December 2009

TOWN AFFAIRS

Jottings at the meeting of Southwold Town Council on 27th October 2009.

Policing: latest
PC Sadler reported that there had been six reported crimes since the last meeting:
• One case of theft of a mobile phone at a function at the Rugby Club.
• One case of theft of case from business premises.
• One case of vandalism to a window of a house in Bartholomews Green.
• One case of theft of a pedal cycle from behind a shop in the Market Place.
• One case of theft of cash from business premises.
• One case of conspiracy to defraud where an individual was caught at a bank attempting to use forged ID to withdraw cash from another’s bank account. They were charged.
He reported that crime was up (about 16%) compared with this time last year, but that the level was similar to that in 2006/07. The two most serious crimes reported were the conspiracy to defraud and one of the cases of theft of cash. Unfortunately, there had been no developments to report with the stolen engines of the Coastal Voyager. A film had been made using CCTV footage and it was hoped to get that onto the Crimestoppers website.
Cllr Miller raised the issue of night-time shooting of rabbits; did the Police know who was doing it? PC Sadler responded that it was vermin control. Cllr Bryant commended the Police on the speed with which they dealt with the case of conspiracy to defraud.

Planning decisions

Approval recommended
• 40 Stradbroke Road (replacement windows).

Miscellaneous
The meeting was informed that a Tree Preservation Order had been made to protect two trees at Crossways, Victoria Street. This had been sought by the Town Council. It was also informed that an appeal was being made against Waveney's decision to refuse planning permission for developments at 8 Lorne Road.

Other matters
After much discussion of the various options for works to stabilise the North Wall of the Harbour, which included considering the RNLI’s views on the matter given by Mr Huggins in the Public Forum, the meeting agreed on two preferred options, but would delay making a final decision until the Town Council had received more information about the durability of each. Cllr Ladd made the point that, although circumstances had changed since the wall had been built 100 years ago, the Harbour was still important to many people. It was therefore important to do the right thing for future generations. Whatever was agreed had to be in place and stable for the next century or more.

The meeting considered changes proposed by Waveney to changes to the timing of elections of district councillors. Currently, one-third of councillors were elected each year. It was being proposed to change this so that all district councillors were elected in one go every four years. The meeting was favourable, believing that it could be more cost effective and lead to great political stability. It was agreed to communicate this to Waveney.

How to protect the newly painted Market Place Pump on Switch-on Night? Answer (according to the meeting): ask the Christmas Lights Committee to place trees around it and have someone to police the area. It was also agreed to ask the Committee about its public liability insurance arrangements as the matter had also arisen.

The meeting agreed to support the Southwold & Reydon Corps of Drums in its application for funding to help smarten up its appearance, specifically through new instruments.

Cllr Tucker informed the meeting that the Town Sign had now been made and was being painted at the moment, In the next fortnight, hopefully, it would be delivered to Cooper & Denny, where it would then wait for erection. Work was going to be started on the site. Although the seagull to go on the top of the Sign had not been made yet, matters were coming to a point where councillors would have to consider an opening ceremony and lighting for the sign. It was agreed to postpone any decisions until the meeting of the Policy and Finance Committee meeting on 10th November, when more information about costings would be available.

The state of the shelter on South Green was deplored by Cllr Miller. It was one of Southwold’s loveliest areas, where people could sit and look across to the sea (and the tankers!). Unfortunately, the shelter had entered a state of decay. What could be done? The Town Clerk (Mrs Jenny Hursell) noted that she had been asking Waveney to take action over this for most of the year. Cllr Allen agreed to arrange a meeting with the relevant Waveney personnel and invited Cllr Miller to attend.

At the meeting of the Policy and Finance Committee on 10th November 2009.

