2.1 Members

2.2 Officers

3.1 Council Meetings Attended

3.2 Internal Duties

3.3 Representation on External Committees

3.4 Representation on External Bodies

4.1. Planning

4.2. Projects

4.3. Grants

4.4. Council Administration

4.5. Footpaths and Roads

4.6. Parish Amenities

5.1 Accounts for 2005/6

5.2 Precept and Budget for 2006/7

ANNUAL REPORT 2006

1. Introduction

This is the first time we have presented an Annual Report in this format. We hope you find it provides the information you need to understand something about our activities during the year.

This is the first time we have presented an Annual Report in this format. We hope you find it provides the information you need to understand something about our activities during the year.

This is the first time we have presented an Annual Report in this format. We hope you find it provides the information you need to understand something about our activities during the year.

Tanglewood,

Sandy Lane,

Romsey  SO51 0PD

 Tel: 01794 368009

E-mail rodsal_81@talk21.com

Alison M. Johnston (Vice Chairman)

Lee Manor,

Lee Lane,

Lee,

Romsey SO51 9LH

Tel: 02380 740179

E-mail: ali.m.johnstone@btinternet.com

Members:

Julian N. Gee

Laurel Bank,

Sandy Lane

Romsey SO51 0PD

Tel: 01794 368705

E-mail: julianngee@aol.com

Teresa A. Hibberd

2 Church Cottages

Lee,

Romsey SO51 9LG

Tel: 02380 732247

E-mail Hibberd67@aol.com

Jeanette Kell

Moorcourt West,

Ridge Lane

Romsey SO51 6AB

Tel: 02380 869860

E-mail: Jeanette@moorcourtwest.freeserve.co.uk

Sally F. Leach

Troy House,

Salisbury Road,

Shootash

Romsey SO51 6FB

Tel: 01794 522156 E-mail: sf_leach@hotmail.com

John S. Parker

Cornerways

Highwood Lane

Romsey SO51 9AF

Tel: 01794 515257

E-mail: parkerjsxx@aol.com

Parish Clerk

Carol A. McFarland

Cowesfield Lodge,

Romsey Road

Whiteparish SP5 2QY

Tel: 01794 884826

E-mail: carol_mcfarland@hotmail.com

Carol has put in another excellent year of work for us and is to be congratulated not only on this but having gained her qualification this year. She has been awarded the Certificate in Local Government Administration (CiLCA). This is an not an easy task for parish clerks, as it demands many hours of preparation in putting together the right material to satisfy the Adjudicator.

Hon. Tree Warden

John Chambers

1 Hilltop Cottages

Manor Farm Lane

Michelmersh SO51 0NP

Romsey Tel: 01794 368771

John is an honorary officer of the council. His function is to advise us on the tree planning applications that come before us. His advice is much valued.

We met as a council for our normal 12 monthly meetings plus on the 22nd February we held an extra ordinary meeting to consider our responses to the consultation on the Borough Local Plan. Councillor attendance at these meetings is summarised below:

Public Transport  - Alison Johnston

Internal Audit Panel  - Rod Simpson, Alison Johnston, Jeanette Kell & John Parker

Website Administration  - Rod Simpson

Website Editor  - Clerk

Newsletter Editor  - Clerk

Grant Co-Ordination  - Teresa Hibberd & John Parker

Focus on the Elderly  - Alison Johnston

TVBC Planning User Group  - Rod Simpson & John Parker

R&DS Footpaths Committee (when operational)  - Teresa Hibberd & Jeanette Kell

Woodley Village Hall Management Committee  - Rod Simpson & Julian Gee

Montfort Hall Community Association  - Teresa Hibberd

STVVTS Management Committee (Dial-a-Ride)  - Jeanette Kell

New Forest Consultative Committee  - Jeanette Kell

Squabb Wood Liaison Panel  - Sally Leach

Romsey Youth Council  - Rod Simpson

Test Valley Association of Parish Councils  -  (TVAPC) - Rod Simpson, Jeanette Kell & Clerk

TVAPC Representative on the Test Valley Borough Council Standards Committee  - Jeanette Kell

Romsey Forum  - Rod Simpson & Julian Gee

Our role in relation to planning applications is as a statutory consultee. In the year we have considered 69 applications. Unlike previous years we have not had any major applications to consider. There were resubmissions for two very large properties but these did not change the original applications in principle. An application was submitted for the new teaching unit at Stroud School and several for the significant changes planned at Embley Park School. We did not object to any of these applications. Generally applications were for more modest changes and to the bulk of these we raised no objections. Several applications to which we did object concerned high wooden fencing on or near to front boundaries. All of these have been approved either on application or on appeal. We remain concerned that fencing like that at 1 St Swithun's Close should be allowed to remain. We are unconvinced by the argument that the visual impact of this fence can be ameliorated by planting.

