Present:
Cllr C. Neville - Chairman
Cllr S. Carryer
Cllr C. Rigden
Cllr L. Dennison

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting

A copy of the management accounts for the year ended 31st March 2008 had been circulated to Parish Councillors and there were no questions arising. The Chairman advised the meeting that subject to final accounts being completed, the reserve fund at the end of the year amounted to £17,633.

M Alex Cruickshank, Grazing Project Manager for the Hampshire & IOW Wildlife Trust opened his talk by explaining about the Trust, Hampshire’s Heath, its challenges and the potential solutions. The trust is one of 47 wildlife trusts in the UK and is the leading wildlife conservation charity in Hampshire with over 27,000 members and 70 staff. They look after 60 wildlife reserves working with land owners advising on the planning process, monitoring and carrying out environmental education.

He described how the heathlands were formed and their locations within Hampshire and the challenges of maintaining them using them for natural grazing as in years past. His slideshow presentation showed the methods and tools employed by the Trust workers in their continued maintenance of existing sites.

He continued to describe the current joint campaign with the MOD (Defence Estates) to provide grazing for the Biodiversity Project (Wealden Greensand Area) covering Longmoor, Bramshott, Bordon and Kingsley areas. He discussed the management planning strategies for these areas and encouraged the Kingsley residents to get involved in the management planning for Kingsley, volunteering in the practical work whilst enjoying, understanding and cherishing Kingsley Common.
Cllr Herbert gave a vote of thanks to Mr Cruickshank and endorsed his comments about being aware of the countryside around us.

Margaret Paren opened by describing her work with the South Downs National Park and the campaign at the current Inquiry for the reinstatement of the land north of the B3004 in both Kingsley and Binsted together with other areas of land omitted in the revised plan. The numerous objections to the revised plan had resulted in the formation of the South Downs Campaign, currently supported by 146 organisations, to co-ordinate the campaign and to provide a united front to the Inspectorate. Evidence from the SDC had been given during the week of 14 April along with many others and the final decision was expected in January 2009. Mrs Paren encouraged the meeting to continue to support the campaign by lobbying Ministers and signing the online petition (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/western-weald/).

She continued by describing the work of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) a registered charity, in the various campaigns for a sustainable future for the English countryside. By highlighting threats and by challenging planning issues associated with potential threats to the English landscape they are focused on the sustainment of the local countryside

Cllr Neville gave a vote of thanks to Mrs Paren congratulating her and the SDC on the professional approach to the Inquiry with their QC teaming up with the QC from HCC to provide a formidable team in front of the Inspector.

Cllr Neville gave the following report:

‘This is my sixth and final report as your chairman. I promised if elected to do five years as Chairman and have done six. I firmly believe that new blood is a very good thing for any organisation and that new blood is ready and more than able to take over and do a fantastic job for the village.

I wanted my swan song to be an announcement that this village will have a 30mph speed limit by the end of the summer. I daren’t tempt fate but as I can show you the plan which you can look at in more detail at the end of the meeting. There is no doubt we are close to achieving a dream I have had ever since I joined the Council and I just hope and pray that nothing goes wrong to thwart us again. County Councillor Mark a big thank you for all your help.

In my report last year I promised that in the year ahead the Parish Council would continue to work on the villages behalf in battling to get the 30 mph speed limit, making decisions on planning applications, monitoring Grundons activities and the progress of HCC Minerals and Waste sites review and taking any necessary action to protect the village, fighting to get the B3004 properly repaired and battling against the misuse of the Common and fly tipping.

I will be bold enough to report that we have kept our promises including the B3004 which is scheduled for future repairs between Bakers Corner and the Three Horseshoes but I hope our County Councillor may enlighten us further.

