Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Amesbury Area Board, and thanked Antrobus House for hosting the meeting.

The Chairman introduced Councillor Jane Scott, the Leader of the Council, as the visiting Cabinet representative, then invited the other Councillors and officers sitting at the front of the meeting to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

• Paul Fisher – Idmiston Parish Council
• Phil Edwards – Amesbury Community Librarian
• Carole Slater – Shrewton Parish Council
• Mike Brunton – Allington Parish Council
• Kevin McCaffrey – Youth Development Coordinator, Wiltshire Council.

Councillors Ian West declared a prejudicial interest in agenda item 13 (Community Area Grants) specifically in relation to the application from Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council, as he was the Chairman of that Parish Council.  Councillor West confirmed that he would leave the room for consideration of the application, after exercising his right to speak at the start of the item.

There were no other declarations of interest.

a.            Flood Protection – The Chairman referred to the written information at page 17 of the agenda, and also gave a reminder regarding the Environment Agency Flood Workshop on 26 January in Chippenham.  Those interested in attending were asked to contact Karen Linaker, as it may be possible to hold an additional workshop in the south of the county.

b.            Waste Consultation Results – Documents detailing the results of the recent consultation on Waste and Recycling were available at the front desk.  A summary was set out at page 19 of the agenda.

c.            Bulford Bridge – The Chairman commented that the bridge had been reopened following the recent maintenance work.  Any businesses wishing to apply for a reduction in rates as a result of the bridge closure were asked to call the valuations office in Swindon on 01793 581400.

d.            Amesbury Market – The Chairman announced that the first Amesbury market had been held on 24 November; this would continue to take place every Wednesday.

The Chairman again welcomed the Leader of the Council and invited questions from the floor.

A resident raised concern regarding the proposed strategy to harmonise parking charges across Wiltshire, commenting that with the new supermarket having recently opened, small businesses may suffer from reduced trade if customers were required to pay for parking.

Councillor Scott responded that she was well aware of the views of Amesbury residents and the Town Council in relation to the Car Parking review.  In addition, the Area Board had agreed a motion, setting out its concerns in relation to the potential effect of parking changes on the economy of the town. A final decision on this matter would be taken at the Cabinet meeting on 14 December.  It was also noted that this issue had to be considered in the wider context of the Country’s economy, with Wiltshire Council losing around £150 million in funding over the next four years.

Karen Linaker, Amesbury Community Area Manager, thanked people for continuing to use the online system for submitting issues.  Most issues received had been highways/speeding related, and many metrocounts had been undertaken to gather data on the sites in questions, with several resulting in Community Speed Watch Schemes being set up.

Responding to a question regarding the variety of ways in which members of the public could raise issues with the Council, Karen encouraged people to contact her in the first instance, as she would be able to advise on the best approach for each individual query.

The Chairman referred to the updates set out in the agenda and invited further updates from Town and Parish Councils and other partner organisations, including outside bodies.  It was noted that the preferred option was for written updates, to minimise time spent during the meeting.

Inspector Martyn Sweett referred to the update from the Police at page 23 of the agenda, commenting that since the publication of the figures shown, there had been a slight increase in the number of burglaries from dwellings, many of which had been from premises which had been left unlocked.  Some suspects had been identified for this recent increase with some arrests taking place; nevertheless, people were requested to avoid leaving presents on show during the Christmas period.

Inspector Sweett reported that the Crime Prevention and Bike Safety Day advertised for 11 December would now be moved to another date to be published shortly.

There would be an increase in road checks to support the Christmas campaign against Drink and Drug Driving.

Parish Councils should have received information from the Police Authority regarding the budget consultation, with around £50 million of cuts due over the next few years.  It was hoped that this could be kept to back office costs, to protect front line services.

Mike Franklin of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue referred to the written update at page 27, commenting that the number for fires had reduced to a ten-month low.  In addition, the service continued to undertake a large number of fire safety checks at residents’ homes, with checks particularly recommended for the elderly or infirm.  Forms were available or could be downloaded from the website.

Responding to a question regarding the replacement of fire alarms provided by the Fire and Rescue service, Mike explained that some faults had developed whereby the alarms bleeped continuously, however they still worked as fire detectors.  The faulty alarms could be replaced by calling 0800 389 7849 and leaving the relevant details on the answerphone.  It was requested that this number be conveyed to as many people as possible in the community area.

Referring to the update from NHS Wiltshire, Councillor Jane Scott commented that significant changes were proposed to the way in which health services were delivered.  It was proposed that Councils would be responsible for public health for the first time since 1974, working with GPs and hospitals to deliver a more joined-up service provision.

