Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of CHURCH CROOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL held in the Memorial Hall on Thursday 23 April 2015 at 7.30pm.

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1 Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of CHURCH CROOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL held in the Memorial Hall on Thursday 23 April 2015 at 7.30pm. There were approx. 60 parishioners in attendance including seven parish councillors. 1. Welcome The Chairman, Councillor Lowe welcomed everybody to the meeting and thanked the Clerks and Councillors who had prepared presentations and refreshments. 2. Meet the Council The Chairman asked Councillors to stand up and introduce themselves. 3. Apologies for absence There were apologies from Councillor Gill Scott, Cllr. Andrew Ballington and Cllr Richard Newbigin who may be late due to work commitments. Also from Cllr. John Bennison our County Councillor. 4. Approval of Annual Parish Meeting minutes 2014 Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting that took place on 3 rd April 2014 were tabled and signed as a true record of the meeting. 5. Discussion on the local bus services Cllr. Harris led a discussion on local public transport following cuts to the bus service at the beginning of Members of the public were invited to ask questions and a lively question and answer session followed. 19 comments were recorded on post it notes at the meeting. They included the following: service, last bus is very early, especially back from train station is often over full and dangerous 3. We need a proper bus service like before to take us to surgeries, hospitals 4. Increase council tax to enable us to keep the bus service 5. Basingstoke service to Church Crookham was a useful service 6. Need buses from Fleet to Church Crookham 7. We need buses to take us directly to Frimley Park Hospital, Fleet Hospital and medical centres 8. We could have hop on hop off local buses to town. 9. Taylor Wimpey give a welcome pack to new owners, could information about bus services be included 10. Fleet disabled and elderly are being discriminated against. 11. Residents in Award Road are unable to walk to the bus stops now as there is no bus down the Verne 12. What about a bus to Link Way & medical centre surgeries. 6. Parish Council Annual Report including year-end accounts summary A report of the activities of the Parish Council during the last 12 months had been tabled. It was notes that the financial data was subject to minor changes as the year end had not yet been fully completed. The Chairman ran through a series of slides highlighting the main points from the annual report. Parish Councillors for the Year ending 31 st March 2015 Pat Lowe Parish Council Chairman Richard Jackson Parish Council Vice-Chairman Page: 1

2 Nick Harris Chair of Policy and Finance Committee Michael Burford Chairman of Planning Committee Gill Scott Chairman of Facilities Committee Helen Butler Gill Chatfield Richard Newbigin Andrew Ballington Councillor Pat Lowe was re-appointed as Chairman of the Parish Council at the AGM in Richard Newbigin was co-opted on to the Parish Council in May Andrew Ballington was co-opted on to the Parish Council in January Annette Whibley joined the Parish Council in May 2014 but due to personal circumstances stepped down from the Parish Council in January Colin Chettle joined the Parish Council in May 2014 but due to work commitments stepped down from the Parish Council in November Staff Jayne Hawkins is the Parish Clerk. Sally du Gay is the Deputy Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer. Sam Knowles is the Sports officer. Claire Inglis is the Sports and Recreation Admin Assistant. Meetings Between 1 st April 2014 and 31 st March 2015, we held the following public meetings: Meeting Number Parish Council 11 Facilities 11 Planning 24 Policy and Finance 4 Staffing Committee 1 Community Centre/Crookham Park 4 During the year, the Parish Council has. The Parish Council has representatives on the following committees - Memorial Trust Committee, the Alms House Committee, the Farnborough Aerodrome Consultative Committee, the Fleet Link Committee, the Schools Joint Consultative Committee, Friends of Azalea Park, Fleet and Crookham Welfare Trust, HDAPTC, Crookham Park Highways S106 steering group. Created, printed and distributed three Parish Council Newsletters. Awarded grants to the following organisations: Applicant Amount Paid Comment Quetta Park Community 95 Contribution towards refreshments Litter Pick British Legion 100 Contribution to the poppy appeal Crookham Village PC 100 Contribution towards plants on roundabout on Gally Hill Road CPRE 200 Contribution towards new website Page: 2

