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Chairman's Report 2004 –2005
(presented to the Maiden Newton Parish Meeting on April 21 2005.)
I should like to start by thanking the Clerk, Mrs Wright, and all my fellow councillors for their help and support.
During the past year the Council has had to say 'Goodbye and Thank you' to three Councillors, David Smith in April 2004 and Mrs Harris and Ms Symes in August 2004. Mrs Harris had served the Community as a member of this Council for over twenty years. I am grateful that she is still available to provide me with advice.
On both occasions none of the electors demanded an election so the Council had to co-opt new members. Councillor Bryant joined the Council in May 2004 and Councillors Charman and Williams in October 2004
Our appeal to the Boundary Committee was successful: Maiden Newton Parish remains in the County Council's new Three Valleys ward.
It has been another busy year. Links have been maintained with the County and District Councils, with the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils, with the Dorchester Area Community Partnership, with the "Chalk and Cheese" initiative and with the Environmental Agency. The Council have considered and commented on all planning applications concerning Maiden Newton Parish and on various consultation documents from both local and national government sources.
In January the Dorset County Council's 'Rights of Way' Committee recommended that the path from Bull Lane to the Station be registered as a 'Right of Way' but we have yet to receive a copy of the Order.
The long promised reconstruction of roadway and pavements in Church Road finally started in January 2005. It's completion necessitated the closure of the road to through traffic for six weeks but pedestrian access was maintained throughout. The work was completed within the time limit. Resurfacing was continued up to the Cattistock Road junction.
The County Highways Department has realigned the pavement on the west side of Dorchester Road between numbers 31 and 39 to reduce the slope so as to help pedestrians with pushchairs and wheelchair users. Whilst their workmen were in the village they also fitted the two new seats purchased by the Parish Council. Maiden Newton now has four seats on the county highway as well as two in the play area and one in the Cattistock Road bus shelter.
When working in the Parish last December the County Council's new Parish Highways Maintenance Unit installed three dropped curb access points in Station Road for wheel chair users. This unit repairs pot holes, collapsed drains, collapsed road edges and other smaller works.
In October the Council learnt that the stone surrounding the lettering on the west side of the War Memorial had deteriorated to a point where it was no longer possible to re-ink the names. An application for the costs of the necessary repairs is being made to the 'Grants for War Memorials' funded by the Wolfston Foundation, English Heritage and Friends of War Memorials. Prices were sought for each of three possibilities suggested by English Heritage; new Portland stone engraved panels, light granite panels with lead lettering and engraved brass panels but only one firm complied with this request. The others only provided prices for replacement Portland Stone.
The demand for allotments has risen and there is still a waiting list. Allotment rents were reviewed and have been raised to £7 for 2005 - 2006. Permission to trim the hedge between the allotments and the railway was received in December provided that material was not thrown over onto the railway. Keith Clothier has made a start on dealing with this long neglected maintenance which has had to be done by hand and which will be continued in the autumn of 2005. The rest of the hedges were cut mechanically by Marsh's.
Grass Cutting: the Council was legally required to seek sealed bid tenders for the grass cutting for 2005. The tender was awarded to Jess Carver.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Pritchard for all his years of service and for the condition in which he kept the Dorchester Road grass and the Play area.
Maiden Newton and Cattistock Football Club now only have one team and have given up their lease on the Playing Field. The Parish Council now lets the pitch on a sessional basis to the Junior Football Club and to the Frome Valley Rugby Club. A grass cutting contract covering the whole area was advertised and awarded to Jess Carver for 2005. The necessary work to prepare the rough areas for normal cutting has been carried out. The hedges were also trimmed.
Wet weather during August and September delayed the building of the BMX track but the land has been cleared in preparation for work this spring.
Work has started on the production of a Parish Plan. A steering group has been set up and three public consultation meetings have taken place. As a result four working groups are looking at different issues.
Advice from the Dog Warden on responsible ownership is regularly displayed on the Parish Notice board and published in the Herald but the problems of dog fouling continues to be raised by members of the public at Council meetings.
Car parking remains another issue. Members of the Council met with West Dorset District Councillors and officials on 26 March 2004 to explore the possibility of extending the Car Park. Negotiations are still continuing. Hopefully by 2006, the Chairman will be able to report success.
This year the Parish "Spring Clean" will be on 24 April.
Thanks to the voluntary work undertaken by John Wright and Hedley Haward (of Kingsley Paddock) Maiden Newton Parish Council now has its own web site (www.mnpc.co.uk) on which minutes and other public documents are published.
Sally Falkingham April 2005.
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