notice is hereby given that a meeting of...

Swallowfield Parish Council, Parish Office, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QX Clerk: Mrs. E. Halson

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A MEETING OF

SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY 12th JANUARY 2015 IN

THE ROSE ROOM, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH HALL, SWALLOWFIELD STREET, SWALLOWFIELD AT 7.30PM

Mrs. E. Halson, Clerk

6/1/15

Members: Cllr. P. Sampson (Chairman), Cllr. J. Anderson, Cllr. G.E. Collender, Cllr. W. Dance, Cllr. M. McDonald, Cllr. R. Norris, Cllr. J. Sant, Cllr. J. Wheelwright

Note: This meeting is open to the public and press who are welcome to attend.

A G E N D A 1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To receive any apologies for absence. 2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

To receive declarations of interest in matters to be discussed by the Council at this meeting.

3 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

To receive questions or comments from the public, including those on planning. Up to 20 minutes will be allocated for questions/comments from members of the public with a guideline of no more than 5 minutes per subject. If several members of the public wish to speak on the same subject, they are requested to nominate a spokesperson. Comments will be minuted. For more details please read the document Guidelines for Public Participation at Parish Council Meetings which is available on the Parish Council website or at the Parish Office.

4 CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS 4.1 Casual Vacancy - to NOTE that there is a vacancy for a Councillor. Anyone

interested in becoming a Council should contact the Clerk.

4.2 Swallowfield Parish Clean Up Day - to NOTE that the annual Swallowfield Parish

Clean Up Day will take place on Saturday March 19th between 10am and 4pm. 5 MINUTES OF LAST MEETING 5.1 To APPROVE the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 8th December 2015. 5.2 Clerks report on matters arising and outstanding actions from last meeting. Available

at the meeting.

Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Agenda Tuesday 12th January 2015

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6 PLANNING Chairman of Planning Committee: Cllr. J. Anderson

6.1 Current applications 6.1.1 153209 – Land at Fairlands, Church Road

Application to vary condition 1 of appeal planning consent F/2011/2602 dated 8th October 2014 for the change of the use of land to allow Billy and Emma Cole to lawful occupy the pitch.

6.1.2 153223 – Units B & C Building No 7 Hill Farm, Jouldings Lane, Farley Hill RG7 1UR Certificate of existing lawfulness application for the use for storage purposes within

Use Class B8. 6.1.3 153282 – Long Meadow, Part Lane, Swallowfield RG7 1TB Householder application for the proposed installation of a septic tank system to

replace existing and new package sewage treatment plant. 6.1.4 153336 – Nine Mile Rise Extension, Arborfield Garrison Reversed Matters application pursuant to planning consent O/2014/2280. The

application relates to the Nine Mile Ride Extension, School access Road and A327 roundabout. Details of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale to be considered.

6.1.5 153372 – The Old Cottage, Bunglers Hill, Farley Hill RG7 1TN Householder application for the proposed erection of a single storey outbuilding to

form garage. 6.2 Notifications (for information only) 6.3 Results 6.3.1 151842 – St John’s Church, Church Road, Farley Hill

Proposed change of use from place of worship (D1) to dwelling house (C3) plus single storey front extension to form garage/utility, formation of new vehicular access and driveway, creation of mezzanine floor at first floor level and changes to fenestration. Permission Granted

The Council were supportive of the application but asked for consideration to be made of material for garage. Condition 15 states that work shall not commence until further details and/or a sample of the render proposed for the garage addition, showing its colour and texture, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The work shall be undertaken in accordance with the details so-approved.

6.3.2 152660 – Honeywood, Spring Lane, Swallowfield RG7 1ST

Householder application for proposed erection of two storey side and rear extensions plus single storey front extension to dwelling to form porch.

Permission Granted The Council had no objections.

6.3.3 152793 – Springfields, Trowes Lane, Swallowfield RG7 1RN Householder application for the proposed erection of a first floor side, part single

storey side extensions to dwelling. Permission Granted

The Council had no objections.