To precept or nor precept?
The time of year for the consideration of all things precepting had come again. Both Mr De Kretser and Mr Bright expressed their concerns over this. Mr De Kretser had no objection to the repatriation of services from Waveney to the Town Council. It would lead to better efficiency. However, the town only seemed to be repatriating the dross, which required much expenditure to maintain and generated no revenue. Waveney was only too happy to get someone else to pay for it. For instance, the locals did not benefit from the Kilcock Cliff toilets (as, in these enlightened times, all had their own toilets), visitors and businesses did, but, if these were taken over, the locals appeared to be expected to pay for them through a precept (as it was unlikely Waveney would reduce its Council Tax proportionately). He did not feel this was equitable. He was also irked by the contrast between the free car parking in Southwold and the situation in Walberswick, where you had to pay. Mr Bright agreed: he supported the toilets but did not feel it was fair they would have to pay for them twice. The meeting noted that the Town Council was unusual in that it relied on income generated from its properties and, as a result, had not had to precept in the past. After strong arguments on both sides, it was agreed not to change this, the motion ‘That the Town Council does not disagree with precepting in principle, but will not precept for the financial year 2010/11’ being carried.

Further planning decisions

Approval recommended
• 82 High Street (Listed Building Consent for provision of a hanging sign, a brass plaque and removable window film to ground floor window and front door, plus Change of use to include office use (A2)).
• Beach House, 4A East Cliff (replacement garage door).
• 1 Barnaby Green (construction of first-floor side extension).
• North of the Adnams Distribution Centre, Halesworth Road, Reydon (construction of anaerobic digestion facility for the treatment of brewery and commercial food waste).
• 22 North Road (two-storey rear extension and insertion of new windows to front and side elevations).
Beechwood House, 68-70 High Street (construction of a single-storey rear extension).

Refusal recommended
• Pier Pavilion, North Parade (demolition of the existing pavilion building, reduction in height of the existing bar area, erection of new five-storey structure comprising amusement arcade, hotel lobby, café/kitchen and bar on the ground floor with 30 bedrooms on upper floors. Conversion of existing bar area on the pier itself to produce a multi-function room with new WC accommodation) on the same grounds as the original application had been objected to: overdevelopment, lack of suitable car parking, loss of amenities, too close to the red line that should not be crossed because of coastal erosion, and no storage room for bins or apparent sewage provision for toilets on the Pier. This both generated ten letters of objection and a comment from the Southwold and Reydon Society in the Public Forum. All were opposed, with the general drift that there was no change from the previous application.

Waveney’s decisions
Permission was given to the proposed developments at 3 Blackshore, 5 Pinkneys Lane, Blackshore Cottage, and the former dray stables in Mill Lane. Permission was refused for the proposed development at Lusaka, 16 Ferry Road.

Miscellaneous
Further to a request that the Town Council receive letters of objection to planning applications that were sent to Waveney directly, Waveney responded with a e-mail indicating that it felt it would be easier for people to look at the letters on Waveney’s website rather than photocopied letters be sent out. All letters were apparently treated this way. Cllr Windell was concerned, as he had found the Waveney planning portal not all easy to navigate or use. It was agreed to tell Waveney.
The meeting was also informed that an appeal was being made against Waveney’s refusal of planning permission for developments at 60a Victoria Street, for which the Town Council had also recommended refusal. Its comments would be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate.

Other matters
As agreed in the last meeting of the Town Council, the town Sign was on the agenda of this meeting. Mr Bright used the Public Forum to express his concerns about the level of expenditure on the Town Sign and also felt that, if lighting was agreed to, this would send out mixed messages when the Town Council had been trying to restrict them in the town. After discussion, the meeting agreed that the Town Sign be installed with the necessary connections and light fittings, allowing a final decision to be made at a later stage. Cllr Tucker informed the meeting that the ground work had not been started, but that ‘the seagull flew in this morning’. It had not yet been painted, but it looked good in the photograph she had seen. This would have an impact on when the opening ceremony could be held. She felt it could be done by Christmas, but much depended on the next few weeks. The Chairman (Cllr Ladd) suggested New Year’s Day, but in the end, because much was still uncertain, it was decided to defer a final decision for the moment.

Cllr Allen informed the meting that, at the meeting of Harbour consultees on 29th October, the Trust decided that one of the two preferred options of the Town Council for the works to stabilise the North Wall of the Harbour was best.

The matter of who to invite as a guest speaker for next year’s Annual Town Meeting arose. Cllr Tucker suggested someone to speak about managing rural seaside economies. She had been inspired by someone speaking on a radio programme. The Chairman of the Harbour Lands Trust giving a progress report was also considered. No firm decisions were made and it was agreed to explore this further.

The recent death of Mr Horace Townsend, Southwold Town Clerk for 25 years, was noted.