MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE RECREATION AND OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE held on Thursday, 8 June 2006 in the Parish Room, Village Hall, South Darenth at 7.30 pm.

PRESENT: Cllr G Piller (Chairman)

Cllrs P Bradley, D Payne, M Powsey, R Valentine and I Wescombe

IN ATTENDANCE: C Allart, Parish Clerk

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: None

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: None

1 CHAIRMAN

RESOLVED that Cllr G Piller be appointed Chairman for 2006/7

2 VICE CHAIRMAN

RESOLVED that Cllr R Valentine be appointed Vice Chairman for 2006/7

3 MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the last meeting held on 13 April be approved.

4 MATTERS ARISING

The clerk reported that she was still waiting to hear from Lothlorien on the metal door for the Store.

5 WESTMINSTER FIELD

Entrance Roadway Gate

Millen Court residents did not attend.

Gate Locking and Call Out by those Locked In Car Park

The clerk reported an incident in May when the driver of a car locked in on a Friday evening called the parish office and Sevenoaks District Council’s emergency number but messages were not heard until Monday morning. A link in the chain round the gate was found to be cut on Saturday morning.

Committee members stated that notices displaying the gate closing times were sufficient and easily seen by users of the car park. They said the gate should be secured with a box for the padlock similar to that on the height barrier to prevent future damage to the Council’s property.

Fencing damage by burnt out car

The clerk informed the committee that KCC is not now prepared to pay for the whole fencing works, just the section that crosses the footpath. A decision was now needed about the additional fencing to each side of the chicane across the footpath and the 2 large rocks. The total cost of the fencing was £1200 + Vat and the rocks were £90 each + delivery.

RESOLVED that

1 the complete fencing works and the purchase of 2 rocks be authorised; and

2 instructions for the work be given immediately.

6 HEATHSIDE

Conflict of Bookings with Village Hall

The clerk asked the committee how it wished to deal with the conflict of bookings between Heathside and the village hall. This had arisen when the South Darenth Village Society had wanted to hold their Summer Concert on a Saturday when the hall was booked for a wedding. Realising the conflict, the Society re-scheduled their event voluntarily but the clerk needed guidance to know whether she had the authority to insist if necessary that existing bookings in the village hall must take precedence.

Cllr Bradley suggested that a way round the conflict would be to insist that any group that wanted to use Heathside must also book the village hall. An advantage would be that the toilets could be used and portaloos would not have to be hired.

Cllr Wescombe suggested that Terms & Conditions that would have to be drawn up could coincide with what the Village Society and Lions are doing now ie clearing up glass, painting out graffiti.

A set number of events (say 10) could be allocated each year. A reduced fee could be set for local groups in addition to their current allocation of 2 x Friday and 2 x Saturday bookings of the hall.

There were concerns from Cllrs Payne and Valentine about extra costs and the security of the village hall. It would need even more helpers to make sure that all areas of the hall were controlled and at the moment volunteers are stretched enough.

RESOLVED that

1 a special meeting of the committee be held in order to consult with field users; and

2 two representatives each from the South Darenth Village Society and the Darent Valley Lions be invited to attend.

Roof to Stand

The clerk reported that she had tried to get 4 quotes for the new roof but had only had success in getting 2. One verbal quote was for £4500 + VAT. A second, in writing and available at the meeting, is for £4185 + VAT. This includes the fascia and guttering.

RESOLVED that

1 the quote in the sum of £4185 + Vat from T Baynes be accepted; and

2 the work be carried out as soon as possible.

Use of Stand as Graffiti Wall

Consideration was given to Cllr Valentine’s request for this use by local youth. He intended that the wall would be for a more artistic type of graffiti rather than just words.

Some members doubted that local people who have been suffering from graffiti problems would appreciate this and thought that the parish should be graffiti-free.

Cllr Valentine explained that at the Village Society’s Summer Concert there was to be a graffiti art competition and it was decided to hold off from making any decision on this matter until after that event.

Dog Bin

The clerk asked for approval to a quote for the supply and installation of the dog bin and confirmation of its exact location.

RESOLVED that

1. the price of £204 for supply plus £50 for installation received from Sevenoaks Direct Services be accepted; and
2. the dog bin be installed near the Horton Road entrance to allow dog owners walking past the field as well as those in Heathside to use the bin.

Padlocks for Gates in Fence

The clerk submitted a quote from Locks n Tools for padlocks that use the same key for consideration. These each cost £37.31 + VAT (close shackle) and are supplied with 2 keys only regardless of the number of padlocks purchased. Additional keys cost £6.97 + VAT each. Cllr Valentine asked if he could have his own key for when he is carrying out work with the South Darenth youth team.

There was discussion on which gates should have the same keys and an assumption that the existing gate at Horton Road should stay.

RESOLVED that

1. close shackle padlocks @ £37.31 + Vat with the same key be purchased for the 5 gates;
2. the padlock key for the height barrier be different; and
3. Cllr Valentine be issued with a key.

7 TOP PADDOCK

Goal Posts

The clerk reported that the goalposts which were now in sleeves in the ground rather than concreted in were often pulled out of the ground and, on one occasion, had been left in a dangerous position on the fence. She asked whether they should remain or not.

RESOLVED that the goalposts should remain and be put back whenever necessary.

8 SHRUBBERY ROAD PLAY AREA REDEVELOPMENT

Cllr Valentine reported that, following the decision at the Parish Council meeting on 5 June, Colin Smith had agreed to draft the questions to be put to people local to Shrubbery Road. Mr Smith had requested £10 to purchase various documents from the Open Spaces Society to assist in this task, which was agreed.

9 NEXT MEETING

A summer meeting of the committee has traditionally been a walkabout but Members felt that it was necessary to have a normal meeting in August as a 4 month gap would be too great. Site meetings were arranged in addition to the meeting on 10 August.

10 ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Orders for Goods

Cllr Bradley reported that at his suggestion this committee Chairman had countersigned the order letter for the roadway fencing at Heathside recently. He suggested that this system, with the appropriate Chairman countersigning, be initiated for all orders over £300.

Riverside Path (SD151)

Cllr Powsey asked whether we were going to apply for the County Councillor’s grant for strimming this overgrown path. Cllr Valentine said that South Darenth Village Society would be having a meeting with the Environment Agency in the next couple of months when this could be raised.

The discussion extended further to the provision of a surface to the path, whether the Parish Council should adopt the path and whether volunteers could be recruited. It was suggested that the Countryside Project be asked for advice on suitable materials and estimated costs.

Driving into Heathside Entrance

Cllr Wescombe reported that he had had to prevent someone driving into Heathside at 7 pm. This led to some discussion which concluded that the gate management needed careful consideration.

The meeting ended at 9.22 pm.

Chairman

Date