Kingsley Parish Council - 23rd January

Kingsley Parish Council meet on Thursday, 23rd January 2014 in the Kingsley Centre at 7.30pm.

AGENDA

1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
2. Apologies for Absence
Cllr T. Scrivener, Cllr L. McCorkindale

3. Declarations of Personal/Prejudicial Interest
4. Public Question Time: Public Questions
Consideration of agenda items which will be open to public participation

5. Approval of Minutes of the Meeting held on 28th November 2013
6. Matters Arising
7. Planning Applications
Applications ongoing:
21066/026 Bakers Farm Nursery, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NJ
Removal of occupancy condition imposed under S52 agreement to 21066/001

22495/008 Burninghams, South Hay Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NW
Two storey extension to the rear

54941 Land South of Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon
Change of use of land for stationing of a mobile home for residential purposes for a single gypsy pitch with creation of new access off main road, track and associated hard standing, treatment plant and amenity block (FUL)

Enforcement Appeal EC/51617/002 Land West of, Sickles Lane, Kingsley, Alton

Enforcement Appeal EC/37724/011 Land at Dean Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon

22732/019 Sandyfield Farm, Main Road, Kingsley, GU35 9NG
Retention of fixtures and fittings and use of part of building as a kitchen/rest room and office for the existing stable yard

New application:
38091/008 Birch Cottage, Sandy Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NH
Detached studio and cycle store after demolition of existing garage

30633/024 Grooms Farm, Frith End Road, Frith End, Bordon, GU35 0QR
Ancillary building for events associated with existing hotel, together with landscaping, parking works (including waste water treatment plant) and retention of frith end quarry haul road for access to the site and hotel

20864/010 South View, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9ND
Prior notification for single storey development extending 8 metres beyond the rear wall of the original dwelling, incorporating an eaves height of 2.72 metres and a maximum height of 2.72 metres
     20050/022 Dennard Ltd, 4 Park Iron Works, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9LY
Retention of metal security fencing and gates

20136/046 Land South and East of Service Station, Farnham Road, Bordon
Change of use of vacant land to hand car wash facility

49238/004 Land North of Haydons Yard, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9PJ
Variation of condition 1 of 49238/001 to allow use for storage of forestry machinery and materials by Oakhanger Forestry

26242/051 Dean Farm Golf Course, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NG
Change of use of clubhouse to form managers flat at ground floor and bed and breakfast rooms at first floor

27536/011 1 Streamside Cottages, Gibbs Lane, Shortheath Common, Bordon, GU35 9JS
Alterations to roof to provide additional accommodation in roof space with dormer window to rear and Juliet balcony to side elevation (HSE)

55353 6 Ockham Hall, Gibbs Lane, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9NE
Fell one poplar opposite numbers 6 & 7 Ockham Hall

22959/005 Unit 4, Kingsley Business Park, Main Road, Kingsley, Bordon, GU35 9LY
Change of use from B1 and B8 to B2 use (general industry)

8. St Nicholas Cemetery & Cemetery Chapel
To receive an update from Cllr Pearson

9. Transport, Highways and Road Safety
10. Commons, Village Greens and Rights of Way
Upper green: To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

11. Community Resilience
12. Environment and Biodiversity
13. Sports, Recreation and Leisure
14. Kingsley Village Forum   
To receive an update from Cllr Pearson

15. Parish Plan 
To receive an update from Cllr Rigden  

16.  Housing, Business & Commerce
17. Communications
Website: To receive an update from Cllr Rigden

18. District Councillor
19. Procedures, Finance and Payments
Payments to be made & Accounts to accept

Date of Next Meeting Thursday 27th February 2014 - 7.30 pm at the Kingsley Centre      

Street parties, etc

The Cabinet Office has just published a "Can Do" guide to organising and running voluntary and community events.

Voluntary and community events are an important aspect of everyday life that help encourage people to play a more active part in society.

