Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and the Councillors and Officers introduced themselves.

The Chairman drew attention to the Chairman’s announcements included in the agenda pack. Wiltshire Council had carried out a review of indoor leisure facilities across Wiltshire. Within the review, Devizes leisure centre was scheduled to be expanded in 2016, including a new teaching pool. The Councillors were commited to carrying out local consultation closer to the time and further information could be found on the Wiltshire Council website.

A number of parishes had not yet returned their flooding information request details and were asked to do so as soon as possible. These should be sent to Renate Malton (Project Officer) at the following address: Derby Court, White Horse Business Park, Trowbridge, BA14 0XG.

Councillor Mayes announced that Wiltshire Council had set aside £380,000 of capital budget to meet its obligations as the owner of The Shambles, the indoor market in Devizes which is a listed building.

The money is primarily intended to cover essential repairs to the roof and lantern lights. If there was any money left over after those repairs, other aspects of refurbishment would be considered.  

There were no apologies for absence received.  

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2010.  

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2010 were approved and signed as a correct record.

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Councillor Gamble declared a prejudicial interest in the Community Area Grant application for the Christmas Festival, as he was a member/director of Devizes Development Partnership and also Company Secretary. Councillor Carter declared a prejudicial interest in the same item, as he too was a member/director of Devizes Development Partnership. Councillors Gamble and Carter left the room for the item and did not vote. Councillor Brown declared a personal interest in the Community Area Grant application from Bromham Social Centre, as a member of Bromham Parish Council.   

A Wiltshire Council consultation on potential sites for sand and gravel extraction commenced on 5 August 2010. Although the consultation was not included on the agenda as an item, the matter of initial site options for the aggregate minerals site allocations was considered at this meeting as a matter of urgent business, because the consultation period finished before the next Area Board meeting.

Councillor Brown updated the meeting that sites C9 and C10 as in the consultation document had been withdrawn by land owners.

Mr Reed was invited to speak on behalf of the parishes of Bromham and Rowde. He set out concerns raised over the consultation document. Points to consider included the following:

·         Traffic and the impact of an estimated 20,000 extra vehicles on the road

·         The high quality of agricultural land in the area

·         The proximity of Rowde sites to local schools

·         Archaeology associated with the nearby Roman town of Verlucio at Sandy Lane

·         Ecology, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest and local designations   

·         Tourism and three local World Heritage Sites

·         House and amenity values.

Councillor Carter asked for a show of hands as to who in the meeting had read the consultation document. There was a good majority show of hands. He expressed his concerns that statistics regarding the impact of extra vehicles should be set in context and asked people to speak with residents who were already affected by sand and gravel extraction in Ashton Keynes. Councillor Carter also commented on the need to source materials more locally than in the past.

Councillor Gamble sympathised with the group and pointed out that the consultation document did not constitute a Wiltshire Council proposal. He emphasised that the plan was at a very early stage of production and only proposed potential site options for minerals extraction.

The Chairman noted the strength of feeling in the room. Councillor Grundy expressed his wish as Cabinet representative to abstain from recorded comment, in order to take part in Cabinet decision making at a later stage in the process.

Resolution

The Devizes Area Board notes the concerns of the parishes of Bromham and Rowde in seeking to have sites C8, C9, C10, C11, C16, C17 and C18 deemed unsuitable for further consideration in Wiltshire and Swindon Minerals Development Plan Documents and asks Wiltshire Council to have full regard to these concerns in the consultation process. 

To receive updates from the following partners:

a)    Wiltshire Police

b)    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c)    NHS Wiltshire

d)    Devizes Community Area Partnership

e)    The Traffic Working Party

f)     Town and Parish Councils

g)    Community Issues Update.

a)    The written update from Wiltshire Police was noted.

b)    The written update from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was noted.

c)    The written update from NHS Wiltshire was noted.

Decision

A representative from NHS Wiltshire would be invited to the next Devizes Area Board meeting.

d)    Paula Winchcombe provided an update for Devizes Community Area Partnership. Consultation on the community plan was ongoing, please see the website www.dcap.org.uk for further information. The parish forum continued to meet and Area Board members were invited to the next scheduled meeting on 2 November at the Crown Centre in Devizes.

e)    Councillor Ody provided an update on the Traffic Working Party as Chairman of the group. Their core activity was to identify small traffic schemes in the Community Area and then put them into priority order to move forward. The schemes already identified were:

-       A pedestrian crossing at Morris Lane, Long Street

-       Conscience Lane and diverting traffic flows from London Road towards Rowde

-       A section of Estcourt Street identified as a traffic hazard

-       A hazardous footpath between Devizes and Potterne.