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6.3.4 152899 (F/2015/0767) – Hill Farm, Jouldings Lane, Farley Hill RG7 1UR Application for variation of conditions 3, 8 and 17 of planning consent F/2015/0767

for anaerobic digestion power generation facility. Condition 3 relates to the approved plan numbers and the new plans propose changes to bio-digester equipment including reduction in height of digester tanks, new digestate drier and the upgrade of ancillary equipment so they are grouped into one building. Condition 8 relates to the requirement for a scheme in the event of the plant becoming disused to be submitted for approval and the new details propose the scheme should be submitted within three months of the date of the plant being disused. Condition 17 relates to the construction of the storage lagoon prior to operation of the plant and the new details propose the lagoon to be completed within 12 months of the plant being in operation due to the potential storage capacity provided by the changes relating to the variation of condition 3 as above.

Permission Granted, Condition 25 added, conditions 1, 3, 8 and 17 amended 7 PROPERTY

(Fieldfayre) Lead Councillor: John Anderson

7.1 Update – to NOTE that the structural engineer has been instructed to carry out a full

survey of the existing building and design for the new properties.

7.2 Ownership of new properties – it is PROPOSED that the Council retains ownership

of all the units (3 flats, 1 house, 2 bungalows, shop) on the Fieldfayre site. See attached paper.

7.3 Funding Strategy – to NOTE that Cllrs. Anderson and Sampson, the Clerk and the

RFO met with the BALC County officer on 17th December to discuss the options for taking a Public Works Loan Board loan to fund the development for the Fieldfayre site.

It is PROPOSED that the Council make an application to the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) for a fixed rate loan of £800,000 for a term of fifteen years. The project will be funded by cash from the sale of The Marshes house and by rental of the new properties at Fieldfayre. There will be no need to increase the precept to cover the cost of the project. This has been modelled and reflected in the budget.

7.4 Flat 2, Fieldfayre – it is PROPOSED that this item is discussed in Part II.

8 FINANCE

(Budgets/investments/sinking fund/grants/risk assessments/insurance) Lead Councillor: Peter Sampson (Interim)

8.1 Accounts Update – to NOTE that the accounts have been circulated. 8.2 Budget – it is PROPOSED that the budget is approved as present. 8.3 Pre-paid debit card – it is PROPOSED that £400 is loaded onto the Clerk’s pre-paid

debit card. For details of expenditure and current balance see page 8.


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9 BILLS FOR PAYMENT – to APPROVE [list to be provided at meeting]

10 RESILIENCE

(Flooding/ditches/rivers/ Flood Resilience Group (FRG) Lead Councillor: Cllr. M. McDonald

10.1 FRG – to NOTE that the minutes from the last meeting held on 3rd December 2015

have been received. The next meeting will be held on Monday 25th January, 7:30pm in the Rose Room, Swallowfield Parish Hall.

10.2 Annual Ditch Maintenance – it is PROPOSED that expenditure of up to £800 + VAT

per annum is approved for an annual ditch inspection to be carried out by Balfour Beatty (or other appropriate contractor). The specification for this inspection should be as defined by WBC for their inspections.

The inspection report should be presented to the Resilience Working Group who following consultation with Swallowfield FRG will prepare a proposal for any work to be carried out. This proposal will be costed by the Clerk and presented to full Council for approval of the expenditure. To NOTE that £2,500 has been allocated in the 2016/2017 budget for expenditure on ditch maintenance, however, any expenditure over £200 still requires full Council approval. See background paper attached.

11 ENVIRONMENT & RURAL AFFAIRS

(The Marshes/Van Demans/Swallowfield Meadow/Community Orchard/Biodiversity/ Footpaths/Waste/NAG/RCAG) Lead Councillor: Cllr. P. Sampson

11.1 NAG – to NOTE that the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 19th January, 9:45am

at Shinfield Parish Hall. 11.2 RCAG – to NOTE that the last meeting was held on Thursday 10th December, Cllr.

Dance attended. 11.3 Loddon Fisheries and Conservation Consultative – to NOTE that the next meeting

will be held on Thursday, 14th January, 7:15pm at Swallowfield Parish Hall.

12 COMMUNICATION

(Newsletter/Website/Annual Report/Media) Lead Councillor: Cllr. G. Collender

12.1 Advertising Costs – it is PROPOSED that the cost of advertising in the Newsletter be

increased to £80.00 per annum including VAT with effect from the Spring 2016 issue. See attached paper.

12.2 Newsletter production – it is PROPOSED that the dates for the Newsletter be as

detailed below. See attached paper.


