Annual Parish Meeting
Chairman’s Report 2010/2011
Introduction
My report this
evening covers the period since the last Annual Parish Meeting on 10th May 2010. It
is a summary of the main points of a full written report to all electors in Yapton
which will be included in the next issue of our newsletter, Yapton News.
Our finances
With ever increasing pressures on household budgets, I am pleased
to report that the Parish Council last year was able, for the 7th year in
succession, to maintain the precept at £40,000. This was without any reduction in the quality or range of
services provided. Indeed by vigorously
pursuing grant applications and other sources of income, in the last year we
have actually been able to spend more than four times the value of the precept,
all on improving local services for the benefit of the whole community. Having possibly now exhausted local
funding sources, the Clerk is looking
forward in the coming year to a quieter period with no major projects, for the
moment at least, in the pipeline!
Planning issues
Clearly the major
issue we faced last year was the planning application submitted by Gleesons to
be build some 173 houses on the fields at the rear of Goodhew Close and
Fordwater Gardens. Although the
proposal had been widely anticipated, when the planning application was finally
submitted, inevitably it caused much consternation and anxiety amongst local
residents with the result that the village hall was packed to standing room
only, when the Planning Committee met to consider its response to the
developer's application.
The members of the
Planning Committee were unanimous in opposing the proposed development and we
are grateful to Andy Faulkner, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, for
carefully researching and writing a comprehensive statement running to 6 pages
setting out the Council's grounds for objecting. A copy of the Council's
objection can be found on the Parish Council's website under the 'Planning
Minutes' tab.
As I write this report
the developers, at the request of the County's Archivist, are undertaking an
archaeological dig to establish whether the site contains anything of
historical significance relating to Yapton's past. This is being carried out prior to a decision being made on the
application by the District Council's Development Control Committee. This, we are told, could be fairly soon.
Recreational facilities for children and young people
I doubt whether
anyone on the Parish Council would have predicted just how successful and
popular the new skate park which was completed last December would actually
be. Although the earth banks have yet
to be seeded, we are nonetheless delighted with the outcome of the project. Clearly this delight is shared by the huge
numbers of young people of all ages who use the new facility for their various
skilful and acrobatic pursuits including roller blading, BMX biking and of
course skate boarding.
Our "Go Yapton!" skate park was
designed and built by Gravity Engineering Ltd from Romsey. It is constructed in concrete with the
design landscaped into the playing field with grass banks to soften the visual
impact and keep noise levels to a minimum.
The cost of £60,000
was financed by the Parish Council with the help of a grant of £15,000 from the
LEADER programme and with the support of
WSCC and Arun DC, including Section 106
'planning gain' money which was secured from the Bilsham Road housing
development. We were also pleased to
receive a contribution from the staff of the Co-op Store who kindly ran a
raffle to raise funds on our behalf.
During the course of
the year the Parish Council has also installed permanent goal posts for
everyone to use on the playing field and more recently, another innovation has
been the provision of an outdoor table tennis table on the tarmacadam next to
the children's play area.
I think it is fair to say that
Yapton's young people have never had it so good!
Village
improvements/projects
Much needed lighting
was provided by the Parish Council for the village hall car park last year
and new distinctive signs “Welcome to
the village of Yapton” featuring a
drawing of St Mary’s Church by local
artist, David Day, were purchased for each of the main village entrances. These
improvements were paid for by the Parish Council with the help of various grants.
In March, David Day also kindly updated his Yapton
Street Map which he first drew for us in 2008 to reflect the changes which have
taken place in the village since then.
The updated map was printed as a pull out supplement in that month's
issue of 'Yapton News'.
During the course of
the year we arranged for two of the bus shelters in Bilsham Road to be
re-painted and refurbished as necessary. The two new bus shelters outside The Lamb Public House with their
electronic display boards which show the expected arrival times of the
Stagecoach buses, have proved something of a hit as well as being the envy of
other parish councils!
The Parish Council agreed to mark the
occasion of the wedding of HRH Prince William to Catherine Middleton on 29
April 2011 by purchasing commemorative mugs which were presented to every child
attending Yapton CE Primary School. The
presentation took place at a special Garden Party which the school arranged on
the day before the Royal Wedding.
Allotments
Parish Councillor
Mick Caiger has continued in his role of managing and overseeing all that goes
on in the Parish Council's Allotment site in Cinders Lane. The last twelve months have been
particularly busy with a new allotments lease being negotiated as well as the
installation of perimeter chain link fencing and gates to provide much better
security for the whole site. The latter proved possible with the aid of an 80%
grant which the Council was able to obtain from the LEADER scheme, an EU funded
initiative aimed at supporting rural communities.