3 Fleet & District Festival 500 Contribution towards running the Fleet and District Christmas Festival. Church Crookham Players 850 Contribution to wind-up theatrical lighting stands for use in halls Tweseldown Infant School PTA Church Crookham Garden Society Aldershot Town FC Community Trust 2,500 Contribution towards outdoor play equipment for KS1 children 2,500 Contribution to replacement roof for the Society premises 2,505 Contribution towards running Junior healthy lifestyle activities at Peter Driver 5-a-side facility Fleet Link 4,835 Contribution towards the local bus service Basingstoke Canal 6,750 Contribution towards the maintenance costs of the canal 20,935 Funded an upgrade to the CCTV camera at Crookham Crossroads. Funded litter collection at Peter Driver Playing fields, Azalea Gardens and Chesilton Woods. Managed the football pitches and five a side pitch at Peter Driver. The five-a-side had two new fence panels replaced due to wear and tear. Maintained land at Peter Driver, Azalea Gardens, Chesilton Woods and Sian Close. Continued to update and maintain the parish website and started to design a new website Fought against the application for an additional 100 houses at Crookham Park which was approved by Hart District Council. Held a Street Snooker event at Peter Driver playing fields hosted by Aldershot Town Football in the Community Club. Placed a time capsule in a pill box at Ewshot. Laid a new soft play surface at Azalea Play Park. Installed new parish boundary signs. Installed new park signs at Peter Driver playing fields and Azalea Park. Installed new Flint bins at Peter Driver playing fields and Azalea Park. The War Memorial on Gally Hill Road received its annual clean and hosted a special Commemorative Lights Out Ceremony on August 4 th to remember events leading up to the start of the first World War as well as the Annual commemoration service in November. Increased the width of the entrance at the Peter Driver sports ground with a double width height barrier and installed a one-way traffic management system. The front border has been laid to grass and under-planted with bulbs and the fence maintained with preservative. Constructed a storage compound at Peter Driver sports ground to allow footballers to use and store equipment. Received Lengthsman Scheme funding of 1,000, this has been utilised to clean road traffic signs and to clear a problematic ditch in Award Road, using the Community Payback Team. Staff and Councillors undertook training throughout the year such as Knowledge and Core Skills; Introduction to Appraisals; Planning Framework; Allotment Course; Budgeting and Reporting. Funded a dog warden to patrol the Peter Driver playing fields and Azalea Gardens. Page: 3

4 Contributed to a number of public consultations: o Hart Open Spaces Consultation o Hampshire Countryside access plan o Hart District Councils Housing Development Options Consultation o Rushmoor Local Plan Consultation o Community Infrastructure Levy Consultation o Crookham Village Neighbourhood plan consultation Funded a speed limit reminder that is moved around the parish every 4 weeks. Consulted parishioners on the wheel park project Continued to negotiate with Taylor Wimpey on the housing and SANG land development at Crookham Park. The Parish Council will be responsible for 7.6 hectares of formal open space and hectares of informal open space, a community centre, an athletics track, a five a side football court and two tennis courts, 1 large play area, 4 medium play areas and 14 small play areas, a community orchard, art work and allotments. The Parish Council has continued to meet regularly with the developer to discuss the details of the facilities to be provided on the new estate. Supported the Fleet and Church Crookham Society with their bulb planting event at Azalea Park and Crookham Crossroads. On-going and outstanding projects: The Community Centre at Crookham Park is well under construction and due to be completed in June Quotes for fixtures and fittings are being gathered. Negotiations continue with Taylor Wimpey with regard to services and the access road to ensure that the facility will be available for hire from September The Parish Council office will be located in the new community centre. Website re-design - the website is being re-designed to cater for bookings for football pitches and the community centre. The allotment site has been completed and the legal transfer is underway with the tenants more than ready to get planting. The Tenants Association Committee has been established and will assist with the management of the site. Wheel park design. Following consultation with members of the public, the local police and Taylor Wimpey a final design has been agreed and planning permission is due to be submitted for a Wheel park near to the athletics track on the public open space at Crookham Park. The Parish Council is continuing to work with the local athletics club to agree the requirements for the athletics area. Gurkha Statue, Crookham Park. Three artists have been shortlisted to produce a bronze Gurkha statue to be sited in front of the Gurkha Orchard. The designs have been circulated in the newsletter and residents have been asked to indicate their preferred design. Once the artist has been commissioned the statue will be made and installed later in the year. Open spaces at Hightrees. Work is due to be completed on the remodelling of the Swales at Hightrees and remedial work to the open space surface which has been levelled and reseeded with grass seed. The Parish Council are looking to adopt this open space as soon as possible when they will take on the on-going maintenance of the opens space and safety checks on the play park. Page: 4

