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EPPING TOWN COUNCIL ANNUAL TOWN MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 7th MARCH 2008 AT 8PM IN EPPING HALL, ST JOHN’S ROAD, EPPING
PRESENT Councillors: N Hines (Town Mayor); B D Murphy (Deputy Town Mayor); Mrs J Hedges, K Avey, Miss O D Dunseath, R Macrae, J Lewis, J A Smith and Mrs M-L Whitbread.
IN ATTENDANCE R C Whittome (Town Clerk) Mrs K Harrigan (Finance Officer)
28 members of the public were present.
1. OPENING OF MEETING
The Clerk called all present to order and introduced the Town Mayor, Cllr N Hines, who welcomed everyone present and introduced the Town Councillors.
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr H Pegrum and Cllr Miss Maxine Starling, Mrs June O’Brien, Mrs Jackie Foyle, Mr Humphrey Wheeler and EFDC Councillor Chris Whitbread.
3. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 23RD MARCH 2007
NOTED that the minutes of the above meeting were submitted to an ordinary meeting of the Town Council, approved, and the appropriate action had been taken where necessary. The Clerk advised all present that copies of the minutes were available should anybody require a copy.
4. ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2007/08
Cllr N Hines introduced the Annual Report for 2007/2008. Cllr Hines particularly wished to thank Cllr Ben Murphy, the Deputy Mayor, for his work during the year in deputising for the Town Mayor. Cllr Hines was sad that he had not managed all his engagements due to continuing ill-health. However, Council had taken significant steps during the course of the year in respect of providing new bus shelters, upgrading play areas and keeping the Christmas Lights on. Cllr Hines particularly wished to thank Humphrey Wheeler and David Cole of the Christmas Light’s Association, Rotary and Epping Society for their help with the lights. He also thanked many other local organisations and local people, for their assistance in making sure that Epping remained a happy town. Parking is a big issue at the present time and Cllr Hines wished local residents present to know that the Town Council is doing its best to try to ensure a reasonable settlement of parking issues.
The Mayor invited Mr Vic Norman was then invited to accept an Allotment Award for the Bury Lane Allotments, where Mr Norman had kept an outstanding allotment throughout the previous year.
Mr & Mrs Lok were awarded a similar certificate in respect of the Meadow Road Allotments and their work on their plot.
Cllr Hines then asked the Chairman of the Planning & General Purposes Committee, Cllr K. Avey, to present his report on the work of Committee during the year. Cllr Avey referred the townspeople to his comments in the Annual Report, and added that local people would note that 157 applications for planning consent had been considered. The Planning & General Purposes Committee tried to reflect a balanced view of applications for development or extensions, trying hard to ensure that the Epping ‘sense of place’ does not get lost in the drive for development. Cllr Avey pointed out that Epping Town Council has the role of a statutory consultee in the Planning system and takes this role very seriously.
5. Cllr Hines, having explained the different functions of the Council, now introduced the Key Members to give a short report on their responsibilities:
ADMINISTRATION – ALAN SMITH Cllr Smith pointed out that if administration works well no one actually thinks of the role administration plays and that by and large, Epping Town Council’s administration had worked well over the last year. It was the role of the Administration Key Member to form a liaison with the Town Clerk and to try to ensure that administrative matters are dealt with in a timely and proper manner.
CEMETERIES – CLLR KEN AVEY Cllr Avey commented that the cemetery continues to be a peaceful and fitting resting place for Epping’s residents. During the course of the past year the chapel had received some attention to the entrance way and some trip hazards that had been identified had now been dealt with. The cemetery had been maintained to a good standard.
