Grounds & Environment Committee

Minutes

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of the GROUNDS AND ENVIRONMENT Committee held on Thursday 2 November 2023 at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks

Attendees: Councillors Kristian Berggreen, David Bunting (Chair), Bill Hatton, Peter Richardson, Paul Shepherd, Alex Simmons and Ian Weir.

In attendance: Ian Cumberworth (Parish Clerk), Tracy Forte (Deputy Clerk) and Rob Yates (Chair of Hassocks Allotment Holders Association)

GE23/51 APOLOGIES. Apologies were received from Cllr Sue Hatton.  Absent without apology:  Cllrs Kate Bailey and Angus Neil.

GE23/52 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST. There were initially no declarations of interest.

GE23/53 MINUTES. It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the Grounds & Environment meeting held on 21 September 2023, be signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

GE23/54 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. The Chair referred to the first item on the Officer’s report regarding Tony Copeland stepping down as the Chair of Hassocks Allotment Holders Association (HAHA).  He introduced and welcomed Rob Yates, the new Chair, to the committee.  Rob is a long term allotment tenant and has been Chair of HAHA in the past.

Rob Yates thanked the Committee and the office for the support that had been given to Tony Copeland during his time as Chair.  He informed the Committee that he had met with the Deputy Clerk and Jane Barker, who manages the allotments, that afternoon which had been very useful.  He also noted that there have been many positive changes over the years and that he was looking forward to working with the Parish Council.

The Chair thanked Rob Yates for attending to introduce himself and Rob left the meeting.

GE23/55 OFFICER’S REPORT.  Members noted the report.  Cllr Weir requested that formal thanks were sent to both Michael Nailard who had kindly donated 250 bluebell bulbs to Talbot Field and Tony Copeland for his support and assistance during his time as Chair of HAHA.

It was also noted that additional funds could be considered for further planting in Talbot Field as part of the budget setting for 24/25.

GE23/56 ADASTRA PARK DEVELOPER SUPPORT OPPORTUNITES.  At the previous G&E meeting Members considered an offer from Taylor Wimpey to make a contribution towards improvements in Adastra Park and put forward a concrete table tennis table as a potential option.    Members were advised that on requesting further clarification on the amount being offered, the contribution will be in the region of £500.  This could be used for a single item or as a contribution towards a larger item.

Members discussed this in more detail and it was agreed that there were limited options for a single item within the region of £500.  The proposal of a concrete table tennis table was discussed further and there was a general consensus that this was not a feasible option for Adastra Park for various reasons:

• Limited Sheltered locations to enable table tennis to be played.
• Potential for encouraging increased anti-social behaviour.
• Delivery and installation of a concrete table would be highly challenging without causing damage to park grounds and costly.

GE23/56.1 It was noted that the Adastra Park Working Group had committed to exploring the option of installing a drinking fountain in the park, therefore it was proposed and AGREED that the developer would be asked to make a donation towards a drinking fountain.  This was to be followed up by the Clerk/Deputy Clerk.

GE23/57 FOOD CONCESSIONAIRE ADASTRA PARK.  The Clerk provided a verbal update on the current situation with the food concessionaire in the park.

The concessionaire has indicated that it is beginning to become more challenging to operate viably in the winter months due to weather conditions etc. however they are keen to continue trading in the park and have built up a regular clientele.

They have therefore approached the Council to explore the suggestion of allowing them to hire (fee to be agreed) the pavilion for 2-3 hour sessions to create a pop up eatery/coffee shop.

The concessionaire has indicated that dependent on the availability of the pavilion, they could offer either a lunch or an afternoon tea. No food would be prepared on site, reheating only.  They have undertaken to set up/take down & undertake any cleaning required. Operationally provided the facility is available it should not create particular issues, obviously conditions would be put in place to ensure these arrangements are in place.

Members’ views are sought as to whether they would support this initiative.

Members discussed this and were very supportive of an initiative which would enable the concessionaire to remain trading within the park over the winter.

GE23/57.1 Members AGREED that subject to appropriate conditions being put in place, the concessionaire could hire the pavilion at the community rate.   The management of this to be delegated to the Clerk.

GE23/58 ADASTRA PARK MASTERPLAN.  The Clerk provided a verbal update on various matters.

GE23/58.1 North Field Play Area.   All defects on the play equipment have now been resolved so the retention monies that have been held for the last 2 years will now be released.  This totals just under £7,000.

GE23/58.2 Tennis Courts. There have been some minor defects on the courts but the contractor has returned to site to resolve these.  The online booking & payment system appears be operating relatively trouble free.

GE23/58.3 Adastra Park Drainage.  This is one of the items under budget initiatives that Members may consider later in the agenda.

The Clerk informed Members that the Council may be able to access a potential funding stream to part fund any drainage work in the park.  This being some developer contributions which have been received by MSDC as part of the Ockley Park development.

Members discussed the drainage scheme at length and it was agreed that although further contacts had been identified as potential sources of information, a great deal of research had already been undertaken by the Clerk and a contractor was already involved in the project.  In addition to this the Clerk is in contact with a local contractor with some specialism who has volunteered to oversee any proposals and there is a Civil Engineer on the Council.

The current situation is that if the Committee indicates continued support for progressing a drainage scheme, the Clerk will request revised costs and a clear specification of the proposal.

Members AGREED full support to progressing a potential drainage scheme and instructed the Clerk to proceed with obtaining revised costs.

GE23/58.4 Table Tennis Table.  Further to the previous conversation it was noted that this would not be progressed.