They may celebrate a particular occasion, raise funds for a good cause or simply bring people in a community closer together. We have worked with a range of civil society and government organisations (some of whose own guidance we link to here) to develop this guide, which will:

• help you to plan and run successful events with a minimum of red tape
• if you are holding a particular type of event, help you to find the specific advice you need

The guide should clear up any confusion over issues such as health and safety and food hygiene, which people often think will get in the way. Organising a successful event is really all about good planning and taking sensible precautions where necessary.

Floods

As I write, mid-January, I am looking out on yet more rain and in these parts there is considerable flooding all over the area. Readers will, no doubt, have listened to the ongoing debate regarding dredging and general river / water maintenance. On the one hand the Department for the Environment is claiming it makes little or no difference and on the other hand many of the unfortunate flood victims are claiming that lack of dredging and general maintenance has contributed considerably to the present, unusual, levels of flooding. You pays your money and takes your choice, as they say, but I know who I believe!

In any event all of this got me thinking about flooding in and around Kingsley during my childhood. Although I don’t recall dates or even years in which flooding occurred, occur it did. As far as I am aware there were no properties involved when this happened, it was fields that were covered with the water. When flooding occurs it is due to a prolonged period of heavy rain, the ground becomes saturated, water flows into the valleys where the rivers are and the rivers fill up and break their banks. All pretty standard stuff, however, as far as Kingsley was concerned and the river beyond the village, which runs all the way from Oakhanger down through the mill and on to, and beyond, Sleaford, it was dredged. In those days it was the River Authority which was responsible for the task and this took the form of a largish crane spending several weeks travelling the length of the river. The crane cut the sides of the river and hauled out any silt or other obstructions from within the flow. The stuff removed was distributed evenly along the tops of the banks or, when necessary, removed altogether. As far as I can recall, this process took place every two or three years . What this achieved was free flowing water, which unimpeded by obstruction, quickly made its way down stream and away.

Whilst the fields along the rivers route became flooded to a depth of a foot or two, this situation did not last for very long. As soon as the rain stopped the water quickly receded. The meadows either side of the river were referred to as water meadows and the fact that they flooded periodically was well known and managed accordingly. I would venture to suggest, had dredging not taken place, and the river left with all the build- up of obstructions that naturally occur during the course of each year, the problem of the flooding would have been considerably more. The backlog of water would have been much greater and, therefore, the area covered much wider and the time it took to recede much longer. None of which is rocket science. In addition to all of this, unlike modern trends, it would have been unthinkable to have considered building upon the areas known for flooding.

When the areas at the back of Fir Hill flooded, albeit for shortish periods, the waters became a magnet for all sorts of water birds especially ducks. Mallards, Teal, Tufted, Sheldrake and the occasional Pochard could all be seen in the area. I always found it quite amazing how these birds would appear almost overnight and then disappear just as quickly. As well as the duck quite large numbers of waders were also attracted to the area and these spent their time in the shallower waters at the edges of the floods. They remained for some time after the water went down, no doubt, attracted by the rich feeding opportunities provided by the floods throughout the water meadows.

When the river areas flooded it was also normal for the fields along Alice Holt Forest down towards Frith End to experience light flooding. This, no doubt, due to the fact the belt of heavy clay along that stretch prevented surface water draining into the soil. But again the great difference between now and then is the fact that the farm ditches were kept in good order and contributed greatly to water dispersal. Ditching was then an autumn occupation and farm workers spend weeks cleaning out their ditch systems. Make no mistake about it, the farmers of those days did not dig and maintain ditches for the fun of it or because they liked the look of them. Quite simply they did it because it made good practical sense. Their fields drained and the ability to get on to them was ensured by good ditches and good practise and, for the most part, the work was done by hand. I suppose ditches don’t get the attention they used to because overall farming practises have changed dramatically. It does, however, seem strange when all sorts of modern, high tech machinery is available to do the old tasks in half the time and yet so many no longer bother. Progress? perhaps.