EPPING HALL, JACK SILLEY PAVILION & OUTSIDE SERVICES – CLLR ROB MACRAE Cllr Macrae stated that he was passionate about Epping and really wants to make a difference. 2007 was an extremely challenging year for the continuation of the Christmas Lights. Other towns, including Loughton, were unable to continue with their Christmas Light programme due to regulation and rising costs. The Christmas Lights Association headed by David Cole and Humphrey Wheeler, along with The Epping Society and the Rotary organisations, played a key role along with the Council in ensuring that, against all odds, the lights continued. Work is already being put in place to ensure a fitting display of lights for the winter of 2008.
Arrangements are already advanced for two new bus shelters in the High Street. It is anticipated that the shelters will be in place during the summer and a traditional style, in keeping with the character of Epping, had been chosen. It was also recognised that great care had to be taken in choosing bus shelters for the Town in view of the significant amount of vandal damage.
Cllr Macrae highlighted that the High Street is a standing item on the Council’s agenda and the Council is interested in putting pressure on those authorities responsible for the maintenance of the High Street so that improvements can be made in the matter of missing railings, graffiti, shop signs with letters falling off and any other item that may blight Epping’s lovely High Street.
RECREATION GROUNDS – CLLR MRS JANET HEDGES Cllr Mrs Hedges stated that she had enjoyed her involvement with the projects to renew the skateboard area at Stonards Hill and Parklands play area refurbishment over recent years. This year a small working party had been formed which is busily working to make significant improvements to the Stonards Hill play area. The plans for Stonards Hill have been the subject of consultation and they are very ambitious. The Council will need to find a degree of external funding to carry them out, but it is hoped that the works will be completed over the winter of 2008. Work will continue during the course of the coming year to improve other play areas and in particular, Lower Swaines.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE – CLLR BEN MURPHY Cllr Murphy highlighted the ever increasing burden of regulation which falls on the Town Council. The Corporate Governance Advisory Committee looks at the fine detail of regulatory matters and makes recommendations to full Council. The Advisory Committee therefore deals with issues which would be burdensome and time consuming were they to be considered in detail by full Council and these matters include staff issues and audit matters.
WINSTON CHURCHILL PLAQUE – CLLR MRS MARIE-LOUISE WHITBREAD Although not a key members responsibility, Cllr Mrs Whitbread was pleased to be able to report that during the course of the last few months, arrangements have been put in place to honour a most prominent character in recent Epping history. The plaque, which has been provided jointly by Epping Town Council, the Epping Society and the International Churchill Society, was displayed to those present. Cllr Mrs Whitbread advised that the plaque would be placed by agreement on a prominent building which was the position where Churchill gave many important speeches.
EVENTS & THE MARKET PLACE – CLLR MISS MAXINE STARLING The Clerk, Bob Whittome, spoke on behalf of Miss Starling who had given apologies for absence to this meeting. Members viewed the market as being fundamental to the continued viability of Epping as a trading town and also very dear to the heart of townspeople. In addition to the traditional street market, over the last year a monthly Farmers Market has also been put in place and enjoys significant success. The current problems with the market area are evident and spring from poor dialogue between the County Council responsible for Highways, Epping Forest District Council responsible for parking and the Town Council. This problem is being addressed. Councillors from Essex County Council, Epping Forest District Council and the Town Council are coming together with officers to try to ensure that the market has its proper place in the Town and the changes to the Town don’t damage the market’s viability.
The Clerk advised the meeting that ‘Events’ were a new key member role. The Town Council had decided to run a Christmas Event in 2008 in conjunction with the Christmas Tree Festival, and the following summer a Summer Festival building on the recent successes of town shows. Resources have been found for this function and the Key Member, Cllr Miss Maxine Starling, is working hard to ensure that fitting arrangements are put in place for the community.
FINANCE – CLLR HUGH PEGRUM In the absence of the Key Member for Finance, the Clerk advised the meeting that a resume of the last year’s financial performance and detail of the budget for 2008/09 could be found in the Annual Report. Overall, the Clerk reported that the Council is in reasonably good financial condition and able to cope with the challenges in the immediate year ahead.