5 Highways projects works is progressing slowly on the installation of new refuge points and parish gateways on Aldershot Road and Beacon Hill Road. The Parish Council has started to work on a three year forecast and has included provisional plans for a new footpath at Azalea Park, replacing the inscription plaque on the bolder at Lynwood, installing a basketball hoop behind the Street Snooker and an outside gym at Peter Driver playing fields and improvements to the Peter Driver Pavilion. 11 Facilities committee meetings - Chairman Gill Scott The Committee discusses issues relating to the community centre and outdoor spaces including the play area at Azalea Gardens, the grass football pitches at Peter Driver and the 3G football pitch at Peter Driver Sports Ground and the Peter Driver changing rooms, the allotments and opens spaces at Crookham Park. The Committee now meets monthly on the second Monday of the month. On-going projects include: The construction of the Community Centre and consideration of future management of community building in terms of staff and revenue generation. Design and the application for planning permission of a Wheel park within Crookham Park. Commissioning of art work for installation within the community. Discussion with Taylor Wimpey regarding the handover of the playgrounds at Crookham Park. Taking on the management of the allotments once they are handed over and maintaining the waiting list. Installation of additional play equipment and benches at Azalea Park. 4 Community Centre Sub-Committee Meetings - Chairman Gill Scott Management of the Community Centre construction project Working with Rund (project managers) and Mildren (Construction Company) to resolve any construction issues Negotiation with Taylor Wimpey regarding services to the site and access roads Liaison with sports clubs and potential users to identify their requirements 24 Planning Committee meetings - Chairman Michael Burford 74 planning applications were considered during the year and 18 objections were lodged by the Parish Council. Objections: 14/00591/FUL 33 Gally Hill Road - Objection to erection of four detached dwellings following demolition of existing dwelling, including new vehicular access. 14/00551/HMC 13 Gordon Avenue Objection to two storey side and single storey rear extension. 14/00631/PREAPP Stillers Farm Objection to development of 60 residential units. 14/00504/MAJOR Watery Lane Objection to outline planning for up to 315 residential units. 14/00686/HMC 50a Aldershot Road Objection to erection of detached double garage to front of property. 14/00894/FUL Land adjacent roundabout Hitches Lane Objection to Sewage pumping station works. 14/00783/HMC 35 Coxheath Road Objection to rear single storey, rear roof and dormers extension. 14/01138/HMC 2 Wakefords Copse Objection to erection of single storey side conservatory. Page: 5