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Issue Copy Due Date Print Date Distribution Date

Spring 28th February 4 March 14 March

Summer 31 May 6 June 13 June

Autumn 31 August 5 September 12 September

Winter 30 November 5 December 12 December

13 RECREATION (Play areas/skateboard park/recreation grounds/football pitches/mpg court) Lead Councillor: TBA 13.1 Recreation Grounds – to NOTE that WBC have commissioned 4 Global to carry out

a Sports and Playing Pitch Strategy for the area. The company will assess the pitch and ancillary facilities and require details of ownership, maintenance regime, availability of community hire and any issues/development plans that are in place for the pitches. The Clerk will meet with 4 Global on 18th January 2016.

13.2 Multi-purpose Games Court – to NOTE that Cllrs. Sampson and Sant and the Clerk

will meet with WBC on Tuesday 26th January 2016 to discuss refurbishment of the court.

13.3 Masons Funfair – to NOTE that an email has been received from Masons Funfair

asking to meet with the Council to address residents concerns over holding a funfair on Riseley Recreation Ground. See notes on page 8.

14 TRANSPORT

(Road issues/speeding/public transport/police liaison) Lead Councillor: Cllr. R. Norris

14.1 Road Closures – to NOTE there will be a number of road closures in the Borough

during January 2016 to allow WBC to re cut the highway drainage grips as part of its annual drainage maintenance programme. See notes on page 9.

Grips will be cut on roads not mentioned, however, these do not require road closures.

14.2 OH0217928R - Deepwater Yard, Part Lane Swallowfield RG7 1TB Application to increase authorisation at existing operating centre to 4 vehicle(s), 1 trailer(s). The increase is 1 trailer.

15 CORRESPONDENCE

15.1 A33/Barge Lane– to NOTE receipt of an email from a resident enquiring about

whether warning posts could be installed on the A33 at the turning into Barge Lane. 16 URGENT MATTERS AND/OR ITEMS FOR SUBSEQUENT AGENDAS

Archiving of old minute books – on hold whilst investigate options that WBC can offer.

17 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Tuesday 8th February 2016 at 7.30 p.m. in the Rose Room, Swallowfield Parish Hall, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield.


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NOTES 8.3 Alto Card

Transactions 1st Dec 2015 – 31st Dec 2015

Transaction Date Credit Debit Balance Resolution

Top Up 3-Dec-15 300 551.02 157.2.2

Top Up Fee 3-Dec-15 0.5 550.52

Noticeboard 14-Dec-15 522.12 28.4 163.2

13.3 Masons Funfair

Extract of Minutes of Parish Council Meeting February 2015 10 RECREATION

(Play areas/skateboard park/recreation grounds/football pitches/mpg court) Lead Councillor: Mrs. H. Lewis

10.1 Mason Funfairs – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the Parish Council

allow Mason Funfair to use Riseley Recreation Ground to run their fair on a date to be agreed (26th/27th September 2015, subject to weather conditions). All in favour.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that a fee of £400 is charged and that a bond

is requested to ensure that the clean-up is carried out as promised. Shinfield Parish Council has hosted the fair for many years without any problems. All in favour.

Extract of Minutes of Parish Council Meeting March 2015

10 RECREATION 10.3 Masons Funfair – to NOTE that a special resolution, signed by Cllrs. Lewis,

Clark and McDonald was received asking that the resolution below be considered at the meeting.

To NOTE receipt of a petition signed by a number of Riseley residents opposing

the motion that Masons Funfair be allowed to set up on Riseley Recreation Ground.

Cllr. Clark explained that the Council had received feedback from residents of Riseley stating that they did not want the funfair and had not been consulted. Cllr. Clark stated that at this point the Council had a lot of work on and that further consultation on the fair was not top of its priority list. She stated that the Council would revisit when it had more time.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the motion carried at the Parish Council meeting held on 10th February 2015 approving that Masons Funfair be allowed to rent Riseley Recreation Ground to host their funfair, be rescinded. 4 in favour. 2 against. The motion was carried.

Extract of Minutes of Parish Council Meeting April 2015


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20 RECREATION

20.1 Masons Funfairs – it was NOTED that Mason Funfairs had sent an email

suggesting that they meet with the Council and residents to address concerns. Mrs Wardle and Mr Goldsmith had been invited to attend, date to be confirmed. Mrs Wardle had confirmed.