I think our harshest criticisms of our country are in the main healthy but at the moment due to the global financial crisis our own political chaos and our media’s daily desire to grind our morale into the ground I want to sing some praises for the little people of this country – you and me. It never fails to amaze me that so much of our British way of life runs thanks to volunteers. Today no sooner is there a problem than there is a website with details and how to help. One of the current blights of our country is a disgraceful amount of litter on the verges of all our roads (Mark – sorry but the A31 is a particular horrer and shame on HCC for doing nothing). However there are now ‘litter picks’ being organised by volunteer all aver the country and only last Sunday our Vice-Chairman Mary organised one in the village.

As an ex-military man I have been dismayed by our apathy and lack of aftercare for our wounded servicemen. It is a disgrace and all MP’s should hang their heads in shame. America has 89 vets hospitals to look after the wounded for the rest of their lives and we have none. However the main rehab centre is at Headley Court near Epson and the need to upgrade their facilities with a proper pool etc and so was born the volunteer group Help for Heroes to raise £6 million.

So we look at our village and out of nowhere volunteers form east and west end committees to battle HCC’s proposals to extract sand from the northern side of Osborne (Country Market) and Malthouse Farms and two large fields of Lode Farm and Rookery Farm. I was so thrilled to see that yet again with our village that cometh the hour cometh the man or woman – thank god for us little people. Your Parish council led objections of which I believe there were over 12000. I give thanks yet again this year to four tireless villagers who so willingly give their time to help, Brian and Gerry Davey, David and Audrey Graham.

We now await further consultations this Autumn and an inquiry in the Spring of next year. I feel very confident that the village will put up a magnificent fight to stop this extraction. As you may have read in the paper my cry has been ‘Enough is Enough’ – we have done our bit and have been dug up for over fifty years. No more sand lorries thundering through our village – now there’s a dream.

During the year access to the Common has been restricted and this appears to be working and with huge thanks to the diligence and perseverance of our Vice Chairman there is a massive improvement on the results of fly-tipping on the Common – thank you so much Mary.

We continue to look after a wonderful historic asset called St Nicks. My particular thanks to Shirley ably assisted by Lindsay for being such wonderful guardians. As a result of an attempted break-in the west door was ruined and a new one has been built and we are in the process of having the main doors replaced. Your Parish Council has started to work on persuading HCC to build a footpath from the Tarmac entrance to the entrance of the lane leading to St Nicks. Plans are afoot to try and persuade SITA to help us create better parking facilities for St Nicks.

The Jalsa Salena Convention last year was a disaster in its second year after a comparative trouble free first year. We have been to several meetings to listen to their plans for this year. They are only too well aware that things need to run smoothly this year.

During the year we bade a fond farewell to Frances our Parish Clerk and by some miracle the ‘little fella’ appeared out of the blue and has more than ably filled those shoes. Peter thank you for your excellent support since you joined us last August. We gave a warm welcome to a new councillor in September, Chris Rigden. Special thanks to Izzy for organising the eats and drinks later.

I am particularly pleased to leave with an extremely healthy set of accounts. Six years ago we had just under £7,000 in the bank, we now have £17,000. Thanks to that prudence we are in a position to help others and only last week gave the Kingsley Centre this digital projector they desperately needed. The bus shelter near the Pub needs repairing and surprise, surprise EHDC want us to contribute – we can do so.

We have over £10,000 of Developers Contributions to spend in the next two years or we will lose that money to Central Government. We are looking at all sorts of options and have asked for your suggestions. If you have any do please talk to Mary afterwards.

The SDNP inquiry was re-opened due to the amazing work of Natural England and the CPRE. Thanks to a wonderful friend of this village our ex District Councillor Minette Palmer we were made aware that Tarmac had proposed that about 300 hectares from the Oakhanger Road west to East Worldham should be removed from the Park. I wonder why and of course it included the two fields of Lode Farm and Rookery Farm. I went to the inquiry in early March with Terry and Mary Blake whose efforts to rebut Tarmac’s proposals were outstanding. Thank you for your terrific support of the village.

