THE PARISH COUNCIL OF NEWLANDS
MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2021 AT
NEWLANDS COMMUNITY HALL, NEWLANDS AVENUE, WATERLOOVILLE, PO7 3BX
COMMENCING AT 7.30 pm
Members: Cllr D Crichton (Chair) (P) Cllr O Barneveld
Cllr A Berry (P) Cllr A Carden
Cllr A Kirby (P) Cllr J Parry (P)
Cllr L Price (P) Cllr M Read
Also present were D/Cllr Judy Clementson, D/Cllr N Cutler, Karen Seear Clerk to the Council and Luke
Hayter Amenities Parish Warden.
069/22C Apologies: Apologies were received from Cllrs O Barneveld and A Carden and C/Cllr P Stallard.
070/22C Declarations of Interest: None received.
071/22C Minutes
The minutes from the Council Meeting held on 12 August 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.
072/22C Matters arising and outstanding matters from Previous Minutes:
None
073/22C Public Participation: There were no members of the public present.
074/22C County and District Councillors Reports:
a)
b)
C/Cllr Patricia Stallard had written a report (previously circulated). The Chairman read through the
points raised. She gave details of the County deal which Hampshire are currently considering and
have expressed a formal interest in. The outcome of this is awaited.
Hampshire County Council will lead the M27 junction 10 construction. This is also an integral part
of the Welborne development.
C/Cllr P Stallard had also noted the current financial budget challenges. A survey on the A27 Delme
to Downend Road Junction in Fareham is due to take place. People can take part online if they wish
to do so.
D/Cllr Neil Cutler gave a verbal report. He mentioned the County deal and how there had appeared
to be no consultation with districts. At the moment it is unclear what is likely to happen. The cabinet
reshuffle may affect this matter.
The paper on the construction work to the M27 junction 10 has been drafted. Work is anticipated
to cost £72 million pounds with a contingency of another £25 million pounds. Various grants and
Homes England are contributing to the cost. The developers at Welborne have also invested
substantially. If the contingency monies are used, it will mean that the developer is unable to offer
affordable housing. This seems to be an ongoing problem as developers continually are asking for
more funds.
D/Cllr N Cutler went on to speak about financial matters. There are hopes that Winchester has been
prudent enough regarding budgets. The first results to come through show that the WCC is better
off, as he had previously reported at the last meeting.
The Chairman asked about the County deal, does it include Portsmouth and Southampton? D/Cllr
Cutler stated yes, it did include these areas. The Chairman went on to ask whether the deal would
effect anything on a Parish level? D/Cllr Cutler stated that he did not think it would and gave an
explanation of how it is expected to work. Currently districts are effectively excluded on discussions
regarding the deal.
c) D/Cllr J Clementson gave a verbal report. She mentioned that the last static protest regarding the
AQUIND project is due to place at Portsmouth Guildhall before the decision is made. 6,200
signatures opposing the project went up to Government.
The public consultation regarding the new solar farm at Lovedean starts today, 16 September 2021.
Current plans assume that the AQUIND building will be there. D/Cllr J Clementson stated the solar
farm will affect residents, she wished to make residents aware of the application, encouraging
comments on the proposals etc.. The Chairman asked whether the recent fire at the Kent converter
station will strengthen AQUIND’S case and give them an advantage? D/Cllr Clementson couldn’t
comment on this but she wished to hi-light that climate change is a real issue. She feels that the way
forward is home powered generation over solar/wind farms etc.. and stated that energy prices have
been rising. There has been very little wind which has effected the rise in prices meaning that our
wind power has not been effective.
The Chairman thanked the C/Cllr and D/Cllr’s for their reports.
075/22C Parish Matters:
i) Development and adoptions: A report had been received from Jenni Upstill of Grainger. They are
awaiting decisions on 3 planning applications. Footpath diversion, the sports pavilion and town
park phase 2. The Chairman had emailed Julie Pinnock regarding the applications so that the
applications should be ready to go to the joint planning committee, due to take place in October.
The Chairman went on to mention the work on the river restoration to the river Wallington. He feels
the work has been absolutely excellent and he encouraged Councillors to have a look if they had
not already seen it. He wished to express his congratulations to Grainger on the project. NOTED.
Regarding the proposal for the health centre in the development, the Chairman had attended a recent
Vine Patient Participation Group meeting and had no news or updates on the planned health centre,
he is still hopeful this will go ahead.
Applications for the second primary school are in process, documents have recently been uploaded
to the planning portal. The main implication of the application means that work has to start now on
the completion Marrelsmoor Avenue. This has to be done to allow access to the school site, once
this is done the Parish will have a link across the estate for the first time. There is a 2 to 3 year
framework regarding this as the school has to be ready for completion by 2024.
The addition of postboxes has been raised. There currently aren’t any in Wellington Park at all.
The Chairman felt that postboxes are required in this area as well as the Berewood side of the
development. Plans will be made in order to request a postbox in the area. NOTED.