14.1 Road Closures

These works will be undertaken in the following parishes: Arborfield, Barkham, Charvil, Finchampstead, Hurst, Remenham, Shinfield, Swallowfield, Wargrave, Winnersh and Wokingham Without At the following locations: Arborfield Carters Hill ,Park Corner Lane, Greensward Lane& Castle Hill Barkham Commonfield Lane Charvil Park Lane, Landsend Lane& Beggars Hill Road Finchampstead White Horse Lane, Church Lane, Lower Sandhurst Road, Dell Road & Park Lane Hurst Poplar Lane, Pound Lane, Broad Common Road Broad Common Lane Islandstone Lane, Nelsons Lane, Lines Road, Dunt Ave, Green Lane Little Hill Road Sandford Lane & Park Lane (Whistley mill Lane) Remenham Remenham Lane, Aston Lane, Remenham & Remenham Church Lane Shinfield Croft Road, Pump Lane& Kybes Lane Swallowfield Priest Hill (Farley Hill), Bunces Shaw(Farley Hill), Church Lane (Farley Hill), Sandpit Lane, Nutbean Lane, School Lane, Devils Highway, Trowes Lane, Charlton Lane, Bull Lane, Barge Lane, Kingsbridge Hill & Lambs Lane Wargrave Highfield Road& Kentons Lane Winnersh Mill Lane, Winnersh Wokingham Without Redlake Lane. Due to the width of the above roads a daytime road closure will be required to allow the works to be carried out in safety. Advance notification signs will be erected on approach roads prior to the works commencing and a diversion route will be signposted during the works. Vehicular access will be maintained to properties during the works; however they may be occasions when residents are asked to wait or use the diversion. Wokingham Borough Council apologise for any inconvenience these essential works may cause. Every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum. If these works are likely to cause a major difficulty or concern, or should you have any queries, are disabled or have special needs, then please do not hesitate to contact Wokingham Borough Council on 0118 974 6000.

7.3 Property – Fieldfayre January 2016 _________________________________________________________________________________

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Fieldfayre - Ownership of new properties The Parish Council has been considering various options for funding the Fieldfayre development. The Council wanted the scheme to pay its way without increasing the precept or making cuts to its annual expenditure on services. Furthermore, it didn’t want to utilise capital from its investments which it relies upon to generate the majority (approx. 65%) of its income and neither did it want to reduce the reserves which it has set aside for long term maintenance and refurbishment obligations. Therefore, after using the proceeds from the sale of The Marshes property, the options open to the Council for funding the balance are either to sell part of the development on the open market to fund the remainder or to borrow money to be repaid through rental income thereby retaining full ownership of the whole site. The advantages of retaining ownership of the entire site include:

Complete control over the appearance of the site

Complete control over the future uses on the site

Ability to set expectations via the rental agreement regarding the behaviours of the residents to avoid possible nuisance (e.g. parking issues)

Protection of the interests of neighbouring residents

Ability to vet and control who occupies the residences (for example for the benefit of those who already live in the Parish or need to work within the Parish)

Replacement of the rental income lost when the rear offices were vacated

Securing additional future income for the Parish Council

Retention of the Council’s capital assets in a form that will appreciate and that directly benefit the Parish.

The Council has been investigating options for borrowing money. The Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) is a Central Government organisation which extends loans to Local Authorities and Parish Councils on favourable terms linked to those enjoyed by The Treasury and Central Government. The terms offered are much more favourable than those available from commercial lenders. The Fieldfayre working group and the Clerk/RFO have modelled and stress tested various scenarios and it is clear that this capital project could safely be funded by the capital from the sale of The Marshes house plus a fixed rate loan of £800K from the PWLB repaid over a period of 15 years. The loan interest and repayments would be more than offset by the rental income. The Council is now proposing to apply for the above loan (with staged draw-down when required) from the PWLB. The Council would always have the option to sell parts of the development in the future to reduce or eliminate its loan commitment if circumstances changed. John Anderson Lead Councillor, Property January 2016

10.2 Resilience – Annual Ditch Maintenance January 2016 _________________________________________________________________________________

SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL DITCHES AND BALANCING PONDS