Speaking for Natural England was Mr Robert Griffiths QC and for Tarmac Mr Jarvis, Landscape Consultant. Please bear in mind that these guys all know each other from the original long inquiry. The opener from Mr Griffiths to Mr Jarvis was ‘Good afternoon Mr Jarvis how nice to see you again and I do hope you are going to do better this time’. Thank heavens I was on the same side as Mr Griffiths and didn’t have to face his cross examination!. Margaret- thank you again for fighting our corner so hard and as a neighbouring village we wish you success in the battle to get the Binsted peninsular re-instated into the Park.

A big, big thank you to Syd and Malcolm who continue to keep Upper Green and St Nicks Churchyard in immaculate order. Theank you to my fellow Councillors for giving so much of your time throughout the year for the benefit of our village.

Finally I bid you fond farewell as Chairman. I leave immensely proud of the playground and every day I see it used it gives me huge pleasure. I am overjoyed that thanks to the support and help of so many in the village and elsewhere we resoundingly defeated Grundons toxic waste proposals – the cheers of the villagers at that meeting in Winchester still bring a broad smile even now.

I know for absolute certain that I leave the Council in very healthy shape and I so look forward to hearing that I can add the 30mph to my legacy.

I wish you all well and the Parish Council well for the future.’

Cllr Kemp-Gee thanked the Parish Council for helping him to work on behalf of the village and congratulated Cllr Neville on his work as Chairman. He continued to say that he had known Cllr Neville for over 52 years since their early school days from which time Cllr Neville had enjoyed a distinguished Military career before setting up his successful contemporary art business with his wife Sara. He wished Cllr Neville all the very best for the future.

He continued to advise that the seven year tender for road maintenance had recently been awarded to Amey and he was confident that the repairs to the B3004 would be carried out without the total closure which had caused so much trouble last year. The damage caused to the surrounding roads whilst the B3004 was closed was still being repaired and must not be allowed to happen again and he had received assurances that the road would be repaired under temporary traffic light control and single lane closure.

Cllr Comber spoke on the number of East Hampshire District Council Strategy and Action Plans and of her involvement with particular committees. Cllr Comber also outlined the priorities of the Community Partnership strategy working with partners such as County, town and parish councils, health services, businesses, voluntary and community organisations to improve community facilities, promote active lifestyles, support the voluntary and housing sectors and to encourage local employment opportunities. The current unemployment in East Hampshire was 2% compared with the national average of 2.5%.

Cllr Comber spoke of the District strategy for the next seven years highlighting the need to protect the local environment whilst pointing out that the local government had not increased its element of Council tax for the current year.

The following questions were raised and comments made:

1. More information was required concerning the location of public footpaths and bridleways in Kingsley and the surrounds including more information on the Parish website. Cllr Herbert responded that the new Rights of Way had only recently been published by HCC and would be looked at by the Council to provide the required information.

2. More consultation with footpath warden over signage.

3. The 30 mph zone has a lead in of a 40mph zone on the Alton side but not from the A325. Cllr Neville commented that this was a compromise which the Council had reluctantly agreed to.

4. Repairs required to dips on the B3004 adjacent to the Tarmac entrance.

5. Request for the current position on the threat to Malthouse and Osborne Farms. Cllr Kemp Gee advised of the upcoming HAT committee meeting of the 8 May at the Kingsley Centre with scheduled presentations from both Tarmac and Grundons on the subsequent return of the land after mineral extraction. He suggested that the village should make a strong representation at the meeting.

6. Suggestions for the Developers contributions. Cllr Rigden has the task of producing a list for further consultation.

7. Is there a Bio-Diversity plan for the village.

8. EHDC Sunday parking charges in Alton – Stealth Taxes?

9. Is the target for the Hampshire Minerals extraction too high? Cllr Kemp-Gee agreed that the figure appeared high and it was understood that the next stage of the consultation would provide more information.