The Borough Local Plan will guide development in the Borough up to 2011. Following initial consultation, a Public Inquiry was held in 2004/5 and the Inspectors' Reports have now been received. A final consultation was carried out for a 6 week period to the 3rd March this year on the revisions to the Local Plan proposed by the Borough in response to the Inspectors' recommendations.

From a parish point of view, our major concerns are about the development of Chivers Field, Abbotswood. There were 3 main modifications proposed by the Borough on this. These were:

1. Increase the allocation of new dwellings from 500 to 800.

2. The overhead power cable crossing the site will be placed underground where it would lie above dwellings or their curtilages unless there are overriding constraints.

3. The primary access to the site to be from a new junction in Braishfield Road. The secondary access to the site will be provided from a new junction on Sandy Lane.

On the first point, we considered it inappropriate to develop Chivers Field at the very high density necessary to take the 800 dwellings. It is an edge of town site bordering low density mature housing. We therefore recommended that the allocation should remain at 500 with the balance of the reserve housing being found elsewhere.

We welcomed the decision to include a requirement for the overhead power cable to be placed underground but considered the wording should include "unless there are overriding technical constraints" rather than the Borough's version.

The decision by the Borough Council to nominate Sandy Lane as the location of the secondary access was out of line with the Inspectors' recommendation that it be from Sandy Lane or Cupernham Lane. We consider it wrong to make any recommendation on the secondary access at this stage in ignorance of the full environmental reports and also reports on the implications for the highway network We also asked that alternative locations for the primary access should be explored which more directly links the development with Romsey as a whole and Woodley in particular.

The South East Plan is a new type of government planning document which will provide a framework for development across the South East to 2026.

In the Autumn of last year, Hampshire County Council carried out a consultation on the subdivision of the allocation of the Hampshire planned house building to 2026. Based on this, the County Council endorsed figures for recommendation to the Regional Assembly that included a figure for the part of Test Valley within Southern Hampshire of 3,910 new homes. Romsey Extra is one of six parishes in that part of Test Valley falling within the area categorized in the Plan as South Hampshire. The rest of Test Valley comes in Central Hampshire.

In the period to 2026, some of these 3,910 new homes will be taken up by building on brownfield sites. For the remaining 2,500 new houses, greenfield sites will have to be found. The 2,500 total is likely to include those on the Abbotswood site within the Borough Local Plan. Given that this total currently stands at 800, this would mean finding other sites for a further 1,700 new homes on greenfield sites in the six parishes. When one takes full account of the rural nature of Romsey Extra and the planning constraints elsewhere, Romsey Extra will inevitably be the main candidate for this allocation. The impact on the Parish is almost certainly going to be very marked.

The Regional Assembly has agreed the above district level allocations and submitted the draft Plan to Government on 31 March 2006. There is an opportunity for commenting on the Assembly's proposals. The Government consultation on this is now open and it extends to the 23rd June 2006. Following an Examination in Public, which is a type of public inquiry, during early 2007, the Plan is expected to be issued by Government in the Spring of 2008.

We will certainly seek every opportunity to discuss the details as widely as possible as they become known. It has to be accepted that we as a parish will have little effect on the government drive to significantly increase the rate of house building across the South East. Our role must be to voice our opinions as strongly as possible on the distribution of that house building and its impact on Romsey.

Under this project, design statements are being prepared that will cover the whole of Romsey. They will be used to guide planners on appropriate decisions regarding planning matters. The consultation exercises also highlight many concerns that people have about the areas in which they live.

There are two areas that come wholly in Romsey Extra. These are Woodley & Ganger and Crampmoor & Highwood. The Parish Council has been very pleased to take a major role in leading the project in these areas with the project organiser Phoebe Merrick. Her contribution to this very major public consultation exercise has to be recognized.

