Ticehurst Parish Council

Ticehurst Parish Council’s Annual Report to the Parish – April 2008

A new four-year term of office started for the Parish Council in May 2007. Some Parish Councillors and members of the public met on a regular basis to formulate the updated Action Plan, which was then posted to all households in the first two weeks of April 2008.

The Parish Council aims to keep the community informed, safe, provide amenities, canvass the opinions of those who live within the three wards and to generally try when possible to enhance the environment for all.

Information is provided through the web site www.ticehurstpc.info.co.uk and the Council would like to take this opportunity of thanking Michael Harte, the ‘web master’ for all the work he does on the Council’s behalf. The three notice boards and file in the Post Office are kept updated. Every quarter a news letter is published in Ticehurst News and Views, and each month Parish matters are brought to the attention of the readers. A plaque was unveiled by Mr Tomlinson celebrating the new Hall floor, and thanks were extended to Ticehurst News and Views for their help towards the funding of the Hall car park.

The Annual Assembly held each year is proving to be a popular event, with over two hundred people attending in 2007. Display tables by Village Organisations and businesses make the meeting a vibrant event, without speakers, so that everyone can seek out tables that have a particular interest for them. In 2006 and 2007 hundreds of questionnaires have been filled in, during the Assembly and afterwards. It is hoped that the same will be true of the 2008 Assembly. In the past two years ‘ road safety’, pedestrian footways, and anti-social behaviour have been the major concerns of the public. Our Police Community Support Officers have done much to allay fears on the anti-social behaviour front, and the Parish have precepted monies in the coming year to provide traffic calming measures. Inconsiderate parking has been a problem throughout the year and whilst the notes put on cars that block pavements have caused offence to some, the increasingly large numbers of people who report that they are forced to walk in the road, must also be listened to.

The Council would like to thank all Councillors and residents who voluntarily collect litter from our pavements and hedgerows.

The Council’s Planning Committee meet regularly (usually every other Thursday) at 6.00 p.m. to consider and then make a recommendation on the proposed plans within the Parish.

The new waste collection service introduced by Rother District Council was not as smooth as had been hoped and the Parish have tried to resolve issues between residents and the District Council.

Planning Committee Report 2007/08
The Planning Committee met 31 times during the last year and 101 plans were considered. Most of the plans were felt to be sensible applications and in keeping with the buildings around them. On 14 occasions the Local Authority did not agree with the Parish Council's recommendations which usually resulted in a site visit by the Committee prior to deliberation.
The most controversial application of the year was probably the conversion of the old hairdressers in Church Street to a residential unit as the Well Being Clinic. The Parish Council recommended refusal for this application but It was granted by the Local Authority. A later application to alter the frontage of the building was also opposed by the Council. The permission granted is a temporary one which runs out at the beginning of December 2008, so it is hoped that at that time it will revert to a normal shop.

Traffic Calming 2007/08
Monies were budgeted for improvements to traffic calming during the year. To date little has been spent as County Council approval has to be obtained prior to any scheme going ahead. East Sussex County Council are considering increasing the speed limit on the Pashley Road and bringing the 30 m.p.h. limit further in as it is not effective at present. The Parish Council plans to install 'gateway’ signs at the far end of Upper Platts to give drivers the impression that they are entering the village at this point, even though that will be within the 40 m.p.h limit.

Litter Collection 2007/08
The new refuse collection service has proved to be difficult in the more rural places of the Parish. It has also been noticed that the regular street litter clearance has not been as regular as in the past. Also loose litter has been seen to fly out of these vehicles when they are in the area. The Council would ask residents to keep an eye open for particular problem areas and report them to the Parish Council so that voluntary labour can be used to clear the area, or a request to Rother District Council can be made where problems are particularly bad. The Council are informed that ‘green bins’ should be available to all households by the end of the year.

April 2008.