June 2000 PC Meeting Report

REPORT ON THE JUNE MEETING

TUESDAY, 6 JUNE 2000, SHAWFORD PARISH HALL

Councillor Mr N Campbell-White was in the chair and was pleased to welcome seventeen members of the public to the meeting.

County Councillor’s Report

Councillor Mrs A. Bailey announced that the white line scheme is about to commence on the link road from the M3 roundabout to the Bushfield roundabout. A camera, linked to the CCTV system in Winchester is also to be installed. These measures are intended to slow down the traffic. Councillor Bailey said she has asked Eastleigh Borough Council for a meeting to discuss the result of the traffic calming measures in Hocombe Road, Chandlers Ford. The measures have resulted in HGVs being unable to proceed along Hocombe Road despite it being a designated route for HGVs coming off the M3. This problem may result in more HGVs being routed through Otterbourne and Compton.

District Councillor’s Report

City Councillor Mrs C. Bailey reported that pavements in Compton are being inspected for potholes and overgrown vegetation with a view to a maintenance programme being started. She said that Attwoods Drove is also in a bad state of repair but it is coming to the top of the maintenance list and will hopefully be repaired this autumn. The matter of potholes in the road to the car park at the bottom of Shawford Down has also been raised. It is understood a bid has been submitted by the Rangers to Hampshire County Council, as it has for the past four years, for funds to repair the road.

Mrs Bailey announced that the sewage injection is now finished for this year. Southern Counties Injection Service, which undertakes the whole process, is overseen by the Environment Agency who issues every load with a certificate. She emphasised that the company and not the farmer carries out the injection of sewage. Councillor Wilmshurst stated that the Injection Company was spraying, not injecting, sewage on the farm in Compton the previous week. The Chairman considered sewage disposal an important issue for the Parish Council and suggested a councillor should investigate the system with the aim of having a coordinated parish policy. Councillor Bell agreed to take over this enquiry.

Convenor and Sub-committee Positions

The final positions of convenors and sub-committee members were filled at the meeting. The additional positions are:

Highways, Byways, Environment & M3 Sub-committee

Convenor: C. Simmons

Members: R. Wilmshurst, M. Bell, S. Jennings

Planning Sub-committee

Member: M. Shaw

Hockley Viaduct Access Project

Councillor Threlfall attended a meeting at Winchester Guildhall on 6 June and reported that the ambition of the Winchester City Council Estates Department remains to get the viaduct listed in order to attract some public funding. To this end a firm called “Landscape Perspectives” is about to be employed as a consultant on the matter of obtaining status. The structure has been placed upon the Register of Threatened Historic Buildings, and a new fund-raising initiative will be launched early next month in the form of the “Friends of Hockley Viaduct”.

Meanwhile, some work is being done to remove vegetation from the upper parts of the viaduct and to unblock the drains that serve the structure’s deck, thus preventing further water damage. It is intended that the Itchen Navigation between St Catherine’s Lock and the viaduct will be tidied up and the parts of bridge that are presently in the river will be salvaged.

Playing Fields Management Sub-committee

Councillor Shaw reported that the gang mowing on the Memorial Playing Fields had been well below standard and she had spoken to the contractor. She had also arranged to have the edges strimmed. Mrs Shaw said that Councillor Simmons and herself had concluded that a more exciting play area should be built on the field. They had visited other play areas and would return to the next meeting with some new ideas.

There was concern about the temporary electricity store on the Memorial Playing Fields as it was very untidy and had spilled over onto the field. Mrs Shaw said she would be writing to Southern Electric about the state of the store, and reminding them of the undertaking to reinstate to “as was” on completion.

Councillor Shaw said the condition of the car park and the area around the poplar trees on the Memorial Playing Field had been discussed at the sub-committee. She said she had found a contractor to undertake the work but his quotation was over budget. She was asked by the Chairman to reconsider with her sub-committee the matter of the potholes as well as the danger to the public of the poplar tree roots and to make recommendations at the next Parish Council meeting.

New Pavilion Sub-committee

Councillor Walmsley reported on the first meeting of the new sub-committee which has agreed that:

The current pavilion needs to the replaced as soon as possible.

The grant application document should be completed with the addition of the missing pieces because much of the content (sports development plans etc) would be applicable whatever design of pavilion was finally agreed.

A review of alternative designs is undertaken. In the first instance the sub-committee would review the designs – prefabricated wooden Scandinavian buildings – previously investigated by the Sports Club.

Councillor Bell said at the time of the referendum it was reported that should a smaller pavilion be built without a grant from Sport England, the parish would be taxed to pay for it. He said there are people in the parish who are still concerned about this possibility and he made a proposal that “This Parish Council does not support the idea of a one off tax to fund a new pavilion if other funding arrangements fail”. This did not preclude alternative funding arrangements over a longer period. After discussing the proposal the Parish Council passed the motion.

Parish Hall

Councillor Millar reported that CASCA was still unhappy with the paviors and a meeting has been arranged with the designer and contractor. The WI, The Guild and the Festival Choir have kindly presented the village hall with three cherry trees. The building inspector has issued a Certificate of Completion on the building thus allowing CASCA to collect the final grant from the Lottery. However, a Final Certificate is currently not being issued as the timber barrier at the perimeter of the car park is considered inadequate. A meeting with the building inspector to resolve the problem is being arranged.

Mr Matthews, Chairman of CASCA, said that now bills are starting to arrive for the period since CASCA took over the hall there are indications of a operating deficit. CASCA may have to return to the Parish Council for help. He also said that it is unlikely that the Heathcote Room would be refurbished this summer due to lack of funds.

Highways, Byways, Environment and M3

Councillor Simmons agreed at the meeting to become the convenor of this sub-committee. She said that during the last month she has been having discussions with the Highways Agency concerning the laying of a quiet surface on the M3. The resurfacing of the parish section is not scheduled in the next 5 year plan. Mrs Simmons said she will eventually be putting her concerns in writing to the Agency and would be pleased to hear the views of parishioners. She can be contacted at The Hermitage, Shepherds Lane, Compton or on 01962 712622.

Michael Andrews, Clerk