is cleared it fills up with silt after the first rainfall. It is though that part of the problem is an underground natural spring near Christopher Court adding to the water levels in this part of the village. Moving the drain further along the road towards the Bus Shelter is an option being looked at.

MIRRORS – The Clerk reported that the Parish Council Insurance company have yet to inform him of the increase in premium to include the road mirrors. It was agreed that until the insurance cover is in place it was not wise to erect the mirrors, they are to costly to replace and there is a spate of mirror thefts at the moment.

PLANNING – No new planning applications. The erection of a Double Garage at Hill House was briefly discussed.

COUNCILLOR MR N ARNELL’S REPORT.
Cllr Mr Arnell reported that the Borough Local Plan will be on display in the Guild Hall in Andover. Cllr Mr Arnell spoke about the closure of the Cricklade College Theatre and the many articles and letters in the Andover Advertiser asking for the Borough Council to save the venue. Cllr Mr Arnell stated that people must realise that if the Borough Council were to take over this venue it would involve large capital expenditure, the only way this could be funded would be through local taxation.

Cllr Mr Arnell spoke about the possibility of a multiplex Cinema in Andover, an option on a site in Andover is in discussion. A company to take on the franchise is now needed to take the project further. Cllr Mr Arnell will keep the Parish Council informed on any developments. The Parish Council thought this good news and felt that a Multiplex Cinema is just what Andover needed.

Cllr Mr Arnell spoke about the Monxton Traffic Calming Group and their aim to stop the ‘Rat Run’ through the villages. Monxton Parish Council are writing to the surrounding Parishes this may effect inviting them to join the group. Cllr Mr Arnell thought that it might be in Quarley’s interest to join the group. This was noted.

Cllr Mr Arnell spoke about the A303 Gap Closure at Sarsons Lane.

FOOTPATHS.
The Footpaths were discussed, it was noted that the stile on Footpath No2 needs repairing. Cllr Miss Cross stated that this was in hand. A tree has fallen across footpath 13 in the Amport Parish and a Footpath Marker Post needs replacing. It was felt that the Footpaths in the village are all walk-able, a map showing the village footpaths is on the Quarley Village Web Site. The Parish Council agreed that they would walk the Footpaths once a year and their condition noted in the minutes.

Cllr Miss Cross asked if it could be noted in the Parish Council News Letter that the Public pleases keep to the footpaths when walking through farmers fields. The Clerk will include this when he sends out the next Parish Council News Letter.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Cllr Mrs Ferguson reported that she has received a letter from the Village Hall Trustees. The Village Hall kitchen has been enlarged in size and is to be refitted, this will be done through self-help with specialist labour being employed when needed. A new floor has to be laid to comply with Health and Safety Regulations, this has proved to be very expensive in the region of £800. This has overstretched the Village Hall reserves, a grant application is to be submitted to the Lottery and Hampshire County Council. The Village Hall Trustees ask if the Parish Council would consider giving a grant towards this project?

This was discussed and it was agreed that a grant of £300 would be given towards the cost of the new Kitchen. The Clerk was asked to write to the Quarley Village Hall confirming this grant.

A letter has been received from Mr Andy Hicks regarding the ongoing problem with cyclist groups taking over the village. Mr Hicks stated that cars park everywhere, blocking junctions and causing an absolute nightmare to anyone attempting to leave or return to the village. Mr Hicks stated that the last cycle event was the worse he had experienced, those taking part had no respect for the residents of Quarley, a camper van parked in the entrance to Duck Lane/Etwall obscuring the view of oncoming and exiting traffic. Although a Police presence was noted nothing was done to address the problem.

Mr Hicks understood the financial gain to the Village Hall but stated that many in the village felt that this was not worth the upheaval and upset that this event brought to residents of Quarley.

The Parish Council noted Mr Hicks' points and felt that this behaviour by visiting groups using the village was unacceptable. The Parish Council felt that the revenue was vital to the future of the Village Hall but felt that future events needed to be managed better. Cones are available from Weyhill Police Station and should be used to stop parking at junctions etc. It was felt that the Police could also help in this matter and the Parish Council would also offer assistance. Cllr Mrs Ferguson will contact the Village Hall Chairman to discuss these points and offer assistance.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
Mr Morris asked the Parish Council if they knew why Quarley Hill has not been designated as open space by the Countryside Commission and why the footpath was redirected some years ago so that the public could not gain access?

The Parish Council did not know why Quarley Hill has not been designated as open space, it is a local landmark and at one time was accessible to the general public. This was discussed and views on whether Quarley Hill should be made accessible were split. This will be discussed further at the December Parish Council Meeting.

CHEQUES ISSUED IN SEPTEMBER 2004.
H.A.P.T.C.                   Chairman’s Course                                          £60.00
Mr B Pearce                Grass Cutting and Village maintenance             £285.00
R.N. Waterman            ½ Years Wages                                              £150.00
Mr Ferguson                Materials for Bus Shelter Seat etc                      £91.42
 

CLOSE OF THE MEETING.
Cllr Mrs Ferguson thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.

DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING.
8TH December 2004 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.