WRAXALL AND FAILAND PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD AT

FAILAND VILLAGE HALL ON 22^ND APRIL 2008

WELCOME – Chris Ambrose (Chairman) welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending despite the competition from an important football match. He then invited everyone to introduce themselves to their neighbour. He thanked Violet Delmas for standing in for Freda Shattock once again. He pointed out that there were several handouts on each seat and asked everyone to complete the feedback form.

INTRODUCE COUNCILLORS – The Chairman asked all councillors present to stand, in order to be identified. He then thanked them for their support and work on the Council. Freda Shattock was also thanked for her unstinting efforts and David Shattock for delivering minutes etc.

APOLOGIES – Apologies were received from Freda Shattock, Gillian Moon, Mrs Greenhalgh, Tom Sage and Nick Pitt.

MINUTES – The minutes of the APM held on 26^th April 2007 were agreed and signed. Proposed by Doug MacMillan. Seconded by Tony Tavener.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – See attached report.

REPORTS BY:-

AVON AND SOMERSET POLICE – PC Adam Clarke 2707 said that a total of 93 crimes had been reported in 2007/2008, slightly up the previous year’s total of 82. He said that Wraxall and Failand are regarded as low crime areas and compared the crime figures with those for Nailsea covering the same period which stood at over 600. 497 calls of all kinds had been received in total from the Wraxall and Failand area. Discussion on various traffic issues in the area followed after a question from Brian Symonds. Mike Amos then asked about the role of Police Community Support Officers (PCO’s) and their lack of powers, querying their value. PC Clarke responded that they provided a police presence and a valuable crime deterrent. Richard Sweetman asked about traffic incidents involving wildlife. PC Clarke pointed out that it is not compulsory to report most of these incidents therefore no statistics are available.

FAILAND VOLUNTEER DRIVERS – Allen Greenhalgh reported that the Failand drivers had had a good third year of operation and continued to carry between 2 and 3 passengers a week to medical appointments. There are a couple of new volunteers and the current number of drivers is 16 meaning that each driver only averages 8 trips per year. He formally thanked all the drivers and Maureen and Brian Hale, the co-ordinators, and the Parish Council for covering the basic cost of the telephone expenses.

TYNTESFIELD – Ruth Gofton, Property Manager for Tyntesfield and Bristol, pointed out that she gives regular reports at the monthly Council meetings and was pleased to tell the meeting that there had been 112,000 visitors in the 2007 season. She reported that a number of big building projects will start this season, the first being the Saw Mill which begins next week. Plans to have the permanent visitor facilities where the current ones are situated will be displayed for comment when available. The house refurbishment which starts in the autumn may change the visitor experience. Tyntesfield is now on mains water and 2 cottages are being converted for holiday lets with another being refurbished next year. 30,000 objects have been catalogued so far. Surveys are continuing with conservation projects being prioritised. The carpet on the main hall staircase is to be re-woven which will enable safe access to the upstairs. Geo-cache treasure troves have brought in visitors. Replica costumes have been enjoyed by the children and there have been a lot of family events. Chris Ambrose asked her to explain a few issues which have come up at Council meetings regarding access to Tyntesfield. Ruth replied that as the location of the permanent visitor centre and facilities has been decided there could now be consultations on Rights of Way with Sustrans and other groups. She pointed out that anyone arriving other than by car or coach was given a voucher. Access to the estate via Belmont will not be possible. Responding to a question from Brian Symonds regarding catering she confirmed that Tyntesfield will have a good restaurant using produce from the kitchen garden but not until 2010. Mike Amos suggesting consulting with the Local Access Forum in order to move access issues forward.

WRAXALL CHARITIES – Tony Tavener (Chairman) gave a short report which is attached.

Chris Ambrose referred back to two omissions from his report i.e. the village website and The Battleaxes.

SPEAKERS:

Doug Macmillan (Chairman Parish Plan Group) gave a presentation on the progress of the Parish Plan. Chris Ambrose pointed out that Doug had steered the group for the last year despite many difficulties and a change of personnel. Doug explained that the Plan was 3 months behind schedule but it was hoped to publish in June/July. Approximately 12 people have met monthly and that there had been two public consultations, one in Failand attended by 90 people and one in Wraxall attended by 120. The questions for the questionnaire have been generated and this will appear shortly. The survey is in 3 sections covering household, adults and young people. It was felt that there should be requests for useful and relevant information which affects local issues. There will also be questionnaires for local businesses and groups. The questionnaires will be distributed by mid-May, by hand and returned using a sae to a P.O. Box or they can be completed electronically. A company is lined up to analyse the results and a steering group will draw up an action plan for presentation to the Council and at 2 open meetings. Brian Symonds asked if those filed online will be anonymous and monitored. Doug replied that this is not possible. Brian also asked what would happen when actions were turned down but Doug responded that, hopefully, this would generate local action groups to deal with serious issues. Mike Amos pointed out that without a Parish Plan applications for money for local projects would be turned down. They will be needed as evidence. Chris Ambrose confirmed that this had come out as a result of consultations before embarking on the Parish Plan. He encouraged everyone present to urge all to complete the questionnaire.

Claire Milne (representing Transition Bristol, Food Hub and Sustainable Food). She gave a very interesting and lengthy presentation highlighting the effects of oil supplies on everyday life. She started with a graph showing the proposed use of oil and production rates which would diverge in the middle of 2008. She then went on to describe the likely effects of this and the need for local communities to transform into hubs providing healthy, sustainable and affordable food. She suggested that they also needed to decide what balance of land should be used to grow food and possibly bio-fuels. A discussion regarding climate change ensued but John Thompson pointed out that the APM, as last year, was not the place for an ad hoc discussion on special subjects.

Chris Ambrose then took questions:

A representative from Wraxall School asked if the Council would support an application to North Somerset Council for a light-controlled crossing at the school or whether Court Farm would still offer a field, as before, for a dedicated car park for the school. Mike Amos suggested that they investigate the possibility of funds from 106 agreements or Aggregate Levy.

Mike Amos then asked two questions. The first was regarding the signage for Oxhouse Lane and Failand Lane as there is a problem with lorries because the signage is in the wrong place. The second was a request that pot-holes in Portbury Lane should be left un-repaired to prevent its use as a rat-run.

The meeting was closed at 10.10 p.m. with an invitation to enjoy the refreshments kindly provided by Pat Shaw.