6. OPEN SESSION
The Town Mayor opened the meeting to questions from the public.
Mr A Loy asked why Stonards Hill play area had been picked for refurbishment rather than Frampton Road or Lower Swaines. He was also concerned to note that the consultation document asked what people would like to see at Stonards Hill rather than where would local people like to be refurbished. Mr Loy also asked why a hard surface was needed that covered the whole area.
Cllr Mrs J Hedges said Lower Swaines would be considered for equipment next year and that hard surfacing was required due to safety regulations. She also pointed out that not all equipment at Stonards Hill was being replaced, some was being refurbished.
Cllr R Macrae pointed out that a working group had been formed consisting of Cllr Mrs Hedges, Cllr Pegrum and himself. The working group had undertaken consultation with parents and the primary reason for Stonards Hill being chosen was because it is the flagship play area in the Town. It is more accessible than other play areas due to parking and the equipment at Stonards Hill is outdated, much of it nearly twenty years old. Refurbishment of Stonards Hill was therefore considered a good investment.
Mr N Redman wished to make a statement in respect of Lower Swaines Recreation Ground and stated that the area was in a state of disrepair with parts of a seat missing and that it was in need of considerable cleansing.
Mr J Batchelor requested information on the possibility of providing further cemetery parking. He noted that on days such as Mothers Day or over Christmas, with many relations visiting the cemetery, the parking was problematic. He suggested that an area near the entrance could perhaps be turned into parking or that an access could be opened to the new section and parking provided, or a pathway made between Lower Bury Lane and the cemetery.
Bob Whittome, as Town Clerk, advised Mr Batchelor, that the land at the entrance of the cemetery was owned by the Corporation of London. Although requests have been made to use some of that area for parking in the past, the Corporation were unwilling to relinquish forest land for parking purposes. The Clerk also advised the meeting that the gate into the new section was originally intended as an alternative public access, but the District Council’s Planning and Highways authority would not allow its use due to road safety issues. The Clerk pointed out that the lack of accessibility worked in favour of reducing the levels of vandalism at the cemetery which had become a problem in other settlements. However, he noted that a footpath was a likely outcome of the St John’s School residential development which received planning permission in 2006.
Cllr K Avey commented further on parking issues by pointing out the widespread discontent of people in Epping in regard to commuter parking and on the part of commuters in respect of a lack of commuter parking. Cllr Avey suggested a park and ride scheme should be instigated which would remove the problem from Epping.
Mr A Warner pointed out that Epping Hall was expensive to run and therefore not good value to the people of Epping while Jack Silley Pavilion was out of date, in poor repair, dirty and smelly.
Cllr R Macrae suggested Epping Hall does cost a significant amount but it is not now possible to go back and redesign the Hall to address the cost issues. He stated that the Town Council is not ignoring the issues but will attempt to address these matters in the near future. Cllr Macrae also pointed out that the Jack Silley Pavilion is subject to considerable vandalism which led to its bad state of repair. Consideration had already been given to the closure and demolition of the Jack Silley Pavilion. The future does not look bright in the longer term for the Pavilion unless significant funds could be found.
Bob Whittome pointed out that, in principal, Council services are not run for commercial purposes and almost everything that is done by local authorities could not be done in the private sector in a truly commercial way. Having said that, the Jack Silley Pavilion, at the present time, is running close to break even. The Jack Silley Pavilion is actually four buildings cobbled together over time. Because of the construction, condensation is a problem and vandalism has affected the ventilation of the building. On the other hand Epping Hall is a brand new hall, but its design made it difficult to run the building cheaply. The Town Council had investigated parking and other improvements but considerable costs would be attached to these changes.
Mr A Warner pointed out that he had been a resident of Epping since 1962 and wished to know whether the councillors will be involved in the redevelopment of the St John’s road area.
