THE PARISH COUNCIL OF NEWLANDS
MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 12 AUGUST 2021 AT NEWLANDS
COMMUNITY HALL, NEWLANDS AVENUE, WATERLOOVILLE, PO7 3BX COMMENCING AT
7.30 pm
Members: Cllr D Crichton (Chair) (P) Cllr O Barneveld (P)
Cllr A Berry (P) Cllr A Carden (P)
Cllr A Kirby (P) Cllr J Parry (P)
Cllr L Price (P) Cllr M Read (P)
Also present were C/Cllr Patricia Stallard, D/Cllr N Cutler, Luke Hayter, two members of the public and
Karen Seear Clerk to the Council.
050/22C Apologies: All Councilors were present.
051/22C Declarations of Interest: Cllr M Read declared an interest as he was the Ward Councillor for
Winchester City Council.
052/22C Minutes
The minutes from the Council Meeting held on 1 July 2021 were received. It was
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the council meeting be accepted as an
accurate record and were duly signed by the Chairman.
053/22C Matters arising and outstanding matters from Previous Minutes:
None
054/22C Public Participation: There were two members of the public present. A transcript of their
comments is appended to these minutes.
055/22C County and District Councillors Reports:
a)
b)
C/Cllr Patricia Stallard gave a verbal report. She explained that August is a quiet time and there
was not a great deal extra to add to her written report. Devolution was a topic for discussion. There
is to be a white paper from the Government which will be issued this Autumn. Under the proposals
there may be will allow greater flexibility if councils wish to work together. She suspects that under
the paper the Government will not make Mayors mandatory. The current partnership Hampshire
County Council currently has, works with organizations outside of their area has already been
established. The Chairman stated that under the paper more clarity may be given as to how these
partnerships will work. C/Cllr Stallard wished to point out in relation to working with other
organizations that under no circumstances will Hampshire County Council take on liability of the
financial matters from other parties. The taxpayer would not be affected. C/Cllr P Stallard will pass
on any information regarding the matter when she receives it. Cllr L Price queried why Hampshire
County Council had produced a 106 document for AQUIND when there had been no decision made
yet? C/Cllr Stallard had no knowledge of this but thought it must be because AQUIND is planning
to use some of Hampshire’s land.
D/Cllr N Cutler gave a verbal report. Firstly, he spoke about the emergency budget. The outturn
for the year actually turned out to be much better than had been thought. The outturn was 1.2 million
pounds better than had been budgeted for. This gives Winchester County Council a relatively strong
position in relation to many other Councils. He went on to also speak about the white paper, his
biggest concern is that this may give the Government an excuse to do nothing about
spending/finance settlements. He went on to speak about housing and the plans to build more
affordable homes including affordable homes and homes for keyworkers.
There had been some improvements to the way that fly-tipping has been handled including a few
prosecutions. A process to install CCTV cameras in some areas is underway.
A new strategic director has starting at Winchester this month she is director of Place and in charge
of planning issues. It may be an opportunity to engage with her so that she is aware of the
development and the planning issues in the area. NOTED.
The Chairman asked whether D/Cllr N Cutler was aware of the experiment which is currently in
operation at the HWRC centre, regarding foot access for residents. The trial had seen one resident
turning up on foot so far. D/Cllr Cutler felt that this is because the trial had not been widely
advertised.
Cllr L Price had a query regarding social housing which D/Cllr Cutler had mentioned, he queried
what would happen with the right to buy scheme for these properties? Cllr A Berry said there was
a shortage of homes which are suitable for disabled residents within the Winchester district. D/Cllr
Cutler realizes that there need for more social housing. At presents he understands that some homes
become adapted for disabled residents. D/Cllr M Read asked for clarification as to why Winchester
had bought the last homes direct from the developer. He replied that although this is not ideal, WCC
felt this to be value for money. D/Cllr M Read went on to clarify the matter further, he stated that
the developer had put together a costing exercise which had shown that they could not afford to
offer social housing. This was purely an exercise to show that they could not afford to build the
homes, which in turn led to WCC purchasing direct.