The Chairman referred to the letter set out at page 37 which expressed support from Amesbury Town Council for the proposed skatepark.  Also included at pages 33-35 was the feedback to the questionnaire carried out by Amesbury Youth Council.  In general, the responses to the questionnaire had been supportive, and had underpinned the need for such a facility in the town.  It was reported that, due to technical reasons, the skatepark could not be located at Archers Gate, and it was now proposed that the skatepark could be located at the forthcoming Kings Gate development.  The Chairman  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Chairman invited Steve Wilson (Wiltshire Council - Local Roads Manager – Southern Division) to give an update on forthcoming works planned by the Highways Agency to the Countess Roundabout (A303 / A345 junction).

Steve reported that the works had been proposed by the Highways Agency to improve the safety and capacity of the junction.  However, Wiltshire Council highways officers and the Police had been involved in the early planning stages, in particular regarding the need to minimise disruption to the local community and local road network.

The original plan had been for a 21-week programme of works, with strategic, long distance traffic being diverted from the A303 onto the local road network.  However, following discussion this had been revised to use a contraflow arrangement, to keep the A303 traffic off the local roads.  This would also result in a shorter period of works, with around 12 weeks estimated on the outline timescale on page 44 of the agenda.  Advance signage would also be used at either end of the A303 to divert strategic traffic onto alternative routes such as the M4/M5 corridor, and to the north and south of Amesbury to encourage A345 traffic to seek other routes such as the A338/A360.

The Chairman thanked Steve for the presentation and invited questions and comments from the floor:

• In general, it was considered that the works would enhance both the strategic and the local road network.

• It was confirmed that Wiltshire Council were seeking to co-ordinate highways works in the area to avoid other roadworks continuing in the area at the same time as these works.  It was noted that the roadworks in Amesbury Town Centre were due to be completed by the end of the following week.

• Members emphasised the need for the Highways Agency to undertake a clear and comprehensive communications plan, with local people being made aware of the diversion routes, and plenty of advance signage to minimise impact on local roads.

• In response to questions regarding the penalty for overrunning the agreed timescale, Steve referred to the representative of Balfour Beatty Mott Macdonald (BBMM), the Highways Agency’s contractors for the scheme.  It was noted that any overrun in terms of time or budget would result in a reduction in the profits of the company from that project. 

• In relation to street lighting, it was reported that this would be upgraded to comply with guidelines.

• In response to a question regarding temporary weight restrictions on the diversion routes to reduce the impact of large lorries using the local road network, Steve undertook to clarify whether this had been included in the Traffic Regulation Order.

• A local resident who lived adjacent to the roundabout expressed concern regarding the proposed lane widening.  He sought clarification that the additional lane width would be taken from the central reservation.  The representatives of BBMM undertook to speak to the resident outside of the meeting, and to explain the detail of this element of the works.

• There was discussion regarding the proposed installation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Chairman reported that Paul Hackman, Census Manager for Wiltshire, had been due to attend to give a presentation about the Census which would be taking place in 2011.  Unfortunately, Paul had had to submit his apologies for the meeting.  However, information was set out in the agenda and in leaflets at the back of the meeting room.

At the Chairman’s invitation, Councillor John Noeken, Lead member for Grants, introduced this item, thanking the other members of the grants panel who had assisted in reviewing the bids: Sam Sheppard and Tony Pryor-Jones.

Having declared a prejudicial interest in the application from Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council, Councillor Ian West left the room for the consideration of that application, after exercising his right to speak and introduce the item.  In doing so Councillor West commended the application to the Board and referred to the difficulty for smaller Parish Councils in finding match-funding for Community Area Grants.  Karen Linaker commented that this had also been raised by other Parish Councils and would be fed back when the grants scheme was reviewed.

Decision

Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council was awarded £1,868.07 towards purchasing and installing a new infant single seater cradle swing at Meadow View Play Park.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and would support the Parish Council in meeting the strong local demand for play equipment for 0-5 year olds.

Decision

Wiltshire Police – Neighbourhood Policing Team was awarded £500 towards running a Cycle Safety and Crime Prevention Initiative in Amesbury.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and would help promote improved cycle safety and security in Amesbury.

Decision

Age UK Salisbury District was awarded £5,000 towards extending its befriending service to benefit socially isolated older people in the Amesbury area.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and would help prevent social exclusion amongst older residents.

Decision

Stonehenge Chamber of Trade was awarded £369 towards putting on a Winter Solstice/Yuletide Event at Solstice Park, Amesbury, as part of the Ancestor Project.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and would support this event involving and benefiting a variety of organisations in the local community.

Decision

Bulford Parish Council was awarded £480 towards purchasing and installing a replacement picnic bench and seat.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and would help replace this community facility.