These schemes had come to attention through a variety of means, such as a telephone call, a conversation or an issues sheet, and the group looked to the Town or Parish Council to add credibility. The Traffic Working Party were also pursuing accurate traffic flow surveys. Feedback would be provided at the next Area Board meeting and formal approval or otherwise of the schemes identified above for Wiltshire Council funding. Notes of the last Traffic Working Party had been agreed and would be available on the website in the next few days.

Decision

A full report of schemes considered for prioritisation by the Traffic Working Party would be provided at the next Area Board meeting.   

f)     There were no updates from the Town and Parish Councils.

g)    The Community Area Manager summarised the community issues received and moved forward. Remedial work for Chivers Road play area was planned, so that the area could be adopted by Wiltshire Council. An issue had been raised about the early start times of workers at Stanford Court on Sundays. Urchfont had been accepted by the Community Speed Watch scheme and Great Cheverell had been accepted for a 20mph speed limit trial, without additional traffic calming measures. Metro-counts had recently been laid down at West Lavington. The Lydeway junction had been surveyed again and was now awaiting the report from the consultant.     

A short presentation by Ian Ritchie, Chairman of The Friends of The Ridgeway, about the proposed ‘Great Stones Way’ walk from Avebury to Stonehenge.

Mr Ian Ritchie, Chairman of the Friends of the Ridgeway, gave a presentation about the proposed ‘Great Stones Way’ new walk from Avebury to Stonehenge. The presentation included the following:

·         The ancient Ridgeway

·         The organisation

·         The proposed route

·         A feasibility study that had been commissioned and conducted by Land Access Limited. The study concluded the route was viable, of huge archaeological interest and attractive to national and international visitors

·         The route would be £105,000 to commission

·         Economic benefits to the local area. These were estimated at over £6 million per annum (based on the experience at Hadrian’s Wall)

·         Project plan – this was at the consultation stage. The organisation was seeking to secure funding and support, work was aimed to commence in 2011

·         A bus service would be developed to complement the walk.

Decision

Devizes Area Board would write a letter of support for the ‘Great Stones Way’ walk and send to Mr Ritchie.  

David Roberts, Head of Regeneration, to provide an update on Devizes Wharf.

David Roberts, Head of Regeneration, provided an update on the Devizes Wharf site. His presentation addressed the main points below:

·         The objective for the project – to work with the community to develop a vision for the area

·         Progress – consultation with individuals and groups had taken place, including a workshop with key property owners and a range of other stakeholders. The workshop had looked into what attendees valued and wanted to protect and opportunities for change and enhancement of the area. There would be further opportunities in future for those who wished to input their views

·         A way forward – to build on current momentum and prepare a holistic draft planning brief by mid-November. There would be a public consultation event in December or Januray, with the aim of finalising the planning brief in early 2011.    

Councillor Carter understood there were concerns over the slow speed of progress. Funding was a challenge and the aim was for development to be careful and incremental. Residential development included on the site would provide a potential source of funding for other work. The Chairman noted the enthusiasm of those present for the project as a whole.  

Chris Major, Parking Services Manager, will provide feedback on the car parking strategy consultation undertaken.

Councillor Gamble, as Portfolio Holder for Public Transport, gave feedback on the car parking strategy consultation. The consultation had arisen from the move to a unitary Wiltshire Council. Councillor Gamble explained the consultation process; how Wiltshire Council informed people and who responded. County wide responses showed overwhelming support for the economy and for meeting residents’ needs for parking. Responses from Devizes highlighted the strong tradition of cultural activities taking place in the Market Place and how enforcement in Devizes was not as strong as required.

A Cabinet decision making meeting would take place on 14 December and this would lead to statutory processes in place by April 2011. Councillor Ody commented on the importance of revenue neutrality and how parking revenues should cover the cost of enforcement. It was confirmed that parking does generate a net income for Wiltshire Council, with surplus funds being directed elsewhere, including to public transport. Councillor Ody requested a breakdown of parking figures by town which was promised by the Parking Services Manager.

Additional comments were taken from the floor. The figures shown at the meeting appeared to omit a number of comments that had been made in the consultation. The absence of attendants on London Road was reported, the need for more parking in Roundway and the importance of central free car parking. The need to take into consideration the circumstances of the town was noted. The intention was to consult on the Cabinet strategy and discuss issues in more depth in each Community Area. 

Decision

Confirmed figures from the car parking strategy consultation would be brought to the next Area Board meeting.    

