Meeting date 25 th Jan 2005 .

Progress on Involving the Community

The survey results are still being received and EF is compiling statistics in a usable form ready for the public meeting. He will aim to present them in graphical form using Powerpoint. This data will go on the Town Website.

PD is making progress on contacting local groups with the Scouts, JOG school and the Big Buzz Challenge all planned for the next week or so.

The format for the next public meeting was discussed.

Decision:

• The meeting will be based on the headline issues and topics similar to that displayed in Somerfields.
• The meeting will be split into two phases. During the first phase, the SG will form a panel for an open discussion on the findings so far and during the second phase, smaller groups will form to discuss and gather opinions on specific topics.

Budget & Funding.

Payment of EF and PD will be on invoice bearing the signatures of:

• The SG Chairman or Deputy Chairman.

and

• One of the SG members from HTC .

Claims need to be approved by David Small HTC .

Nick Carter of WBC is expecting a letter requesting funding support from WBC. The letter drafted by CS was discussed and it was agreed that it will be sent.

Business Breakfasts are planned for 8 th Feb in the Three Swans 7.45 to 9.00 AM and 11 th February in Herongate Leisure Centre. Organising these events will be PD/EF's priority under DC supervision.

The possibility of the Camera Club providing some photographic work for the finished 2010+ product was discussed. CS has asked them to discuss it at their next meeting and report back on what they can do to contribute.

CS has been asked to speak at the forthcoming Thatcham Town Plan meeting. It was agreed that he should attend and represent 2010+.

Meeting date 8 th Feb 2005 .

Due to a change in future plans Edward Fitsell handed in his resignation and so it was decided that Polly Dickens would take on both roles (as originally anticipated).

Progress on involving the Community

The first (retail) ‘Business Breakfast’ was held on the morning of Tuesday the 8 th and it was deemed to be a valuable exercise by all involved. It is hoped that an early evening meeting could follow this meeting.

The second (local businesses) ‘Business Breakfast’ will be held on Friday the 11 th Feb. Catering to be organised and Chris Pearce to be contacted.

Healthcheck Progress

The Public Forum is to be used to attract new members to cover gaps in current work groups - specifically Tourism which needs a new group to be created from scratch.

Social and Community work group also has some gaps to fill. Volunteers will be sought at the Open Forum.

Programme

Key actions:

To produce and distribute the second survey form by mid-March. Decide on how best to deliver the next survey – CHAIN or form our own group of volunteers?

CS highlighted the need to start to think about the structure of the final document. Subject headings and a template to be debated.

Funding

CS has received a promising letter from Nick Carter. This letter suggests that funds (up to £5k) are available for the Hungerford 2010 Project pending an application and approval.

EF to send Greenham Common Trust contact details to CS.

AOB

David Collier informed the SG that he would be moving away from the area around Easter. He will no longer be able to contribute towards the Town Plan beyond this point. The SG expressed their thanks for his work to date.

Meeting Date 22 nd February 2005 .

Transport Focus

Progress on Involving the Community

The business breakfast went well and a Retail sector event is planned for 17 th March at 5.30 PM in the Three Swans function room.

It was agreed that the key questions and concerns that had emerged so far need to form the basis for the Vision Statement proposals that will be included in the next questionnaire. These proposals are to be produced in draft to be discussed at the next SG meeting on 8 th March

It was agreed that the Town and Manor would be invited to the next SG meeting

Budget and Funding

Greenham Common Trust has rejected our application for funding in terms of cash, but this was expected due to the fact that they have offered work-in-kind.

The deadline for Berkshire Community Foundation is March 1 st so it looks unlikely that we will apply.

Transport Group focus

CD explained progress to date and highlighted key areas that had emerged. He introduced Jonathan Cole, Rural Transport Partnership Manager, who briefed the Group on The Local Transport Plan (LTP) which focuses on the next two years work in all areas of transport. This briefing raised a number of issues where 2010+ and the LTP coincide. These were discussed at length with the following actions:

Historical information on accident black spots will be sought and provided.

Conflict between parking times and loading bay times are indicated adjacent to the Coop in the High Street. Urgent action needed to resolve.

Historical information on accident black spots will be sought and provided.

The time-scale for the LTP is for it to be out for consultation in September or October with the final version presented for endorsement to the Council in March 06.

Key proposals emerging from Transport Group will be raised and discussed with appropriate

WBC officers and feedback provided.

Meeting Date 8 th March 2005 .

Town & Manor

Progress on Involving the Community

The second business meetings are set for

Tuesday 15 th March @ Herongate Leisure, 7:45 AM

Thursday 17 th March @ Three Swans Function Room, 17:30

The idea of setting up a film society in Hungerford is progressing; people are teaming up with neighbouring villages to see if we can help each other.

The tourism group members will attend the Three Swans meeting.

The schools have been approached with regard to helping put together the education pages.

Programme

A revised programme has been emailed round. We are aiming to send out the detailed survey by the end of April.

