Agenda item

The Chairman began by noting with regret the sad passing of the former Chairman of Winterbourne Parish Council, Professor Tony Atkinson, who had served his community excellently for many years.

a)    Age UK Befriending Service 

The Chairman welcomed David Kane, who was at the meeting representing the Age UK Befriending service. This was a project which had received funding from the Area Board at the 2 December 2010 meeting. Mr Kane explained that the first 5 months had been a success, and the organisation was now seeking volunteers in particular parishes within the Amesbury community area in order to meet demand. He invited the representatives of the area’s Town and Parish Councils to liaise with Age UK further to ensure those needing the befriending service were aware of it. Information boards and leaflets were available for those requiring further information.

b)    Feedback from Amesbury Carnival

At the Chairman’s invitation Cllr Noeken read out a statement from Amesbury Town Council which gave details of the Amesbury Carnival held Saturday 04 June. Cllr Smale, Cllr Noeken, Cllr Wright and Vicky Cobbold attended on behalf of the Area Board. It was explained that 66 trade and other stands attended the carnival, which attracted around 5,000 people throughout the course of the day.

Letters were sent to all Parish Councils in the community area, inviting them to attend, and next year there will be a pre-meeting with interested Parish and Town Councils to maximise their engagement with the carnival.

c)    e-Petition re Allotments in Steeple Langford

The Chairman noted that an e-petition with 17 signatures had been received, relating to the building of housing on land in Steeple Langford.  Officers were investigating the appropriate response and would be in contact with the petitioners.

d)    Core Strategy Consultation

Information relating to the Core Strategy Consultation was set out on pages 23-25. The Chairman clarified that the document was not the South-West Core Strategy rather it was the generalist strategy for the whole local authority area. There were however some policies and omissions which would impact the local area.

Councillors Wright and Noeken had concerns over the (re-)designation of the A345 and its continued heavy usage and the omission in the core strategy of mention of the A303 in the transport section. Cllr Noeken explained that he and Cllr Wright would ensure an appropriate additional submission was sent in to the council’s planning department to correct this.

e)    Older People’s Accommodation Strategy

The Chairman explained that this was a major programme that the Council would implement over the next 10 years, with the aim of modernising accommodation for older people and to ensure the best-quality and most efficient response to the local needs. Further information was available at pages 27-28 of the Agenda.

f)     Temporary Closure of Winterslow Road, Porton

The Chairman highlighted the temporary closure of Winterslow Road, Porton and at the invitation of Cllr Hewitt, Steve Wilson, (Divisional Highways Manager) explained that access for local residents would remain unaffected by the works, whilst access to the Health Protection Agency at Porton Down would be via an alternate entry during the works. Access to the nearby DSTL site would be unaffected.  Diversion signs would be put up one week in advance of the works.