GE23/59 SPEED LIMITS IN HASSOCKS. Village Centre 20mph Scheme. Members were invited to note that Cllrs Paul Shepherd, Bill Hatton, Peter Richardson and Kate Bailey have agreed to sit on this working party.  This was noted by Members and the Deputy Clerk was instructed to arrange a meeting.

GE23/60 WINDMILLS SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT.  Members were updated on the initiative to offer support to Windmills School Environment Project.

It is proposed that the school create a brief and initiate discussions with potential local artists to secure an art based project based on the message ‘re-use and re-cycle’.  The proposal being to create a final piece of art which can be displayed in a public area.

MSDC has confirmed that there is just over £5000 available in S106 funds for Public Art in Hassocks, and that this project would be highly likely to meet the criteria to access the funding.  However at this stage no application can be submitted until further details are available on the project.

It was noted that the artwork could be for display inside or outside but would need to be available for the public to view, and therefore the council might need to give some thought to possible locations in due course.

Members were supportive of the proposed project.  It was noted that the project should be mindful of the brief to create a piece of ‘public art’ which would be appropriate for the setting.

Members AGREED that the Deputy Clerk/Clerk should enable the progression of the project as required at this stage.

GE23/61 BUDGET INITIATIVES.  The Clerk invited Members to consider potential initiatives they would like to see funded in the next financial year (2024/25).

Members were advised that a summary of the current Ear Marked Reserves were set out in appendix 4 of the agenda.

At the recent PR & C meeting Members considered and were supportive of acquiring IT packages to manage the Allotments and the Burial Grounds.

It was also discussed and agreed in principle to explore the replacement of the current windows/soffits/bargeboards in the parish centre rather than refurbish the existing.  One option for this could be to utilise funding held in the existing EMR sinking fund which currently stands at £18,785. These funds were initially established for these types of situations.

The Clerk noted that whilst still healthy, the Council’s General Reserves were being drawn on more than usual currently for various reasons including the need to provide cover in the absence of a groundsman and the agreement of a significant contribution towards the Adastra Hall extension.

Two further initiatives which Members were invited to consider were the replacement of the entrance gates at the allotments and the installation of grit bins around the village as part of a revised Winter Maintenance plan.  Members supported both initiatives for consideration as part of the budget setting.

Winter Maintenance Plan.  Further work was due to be carried out on this and a proposed revised plan for 24/25 would be put forward to Members in due course.

The following initiatives were also raised by Members.

• Youth Budget. It was noted that some youth funding remained with Hassocks Community Organisation and confirmation was required as to whether these had been utilised.

It was suggested that additional funds could be allocated for further community youth groups to access.  The Clerk noted that the Community Grants Schemes was open to all of these groups.

• Village Signage. Concerns were raised about the condition of the signs when entering the village, particularly from the south and north.  Therefore it was proposed that new signage could be explored to provide a more updated and welcoming feel when entering the village on the A273 from Burgess Hill and from Brighton.

This proposal was supported by the Committee as a potential initiative and the Clerk was asked to obtain indicative costs.

GE23/62 LIGHT UP HASSOCKS/FESTIVE LIGHTS. TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE APPLICATION Friday 1 December 2023 16.00hrs to 20.00hrs.  Members were invited to consider the road closure applications and any comments they may wish to make on behalf of Hassocks Parish Council.  Members noted and supported this application.

GE23/63 FLOOD ACTION GROUP. Cllr Frances Gaudencio informed Members that a meeting of the group was due to be held later in November.

Cllr Gaudencio also reported that the Riparian Responsibilities booklet had now been printed and was ready for distribution.  Copies were circulated to Members for information.

Cllr Gaudencio thanked the office staff and Cllr Alex Simmons for their input on this document.  Cllr Carolyn Barton was co-ordinating the distribution of the booklet and had been in contact with Cllr Simmons and Cllr Neil who had previously offered to help with distribution.  Cllr Peter Richardson also offered to assist with distributing the booklets.

It was agreed that the Deputy Clerk would liaise with Cllr Barton to co-ordinate the distribution of booklet.  Electronic copies would be sent to local solicitors and estate agents with a covering letter as previously agreed; the Deputy Clerk would arrange this.

Cllr Peter Richardson had written an information article on the Riparian Responsibilities booklet which was to be published in the forthcoming Hassocks Life magazine.

Once the booklets have been delivered, a post would be published on the HPC website with links to the booklet and the article.  (Deputy Clerk).

GE23/64 PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY (PROW). Verbal update. (Cllr Ian Weir.) There was nothing new to report.  There are various matters to action as noted at a previous meeting, however these are dependent on the availability of resources.

GE23/65 URGENT MATTERS at the discretion of the Chairman for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.

GE23/65.1 The Chair referenced the recent Hassocks on Show event and gave his thanks to the office staff for their involvement in the preparation for the event and also to Cllr Don McBeth for the promotional video he produced.  All of which were very informative and reflected positively on the Council.   Members agreed that the event had been very successful and a good communications opportunity for the Council in general.

GE23/65.2 Cllr Peter Richardson raised concerns about the lighting on the path running between the Garden of Remembrance and Keymer Road.  The trees in Adastra Park overhang the lights and reduce the lighting shining onto the park making it very dark.  The Clerk reported that there was potentially some budget available to have these cut back, however a report would be made to Enerveo in the first instance.

GE23/66 DATE OF NEXT MEETING. 14 December 2023 at 7.30pm.

There being no other business the meeting closed at 8.50pm.