Greenham Common Trust might give us the opportunity to use a software package designed specifically for writing questionnaires. They might also interpret our results. This offer needs to be looked into.

We need to find a successful way to deliver and collect the detailed questionnaire. Purley managed a very high response rate and so we need to find out how they achieved this.

Budget and Funding.

The Berkshire Community Foundation application was sent in and they will process our bid. The maximum amount awarded could be £2,000.

The application for Awards For All is now complete and is awaiting signatures and then it can be sent off. This bid is for £4,330.

The graphic designer from the Greenham Common Trust is back from leave next week. It is confirmed that they will undertake the design of the Hungerford plan free of charge. We need to approach her to discuss time scales and working methods.

West Berks have approved our funding request and will be awarding funds in the region of £4,900. This will be administered by Stephen Smyth and will be in the form of a cheque made payable to Hungerford Town Council.

Proposed Content of the Plan

The following headings have been allocated pages in the final document (in no particular order)

Environment (Town & Countryside)

Economy

Population & Housing

Transport & Accessibility

Health & Social Care

Crime & Public Safety

Education & Life Long Learning

Children & Young People

Sport, Leisure & Open Spaces

Culture & Heritage

We need to allocate pages to people and help them to gather the necessary information.

Town & Manor Meeting.

Town & Manor have to be responsible landowners and manage the changes that are put on them over the years. Due to the recent changes in farming and the introduction of Single Payment Schemes, there may cease to be any rents from grazing livestock on the Common and Freeman‘s Marsh. This is being looked into carefully as it could affect the appearance of these open spaces dramatically.

Other new legislation such as the Right to Roam inflicts extra costs on land owners and means that for example, it is now illegal to park vehicles on the Common. Ways to get round this include the introduction of licences to park, or permits. It is the aim of the Town & Manor to make sense of the new laws and to enable things to continue as they are where possible.

Canal Bridge

T&M do not own the wharf; the Town Council appears to have the rights.

Previously the High Street Enhancement Committee has looked into ways to improve the safety for pedestrians crossing the canal so we need to find out what work has already been done. The idea of a low-level swing bridge was favoured more than a foot bridge at the same height as the existing bridge

High Street Trees

There are on-going studies to determine the cause of death for the trees on the High Street and steps are being taken to protect the remaining trees and to replace any that have died. The trees are deemed to be an essential old characteristic to the High Street which should therefore be preserved.

Hungerford Marsh

Improve the management of the Marsh and when in 2015, the current lease on BBONT land ends, support the Town & Manor in trying to get this land back ‚for the town‘, if they are not able to buy it, then at least manage it.

Canal Towpath

If the true boundaries were defined the Town & Manor would be happy for the resurfacing of the towpath up to national cycle route standards.

Promote proper use of gates to prevent livestock from escaping along the towpath.

Market

The idea of a French Market that visits once or twice a year is being considered, though it would be best if we could add the new stalls to the existing ones. We need to find successful ways to promote our existing market and to encourage more traders to come every week. Increasing the footfall in Hungerford will help the market and the retailers.

Borden Carriage

The T&M would support improvements to this walkway (behind the John O’Gaunt leading to the station), for example the widening and resurfacing of the path to make it suitable for pushchairs. If this route was more suitable for pedestrians it could offer an alternative to crossing the canal bridge for some. This passage could benefit from a general tidy up and possibly low-level lighting in some areas, provided it is not too bright

War Memorial on Bridge Street

There was stiff opposition towards the suggestion of moving the War Memorial to the Croft in order to build a car park to replace the parking on Bridge Street . These parking spaces are essential to the trader’s viability, and we should therefore be more tolerant of any disruption caused by vehicles parked there. It is debatable how much disruption is caused and perhaps restricting parking in the morning and evening rush hour would be an effective measure. Jack Williams registered strong objection on behalf of the Royal British Legion to the repositioning of the War Memorial.

The Croft

There is a high demand for short-stay parking in the Croft due to the number of amenities located there, this means that there are problems with parking. People leaving cars for long periods of time are causing a problem for those that wish to pick up and drop off, or need to stay for a short time only. The T&M are finding a way to manage this area successfully.

Speed Limit on the Common

Restrict this to 40 mph.

Sports Clubs

It is felt that the sporting clubs in Hungerford could benefit from grouping together and communicating more. It might be possible to get funding for certain things though this could mean sharing facilities. The range of sporting facilities is very good in Hungerford but it is always important to promote young sports clubs and activities.

Bus Stops

It was agreed that the bus stops in Hungerford could be improved, although the good thing about the stop outside the Corn Exchange is that there is covered seating for people waiting.

Ultimately West Berks can override any decisions.

Planning Information

It was suggested that information on planning applications could be on display in the Corn Exchange, although the Town Council Offices provide this facility now.

Tutti Day

This deserves a mention on the Culture and Heritage page of the Plan. The T&M want to protect the ancient rituals and increase participation by local people. They want to protect Tutti Day from commercialism.