A universal comment from almost all of the completed questionnaires was how much people appreciated the small rural market town of Romsey and their ease of access to the countryside. This has to reinforce the council's position on any proposals for housing development that will adversely affect the nature of the town. A common comment was the dislike of the overhead pylons.

For Woodley & Ganger a lot of the concerns expressed were traffic related. School Road in particular was considered to need measures to deal with the excessive speed and numbers of the cars using the road as a through route. Speed of traffic, lack of pedestrian crossings and poor lighting were the concerns about Braishfield Road and parked cars a worry for Hunters Crescent. There were comments about the open area adjacent to Woodley Village Hall and how it is used and concern at the lack of play facilities generally in the area. These are all points which we are considering very carefully.

Crampmoor & Highwood respondents had similar strong views on traffic issues, mainly related to Highwood Lane and Halterworth Lane, and noise from the A3090. They also commented on the numbers of empty passenger trains now using the railway.

An issue which does concern us is the tyre dump at Ashfield which is both a fire hazard as well as being very unsightly in the countryside. We have approached the Test Valley Planners who have agreed that there is a planning breach in relation to the height of the stored tyres but that there is no organisation or person to take enforcement action against since the owners went bankrupt in May 2005. We are now asking our Borough Councillors to see that action is taken to remove the tyres as well as ourselves taking the matter to the Environment Department of the Borough Council and the Health and Safety Executive. We understand that the Environment Agency is negotiating with the landowner and very recently the timber at the front of the site has been removed and some attempts have been made to improve security.

With completion of the landscaping work to the area around the hall and also the adjacent open area, the work here has now become one of routine maintenance. This has included replacement planting where this has been found to be necessary. We have now removed this heading from our current list of projects.

A project that we would still very much like to see proceeding is the construction of a footpath along the verge of Highwood Lane from the kissing gate on the end of FP 15 to the bend near Stroud School. We put this forward last year following support for the scheme from individuals and groups all who are concerned about the dangers to pedestrians on this busy road. These same concerns have been voiced in the "Look at Romsey" consultations.

The Highway Authority originally estimated the cost of the work at around £20,000 given the need to provide kerb edging. We are now discussing with the County Council and others whether there are sources of funding that could be used for this.

We have considered whether it might be possible to put some planting into this area. It is an area that has at times been occupied by travellers and planting would deter this as well as break up quite a large area. The problem here is the presence of underground services. We have recently been given details of these which indicate that some carefully sited tree planting might be a possibility. We will look at this in more detail over the summer months and decide whether planting next winter is an option.

We decided early in the year to locate various sites for new parish seats as well as look at replacement or refurbishment of the two seats in School Road which were in a bad state of repair.

For the School Road seats refurbishment seemed the way forward and we are very pleased with the end result. Possible new sites for seats were on the green in Campion Drive and alongside Crampmoor Lane near to the farm. For both of these we counselled local opinion and at both the view was that the risk of encouraging groups of unruly youngsters was too great. We have not proceeded further with either of these sites. One site we are still investigating is within the Mountbatten School grounds near to the Lantern Theatre. The theatre is used for a number of community events and a seat here was thought to be of general benefit. We are still in discussion with the school on this issue.

The Parish Council gives grants to organisations, groups or individuals in the Parish for a fairly wide range of purposes which are generally in the interests of the parish and the parishioners. We do ask anybody who feels that they or their group could benefit from a grant for the coming year to let us know. All we need is a written request with a statement of accounts so that we can look at the cause and the financial background of the request. Our Clerk will give you more details later of the grants we gave this year.

This year we have distributed four editions of 'Extra News' and it is our intention to continue to do this. If you have any comments about the newsletter we would very much like to hear them.

We have continued to use the facilities of "The Local Channel" as our website. This means we, as well as any other local not for profit organisation, group or individual, can directly input content on issues, news and events in the parish. The web address is:

www.thelocalchannel.co.uk/romseyextra

Topics under 'Local Council' include 'Councillors', 'Minutes', 'Agendas' and 'Planning Applications'. So you can look at the past minutes of our meetings, the agendas and a list with details of the planning applications we will be considering at our next meeting.

