NORTH MYMMS PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual Public Meeting held on Thursday 27 March 2008 in the North Mymms Memorial Hall, Station Road, Welham Green.

___________________________________________________________________

1. CHAIRMAN

The Chairman of the Meeting was Councillor Mrs J Boulton, Vice Chairman of the Parish Council.

2. ATTENDANCE

There were three members of the public present, plus seven members of the Parish Council.

3. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Mrs C Taylor and Councillors Mrs M Race, P Hastings, Keith Pieri and for lateness from W A Storey who was attending an HCC meeting.

4. I N T R O D U C T I O N A N D W E L C O M E

Councillor Mrs Boulton, on behalf of North Mymms Parish Council, welcomed all to the meeting.

Councillor Mrs Boulton said that it was again proposed that the minutes of the last meeting – that of the meeting dated 29 March 2007 - should not be read in total by the Clerk, but in a ‘heading’ form only. Complete copies of the minutes had been placed onto the chairs and any item could be read in full should any person present so wish.

5. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

The minutes of the Annual Public Meeting held on 29 March 2007 were agreed as being a true record of the proceedings and signed by the Chairman.

6. MATTERS ARISING

There were no matters arising.

7. PARISH CHARITIES

a) NORTH MYMMS PARISH CHARITIES

Councillor Everard said that a meeting of the Parish Charities was held on Monday 11^th February 2008 at the Vicarage of St. Mary's Church, North Mymms Park.

Present were the Reverend Sally Davenport, Cyril Everard, Harry Fordham, Jeremy Taylor and D Holford; the Chair was taken by the Reverend Sally Davenport.

The audited accounts for the year to 31 December 2007 were presented, approved and formally adopted.

The year commenced with a balance of £2996.61

Cash received from dividends, rents,

and from a Civic Service Collection of £180. £5105.53

£8102.14

Disbursements

Widows Allow: North Mymms £1,820

Little Heath £2,184

Special Allow: North Mymms £ 39

Easter Gifts £ 20

1932 Sect IV application of income:

North Mymms £ 60

Little Heath £ 100

Fees Rumbal Sedgewick £ 25.12

Clerks fee £ 150

Clerks expenses. £ 21.20

£4425,32

Balance C/Fwd £5105.53

Value of Charinco Shares £81,873.49.

It is to be reported that the recipient of the special allowance died during the Spring of 2007.

It was with regret, that Harry Fordham announced that due to his deteriorating health he was forced to tender his resignation with immediate effect. He was thanked unanimously for his valuable contribution as a Trustee since February 1996.

Q. A member of the public asked if any apprentices were being supported.

A. Councillor Everard replied not for 4-5 years

Q. A member of the public asked if the Parish Charity was advertised

A. Councillor Everard replied that it was publicised only by the Church.

b) NORTH MYMMS RECREATION & CHARITABLE TRUST

Mr Jeremy Taylor said that at a meeting in June last year the Trust was able to make donations to the following organisations and individuals:

St. Mary's C of E School, Welham Green

Whilst continuing with the annual funding toward the various activities, swimming, the annual away week and the like, the Trust was advised of the severe financial restraints with regard to the supply of books, recreation equipment and stationery. The Trust therefore was able to increase its funding toward these very necessary requirements.

North Mymms Youth & Community Centre

A donation was given toward the general upkeep and administration.

North Mymms Cricket Club

A contribution was made for the continuation of coaching for their youth teams.

Act 4 Christianity in Schools

The Trust was very pleased to contribute monies to the above organisation who attend schools in the area to encourage young children to understand the relevance of Christianity in their lives.

North Mymms Scouts

Finally, the Trust was pleased to support three Scouts, Edward Williams, Alex Page and Simon Holt from the North Mymms Scout Group and Jonathan King from the 2^nd Little Heath Air Group with donations toward their attendance at the 21^st World Scout Jamboree at Chelmsford in Essex. This Jamboree celebrated 100 years of scouting. Impressively, the funding raised by these four young men was more toward helping scouts from poorer countries to attend, rather than for their own benefit.

Mr Taylor then asked all those present who know of organisations or individuals within the parish who may be eligible for a donation, to contact him.

Q. There were no questions regarding the report of the North Mymms Recreational and Charitable Trust.

8. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Councillor Mrs Boulton said that in the Chairman’s absence she did not have a report to make but she would like to take this opportunity to thank their two retired Councillors, Bill Rogers and Frank Maynard, and welcome the two new Councillors, Michaela Race and Vivian Weeks who although they have a very hard act to follow – for Bill and Frank gave sterling service for many years – have stepped up to do their best on behalf of the parishioners of North Mymms.

She also wanted to record a vote of thanks to the groundsmen who on top of their duties looking after our lovely environs have found time to decorate the parish office, help erect and dismantle the Christmas tree on Bradmore Green and attended following a recent break-in and robbery at the Grounds Maintenance Store.