There was very little to report on the Taylor Wimpey side of the development. The surface for the
top of the cycleway is still awaited. The hold up is due to a lack of materials and that is all that is
left outstanding, once that is done there are a couple of gullies and lampposts to install. Adoption
of the spine road is anticipated this Autumn, but it is more likely to be by the end of the year.
The Chairman has been unable to get a response from the estates department in Havant Borough
Council regarding their obligation to adopt their part of the open space of land. They have accepted
their legal responsibility, but have not yet done anything about completing the process. This is in
turn effects the Parish with regards to the maintenance of the open space area. The Chairman noted
that Millstone contractors had been carrying out work to other areas of the development.
ii) Solicitors for land transfer: As part of the land transfer process a solicitor is required. Quotes had
been received. They were of the same ball park figure. Cllr A Kirby proposed that Council approve
a budget of up to £2,000 for the legal work required. It was unanimously RESOLVED to approve
the budget and to allow the Amenities Committee to appoint a solicitor.
iii) Community Plan: An online community plan meeting is due to take place shortly. A number of
residents had expressed interest. Progress is slow but things are moving. The Chairman wished to
point out that Grainger had submitted a deed of variation in relation to their section 106 agreement.
One of the factors within the application is that they wish to reduce the contribution they make
which in effect pays for the community officers salary. They are proposing to reduce the amount
paid to a point which would make her job inviable. A representative at Winchester has raised a
concern regarding this. The Chairman also shares concerns regarding this, especially in the absence
of a section 106 implementation officer. The planning committee will cover this issue further. Cllr
A Berry wished to point out that regarding the matter there is also a conflict of interests. NOTED.
D/Cllr Cutler stated that he felt the Chairman’s concerns will be taken heed of because there is a
strong view that the 3 MDA’s in the area have all been set adrift in a similar way. He agreed with
what the Chairman felt and he would continue to push for action regarding the matter. NOTED.
The Chairman mentioned that the two Mayor’s representing the development had recently visited
the area and were impressed with what they saw. This is something the Chairman would like to
continue, each time a new Mayor comes on board. Invitations to tour the development have been
extended to various other parties. The Chairman wished to remind Grainger that the Council are to
work together with the Council. Two new phases have recently been sold to a contractor and going
forward input should be sought whereby all parties work together. NOTED.
Cllr L Price wished to make a point regarding Grainger. He stated that he will be speaking to the
CEO of Grainger, Hannah Gordon and he could mention the current concerns. NOTED.
iv) HBC land: This item had previously been covered.
076/22C Communications
a) Website: A re-design has previously been discussed. Notes and prices regarding the matter had
been circulated. Cllr J Parry felt that the quotes which had been gained appeared to be more
commercial. The Parish Council requires a different kind of design. He recommended website
builders which specialize in Parish Council websites. Cllr J Parry will liaise with council staff and
pass on details. NOTED. The Chairman questioned how things were progressing regarding Parish
Online, the former Clerk had been working on this on behalf of the Council. The Clerk was asked
to contact him for an update. NOTED.
b) Newsletter: This item is currently on hold and will be reconsidered at a future date. NOTED.
c) WACA: Re-hire of the hall has re-started. Grainger, under the section 106 agreement have an
obligation to provide a community facility. The Community hall is that facility. Going forward this
is expected to be in place for at least the next 5 years. WACA currently manage the hall bookings.
The Chairman mentioned that there had been a complaint regarding the current use of the
community hall, this is due to office staff that require access currently have no other way to access
the parish office other than to go through the main hall. This meant a yoga class had been interrupted
and resulted in a complaint. Upon hearing this the Chairman contacted Grainger about reconfiguring
of the Parish office/Hall to enable office staff to access the office without having to go through the
main hall.
The second point the Chairman wished to raise was that as the hirings increase, more administration
work is required. The Council have been asked if there is a way which the Council could help
should they employ a second member of staff? The Chairman pointed out that the hall is run as a
community facility rather than a profit centre, he sees no reason why the Council should not consider
making a contribution to this. Cllr A Kirby, WACA representative was able to provide more
information. When the hall first opened the community officer took bookings and carried out a fair
amount of the administration work. WACA were to take the bookings and invoice users of the hall.
Currently this work is taking up a fair amount of time. It was suggested that a guide to booking
Newlands Community Hall be drafted. This could be displayed on both the WACA website and the
Parish website. D/Cllr Clementson mentioned that WACA are looking to take on another member
of staff, part time of around 17 hours, they should be trained in bookkeeping. The vacancy will be
advertised shortly. This vacancy may be of interest to a resident. In order to employ the member
of staff it may mean a cost of roughly £50 a week contribution from the Parish Council. The
Chairman suggested that after the WACA board meeting, WACA should contact the Council with
a financial proposal. The proposal will then go the Finance and personnel committee for
consideration. He also asked WACA for a projection of bookings and an estimate of what the
income stream is likely to be. This will help the Council determine how much the Council should
contribute. D/Cllr Clementson recommended that the new member of staff WACA employ, keep a
timesheet which will show the amount of work carried out. As a matter of urgency, D/Cllr
Clementson will contact the administration assistant regarding the terms of booking the community
hall and ensure she lets hirers know that currently the community hall is not an autonomous space.
