Nether Wallop

Pippa Grob

AT the July meeting of Nether Wallop Parish Council with Cllrs Michael Atkins, Ian Carpenter, Helen James, Janet Pettitt, James MacDonald-Smith, Edward Souter (chairman), Test Valley Borough Cllr Peter Boulton, the footpaths officer and the clerk in attendance, the following topics were discussed:

Flooding meeting: Peter Boulton reported that he had attended the flooding meeting recently and recommended the value of a flood committee. Helen James requested a contacts list. The chairman said most of the flooding issues in Nether Wallop are down to poor maintenance of drains. Peter Boulton wished to alert parishioners that grants are available to those who have had septic tank damage.

Borough plan: Peter Boulton reported that the borough plan is soon to be studied by the inspector.

Neighbourhood watch: Janet Pettitt reported that door to door charity collectors need to show photo identity and if this is not available parishioners should call the police on 101.

Highways: Thanks were given to Cllr Ross James for the considerable amount of work which went into his highways report. Two minor amendments were discussed and would be given to Ross so that he could forward the report onto Hampshire County Council.

Playing fields: As developer contributions have now been received by the borough council the parish council is looking to improve the playing fields by extending the playground area and erecting a new fence. A rebound wall outside the tennis court was also suggested. Some research would be done and costs ascertained to fulfil the contribution criteria. This would be proposed at the September meeting.

Nether Wallop Village Hall Trust: Helen James reported that funds raised now stand at £91,965. An architect has been appointed and both he and the buildings regulations inspector met recently. No major issues were identified. The trustees would meet to discuss grant applications to Heritage Lottery and Veolia. Once construction quotes have been received grant applications can be submitted in October. A decision on these could be expected in January / February. Similar smaller grant applications would be followed up once the results of the aforementioned are known.

Correspondence: The chairman had received an email from the chairman of Over Wallop Parish Council who is also the co-ordinator of Good Neighbours. A donation to the scheme was requested. It was resolved by the council in accordance with its powers under Sections 137 and 139 of the Local Government Act 1972, that £100 be sent to the Wallops Good Neighbours scheme which benefits the parishioners of Nether Wallop.

A donation towards the cost of a second defibrillator to be placed at the Wallop Parish hall at the crossroads was also requested. The present one is to be installed at a central location in Over Wallop. After much discussion it was felt that there is insufficient footfall to justify two defibrillators within a distance of approximately 1½ miles. In addition it is likely that Wallop House Nursing Home also owns one. Only trained operators are able to use these.

The county council advise that Operation Resilience resurfacing works on Hollom Down Road are due to start on 28 July and should last for three days. Tennis court: A plaque acknowledging the grant given by the borough council for the refurbishment of the tennis court would be erected on the gate.

Resilience plan: Helen James reported on progress on the forming of a resilience plan. Three team leaders have been appointed and have met and a follow up action plan would be up and running in October / November. A laminated list of useful numbers would also be compiled. The job of the team leaders would be to instigate immediate action and liaise with emergency services as and when necessary.

Footpaths: The footpaths officer reported that clearance by the county council should be carried out within a month.

Information board: A decision on where the information board from the county council’s countryside access team would be placed would be made in September.

Date of next meeting: The next monthly meeting will be held on 8 September. There will be no August meeting.