The Clerk explained that a dialogue had been established between The County Council who owned some of the land, the District Council who owned other parts of the land, the Planning authority and Epping Town Council. The Town Council had a variety of interests in the area which contains garages, which until very recently the Town Council managed for the County Council. The current plans follow a two and a half year internal review on the part of the County Council into its land holdings in St John’s Road. That process has led to a planning brief being drawn up. These issues are not Town Council functions. However, the Town Council is concerned about the community development aspects of the plans and once the matter is a little further forward, the Town Council will become involved in the process. Presently there is good communication between the officers of the three authorities.
Cllr K Avey pointed out that another large planning issue is the development in regard to the hospital. Cllr Avey stated that the Town Council is supporting a local group in its objections to the current proposals for a large residential development at the hospital, because the Town Council feels the proposals are not of a sufficient quality to benefit Epping and will increase pressure on the existing infrastructure.
District Cllr Mrs J Hedges reminded all those present that a meeting had been arranged for 17th March in respect of the proposals. This would give the public an opportunity to see the plans and to ask questions.
Cllr Avey advised the meeting that the Town Council is making some enquiries in relation to the land ownership at the site and the Town Council will do its utmost to get the best possible outcome on this valuable site in Epping.
Cllr Murphy expressed concern to the meeting about alterations made to buildings and developments which have not got prior benefit of a planning approval. These were developments on which the Council felt responsible to act as the eyes and mouthpiece of Epping residents. Cllr Murphy suggested that the Council is always happy for people to draw matters of this sort to the attention of Council.
Cllr Macrae pointed out that all Epping residents are custodians of the Town and it is necessary to be very active in watching out for issues. Cllr Macrae drew attention to two recent problems. Firstly the Dolland & Aitchison illuminated signs, where enforcement action had been taken since this development is in a conservation area and does not have planning approval. Secondly, the development of the Speak Easy bar with an illuminated sign, where enforcement work has succeeded in getting part of the sign removed and the sign dimmed so as not to provide a garish feature within the conservation area.
Mr Tarling drew attention to the levels of rubbish in the High Street and was concerned that this did not appear to be adequately cleared up. Mr Tarling requested the Town Council to try to address this issue.
Cllr Macrae advised the meeting that there were many issues of concern to the Town Council. A meeting had been generated for the near future to discuss the matter of litter on the greens which, at the present time, no-one takes responsibility for. Dog fouling is another issue of concern. Cllr Macrae encouraged local residents to complain to the District Council if concerned about these matters and to fill in a complaint form so that the complaint is properly logged and dealt with.
The Clerk advised the meeting that the greens were an interesting case being corporation land. The Corporation had, at one time, suggested that the Town Councils should not cut the Town greens but rather that cattle should be grazed since they are forest land. This was quite an interesting suggestion in view of the size and location of the Town greens! On a more serious note the problem regarding litter cannot be resolved easily by the Town Council since the Town Council does not have a disposal mechanism. Therefore, in collecting litter, it would find the same problems that householders find i.e. the disposal would have to be paid for. The case with the District Council is slightly different since they are a refuse collection and disposal authority. For the Town Council to take this matter over would therefore require some arrangement with the District Council and further resources. The Clerk advised the meeting that the market has a special arrangement in the contract for the market rubbish to be cleared away. However, on windy days the situation could rapidly get impossible for the market contractor to deal with.
Mr O’Brien requested any information available on the Half Moon public house and the changes to the façade of this building. He was interested in finding out whether the Half Moon is a listed building and if planning permission been granted for the changes carried out.
Cllr Murphy stated that retrospective plans had been submitted and these were currently under consideration. The building is not listed.
Cllr Avey pointed out that the Town Council had the privilege of sending a representative to sit at the Plans East meeting and to speak on developments that affect Epping. This was an opportunity for the Town Council to try to reflect a view on behalf of Epping residents prior to a decision being made.
There being no further questions, the meeting finished at 9.30pm and the Mayor invited everyone to have tea or coffee. |