Hewelsfield and Brockweir Parish Council

Minutes of the Hewelsfield & Brockweir Annual Parish Meeting held on Tuesday 17th May 2011 in the ‘The Loft’, The Village Shop, Brockweir

Present: Cllr. Mr. Summers (Chairman), Cllr. Mrs. Mackey, Cllr. Mr. Wilson, Cllr. Mr. Stott, Cllr. Mr. Fox and Mrs. Compton (Parish Clerk).

Also present was District Cllr. Patrick Molyneux and 11 members of the public.

1717. Parish Council Chairman’s Opening Address
Cllr. Summers welcomed the Parishioners and advised that although the Parish Council was hosting the meeting this was not a Parish Council meeting. The Annual Parish Meeting is an opportunity for Parishioners and Parish Councillors to provide any information or feedback on events within the Parish. Also for local societies and organisations to tell those present about what they had done over the last year, what their plans are for the future and if there was anything the Parish Council could do to help.
Cllr. Summers told those present that although funds were limited at both local and district level the Parish Council would aim to establish a relationship with Cllr. Molyneux at district level with a hope of getting access to available funding streams. He said that the Parish Council would seek to explore if there is the possibility of offsetting funds by giving up some local services in exchange for either alternative services or money to spend at local level.

1718. Group Reports
Cllr. Summers asked the representatives of the various societies and organisations to make their presentations:

Brockweir Amateur Dramatic Society (BADS) – represented by Alison Macklin – Following a year off in 2010 this year BADS performed it’s version of “Alice in Wonderland” which proved to be very successful with one night being completely sold out and the other performances being well supported. The main aim of the event is to raise money for charity. The policy is to contribute to three charities – one local, one national and one international. If any local charity wants to be considered for a donation they should get in touch with a committee member. This year a membership of £5 has been introduced and a website www.badsonline.com has been established. Mrs. Macklin asked the Parish Council if they would consider introducing a couple of notice boards on which all the local groups / organisations could advertise forthcoming events. This will be an item on next month’s agenda.
Action Parish Clerk

Brockweir and Hewelsfield History Group – represented by Maurice Harrison – 2010 has been a successful year and all at History Group are glad that the health of John Norman has improved enough that he is again able to participate. At present the group does not charge a membership fee but might consider introducing one. At present a charge of £1.50 is made which goes towards the costs of refreshments, heating and speaker. However, the group is struggling with finances. When the group was set up 10 years ago it was with a generous donation of £200 from Austin Williams but this money has now been used up. Over those ten years there have been 64 speakers although some of those have been in-house historians who don’t get paid! The group are considering reducing the number of talks but are trying to make links with Forest of Dean History Group and also trying to set up a Lower Wye Valley History Group made up from various neighbouring villages which would allow everyone to share the costs. The group continue to compile a written “History of Brockweir” with an aim to making it available from ‘The Village Shop’.

Brockweir Cycleway Concern – represented by Milly Hollinshead – First of all we would like to thank the Parish Council and Cllr. Molyneux for their involvement in seeking a suitable outcome. The group appreciated that the Parish Council sought local opinion by sending out a survey and holding a public meeting.
The group had been hoping to get a judicial review towards the conduct of Forest of Dean District Council and its handling of the planning meeting. However, we have just heard that the application has been rejected so the eleven committee members will have to get together to see what action they will take next. We are pleased that John Norman has recovered enough to attend the meetings again as he has a historic involvement in the issue.
Sustrans has announced that it has decided to reallocate the £377,000 which has been put aside for the Sedbury to Tintern project. Although it has answered the first set of questions raised by Monmouthshire County Council, the County Council have asked another list of questions which Sustrans feels will take a long time to answer.
However, the application is still ongoing and although the group has received considerable financial support from 51 locals it must still fundraise for the future.
Although Brockweir Cycleway Concern is opposed to the current application by Sustrans it would like to engage in debate with Sustrans with the aim to achieving a sustainable transport option.

