There were several members of the public present (see attached).

Present:

Cllr N R G Clarke (Chairman)
Cllr N J Chard
Cllr Mrs B Charlton
Cllr Colonel T G Scriven
Cllr B H Terry

In Attendance:

Jo Stannard, Deputy Town Clerk
Terry Simpson, Town Clerk (for part of the meeting)

P/4373 Absence

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr D R Cole, Cllr D E Cracknell and Cllr M F J Daly.

P/4374 Declarations of Interest

There were none.

P/4375 Minutes of Previous Meeting

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15th September 2006, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record.

With the agreement of the Committee, planning application number 06/88655 was considered next for the benefit of the members of public present.

P/4376 Planning Application Number 06/88655

Members considered planning application number 06/88655 for three detached bungalows, associated garages and parking at land rear of 42 and 44 Broadshard Lane. It was noted that the issue of backland development had been accepted by the Planning Inspector and therefore this was not open to debate. However, proposals for the access and access road differed to that approved by the Planning Inspector and members believed that this was a material change. One of the conditions laid down by the Inspector specified minimum requirements for visibility splays and members did not believe that these could be met.

RESOLVED: That an observation of Refusal (4) be submitted for planning application number 06/88655.

P/4377 New Forest National Park Authority – Development Control Charter

Members considered the NFNPA’s Development Control Charter (Annex ‘A’), which explains the way in which the development control service works and the targets it aims to meet.

RESOLVED: That the document be noted and supported.

P/4378 Antisocial Behaviour

Cllr Colonel Scriven reported that he had been very pleased with the briefing from Chief Superintendent Wakefield and was encouraged by the fact that, under the new Neighbourhood Policing Model, there would be 50 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) assigned to the New Forest area. However, he was concerned about how this new model would affect the fully trained and qualified uniformed presence and said that this would need to be carefully monitored.

Cllr Colonel Scriven suggested that the Committee should recommend that the Council bid for two PCSOs, at a cost of £12,000, as this would mean the Council could decide how it wished the PCSOs to be deployed and would benefit from 85% of their time walking the streets. He felt that the PCSOs would assist in reducing the fear of crime, would be able to tackle antisocial behaviour and assist at events. He also suggested that consideration be given to forming a partnership with other Parish Councils in the area in order to offset the funding. The Deputy Town Clerk informed members that Chief Superintendent Wakefield had said it would not be possible for the Council to fund more than one PCSO.

Cllr Daly joined the meeting at 2.25pm.

Cllr Colonel Scriven reminded members that he had visited Eastleigh, where there was a police post shared by the college and CAB in the centre of the community. This enabled people to get advice and report, for example, criminal damage and lost property. Chief Superintendent Wakefield had said that, if a location could be provided, she would provide the police presence. Cllr Colonel Scriven suggested that this be pursued. Cllr Terry suggested that the District Council’s Town Centre Steering Group could be asked to incorporate this in any scheme for the South West corner of the Furlong.

Other members of the Committee were sceptical of the benefit of PCSOs as Ringwood was a low crime area. Cllr Clarke felt that there was a need to see how the new policing model would work before committing to fund a PCSO.

Cllr Colonel Scriven said that the survey he had carried out in the North Ward showed that residents did have a fear of crime and said that many crimes went unreported. He therefore strongly recommended that the Council fund one PCSO as quickly as possible and that a facility be provided in the centre of town to enable recording and reporting of small crimes.

Following further discussion, the Chairman moved and the Committee agreed to:

RECOMMEND to Policy & Finance Committee:

1) That £6,000 be included in the 2007/08 budget to fund one PCSO for Ringwood.

2) That the District Council’s Town Centre Steering Group be requested to incorporate a police office in any scheme for the South West corner of the Furlong.

P/4379 Hampshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework

Members considered the Issues and Options – Site Discussion Paper (Annex ‘B’) and noted that 17 sites had been identified to the North of the town, but that none of these were within the parish boundary. Cllr Clarke had attended a local community workshop on the subject and felt that this consultation was premature as there were too many options, which were not comparable. He said that, ultimately, there would only be a limited number of feasible and economic sites and recommended that the Committee refrain from commenting until a more focused group of sites had been identified.

RESOLVED: That no comments be made on the Hampshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework Issues and Options Site Discussion Paper at this stage.

P/4380 Community Safety Initiative (CSI) – Street Lighting 2007/08

The Deputy Town Clerk reported that Hampshire County Council had invited bids for inclusion in the CSI Street Lighting programme for 2007/08. It was noted that residents and the Police had been asked to identify possible sites in 2005 and, as a result, bids for lights in Somerville Road/White Hart Fields and North Poulner Road had been successful and several other sites were included in the District Council’s Footway Lighting Improvements Programme.

Members reconsidered some of the locations previously put forward including Cloughs Road, Dr Little Gardens and Highfield Drive and a recent request from a resident of Quaker Court to install a light at the junction of Enyon Mews and Christchurch Road.

RESOLVED: That the Deputy Town Clerk report to the next meeting of the Committee on possible sites for inclusion in the CSI Street Lighting programme for 2007/08, following consultation with members and the Police.

P/4381 Proposed Prohibition of Heavy Commercial Vehicles South East of Salisbury and in the New Forest North area

Members considered a joint proposal by Hampshire and Wiltshire County Councils to prohibit heavy commercial vehicles from using roads to the South East of Salisbury and in the New Forest North area (Annex ‘C’).

RESOLVED: That the proposal be noted and supported.