D/Cllr M Read gave a verbal report. He agreed that it was also a quiet time. Planning and licensing
and regulation meetings are still occurring. He mentioned joint planning committee meeting will
be planned shortly, the committee operates under the rules and regulations of Winchester. Denmead
Parish Council is working on neighbourhood plan. They are looking at what parcels of land are
available for use. The Chairman asked whether Newlands Parish falls outside these current
requirements. D/Cllr Read confirmed that they do.
056/22C Parish Matters:
i) Development and adoptions: The first matter The Chairman wished to discuss was the appointment
of the council’s second member of staff. The Amenities Parish Warden was able to join the meeting
and he introduced himself to everyone. The Chairman welcomed Mr Luke Hayter to the Council
and he will be introduced to the residents.
Wellington Park – the work is progressing, Work to the spine road and the cycle path is still ongoing, there has been a slight delay due to a shortage of building materials. Completion of this work
should be due around November 2021.
Grainger – the next two phases have been released for sale to developers. There has been a
considerable amount of interest in the phases which show that the development has gained
recognition and is sought after. Grainger will announce very shortly who has the contracts. Work
is hoped to start by the end of the year and will bring another 177 houses to the area. The number
of properties-built triggers section 106 monies, the district centre is included in this agreement.
A newsletter had been issued by Grainger. A guided riverside walk is due to take place shortly.
Work to the two promised areas, the river restoration and the new play park had been understandably
been delayed and is almost complete. Grainger are also looking to get the first of their roads adopted
later this year.
The open space in Wellington Park, the space which lays within the Havant part of the development
has still not yet been adopted and it is very difficult to find out why this is the case. The Chairman
has been chasing this up. The Chairman stated that management of this area will not be passed to a
management company and it will be passed to the local authorities.
ii) Community Plan: There had not been a lot of progress concerning the community plan. A couple
of residents had shown interest. Work continues on this. Grainger will mention the community
plan in their next newsletter. NOTED.
The Chairman mentioned a deed of variation which had been submitted. Two of the variations are
relevant to the Council. The community contribution which funds the community officers. There
is some confusion at the moment with regards to whether Grainger intend to keep financing the
community officer. The Chairman had made it clear that the Parish Council would not accept it if
they were to lose the community officer. He believes that her role is critical for the community.
There had been conformation that all the public open space within the Grainger area will be
transferred to local authorities and not management companies. The space may well also be
transferred directly to Newlands Parish Council. NOTED.
iii) HBC land: This item had previously been covered
057/22C Communications
a) Website: The website has been functioning well after a security alert. NOTED. The Chairman
also reminded members of the request which had been made to add Councillor’s biographies to the
website. NOTED.
b) Newsletter: This matter will be looked at again in the future. Grainger had recently issued a
newsletter to residents. NOTED.
c) HALC newsletter: The Chairman asked whether Councillors had had a chance to read the latest
HALC newsletter which contains information regarding boundary changes. Under proposed
changes the Meon Valley would disappear and be replaced by a Fareham and Waterlooville
constituency. There had been some objection to this. He then went on to draw attention to the land
registry item in the newsletter. The intention of the information is to help authorities with this
matter. This is particularly relevant to Newlands Parish Council. A cost may be involved but it is
though it may be cheaper than some of the alternative options. The Chairman suggested this item
be bought back to the next Council meeting. NOTED.
058/22C Outside Bodies
a)
b)
AQUIND: The recommendation has been made by the planning inspectorate and has now been
submitted to the Government. There are two proposals AQUIND have submitted for the position
of the sub-station. The original proposal would have resulted in a major loss of hedgerow. There
has been an agreement to only accept the second proposal which should not involve removing
hedges, meaning that wildlife and biodiversity shouldn’t be affected. The Chairman stated that the
specification of the cable has changed from the original plan. There are now plans for the cable to
be a commercial cable. The secretary of state has asked AQUIND to re-submit a development
consultation order. The Chairman noted that the secretary of state did not reject the first application,
therefore there are two applications regarding the cables. On 8
th September the secretary of state is
due to make a recommendation. If the outcome gives the go-ahead for the project, steps have already
been taken to object to it. In Portsmouth there is unanimous support to object to the proposal and
the STOP AQUIND group are very active. There has been no official statement from Havant, who
will also be affected should the project go ahead. The section which effects Newlands concerns
Winchester City Council. They have not completely objected to the proposals but they have
expressed concern. They had asked AQUIND to consider another route, but they refused to consider
this, without given any reason. Cllr L Price stated that AQUIND have submitted 2,500 documents
most of which are public, the majority of the documents have been submitted by AQUIND and there
are not many from other people. He stated that AQUIND are showing no concern for the people
their plans effect. They are more concerned about looking after themselves. AQUIND are asking
for the power to purchase whatever land they want and requesting the removal of a consider number
of trees, some of which are subject to tree protection orders. If their proposal goes ahead, it will
cause major problems. A decision is awaited. NOTED.