Swallowfield Flood Resilience Group A background paper for the benefit of new councillors. Swallowfield Flood Resilience Group (FRG) was a formed in June 2007 as a response to the unprecedented flooding experienced in the parish when at least 38 houses were flooded. The group is an independent committee of the parish council and is formed of concerned and dedicated members of the public, many of who were flooded or who have backgrounds in engineering, drainage or building and thus could offer valuable expertise. The terms of reference state that the group must include a member of the parish council, the group should keep the parish council informed of all meetings and the parish council should keep FRG informed of all issues related to flooding and other relevant matters, should the group widen its remit to include other emergencies. The group has met regularly since 2007 and has moved from a kitchen based alliance of concerned individuals to a professional group with published meeting dates and whose meetings are open to the public. Concerned individuals often join the group and FRG have been able to help them. Minutes of meetings are available via the FRG secretary or the parish clerk. Members of the Wokingham drainage team attend meetings and this alliance has been of great benefit and support to Swallowfield through the management of projects and the maintenance of drains and ditches. Similarly Wokingham drainage team are keen to support as they regard FRG as a great community and pan Berkshire success. FRG are at present creating a parish emergency plan, with the support of WBC, which will be the first in Berkshire and it is hoped will be rolled out to other parishes. FRG has been very ably led by Lee Atkins until December this year when Lee moved to Pangbourne. His role has been taken by two co chairs: Andy Keith and Geoff Stephens. They are both engineers by profession The main day to day aim is to keep ditches and all land drainage across the Parish flowing correctly in order to stop houses being flooded The bigger picture is to keep working at improving areas of concern and to work with the relevant authorities (WBC, EA, Thames Water, Lodden Valley Catchment, for example) to find funding to do the work. While the FRG offered the PC planning chair advice on flood prevention, in recent years they have been asked to provide independent responses to planning, in order to add weight to the PC views. In particular FRG have worked hard to limit the flood implications of the Bellway application at Willow Tree works, speaking after the chair of planning at the WBC public planning meeting and taking the lead in following up the drainage conditions imposed on Bellway and participating in the community group. These issues are still ongoing.WBC is well aware of the importance of this group to the community. Maintenance of ditches and drains is the other major concern of the group. Pluvial and river flooding in 2007 was exacerbated by blocked and broken culverts at the end of The Street by Red lodge and by blocked drains in The Street. (Blocked by builders’ rubbish) Working with the PC and the FRG, WBC has repaired these and have explored other drains in key areas to keep them free. Drains are more regularly cleared than they were and the clerk and the FRG are able to ask WBC for these to be cleared as and when necessary. The PC own two main ditches: one at the back of The Naylors and known as The Naylors ditch and one running through Swallowfield Meadow behind Curleys Way and known as the Meadow or the Open Space ditch. Maintenance of these is crucial in keeping flooding away from the surrounding houses. The PC also own two balancing ponds in the Meadow which need to be kept clear to hold water in times of heavy rain. There are two other ponds owned by Linden homes and Thames Water. Working with the EA and WBC two new ditches have been created linking the


two PC ditches with two EA ditches, ultimately sending the water across Swallowfield and down to the river, avoiding the build up of water outside the Red Lodge. Through the persistence of the FRG, WBC have kerbed the lower end of Part Lane , put trash screens at the outlet of the two parish ditches (which Stephen is now clearing regularly and which prevent the ditches blocking up) and are working on drainage improvements to Church Road. There are other projects in the pipeline and a flood plan was drawn up for Swallowfield and submitted to the EA for consideration some years ago. Regular clearing of parish ditches is regarded as significant in keeping residents free from another flood. Over the years, members of the FRG have walked the ditches, shovels in hand, clearing debris and reporting blockages to the clerk. Major clearing has been done in recently by Nigel Jeffries who has a tree maintenance contract with the PC. Often a member of the FRG has been on site when a contractor is working to check on the work done. On-going ditch and balancing pond maintenance Concerns have been raised that it is easy to become complacent and that the maintenance of ditches is so important that it must be part of the parish council’s regular maintenance contracts and not left to the willingness of members of the public to bring the matter of blocked ditches to the attention of council. Angela King, ex parish councillor and member of the FRG, developed an excellent working knowledge of all the ditches in the parish and has made a written report of their status and importance. As a councillor she made a proposal in March 2015 that the parish council goes out to tender for the maintenance of ditches and balancing ponds and a full paper was appended to the March agenda. See pages 4-8. Since then Mrs King has resigned from the parish council and her role has been taken over by Bill Dance who has already walked the ditches with members of the FRG and the parish warden. Proposal Two in her paper has been implemented, in addition her recommendation regarding a monthly ditch inspection had been partially implemented. The Parish Warden is regularly inspecting the ditches in Swallowfield including grips and trash screens, he clears the trash screens where he can without entering the ditch and reports back to the Clerk. This inspection will be extended to Council’s ditches in Riseley. It has, however, been much more difficult to implement Proposal One, a maintenance contract, due the difficulty in specifying the work to be carried out. At the last FRG meeting in December it was minuted that the FRG strongly recommends that the PC permits the clerk to commission an annual survey of the parish ditches and balancing ponds to maintain the integrity of the ditch system. Two contractors have been approached and neither are willing to take on the work. At present the clerk is working with the drainage team at WBC to determine whether the PC can employ their ditch inspection team at Balfour Beatty. Once an annual inspection report is received by the Council it will be necessary prepare a list of work to be carried out. The Clerk can then commission this work. Understandably the FRG are concerned that the parish is ready for winter and possible heavy rain and wish us to move ahead as quickly as we can in finding a contractor. Consequently it is PROPOSED that: 1. The Council APPROVES expenditure of up to £800 for an annual inspection of the