NOTED. Cllr A Berry queried whether the working conditions were suitable for 2 employees in
the Parish Office. Cllr Berry also queried whether the lighting was suitable? The Chairman and
Clerk confirmed that the lighting issue had been rectified and the Clerk would be purchasing desk
lamps. Cllr Price stated that he believed the office was suitable and within current guidelines for 2
employees. A decision from Grainger regarding the proposal to adapt the office and community
building is awaited. NOTED.
077/22C Outside Bodies
a)
b)
c)
AQUIND: The official decision regarding the project had been put back. Council is unsure what
the decision will be. AQUIND had been asked to re-submit their plans, excluding the commercial
fibre optic cable. AQUIND didn’t actually provide any changes. Objections were raised by land
owners regarding the removal of the fibre optic cable, meaning that some of the land that they were
required to compulsory purchase may not be required. Once a decision has been received, it may
not be the end of the campaign as there will be an opportunity for parliament to ask question, as was
the case with the Stonehenge tunnel. This set a precedence for reversing decisions.
Southern Parishes: A verbal update was given by Cllr A Berry, representative of Southern Parishes.
He reported that it had been a good meeting. There had been some trouble with HALC regarding
minutes. The Chair had stepped down temporarily due to the fact he could not work with one of the
members. Cllr Berry suggested that every Parish could write letters outlining similar complaint
details and send it to HALC. There was a discussion about working with builders. Cllr Berry was
able to offer advice to the group on health and safety grounds and several members thought it was
good advice and took it on board. Newlands Parish Council are due to hold the next meeting of
Southern Parishes on 15 November 2021 at 2pm. The Chairman asked if WACA had been notified?
The Clerk will notify WACA. NOTED. Refreshments etc.. will be provided for the meeting.
NOTED. Cllr Berry also mentioned that a discussion had taken place regarding the authority of
full-time Councillors. The Chairman stated that he expected a report on this and once received any
required action will be taken. There was also a discussion regarding councillors attending the
learning centre. They are suggesting that all councillors that sit on planning committees attend the
upcoming courses for planning. The Clerk was asked to look into this. NOTED. The Chairman
thanked Cllr Berry for his report.
HALC: A document had been circulated regarding the Parish Council community land ownership
survey. There had been a team set up to assist Parish Council’s going through the process of land
transfer. He suggested that the Council make use of the service as we are going through a similar
process. Cllr Kirby asked whether the matter would be dealt with by the Amenities Committee.
The Chairman confirmed it would. NOTED.
078/22C Finance
a)
b)
c)
Orders for Payment: It was unanimously RESOLVED that the payments detailed on the Orders
for Payment list 08 should be APPROVED in the sum of £278.55 including VAT and that
further payments of £173.33 including VAT were RAFIFIED and that £16,835.00 in precept
receipts are noted.
Bank Accounts: It had been agreed that a separate bank account is required to receive monies from
the transfer of open space. It had also been decided that the Council should also look at investing
monies. The Clerk gave an update regarding bank accounts. She suggested visiting the bank to
discuss options with the branch. The Chairman agreed he was happy to do this. It was unanimously
RESOLVED to visit the bank to discuss options for opening a bank account.
Bank Signatories: At present the named signatories are The Chair and the Vice-Chair. It was
AGREED that these signatories remain the same and will also be the same on the new bank account.
NOTED.
079/22C Community Development
a) Grainger: This matter had previously been discussed. It had been agreed that the Clerk should
remind Grainger of the requirement for a monthly meeting with council representatives. NOTED.
The Council would prefer to be pro-active rather than reactive regarding developments within the
Parish. Cllr Kirby asked if further action should be required what steps could be taken? The
Chairman stated that should any difficulties arise regarding the request, the matter could then be
taken to the West of Waterlooville forum. NOTED.
080/22C Deputies for Committees: The matter of having deputies for committees was discussed. The
Chairman suggested that the Clerk could send a note out to ask who would be interested in acting
as a standing as a deputy on another committee. This would then come back to Full Council for
ratification. Should another Councillor join us, due to the current vacancy, they will automatically
become a member of the planning committee and Full Council, they may also wish to stand as a
deputy for another committee. NOTED.
081/22C Councillor Vacancy: There had been an expression of interest from a resident, this resident had
since declined to take her application any further. Differing the matter for 6 months was discussed.
It was unanimously RESOLVED to differ the matter for 6 months and to discuss the matter
again in March 2022 with the caveat that should anyone come forward in the meantime, their
application will be discussed.
082/22C Other reports: Cllr Berry questioned what steps had been taken regarding Christmas trees? The
matter had been discussed by the Amenities committee and will be dealt with further at the next
committee meeting. NOTED.
The meeting closed at 9.20 pm
The next meeting will be held on 4 November 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.
