15/102. Declarations of interest.

None.

Public recess.

Ms Teresa Smith, Chair of Governors for Chiseldon School, attended the meeting to talk about a proposal to build an indoor sports facility at the school – which could be shared with the community. The landowner, SBC, had directed her to the Parish for an initial discussion.

The proposal is for the construction of a building 34m x 20m x 7.5m at the edge of the school grounds, allowing separate entrances for the school and the public. The school could be responsible for the facility during school hours and the Parish Council could run it at other times.
The space could be used for indoor tennis, basketball, badminton, football, after school or youth clubs, and could potentially incorporate a library or an ICT space as well.

Funding for this type of project is available from bodies such as Sport England but they want to see evidence of partnership working with other bodies, such as the Parish Council.

Parking was highlighted as a potential issue and Ms Smith agreed to look at ways in which the school car park could be used to alleviate pressure on the surrounding streets. There may also be some additional space following the removal of the old storage area.

Cllr Walton recommended that Ms Smith speak to Chiseldon Tennis Club to find out how they went about obtaining funding for the refurbishment of the courts, and Cllr Brady suggested that the next step would be to advertise for volunteers to join a working party which could then conduct some market research and begin building a business case for the project.

The Clerk agreed to liaise with Ms Smith regarding a note on the Parish website and in the Ridgeway Bell.

15/103. Approval of minutes.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 August were approved by Cllr Walton, seconded by Cllr Bates; all those at the meeting in favour.

15/104. Matters arising.

All covered elsewhere on the agenda.

Action points

  • A temporary camera should be installed at the Recreation Ground within a month.
  • Cllr Brady has visited the GP’s surgery and found a lot of information on support groups which she will pass to the Clerk for inclusion on the Parish website.
  • The village tea party is due to take place in the next few weeks and is being organised by Cllrs Brady and Walton.
  • New goal post sockets are in place at the Recreation Ground, at a cost of £120.
  • A quote for £1,600 has been received for the installation of tarmac speed bumps at the Recreation Ground and the Clerk has approached two other companies for comparative costs. Cllr Walton suggested that a gate or barrier might be a more cost-effective option.
  • All other action points had been actioned.

15/105. Football matters.

Matthew Clarke proposed a possible solution to the issue of storage for football equipment – by re-positioning some fences and adding one extra fence the Council could create a storage compound next to the Recreation Hall (at the end furthest away from the entrance gate) which could be directly accessed from the football pitches. The cost of construction could be shared with the football club and Cllr Walton agreed to work with Mr Clarke to obtain a quotation.

Cllr Walton also passed on some feedback from a member of the Tennis Club who had been very impressed with the behaviour and conduct of one of the junior football teams on a recent match-day.

15/106. Tennis Club.

The Clerk passed on an update from the Tennis Club. Public hire of one of the courts is now up and running through Chiseldon House Hotel. Hires are in one hour blocks at a cost of £10 per hour.

Cllr Walton updated the meeting as to work being undertaken around the courts. Unfortunately one of the fences was damaged during a recent tree-cutting session but efforts are being made to repair it.

15/107. Castle View Play Area (CVPA)/Teen area.

The Clerk has re-designed the forms used during weekly maintenance checks and these are now in use.

An annual inspection from ROSPA will cost £101 + VAT. The Clerk will see if a contract for several years would result in any cost-saving. Cllr Bowles proposed that this year’s inspection be arranged, seconded by Cllr Walton; all at the meeting in favour.

15/108. Pavilion.

Nothing new to report.

15/109. Recreation Ground.

Covered under Tennis Club.

15/110. Recreation Hall.

Cllr Walton has had someone inspect the floor and, whilst there is some evidence of damage, it is considered safe and adequate for the time being. Cllr Walton will look at the cost of replacing the floor in the next financial year.

The Clerk reported that a number of enquiries have been received about hiring the Hall.

15/111. Youth Activities.

Nothing new to report.

15/112. Care of Vulnerable People.

The Clerk handed out details of several groups that can be advertised on the Parish website along with the information being provided by Cllr Brady.

15/113. Any Other Business.

Cllr Brady asked all those in attendance to think about whether they would be willing to act as Vice Chair following the resignation of Cllr McFadyen.

The meeting closed at 7.45pm.

Summary of Action Points

Cllr Brady

15/104 Pass information on local support groups to the Clerk

(with Cllr Walton) Organise the village tea party

Cllr Walton

15/104 (with Cllr Brady) Organise the village tea party

15/105 Obtain a quote for the construction of a new football storage facility

Clerk

Public recess Work with the Chair of Governors to advertise for volunteers to form a working party that can look at a possible indoor sports facility at the school

15/104 Advertise the support available for vulnerable people in the Parish

Obtain comparative quotes for speed bumps at the Recreation Ground

15/107 Arrange this year’s inspection of the CVPA