P/4382 Parsonage Barn Lane

Members considered a request from a resident of Parsonage Barn Lane for the installation of speed humps to prevent the road being used as a rat run and to slow down speeding vehicles. Cllr Chard referred to the School Travel Plan currently being prepared by Ringwood School and reported that Parsonage Barn Lane has been identified as a potentially dangerous road due to motorists driving too quickly. As this road was used by students walking and cycling to and from school, it was hoped that action could be taken to address this.

RESOLVED: That Parsonage Barn Lane be included on the agenda for the Transportation Issues Liaison Meeting to be held on 26th October when options to reduce the speed of vehicles could be discussed.

P/4383 Walking and Cycling Working Group

Members received an update from the Deputy Town Clerk on various projects that were being undertaken as a result of work by the Walking and Cycling Working Group (Annex ‘D’).

RESOLVED: That the update be noted.

P/4384 Transportation Issues Liaison Meeting

It was noted that the next Transportation Issues Liaison Meeting, attended by members and officers of the Town, District and County Councils, would be held on 26th October 2006. Members were asked to consider items for inclusion on the agenda and to appoint a representative to replace Cllr Wood. It was noted that all District Councillors would be invited to attend the meeting, as would Cllr Clarke in his capacity as County Councillor. In addition, Cllr Terry would be representing the Town Council.

RESOLVED:

1) That the following items be included on the agenda:

• Parsonage Barn Lane – speed reduction
• Update on Traffic Management Programme, to include Bickerley Road review, High Street/Market Place and Kings Arms Lane.
• Pedlars Walk – accessibility

2) That no member be appointed to replace Cllr Wood.

P/4385 New Forest Transport Forum

It was noted that the next meeting of the New Forest Transport Forum would take place on 18th October and would include a presentation on accessibility pilots and the outcome of the New Forest Area Review.

RESOLVED: That no member was available to attend the New Forest Transport Forum.

The Town Clerk joined the meeting for the next item.

P/4386 South West Corner of the Furlong

Cllr Colonel Scriven presented a statement to members (Annex ‘E’) and explained its contents.

He reported that, although District Cllr Heron had agreed at the Full Council meeting on 27th September 2006 to include a fourth option in the paper being presented to Cabinet on 4th October and to remove the text relating to retail only being the preferred option, this did not appear to have happened. Cllr Colonel Scriven had received an email from Cllr Heron after the Cabinet meeting stating that funds had been agreed to appoint consultants and that any widening of the options would delay the process. He also said that he had previously looked at the old cinema site but, for several reasons, its use was not feasible.

Cllr Colonel Scriven was particularly concerned that residents were not being fully consulted and that they would not be given the chance to look at all the options. In addition, new toilets had been promised by 2007 and this had now been put on hold.

The Town Clerk reported that he had been invited to attend the last meeting of the Town Centre Steering Group and he had recommended that, as this was such a prominent site in the town, the Town Council should be involved in the identification of options and involved in the Steering Group. Following this, the Town Council had now been asked to appoint a representative to attend and speak at future meetings of the Steering Group. These meetings would be held in Ringwood in future and would be open for the public to attend and make statements. The Town Clerk did not believe that consultation should be restricted to three options and he had therefore reserved the right for the Town Council to carry out consultation on other options, through the Market Town Healthcheck process. He had informed the District Council that 78% of the respondents to the Love it, Hate it, I Wish Survey had asked for a community facility/theatre/cinema. He believed that recent publicity suggested that both the District and Town Councils were supporting this proposal and it would be difficult for the public to understand if the facilities were not now provided within any overall scheme for the town.

The day after the meeting he had also spoken to the Head of Development Control. He had suggested that in view of the condition of the toilets and the likely time frame for determination of an overall scheme it would be appropriate for the District Council to consider removing them from that scheme and constructing them at an early date elsewhere within the car park

Cllr Colonel Scriven said that the District Council should not be dictating what happens in the town and he was also concerned about the conflict of interests of District Councillors who were also Town Councillors. He therefore did not believe it was sufficient for only one Town Councillor to be appointed to the Steering Group.

Members agreed that the consultants should be given a more wide ranging brief and that this should include more than the three options identified by the Steering Group.

RECOMMENDED to Policy & Finance Committee:

1) That option four must be adopted by the District Council’s Cabinet, as undertaken by the Chairman of the Steering Group at Full Council on 27th September 2006, and be included in the way forward.

2) That the Town Council’s Planning, Town & Environment Committee Members be full partners in taking the project forward.

3) That any conclusions be jointly acceptable to all partners.

The Town Clerk left the meeting. Cllr Mrs Charlton left at 4.20pm.

P/4387 Planning Applications Considered

Planning applications in respect of periods ending 12th, 19th and 26th September and 3rd October 2006 were considered.

The Deputy Town Clerk left the meeting at 4.50pm, after Planning Application Number 06/88761, and the Town Clerk rejoined the meeting.

RESOLVED: That the observations as shown in Annex ‘F’ be submitted.

P/4388 Urgent Business

Vocational Training

Cllr Colonel Scriven explained that the number of young people over 16 in the area not in training or employment was increasing. There was a need to improve vocational training for these young people. He recognised that a lot of work was being done through the Town Plan on planning issues, but he felt that the Council should consider whether in these discussions it should give specific assistance to the needs of the under 16’s who do not ordinarily go on to further training.

Funding was currently available for capital schemes. He believed there was a need to investigate the provision of specific vocational training facilities in Ringwood to avoid the need for young people to travel out of town for this training.

The Town Clerk reported that he had discussed the issue with the Headteacher of Ringwood School who was keen to provide vocational training in the town, but away from the current school campus.

RECOMMENDED to Policy & Finance Committee:

That Ringwood School be supported in any bid it may make for capital funding to provide vocational training facilities in the town for young people.