The slight downside
for tenants was that the re-negotiation of the lease covering the next 6 years
has meant a modest increase was necessary in allotment rentals for the coming
year but this has not deterred tenants and we still have a lengthy waiting
list, with priority being given to Yapton residents.
Working with the Neighbourhood Police Team
Regular liaison
meetings continue to take place involving representatives from the parishes of
Yapton, Ford and Clymping with John Bryan and Mick Caiger attending from the
Parish Council.
Lee Matthews continues as our diligent and
pro-active local Police Community Support Officer albeit in future with a much bigger
geographical beat which will now cover the villages of Aldingbourne, Barnham, Eastergate, Westergate, Walberton,
Fontwell and Slindon in addition to his existing patch of Yapton, Clymping and
Ford. Lee will be assisted by another
full-time PCSO (Karen Pereira) working on a different shift pattern. We wish both Lee and Karen well in their
extended brief and look forward to working closely with them in the interests
of the whole community.
Yapton & Ford Village Hall
The Parish Council
currently has two representatives who serve on the Management Committee, John
Mills and myself. Over the last twelve
months the committee has been active in attracting more bookings and organising fund raising events for the village hall. As a result the
Management Committee can now meet the day-to-day running costs of the hall as
well as funding some outstanding maintenance and refurbishment work.
One much needed and
costly requirement which really had to be addressed however was to update and
modernise the main hall kitchen and bar facility as well as the two smaller
kitchenettes which serve the small hall and club room respectively. The previous catering facilities, although
just about serviceable, had not been updated since the hall was built in 1987.
To cut a long story
short, the Parish Council came to the
rescue by securing a significant grant from the LEADER programme and managing a
major project on behalf of the village hall trustees which has resulted in the
complete refurbishment and re-equipping of all three kitchens as well as the
bar facility to modern standards and health and safety requirements. In particular, the kitchen which serves the
main hall, has been given a complete facelift with new stainless steel work
units and matching equipment including a new electric range cooker, a warm
oven, dishwasher and commercial size refrigerator.
The project was
completed in March 2011 and the new and improved catering/refreshment
facilities have been welcomed by all existing users. The modernised facilities should also make the village hall a
much more attractive marketing proposition which will hopefully lead to
more income from private lettings.
Keeping the village tidy
It would be remiss of
me in writing this report not to mention once again and publicly thank Jo
Smithers and her husband Alan for the superb work they do on our behalf to keep
the village looking so tidy. The
village is indebted to them for their efforts.
Yapton News
Our grateful thanks
to the team of volunteers who assist in delivering the newsletter to every
household in the village. The
newsletter is now of course well established and it is good to hear, as one
reader put it, "My wife and I
really look forward to Yapton News dropping through our letter box and reading
it as soon as it comes out".
'Yapton News' now features
regular reports from a number of clubs and organisations which meet in the
village. These clubs are always looking
out for new members so do please support them and also the local businesses who
advertise in the newsletter as their advertisements obviously help to defray
some of the production costs.
Conclusion
Finally, in closing,
I should like as usual to take this opportunity of expressing my personal
thanks to all members of the Parish
Council as well as to David Tansley, our Clerk, not only for the support they have
all given to me as Chairman but also for the interest they have shown in
various ways in the needs of the village over the past year.
It is perhaps fitting to sum up by saying
that apart from managing the normal day-to-day responsibilities of any local
Council, over the last twelve months the members of Yapton Parish Council can
proudly boast to have successfully completed four major projects which will be
of benefit to the village in the years to come.
The recent Parish Council elections have
resulted in two changes to the membership of the Parish Council. We welcome
Derek Ambler and Tony Kendall on to the Council but say a sad farewell to Frances
Barnes and Des Mills. Both Frances and
Des served on the Planning Committee and were particularly interested in
ensuring that development in our rural village was controlled and the quality
of life we enjoy in Yapton was preserved.
We warmly thank them both for their valuable service and contributions
to the work of the council.
May I take this opportunity also of
congratulating Angus McIntyre on his election to serve as a District
Councillor. Angus will join me in
representing the Yapton Ward on the District Council. He takes over from Emma
Neno who now represents a ward closer to her home in Littlehampton.
Next year I am sure that the newly elected
Council will not rest on its laurels.
It will continue to provide a quality service, maintaining the
facilities and services for which the Council is responsible to a high
standard, keeping the community informed through the publication of 'Yapton
News' and on its website, whilst responding promptly and efficiently to all
residents’ concerns.
Stephen Haymes
Chairman of the
Parish Council
16 May 2011