WACA: The council’s WACA representative Cllr A Kirby gave an update. WACA are managing
the council’s bookings and as of the 1st September 2021 activity will resume in the hall. As far as
the council are aware Grainger are happy for the use of the hall to go ahead. Bookings had been
stopped because of the use of the shared space. All legal restrictions have now been lifted therefore;
activity can take place. The Chairman suggested that clarification be sought from Grainger
regarding this matter. The original cleaning schedule will resume. Risk assessments are in place
and they are continuing to monitor things.
A discussion took place regarding plans for the pavilion. The plans for which may change after a
visit to a similar development in Eastleigh. NOTED.
059/22C Finance
a)
b)
c)
Orders for Payment: It was unanimously RESOLVED that the payments detailed on the Orders
for Payment list 06 should be APPROVED in the sum of £0.00 including VAT and that further
payments of £103.67 including VAT were RAFIFIED and that NIL receipts are noted.
Bank Statements: The bank statements for July had been previously circulated. The statements
were reviewed and the balances as of 31 July 2021 were agreed. The statements were signed
by the Chairman. NOTED.
Accounts: The accounts for July had been prepared and circulated. NOTED.
d) Office Equipment: A budget had been determined at the last Finance and Personnel equipment.
The budget was discussed. An assessment had been carried out which looked at the working
conditions in the Parish office, several items of equipment will be required on health and safety
grounds as well as steps taken to ensure assets are replaced as and when necessary. An upper budget
of £5k from reserves was suggested. It was UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to approve the
budget.
060/22C Policies
a)
b)
Social media policy: The Clerk gave an overview of plans for her to be the sole administrator of the
Council’s social media pages. The Chair recommended that this should happen. This was
AGREED by all Councillors.
Risk Assessment Policy: Implementation of a risk assessment policy was discussed. It was agreed
that Cllr A Carden would look into drafting a policy. NOTED.
It was also suggested to find out whether all current policies are up to date. NOTED.
Cllr A Berry noted that current lighting conditions don’t meet health and safety requirements. The
lighting is not currently adequate. The Clerk was asked to contact Grainger with regards to this
issue. NOTED.
061/22C Community Hall Lease: This item had previously been discussed, signatures had been obtained
and the lease has now gone back to Grainger’s legal team. The Chairman stated that use of the hall
may change over time and the lease may require changes. Under the 106 agreements, Grainger are
required to provide the community facilities. NOTED.
062/22C Covid Conditions: A risk assessment is required regarding post covid conditions. Decision making
bodies have a legal requirement to continue to meet face to face. There are now no legal obligations
for health and safety measures to be enforced. The council believes they are currently operating
within current guidelines. NOTED.
063/22C Social Media: The Clerk had previously circulated a paper which suggested changes to the
Council’s social media pages. She plans to update the council’s social media sites more regularly
with community information and suggested the pages become more community based. Cllr A Kirby
agreed with the proposal. Cllr L Price also agreed. Luke Hayter (Parish Warden) offered his help
with this. NOTED.
064/22C Councillor Vacancy: There had been no formal application for the vacancy. The vacancy will be
re-advertised and it is hoped someone will come forward to fill the vacancy. The co-option process
was discussed. If there is no interest received by the next meeting, the co-option process may be
started. NOTED.
065/22C Christmas Events: It is hoped that this year that the Parish may well be able to hold Christmas
events. Last year unfortunately no events could take place. The Chairman had spoken to Grainger
regarding their plans for Christmas and it is hoped that both parties can work together for the benefit
of the community. It is felt there is an opportunity to involve the whole of the community. Cllr A
Berry mentioned the grant application which had previously been agreed to apply for. The Chairman
suggested that a proposal be made for the sum of money to request. Cllr A Berry suggested to ask
for a grant of £1000 towards the Christmas events. It was AGREED that the Clerk should apply
for the grant. D/Cllr M Read suggested that Christmas trees for the development be discussed by
the Amenities Committee. NOTED.