Councillor Mrs Boulton said that the North Mymms Parish Council continues in its endeavours to act and respond on behalf of all parishioners. It is a privilege to do so and it must be said that although a lot of serious business is dealt with, it is at times fun as we work to strike a balance in all we do.

She said we would now move on the reports of committees.

Q. There were no questions on the Chairman’s Report.

9. FINANCE

The report of the Finance Chairman was read by Councillor S J Boulton.

Councillor W A Storey apologised for his absence as he was on duty for Herts County Council at the Enfield, Essex and Hertfordshire Border Liaison meeting.

The report said that 2007/08 passed satisfactorily on the financial front and thanked the Clerk, the internal auditor and the Finance Committee for their efforts.

In addition to the precept there had been income from interest, allotment and other rents, leases and playing field lettings. For the second year a parish calendar was prepared and marketed successfully.

As has always been the case, Councillors had made no claims for expenses so would not therefore have the problems of the Speaker in another place as to how expenses should be disclosed!

A precept for 2008/09 has been set at £175,100, an increase just over 2.5%.

To accommodate a programme that includes, inter alia, some one off expenditure on play equipment and provision for a Parish Plan; provision for contingencies has been pruned this year but there were still reasonable earmarked reserves which was as well because a recent burglary had caused structural damage to a building and loss of tools and equipment despite the existence of a maintained burglar alarm. The Parish Council was still awaiting the outcome of an insurance claim.

Q. There were no questions regarding the Finance report.

10. AMENITIES & BUILDING DEVELOPMENT

Little Heath

Arising from the previous minutes Councillor Everard reported completion of the purchase of land approximating to 1.5 acres from Welwyn Hatfield Council. The land was held on lease by the Parish Council until the year 2014 and formed part of the open space and playing field in Hawkshead Road Little Heath. The area extends to some 3.5 acres from Hawkshead Road to Swanley Crescent. The back land was purchased by the Parish in 2000.

The land purchased included the site of the Jehovah Witness Mission Hall, which has now been sold on to the Trustees. As a result of this sale certain accommodation works are to be carried out by the Jehovah Witnesses, to include a new access to the recreation ground and a realignment of boundaries.

Bowling Green. Welham Green

During the spring of last year, the Astro turf surrounds to the Bowling Green was replaced and the brick equipment store located adjacent to the bowling green was constructed, the cost of which was met entirely by the Bowls Club.

Provision of Shelter on the Recreation Ground, Welham Green

Following the formation of the Welham Green Good Neighbour Youth Group and in conjunction with the Welwyn Hatfield Council Social Committee, agreement has been reached to locate a shelter to serve as a meeting place for local young people and to attract the youth away from congregating within the Dellsome Lane shopping parade

The shelter location will be on the Recreation Ground mid-way along the boundary of Bushwood. The youths will have available Basketball facilities, tennis, and football kick about in the designated area. The cost of providing the shelter will be borne by the Welwyn Hatfield Council from the newly formed Community Chest.

Gobions Open Space

It is proposed to undertake further land drainage works during the spring to alleviate the build up of rainwater to certain areas.

War Memorial, North Mymms Park

A new bench seat has been located to replace one that had been damaged. Similarly a new bench seat has been provided at the triangular site at Station Road.

Allotments

It has been necessary to raise the annual charge for the allotment plots at Welham Green, due primarily to the high increase in the water charge and use.

The allotment charge has been increased from £5 pa to £10 pa for a 125 sq metre plot (5 Poles) and from £l0 pa to £20 pa for a 25O sq metre plot (10 poles) from 1st November 2007.

Allotment Judging

The annual Best Kept Allotment judging took place on Wednesday 27th June 2007. A very competitive spirit has developed and the competition is keen. The quality of produce was again of a high standard. The successful candidates were:

1^st George Marlborough 124 points

2^nd Freddie O'Hare 119 points

Joint Mick Fitt 100 points

3^rd Henry Gilham 100 points

The winner received a replica cup suitably engraved together with a certificate, and certificates were awarded to the runners up. The cost of engraving was borne by Councillor Pieri and the certificates by Councillor Horrocks. A formal gathering and presentation was held at the Burns Pavilion on 8th November 2007.

Christmas Tree Planting

The annual Christmas tree planting and subsequent lighting took place on Tuesday 4th December at 6.50 pm organised by the Brookmans Park Rotary Club. The occasion was well supported, with refreshments provided by the organizers, including a visit by Father Christmas in his sleigh.

In closing Councillor Everard expressed his thanks to the hardworking and enthusiastic groundsmen Ken Culshaw, Jon Payne and Carl Whybrow, who undertake many tasks outside their normal duties. He also thanked the Clerk Jo Schettino and the committee for their valuable support during the year.