If there is more you would like to know about the website do ask a question about it later or talk to me after the formal session.

The success of our Clerk in gaining her Certificate in Local Government Administration (CiLCA) means that the parish council now complies with the competent clerk criteria for Quality Status under the Quality Parish and Town Council scheme. This has opened the door for the parish council to move towards the achievement of Quality Status.

It is our intention to apply for Quality Status in the Autumn of this year. There are a number of requirements that we have to meet, the majority of which have been in place for some time. One new addition to our procedures that brings us in line with Quality Status is this Annual Report. Its content reflects the information previously given out at the Annual Parish Meeting but its written form allows us to make it more widely available.

We have for several years been urging that certain changes are made to speed restrictions on roads in the parish. Among these are a 40 mph limit in Gardeners Lane and 30 mph limits on School Road and the lower part of Braishfield Road. A significant number of the responses from 'Look at Romsey' have stressed the need for the limits in School Road and Braishfield Road and also highlighted other problems with traffic in School Road.

We have not as yet had any positive responses to these requests but will continue to press for action particularly with the backing we have now from 'Look at Romsey'.

At last years Parish Assembly we reported on the imminence of work near the bus stop on the A3090 close to Crampmoor Lane. This was to help make safer, crossing the A3090 to the bus stop on the north side. The only practical option within the allocated budget was to extend the footpath on the north side, either side of the bus lay-by. This was to enable crossings to be made where the view of the traffic coming is better than near the bus stop. The work was carried out soon after the meeting. It has received mixed comments the main criticism being that overhanging trees block the view the approach of buses. The highway authority did some cutting back and is approaching the landowner to improve the situation further.

The signing on the sharp bend in Highwood Lane was a concern of ours for some time. The situation has now been greatly improved with the installation of new chevron style bend signs.

A major question we have raised with the highway authority was the viability of a proposal to create a tourist viewing point at the site of the lay-by on the A27 at the top of Green Hill. With the cooperation of the highway authority this would have become a project for us. As a vantage point this site has great views over the whole of Romsey. The problem was how feasible it was to form a proper entrance to the site accessible from both directions. We had our doubts but it has taken some years for an answer to come from the highway authority. The answer was that the road alignment would not allow safe access. We have had to abandon the scheme as a project.

We have a number of outstanding concerns and some have been so for a long time. We are totally realistic about the financial restraints on the highway authority and have presented our list of concerns in a priority order with the hope that over time at least we could achieve some progress on our major concerns. The current position on the four items which head our list is:

1. Overgrown hedgerow which obscures visibility when making a right turn at the junction of Halterworth Lane with Highwood Lane -  

The local highway engineer does not consider this to be an issue. However, the Assistant Chief Highway Engineer is prepared to look at this with us himself.

2. Safety barriers on the approaches to the A27 railway bridge at Ashfield  -  

Seen, by the structures section of Hampshire Highways, as being low on their priority list for such situations.

3. Repair and maintenance work on the parapets of the A3057 bridges over the River Test -

Currently no prospect of painting work on these parapets.

4. Highway drainage feeding into property driveways in Sandy Lane -

An order has been raised for this work which should start within 6-8 weeks.

We will to continue to discuss with Hampshire Highways other items of outstanding concern.

An issue that we talked about at the last parish meeting was concern at the removal of the play area in Woodley Close as a result of vandalism. The latest information we have from our Borough Councillors is that this play area is due to be refurbished. The only disappointment is that whilst it was expected to happen this year it will now not be until next year.

The Romsey skate park near the Rapids is currently being refurbished and the reported completion date is the 28th April 2006.

See Appendix 1 (note these are not approved until June)

Anxious to keep expenditure under a tight rein, we have decided to lower our budget for 2006/7 to a total expenditure of £23,079.75. This compares with a similar figure for 2005/6 of £24,616.80.

The precept is the element within the Council Tax that is paid to Parish Councils. Since there is a reasonable balance in the parish account, we have decided that a precept figure lower than the budget spend will again be workable. A precept of £22,000 for the financial year starting in April has been agreed. This is £1,000 higher than the current year but is the first increase for three years.

We obviously do have to bring the budget spend and precept into balance. Over the next few years, it is planned to do this by keeping a tight control on the budget. Any increases in the precept that we do have to apply can then be kept to a minimum.