6 14/01199/HMC 5 Earlsbourne Objection to erection of single storey rear and side extension. 14/01430/FUL 141a Aldershot Road Objection to front and rear extension and construction over existing bungalow to result in two storey dwelling. 14/015555/HMC 5 Moore Road Objection to fit balustrade around a flat roof. 14/01742/HMC 27 Ferndale Road Objection to erection of single storey rear extension. 14/01928/HMC 55 Pine Grove Objection to two storey front and side extension and single storey rear extension following demolition of existing garage. 14/02008/HMC 14 Oakwood Objection to single storey front, part two storey part single storey rear extensions. 14/ /HMC 149 Aldershot Road Objection to side extension and other works. 14/01747/FUL Land at Netherhouse Copse Objection to outline planning for 423 residential dwellings. 14/02588/HMC 116 Gally Hill Road Objection to demolition of garages, extensions and alterations. 14/02270/FUL Holy Trinity Church Objection to demolition of Church Hall and replace with temporary modular type structure for 5 year period. 14/02710/FUL Crookham Service Garage Objection to extension of single storey extension and change of use. 14/00156/HMC 114 Gally Hill Road Objection to conversion of bungalow to two storey dwelling. 4 Policy and Finance Committee Meetings Chairman Pat Lowe Created and reviewed many policy documents e.g. Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, code of conduct, asset register, risk assessment, allotment allocation policy. The committee s remit includes the consideration of budgetary control and drafting the precept. The precept in 2015/2016 will be 186,460 plus a grant of 2640 from Hart District Council. In the previous year 2014/2015 it was 181,173 with a grant of 5,280 the increase in precept is due to the additional houses that have been occupied on Crookham Park. The precept for a band D household remained the same at The Parish Council precept will have stayed at since the Parish Council was formed in It should be noted that in addition to any Council Tax resulting from the Parish precept there will also be Council Tax levied in respect of the District and County Councils and the Police and Fire Authorities. The budget in 2015/2016 includes provision for maintenance of the new five a side pitch, grounds maintenance, the dog warden, litter collection and the speed limit reminder. The Parish Council will also continue to contribute towards the upkeep of the Basingstoke Canal and the Fleet Link bus service. Summary of accounts 2014/2015 Income: Annual Precept 181,173 Other income S106 Community centre construction 1,370,935 S106 other income 116,314 Total income: 1,710,290 Expenditure: Employment costs 54,719 Administration costs 26,622 Peter Driver premises 7,737 Allotments 7,883 Grounds Maintenance 43,953 Community Support 21,062 Page: 6

7 Reserves at year end Project costs 18,839 Community centre Total expenditure 735,185 Planned projects (earmarked reserves) 185,337 S106 Community centre construction 698,515 S106 other 265,977 General reserves 148,910 Total Reserves 1,298,739 At the year end on 31 st March 2015 the total income, excluding the S106 contributions was 223,041, which was 6,208 over budget. This was mainly due to extra income from football bookings and a grant received of 1,000 for the Parish Lengthsman scheme. The expenditure, excluding S106 projects was 210,740 which was 5,361 under budget; this was mainly due to under spending on administration and employment costs and reduced utility bills and maintenance costs at the Peter Driver Sports Ground. The Parish Council s ear marked reserves are quite large as they contain provision for Community Youth Projects (Wheel Park), Peter Driver Sports Field improvements, Community Centre running costs, replacing playground equipment and the five a side surface. We are also holding S106 funding from Taylor Wimpey for the maintenance of facilities at Crookham Park and funding to build the new Community Centre and provide public art. The general reserves at year end stand at 148,910. Thank You The Parish Council is most grateful to our local police officer Caroline Webster and Clayton French our PCSO for their assistance and support. We would also like to thank our District Councillors and County Councillor for their on-going assistance and support. We would also like to thank Jenny Radley, Annette Whibley and Colin Chettle for their service to the Parish Council. In addition, we would like to express our gratitude to the Parish office staff, Clerk (Jayne Hawkins), Deputy Clerk (Sally du Gay), Sports office (Sam Knowles) and Admin Assistant (Claire Inglis) for their hard work and proactive support. The Parish Council Chairman would also like to record her personal thanks to all of the Councillors. Most of all thank you to all the members of the public that have responded to our newsletters and who have attended our Council meetings and public consultations. Request for Help As a community we can achieve a great deal, and the Parish Council is well positioned to facilitate local initiatives. However, the success of these initiatives is dependent on the participation of our community as a whole. If you do want to make a difference in Church Crookham please: Let the Council know your views Volunteer to help take forward local initiatives. There is currently 1 vacancy for a Parish Councillor, please let the Clerk know if you would be interested in joining the council. 7. Public art Consultation display of posters and models Councillor Lowe gave an overview of the public art consultation for a Gurkha Statue to be placed by the Gurkha Orchard at Crookham park and encouraged residents to vote for the design they liked the best. Page: 7

8 8. Question and Answer session: Residents raised a number of questions which were answered by Councillors. 9. Close of the meeting: The Chairman closed the meeting and thanked everyone for attending and contributing to the discussion. The meeting closed at 9.30pm. Signed: Date: Page: 8