Q. There was a question as to whether the rent increase imposed was legal

A. The answer was that yes, it is.

Q. A member of the public asked if the youth shelter would be supervised.

A. The answer was no – they would be using it on trust for a trial period but it could be overseen by the groundsmen and regularly by the police

11. PLANNING

Councillor Horrocks said that at the local election last May, Bill Rogers and Frank Maynard, two of our very experienced Councillors did not stand for re-election and he would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them for their knowledgeable input into our planning meetings, their friendship and their good humour. Although their departure has been a loss, we are fortunate in that several of the remaining committee members have relevant professional qualifications or experience. Councillor Horrocks said that he suspects that the newer committee members have been amazed at the amount of building activity in the parish and thank each and every committee member for their diligence in carrying out this important role of a parish council.

He said planning applications are approved or refused by Welwyn Hatfield Council. The parish council is consulted on all planning applications and on other public consultations to which he will refer later. The planning committee met 14 times in the last twelve months and examined every one of the 229 planning applications relating to this parish. This was a 20% increase on the previous year, and a 40% increase on the year before, resulting in our planning committee meetings getting longer and longer. We can only hope that the revised planning regulations coming into force this year will reduce the numbers.

Councillor Horrocks said that in the last twelve months the Parish Council objected to 28 applications. 14, or half, were refused permission or withdrawn, with ten still to be decided. We commented on another 41 to draw attention to a particular aspect of the application. 17, which is 40% of them, were refused permission or withdrawn, with eight still to be decided.

He said that the Parish Council has the right to speak at Welwyn Hatfield Planning Control meetings. We spoke against five planning applications but four were approved and we expect the other one will be approved. We also spoke at two planning appeal inquiries being Friday Grove on Hawkshead Road, and Unit 3 on Woodside Lane, Bell Bar. The Friday Grove appeal was dismissed and the report has still to be issued on the other one. An appeal relating to Tanum Farm on Hawkshead Road started yesterday but has been adjourned until July.

Welwyn Hatfield Council is updating its District Plan, now known as the Local Development Framework and we have commented on the Core Strategy document. Welwyn Hatfield Council has had to defer any further consultation until the definitive East of England Plan is issued. It has been delayed in order to ensure conformity with an EU Directive, and is now due to be issued this summer.

Indications are that Welwyn Hatfield will have to provide about 15,000 new homes between 2001 and 2026, almost triple the original 5,800 figure. The majority of them will have to be built on our precious Green Belt. Apparently windfall gains such as the flats approved in Brookmans Park and Welham Green will not count against the target.

As part of this updating of the District Plan, the Vet College will have to update its Master Plan to show how it expects to be in five or ten years time. When the Vet College was previously drafting the update of its Master Plan it held discussions with the parish council and we trust that the same will happen again.

Other current local issues are the suggested gypsy and travellers’ site on Bulls Lane, and a waste handling site at New Barnfield on Travellers Lane. Last year we expressed our views to the authorities on the gypsy site. In January our MP Grant Shapps held a public meeting about the proposed gypsy and travellers’ site on Bulls Lane. About 200 residents attended including many parish Councillors. The Government is now consulting on the proposals by the East of England Regional Assembly which includes 17 new pitches in this borough and we will make our objections.

With regard to the possible waste handling site at New Barnfield on Travellers Lane, the Assistant Director at Herts County Council, who has responsibility for waste handling, met Parish Councillors and explained the background and details of the proposed strategy which was most enlightening. The parish council has made comments to the county council and we shall now have to wait and see what decisions are made.

The approval of flats on Georges Wood Road in Brookmans Park has, as we predicted, resulted in a number of applications for flats in that village and also in Welham Green. This is in line with what is happening nationally where the majority of new homes are flats. Another sign of the times is the number of applications to replace what seem to be perfectly satisfactory houses with something a lot bigger. Despite the Government’s target of 3 million more homes by 2020, the credit crunch is bound to have an effect. A Bank of England policymaker, Kate Barker, has recently said that residential construction may fall significantly this year. We shall have to wait and see if there is any reduction in the number of planning applications. In the last ten years the number of planning applications received by Welwyn Hatfield has more than doubled. In 1997 there were 900 applications and last year there were 2,000.

Councillor Horrocks said that as you can see, it has been a very busy year for the planning committee as a whole and for him as its chairman. Before every meeting he checks each planning application and last year spoke on behalf of the parish council five times at Welwyn Hatfield planning meetings and twice at appeal hearings. Unfortunately, 2008 looks like being just as busy. On that unhappy thought he ended his report.

Q. The question was asked what happened to the builders in Travellers Lane

A. Councillor Horrocks said that the Parish Council had objected to an application for the sorting of car parts because of noise levels and HGV movements.

12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

There were no items raised for discussion

13. CONCLUSION

In closing the meeting at 8.33 pm Councillor Mrs Boulton thanked the Clerk for her sterling work and everyone present for attending and for their contribution to the proceedings.

*************************************************************