ditches and balancing ponds owned by the Parish Council to be carried out by Balfour

Beatty (or other appropriate contractor). The specification for this inspection should be

as defined by WBC for their inspections. See below.


The inspection report should be presented to the Resilience Working Group who following consultation with Swallowfield FRG will prepare a proposal for any work to be carried out. This proposal will be costed by the Clerk and presented to full Council for approval of the expenditure.

It should be noted that £2,500 has been allocated in the 2016/2017 budget for expenditure on ditch maintenance, however, any expenditure over £200 still requires full Council approval. Margaret McDonald Lead Councillor, Resilience January 2016 Specification of work for WBC Ditch Inspection The HIGHWAY NETWORK WORKS CONTRACT (SCHEDULE 3), SPECIFICATION, METHOD OF MEASUREMENT AND SCHEDULE OF RATES states the following: Annual Inspection & Maintenance of Land Drainage Open Ditches The Contractor shall walk the entire length of each open ditch on an annual basis (dates to be specified by the engineer) and record the condition on the record sheet (B6). The record sheet shall be returned to the Engineer within 2 days of inspection. If any defect/blockage is considered an imminent safety hazard it shall be reported to the Engineer immediately. Comments from Eddie Napper They mainly report blockages or overhanging vegetation that may cause a future problem. They also report on the condition of any headwalls/grilles that are on the ditch. They do not need to have an understanding of the ditches. When the report plus any photographs showing the faults is sent back to WBC we only go and look at the ditches with any faults highlighted and then we make the judgement of whether they need doing or not. A similar thing could operate at the parish with someone who does know how the ditches operate making the final call.


Angela King’s Paper presented at the Parish Council Meeting held in March 2015 Proposals to the Council re the maintenance of the ditches and balancing ponds owned by the Parish Drainage across the Parish There has been a history of flooding in the Parish of Swallowfield. The Parish is at the confluence of three rivers, the Whitewater, the Blackwater and the Loddon. The village of Swallowfield is on the flood plain and Riseley and Farley Hill are positioned on the hills above the valley. (Riseley is at the same height as Farley Hill) Flooding from the rivers is contained by the natural water meadows unless conditions are extreme. However, it is when there is heavy rainfall that the drainage through ditches and culverts becomes important. These waterways need to be kept clear and there is a statutory obligation to do this work. Since the 2007 flood the Parish Council has worked with residents to ensure that the drainage across the Parish has been updated and maintained. This relationship between the Council and residents was formalised in the formation of the Flood Resilience Group. This Group has worked tirelessly both in lobbying for political change and in practical ways to improve the drainage from balancing ponds and ditches. We have also been well supported by Wokingham Borough Council. The Ditches (Map included) Swallowfield

1. The Naylors

2. The Meadow

3. Trowes Lane from the brick culvert to The Street (The PC is investigating ownership

of this ditch. It is included in this proposal until further clarification because it is a very

important ditch in Swallowfield)

Riseley 4. Devil’s Highway next to Van Demans

5. Across Riseley Common from School Road to School Lane

6. School Lane from Lane into the Marshes House to the old ditch line

7. On School Road next to the Marshes Field

8. Part Lane next to the Riseley Recreation Field

9. Odiham Road next to the Riseley Recreation Field

Balancing Ponds (Map Included)

A. Part of the Pond next to Foxborough. Thames Water has been maintaining our

pond when completing work on their part

B. Large pond next to Curly’s Way on the Meadow

C. Balancing pond on The Naylors (until such time that Linden or someone else takes

responsibility for it)


Proposal One

At present the timing and identification of this work depends on the Flood Resilience

Group and interested councillors.

