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2009 ANNUAL REPORT OF EAST DEAN PARISH COUNCIL

Our Parish Council has seen changes this year.

We welcomed a new clerk – Helen Wheelwright and she has been doing a very good job keeping us all on track as well as studying for her CILCA qualification.

Jan Barker has resigned the Chair, and I have been elected as Chairman with Phil Stone elected as Vice Chairman. Jan Barker and Mark Barrow continue as Councillors but sadly Rod Walker has resigned after many years service leaving us with one vacancy which we propose to fill by co-option at the next meeting. Trevor Kill has volunteered to be our tree warden and Rob Dodd continues to help with footpaths and rights of way.

Our accounts for the year show funds carried forward of £318 reduced from £620 last year. We have been advised that we should be operating with a greater level of reserves and regrettably it has been found necessary to increase the precept to work towards a greater funding reserve. Alongside this all expenditure will be carefully scrutinised and kept to a minimum. The accounts and contact details are available at this meeting for all to see.

The year has seen many successes but a lot remains as work in progress.

The events organised by the Community group have been a resounding success with a very successful Summer Celebration blessed by excellent weather. The Christmas event in the Church was well attended and the Easter egg rolling went very well and avoided the thrills and spills of last year’s soap box racing thus keeping the health and safety inspectors at bay.

The village was awarded the prize for the “people” category in the Calor Village of the Year Competition and we were very pleased with this result. If we had been given a choice of prizes, I think this is what we would have chosen as “people” is what our village is all about.

I also need to mention the extensive events organised as part of the Romsey Arts Festival and including the wonderful display of flowers in the Church. This was enjoyed by all and contributed in no short measure to our winning the Village of the Year award.

As far as work in progress is concerned there are plenty of issues that are ongoing. We see a steady stream of planning applications both from Dean Hill Park and from householders in the village. Those remaining unresolved for Dean Hill Park concern removal of working hours restrictions which is subject to an appeal from Harving Ltd to the Secretary of State and an application to Test Valley to use the site for outside storage which is a use currently not permitted. There are other longer term issues over the unsightly waste stored close to our Church and the return of the footpaths over the site which will be considered by HCC.

I am pleased that the village remains classed as countryside which prevents the type of major development which is proposed for other parts of Test Valley but I am concerned that the scale of development proposed elsewhere will impact on the rural areas like ours with increased traffic and with gridlock around the urban centres like Romsey.

We continue to press for improvements in road safety through the village as traffic levels continue to increase and the speed of the traffic is often excessive. I am pleased to report that we have Michael Woodhall’s support for reducing the speed limit to 30m.p.h  but it is not easy to get this accomplished as our Village does not conform to the guidelines set out. We also have an agreement to define the carriageway edge with a line instead of the middle for some parts of the road and to reinstate the eroded grass verges. We hope this will help calm traffic speeds

The future of our Playing Field adjacent to Glebe Meadow remains uncertain. Defence Estates has sold it off at auction in London, despite our efforts to try and retain it for the Parish and the intentions of the new owners remain unknown. Thank you.

Chair: Richard Newton-340296   E Mail Richard.newton3@virgin.net

Vice Chair: Phil Stone-340984               phil_stone@hotmail.co.uk

Councillor: Mark Barrow-342144           baztacker@btinternet.com

Councillor: Jan Barker-340016               janbarker99@yahoo.co.uk

Councillor: Andrew Sillence                   Andrew@asillence.wanadoo.co.uk

Clerk: Helen Wheelwright 340937        clerks@tiscali.co.uk