Councillors will be asked to consider five applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme, as follows:

a)    Bromham Social Centre, seeking £5,000 for overhaul of central heating system

b)    Drews Pond Wood Project, seeking £1,000 for a small replacement tractor

c)    All Cannings Community Store Association Limited, seeking £1,700 for upgrade of present till and back office computer systems

d)    Lydeway Allotment Association, seeking £1,000 for agreement with local farmer to rent an area of land for allotments

e)    SUKOSTA theatre company, seeking £3,350 towards ‘Our Time’, high quality theatre residencies with the elderly community (65+) of Devizes.

Consideration was given to seven funding applications made to the Community Area Grants Scheme. Two late funding applications were considered by the Area Board as matters of urgent business, these applications were received from the Devizes Development Partnership and the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. The Chairman explained these late applications would be considered by the Area Board as an exception, as the Christmas related funding was required before the next Area Board meeting. This should not be taken as setting a precedent.

Decision

Bromham Social Centre were awarded £5,000 towards a replacement central heating system.

Reason

The application meets the grant criteria for 2010/11 and would allow different parts of the building to be heated separately, reducing the heating bills for the venue and allowing different parts of the building to be heated appropriately.  

Decision

Drews Pond Wood Project were awarded £1,000 for the purchase of a second hand tractor unit.

Reason

The application meets the grant criteria for 2010/11 and the application demonstrates a link to the community plan (greater public participation in the management of open spaces and community nature reserves).

Decision

All Cannings Community Store Association Ltd were awarded £1,700 towards upgrade of till and back office computer system, subject to the balance of match funding being confirmed.

Reason

The application meets the grant criteria for 2010/11 and the application demonstrates a link to the community plan (protecting rural services). 

Decision

The Lydeway Allotment Association were awarded £910 towards funding for materials and equipment hire.

Reason

The application meets the grant criteria for 2010/11 and the application contributes to one of the strategic objectives of the Devizes Community Area Strategic Action Plan 2007-2012 – healthy and vibrant villages for the rural population. 

Decision

SUKOSTA were awarded £3,350 towards theatre residencies with the elderly community of Devizes, after the applicant confirmed with the Community Area Manager provisional bookings for the project.

Reason

The application meets the grant criteria for 2010/11 and would allow explorative theatre workshops to be run in residential homes and possibly at luncheon clubs. 

Decision

Devizes Development Partnership were awarded £1,500 towards the Christmas Lantern Parade.

Reason

The application was felt to be of strong community benefit. 

Decision

Kennet and Avon Canal Trust were awarded £646 towards guided historical walks as part of the Christmas Lantern Parade.

Reason

The application meets the grant criteria for 2010/11 and the application demonstrates a link to the community plan (promoting tourism). 

Expressions of interest have been received from:

Wiltshire Is Saving Energy (WISE) Initiative

Councillors will be asked to consider an expression of interest received by all 18 Area Boards from the Wiltshire Climate Change Officer seeking £12,566 towards energy monitors available for free hire in all libraries across Wiltshire.

The energy monitor allows the user to see clearly how much energy their appliances use and how their behaviour impacts on their energy use. The householder/user can then make simple changes to their behaviour to reduce their energy consumption. Reducing energy will save money off their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.   

Wiltshire Voices Initiative

Councillors will be asked to approve a Wiltshire Voices initiative aiming to involve more of the hard to reach groups in the Devizes Area Board process. This is a county wide bid going to all 18 Area Boards.

The Area Board considered two applications to go forward under the Performance Reward Grant Scheme.

Wiltshire Is Saving Energy (WISE) Initiative

Councillors were asked to consider an expression of interest received by all 18 Area Boards from the Wiltshire Climate Change Officer seeking £12,566 towards energy monitors available for free hire in all libraries across Wiltshire.

The energy monitor allows the user to see clearly how much energy their appliances use and how their behaviour impacts on their energy use. The householder/user can then make simple changes to their behaviour to reduce their energy consumption. Reducing energy will save money off their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint. 

 Decision

To endorse the bid for Performance Reward Grant Scheme funding from the Wiltshire Climate Change Officer for the Wiltshire Is Saving Energy (WISE) initiative to go forward for consideration.    

Wiltshire Voices Initiative

Councillors were asked to approve a Wiltshire Voices initiative aiming to involve more of the hard to reach groups in the Devizes Area Board process. This was a county wide bid going to all 18 Area Boards.

Decision

To not endorse the bid for Performance Reward Grant Scheme funding for the Wiltshire Voices initiative. The Area Board felt that insufficient information on this application had been provided.     

The Chairman thanked those at the meeting. The next Area Board meeting would take place on Monday 29 November 2010 at 7.00 pm at a location to be confirmed.