This important aspect of the work of the Council should be the direct responsibility of

the Council through the Clerk. The Council already does this with regards to the

Recreation Grounds.

The Council has already agreed to include ditch and balancing pond maintenance as

annual expenditure in the budget.

The Council will, as in other work in the Parish, need to take note of environmental

issues and take advice re maintaining and supporting the important habitat that

ditches offer.

The Council will have a contingency plan to carry out emergency work needed as a

one off situation,

The contractors that we ask to tender will need to have knowledge and expertise

specific to land drainage.

I would like to propose that the Parish Council goes out to tender for the maintenance of the ditches and balancing ponds in the ownership of the Parish. The contractor will need a map of the location of the ditches and balancing ponds to do an annual inspection to identify work to be done. The contractor will then make a report to the Council. The Council will need Information relating to previous work to be able to understand and decide the work for the coming year taking into account the recommendations of the Contractor and the finances available. Proposal Two The ditches have been cleared this year. I would like to propose that the monthly inspection of the Parish’s ditches be discontinued from March 2015 A Recommendation To employ a Parish Warden to oversee the drainage across the Parish. This would be a part time job

To inspect grips and ditches and clear grips

To clear the trash screens

To ensure The Council’s ditches are running freely

To inform WBC through the clerk if other ditches are blocked

Angela King March 2015


MINUTES FROM MARCH MEETING 15.1 Ditch maintenance 15.1.1 Annual Maintenance

Cllr. King explained that it was time to put ditch maintenance on a more formal footing rather than relying solely on the goodwill of a few residents. Her proposal outlined what work should be included. It was agreed that the balancing pond at The Naylors would also be included until such time that someone takes responsibility for it. It is owned by Linden Homes, but they do not maintain it. It was PROPOSED and seconded that the Parish Council goes out to tender for the maintenance of the ditches and balancing ponds in the ownership of the Parish. See full proposal on page 14. All in favour. It is hoped that WBC may be able to help with the tender response and that the Parish Council may be able to leverage WBC rates with their contractors. Cllr. King stated that the contractor needs to be a drainage expert and have a good understanding of the ditches and environment as not all ditches need to be done each year. It was felt that negotiating a long contract e.g. 5 years would be beneficial as the work will vary each year. Cllr. Anderson was concerned about the requirements specification and offered to review the tender document.

15.1.2 Monthly Maintenance

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the monthly inspection of the Parish ditches be discontinued from March 2015. See full proposal on page 15. All in favour. Cllr. King recommended that in the future the Parish Council should employ a Ditch Warden who would walk the ditches periodically and empty grips, clear trash screens and inform WBC or Swallowfield Parish Council of any problems. For safety purposes two people are required to clear trash screens, Mr Clayton had volunteered to accompany the warden. The Parish Council would like to express its gratitude to Mr Clayton for his hard work in clearing and maintaining ditches and balancing ponds in the parish.

12 Communication – 12.1 Advertisement costs, 12.2 Newsletter production January 2016 _________________________________________________________________________________

12.1 Parish Council Newsletter Advertisements: 2016 Price Increase Proposal

The cost of advertising in the newsletter in 2015 was £75.00 including VAT, which

covered four issues per annum.

I propose that this be increased to £80.00 per annum including VAT with effect

from the Spring 2016 issue. This represents an increase of 6.67%.

12.2 Proposal to amend copy, print and distribution dates of the quarterly Parish

Council Newsletter with effect from the Spring 2016 issue

I propose that the dates for the above be brought forward by three weeks, as follows: Issue copy due date print date distribution date Spring issue 28 February 4 March 14 March

Summer issue 31 May 6 June 13 June

Autumn issue 31 August 5 September 12 September

Winter issue 30 November 5 December 12 December

By bringing forward all the distribution dates we can cover specific seasonal Parish

activities more effectively.

This schedule will be especially beneficial for the winter issue. Every year we have

problems with Christmas shut downs. This year in particular, the printer closed on

18 December, and could not guarantee delivery before 12 January.

Gordon Collender

Lead Councillor, Communications

January 2016

notice is hereby given that a meeting of...

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