This will be my fifth report as Chairman of KHPC.
Summarizing our activity as a Parish Council over the past twelve months has been no mean feat. In being able to hold meetings again in the Committee Room at the Village Hall has brought us back to normality and a welcome relief.
Again, a lot of what has been achieved can simply be attributed to the administrative effort put in by our Parish Clerk – Terry Portch – who a year on from taking on the role as a ‘novice’ has organised us to a level whereby we carry out our duties within the terms and conditions of law governing our responsibilities. No longer ‘Vicar of Dibley’ – more Kelvedon Hatch Plc. I offer him my sincere thanks for a job well done and I am confident I speak for all members of the Parish Council.
One of our major issues in 2020 was the ongoing situation surrounding Eagle Field. The new owner has been adamant throughout that he could not or would not allow access for public use until the re-establishment of the correct boundary lines has been achieved. Much of the delay can be attributed to the somewhat disappointing amount of time it has taken Housing Department officers at Brentwood Borough Council to make their tenants aware of the illegal acts that have been carried out and to accept that fences have to be moved back. What has been done is contrary to the terms of the tenants’ lease agreements and compromises have had to take place as to who was to bare the resulting costs. At this point in time, there is only one Council tenant remaining who is not exactly playing ball, but I am informed by the owner that the Housing Department has ‘promised’ that the matter will be resolved by the 30th June. Once that is done, the majority of private owners of properties in Fox Hatch – backing onto Eagle Field – will re-align their fences to what will then be a clear boundary line. If not, then the owner will not hesitate to get solicitors involved. There is also the matter of the ‘fly tipping’ that has occurred on the field, but I am informed that this is also being addressed.
This leads us on to the 11 acres of woodland at Doddinghurst Common. As a Parish Council we have been negotiating with the owner to acquire 3 acres to provide some official recreational space within the Parish. Something we have never had. Up to a matter of 48 hours ago, this looked as though the whole matter had been scuppered by the Planning Department of Brentwood Borough Council based on the response to a pre-app submitted by the owner. The response was based on outdated information and decisions made on a ‘snapshot’ aerial photograph of the woods where no physical damage could be identified. Needless to say, the ‘snapshot’ was over 10 years old. Our thanks should go out to Cllr. Cliff Poppy who basically bullied the Planner responsible to actually attend a site visit and witness the problems suffered and to accept that a review of decisions taken has justification.
Remaining with the theme of land ownership problems, we have also had to deal with a little parcel of scrub in Eagle Lane where there were planning applications submitted – initially for the siting of traveller caravans and then two houses – both of which were refused (with the agreement of the Parish Council). Not to be deterred, the owner has now gone to appeal – a process which is not without considerable cost – causing residents considerable worry and distress. The matter is in the hands of a tribunal to discuss whether any appeal may have merit based on various pieces of Government legislation pertaining to travellers’ rights. We await the outcome of the Tribunal.
Special acknowledgement should be levied at Cllr. Gorton for all his effort and activity regarding our play area on Poor’s Field. The installation of new equipment and an ongoing schedule of improvement has been the mainstay of the Environmental Committee work this past year and will carry on over the coming months resulting in a facility for our children that our residents can be proud of.
Our Senior Citizens’ Christmas Lunch had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid 19 restrictions and we turned to providing Christmas hampers by means of a compromise. It has been decided to do the same this year and then go back to possibly re-instating a Christmas lunch in December 2023. The main reason was that the caterers who served us so well in all the years previously are no longer in business so new caterers need to be found – at a cost which I have to admit was exceptionally competitive – and similar for the usual entertainment provided.
This brings me to the issue of the number of Parish Councillors available to us. The work and organisation and decision making required to make the Parish Council function can be daunting and is currently being carried out by the fewest number of members in over 10 years. Unfortunately, we lost 2 Councillors – Cllrs. Heather Macdonald and Daniel Liddard – due to their private commitments but I am pleased to welcome a new member – Cllr. Peter Bowman – on board and I look forward to working with him during the coming months.
However, it needs to be made clear that if this Parish Council is to continue in carrying out its good works, then more residents need to come forward.
We continue to try and improve our communication and information outlets with residents in the Parish. We continue to review our website to make it easier to use, we intend to provide new notice boards which will be more weatherproof, we have a new Village News Editor who is improving the presentation of the magazine and, of course, all other forms of social media. The information is out there if our residents require it.
I think it is fair to say that the Parish Council’s intentions are to continue to maintain the standard of our current services, seek to improve wherever possible and to retain the current healthy financial status which, to my knowledge, has taken the best part of 10 years to establish.
Steve Saunders
Chairman