Brockweir Events Social Team (BEST) – supplied by Ms. Hilary Lee – BEST has had a successful year of events and activities within the community. Several of the evening entertainments, notably the folk-rock band, “Celtish” and the play “What Would Helen Mirren Do”, have had excellent attendances, which helps to keep the finances healthy. This in its turn enables us to continue to provide the ever- popular Over 60s Christmas Lunch, with much appreciated help from the Moravian Church Soup Lunch, and the outing, which in 2010 visited Upton and Tewkesbury.
As ever, BEST is grateful for the help of the Arts in Rural Gloucestershire scheme for its support in running some of our events, and offering music and drama to our small community.
The programme for the remainder of 2011 and the spring of 2012 is being finalised at present; we have the new catalogue of events from AIR in G to choose from, and have already made a provisional booking of the Anapurna Dance Group as well as a highly recommended storyteller for the autumn. Details of all events will be publicised in the Village News as soon as they are confirmed, so we hope everybody will keep a look out for them, and support BEST in helping to keep our villages lively places in which to live! If anyone has ideas for suitable events, we are always on the lookout for new things, so please contact Angela Palmer, our entertainments officer, on 01594 531123.

Brockweir Youth Club – represented by Barbara French – The Youth Club has been going for over four years now. The young people are split into two groups – Juniors and Seniors and they alternate weekly. They pay a small subscription.
The club carried out litter picking on behalf of the Parish Council – an event which ended with a BBQ and games.
The club also provided the waiting staff and entertainment at the Annual Pensioners Christmas Dinner.
The young people were involved with the design and build of the playground at ‘The Village Shop’.
The young people from Tintern Youth Club have visited and we plan to visit them and perhaps join together for trips and events so costs can be shared.
Parish Grasslands has invited the Youth Club to go along for a ‘Bat Watch’
Although there was some trouble when the Youth Club first started, now there are few issues and their parents are very supportive and proactive.

Brockweir, Hewelsfield and St. Briavels Garden Society – represented by Mike Weeks – the society has over 70 members who meet monthly. Annual membership costs £8 single, £12 per couple and £3 for visitors.
It celebrated its 25th anniversary in July 2010. To celebrate it was decided to invite Carol Klein as speaker. This was an ambitious undertaking as she is expensive but over 400 people attended her talk so it proved to be a great success.
The society continues to try to promote the welfare of the local bee population and has awarded a third grant to a local gardener who wants to start a hive.
Besides various speakers and visits to gardens of interest the society has an annual American Supper and Plant Sale to raise funds. Speakers are getting more expensive and their travelling costs are getting bigger. At the moment, following the recent successes funds are healthy and so the group is thriving!

Hewelsfield Against Quarrying (HAQ) – represented by Mike Mackey – There is a plateau beside the B4228 under which lies a substantial amount of limestone. The landowner has indicated that he would be happy to sell the limestone. The aim of HAQ is to protect this area of outstanding natural beauty by trying to influence national policy and when Gloucestershire receives indication of what tonnage is required by trying to make sure the portion for the Forest of Dean is as small as possible. The group is waiting for the Minerals Plan but that has taken a long time to be produced. The arrival of the new government could also have implications but Gloucestershire has decided to carry out a ‘Site Options Consultation’ to identify sites to go into the next plan. If they highlight Hewelsfield and Brockweir as one of these sites it will mean the group will have to get very active. HAQ wants to thank the Parish Council for its continuing support as the publication it pays for provides invaluable information.

Mackenzie Hall – represented by Barbara French – The hall is well used throughout the year. It is lucky to get donations from members of the public. Recently it received a donation from Anne Chard on behalf of Peter. The Hall Committee used the donation to buy new china.
The Annual Craft Fair is the main fundraiser. The big worry is the constantly rising fuel cost.
The main issue through the last year has been the playground.
The next project will be to update the disabled access by designing a more practical ramp for wheelchair and pushchair users; however the cost could be prohibitive.
The Annual General Meeting is to be held on 6th June and all are welcome to attend.
Mrs. French pointed out that the street light situated on Mill Hill opposite the access gate into the Mackenzie Hall has not worked for some time. Cllr. Summers asked the Parish Clerk to contact Gloucestershire County Council.
Action Parish Clerk

Nosh & Natter – represented by Anne Downes – Nosh and Natter was established to replace Brockweir WI. The group meets once a month, on the second Tuesday.
There is no official membership but there are 49 regular attendees.
The group also raises money for charity. This year it was able to make a donation of £350 to Great Western Air Ambulance.
The group is open to all women who just want to get together for a bite to eat and a chat. Some of the women who attend would not otherwise get out of their houses as they need transport.
The only limitation is how many ladies can fit into a location. Usually between 10 and 20 people attend.
There are two events to which partners are invited – the American Supper and Christmas Dinner.

