Biz Report - Parish Council Meeting held Thu 6th May 2021

The first part of the meeting was the area of most public interest with Council Chair, David Horton answering several questions relating to the potential site for a Farringdon Village Hall. Most were concerned with access and what form the new Village Hall might take.

While it is not possible under current guidelines, the Village Hall Charity is committed to hold a public consultation meeting or meetings to establish a realistic compromise between individual demands for facilities and a design that is both sustainable financially and attractive to potential users.

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A point of clarification here, The Farringdon Village Hall Charity is administered by the same individuals that have been appointed as Farringdon Parish Councillors.
They are however, two separate entities, although there are obviously areas in which the responsibilities and interests of the two bodies coincide.
It has been suggested that some sort of clearly marked headgear should be adopted by the members of both bodies to avoid confusion but, for some inexplicable reason, this hasn’t found much favour with the participants.

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There was a Road and Footpath report from Cllr.David Williams (The full text of the May report can be viewed here) and Cllr Williams also drew attention to the several fly tipping incidents around the parish roads and trackways.

Cllr. Andy Clegg was concerned with both the speed of traffic on local roads particularly, but not exclusively, on the A32 where there is a statutory 30 mph speed limit. There was also some concern about the noise levels of some vehicles
The speed recording devices have registered vehicles travelling in excess of 80mph and it was suggested that the Parish Council might purchase one of the speed indicator displays (Similar to the device operating on the B3006 in Selborne) which might encourage traffic to slow down.
Cllr. Clegg agreed to look into the cost to the parish of purchasing one of these devices.

The Farringdon Garden, in the area beside New Road, formerly occupied by the Parsonage Close playground, was also discussed and Cllr. Alison DeLedesma reported that planting of the various areas would be (weather permitting) taking place soon.
Water butts have also been installed to ensure that the newly planted areas can be protected from drought. Consultation will be taking place with a view to purchasing some trees/shrubs for planting in the Autumn.

An application for a grant from Farringdon Horticultural Society was approved by a majority vote with some Councillors expressing reservations about the decision.
Cllr. David Craig wanted it put on record that he objected to funding an organisation that was in financial difficulty because of failure to collect subscriptions from members.

A planning application (SDNP/21/01983/HOUS and SDNP/21/01984/LIS - Listed building consent - Garden outbuilding and carport following demolition of existing garage at Angerton, Church Road) was passed on to the planning authority for consideration although there was some concern expressed about both the size of the carport and the proximity to the neighbouring property.

Accounts etc were approved and the meeting closed.