066/22C Joint Planning Committee: There had been a string of emails which covered the queries the
Chairman had. Organization of how meetings take place had been queried. There had also been a
query over whether Newlands Parish Council had a right of representation at committee meetings,
the answer was yes, they do and the Parish would have the right to comment on applications.
NOTED.
067/22C Other Reports: Cllr A Carden wished to mention with regards to the lease that he could now confirm
that the lease had been signed by all members in September 2019. The Chairman requested that the
Clerk contact Grainger stating that whilst the Council were perfectly happy to sign another copy of
the lease, they had in fact already been provided with the required documents some 18 months ago.
Therefore, the contract has been in force all that time, whether or not they were aware of it. NOTED.
D/Cllr M Read is trying to arrange for a police surgery to take place. This will cover all areas of the
estate and it may well be held in Denmead. Cllr A Berry suggested that Council write to Bishops
Waltham Police and ask them to attend of the Council’s meetings. The Clerk had previously
requested Police attendance, but unfortunately at the time no representative could attend. The
Chairman then suggested writing to the Police again, now we had received clarification on policing
boundaries, inviting them to send a representative to attend a full Council meeting. NOTED.
068/22C It was RESOLVED that in accordance with the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act
1960 to exclude the public and press for discussions regarding personnel matters where
publicity might be prejudicial to the special nature of the business.
The meeting closed at 9.47pm
The next meeting will be held on 16th September 2021
Please note minutes of meetings are published as soon as possible on the website to help residents. However,
they do not become the formal record of the meeting until agreed or otherwise at the next meeting. Therefore,
you should always check to see whether any amendments have been made.
Public Participation: Full Council meeting 12 August 2021
The first member of the public wished to express her concerns over the impact of current plans for the North
and South plots off from Darnel Road. She feels that the business park at Proxima Park would be more suited
to the current plans and is concerned that the site still remains empty.
The Chairman stated that the plans are to accept a new category of unit – class E which means the units can be
used for any class of business at all. They are looking at as wider use as possible.
The Chairman went on to state that the planning application will not be re-advertised and comments have been
taken in. It is now dependent on a decision from the planning committee.
The member of the public questioned whether there had been any further information with regards to who may
be operating from the units? The Chairman replied that there had been no indication as yet and these matters
will be discussed at the planning committee.
The next matter the resident wished to highlight was the amount of surface water present in some areas of the
development. The Chairman explained that some of the work which is due to be carried out as part of the
adoption process is the insertion of roadside gullies/drains which should rectify the problem, the issue will
continue to be monitored.
The second member of the public wished to comment on the Business Park planning application for both the
North and South plots. She believes that there will be 300 car-parking spaces at the proposed site, meaning
extra traffic, pollution etc. She also believes the spine road does not fit the criteria of an industrial access road
and is currently classed as a residential road. Currently the road is being used by industrial traffic. After
adoption this may cause problems for access for HGV vehicles. The HWRC centre is also industrial. Access to
the children’s play area is also a matter for concern. She stated that the viability of the road being classed as in
industrial road, according to the national planning framework is very questionable.
The Chairman replied that these are matters which will need considered by other parties. The Parish Council
has passed on their comments to the relevant bodies. The Parish Council can take no further action with
regards to this matter as the council’s only power is as an advisory body. The member of the public wish to
make it clear that she believes there is national planning framework in place which will affect the outcome of
the class of road.
Cllr A Carden stated that the Council has made their decision to object to the proposal, the application is still
open via the Winchester Planning application if residents wish to add their objections.
The member of the public wished to query whether a health and safety report had been carried out at the site
where the second youth shelter is planned. She requested to see the report once it had been complied. The
Chairman stated that the public’s view as to whether or not a youth shelter should be installed is not a health
and safety issue. The member of the public made a request to see any documentation regarding the reports.
Both members of the public asked to see documentation and their request will be considered.
The member of the public queried the signature of the lease item from the last minutes. The Chairman and
members of the Council believed they had previously signed the lease. The issue with the lease was an
administrative error and this has had no implications regarding use of the building or monies spent/received.