The Village Shop – represented by Mrs. Alison Macklin – the Village Shop has had a very busy year and has again made a small profit. The accounts and minutes are available to be viewed in the shop.
There has been a lot of activity involved with the allotment and the playground which has had a huge impact on the shop and the volunteers. The general opinion is positive but there are a couple of negatives to be worked out.
There is always a need for volunteers.
The shop provides a postal service which cost £460 last year but the cost is to rise 20% next year so the shop was grateful to the Parish Council for its donation of £100 towards this service.
Mrs. Macklin suggested there could be the opportunity to locate a defibrillator at the shop to cut down on revival times. The equipment could be rented if not purchased outright. This will be an item on next month’s Agenda.
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Wye Valley Community for Safe Cycling – supplied by Andrew Littledale – Here is the current situation with the cycle path:
Last week we heard that because of the time it is taking Monmouthshire CC to decide about their section of the path, Sustrans have been forced to re-allocate the lottery funding to other projects in the country. There are very strict time limits attached to this funding and Sustrans felt that given the time it was taking to get planning permission there was a very real possibility that the funds would not be spent before December 2012. They remain committed to the project and will continue to push for planning permission and will look for funds elsewhere but for the time being there is no funding for the project. 
We also heard last week that the legal challenge from Brockweir Cycleway Concern was not successful.

Hewelsfield & Brockweir Playground – represented by Sarah Mclellan – The playground has been nearly completed. The project got the promised funding. The main reason for getting the funding was that the project had been started which had been enabled by the funding supplied by AONB and the Parish Council.
The committee is now eleven families strong. Some reservations had been raised when the main structures were erected as they seemed too bold however the majority of people were very positive about the development. The regular users are local people and it is used throughout the day by parents with small children as well as older children out of school hours. It is a pleasure to see children of various ages playing well together.
There are some teething problems with litter, parking and respect issues for shop volunteers but the committee are committed to work with the shop and neighbours to overcome these issues. There are still some jobs to be done – plant fruit trees, replace the cover for the header tank belonging to the shop, perhaps the introduction of grass crete along the hedgerow bordering Mill Hill. There is to be an official open day and party on 18th June.
The project has public liability insurance and the committee has a checklist that must be checked. Some of the volunteers in the shop have volunteered to undertake some first aid training. The drawing up of the contract between the committee and Mackenzie Hall has cost £850 which was rather ore than expected. It is anticipated that the playground will cost about £1500 a year to maintain including the public liability insurance.

1719. Cllr. Summers asked the parishioners present to voice any concerns that they may have.
Mr. Bradnee raised concerns about the amount of Japanese Knotweed along the footpath by the river and in the gardens of parishioners.
Cllr. Summers replied that the Parish Council has discussed the problem on several occasions but as it did not own the land was not in a position to carry out work on it. The Environment Agency had informed the Parish Council that only licensed operators were able to treat this invasive plant, especially near a water course. Cllr. Summers asked the Parish Clerk to find out from the Environment Agency when they planned to carry out the next course of treatment along the river bank. This will be an item on next month’s Agenda.
Action Parish Clerk

District Cllr. Patrick Molyneux introduced himself to those present. He told them that as well as being their District Councillor his party, the Conservatives, is the largest group on the District Council and he has just learned he had been chosen to become Leader of the District Council. Hopefully having this position may given him some ability to influence decisions made about the Forest of Dean and he urged those attending to contact himself with any issues they felt needed looking into. He reassured them that he would continue to take interest in local affairs, that he would try to attend Parish Council meetings and to read the minutes of those meetings and he asked the Parish Council to invite him specifically if there were issues he could provide additional information / support for.

Mrs. Macklin pointed out that some parishioners continued to experience poor access problems and below average speed with the broadband service. District Cllr. Molyneux reassured those present that this was a subject that was currently being discussed by the District Council. He was able to inform those present that an agreement has just been signed to introduce a super fast broadband service to the area by early next year with an investment of £54 million. The aim of the project is to discover what issues rural communities have with broadband. Unfortunately some 20% of the district will not get this service and Hewelsfield and Brockweir is likely to fall within that 20%. However, he hoped that this improved service along with that from Chepstow and Monmouth will improve the service to the whole area.
Cllr. Molyneux urged those present to gather what evidence they could of poor broadband service as he pointed out such a coordinated effort would help his endeavours. Cllr. Molyneux offered to attend a Parish Council Meeting to discuss the subject of broadband. He asked the Parish Clerk to give him to time to put together some information so it was agreed that this would go on the July Agenda.
Action Parish Clerk

1720. Close of Meeting by Chair

The meeting was brought to a close by Cllr. Summers at 8.50 p.m.