Among matters discussed at the annual general meeting of Saundersfoot Community Council were the following:

Chairman's Report

Clr. Bill Cleevely reported to the meeting that he had attended the opening of the Saundersfoot Bowling Club season. He remarked that this was the eighth time he had had the pleasure of doing so.

Election of Chairman for 2015/16

Clr. Phil Baker was duly elected to serve as chairman of Saundersfoot Community Council for the next 12 months. The chains of office were passed on to Clr. Baker. He thanked the outgoing chairman, Clr. Cleevely, for stepping into the breach last year when the chairmanship had become vacant. He acknowledged that it had been a challenging year. He took the opportunity to thank John Griffiths, who had served as the council clerk for 18 years until he retired in March 2015, and expressed thanks to Virginia Taber as the new clerk. Clr. Baker said he looked forward an open and transparent year ahead.

Clr. Sue Boughton-Thomas was duly elected to serve as vice-chair.

Matters arising

Purchase of a container: Clr. Poole informed the meeting that the area where it was intended to place this had been cleared and was now ready for the container.

Saundersfoot in Bloom: Clr. Hayes said that judging would take place in mid-July for Saundersfoot in Bloom.

Leak outside the Regency Hall: Clr. Boughton-Thomas told the meeting that the leak outside the Regency Hall had now been found. The problem was that a joint had not been correctly tightened. The meter had been read and it was anticipated that quite a lot of money was due to come back. Clr. Boughton-Thomas went on to say that the contractors, JEHU, had accepted responsibility. The problem had occurred when they put in new piping and that any redress would be against JEHU.

Garden Cottage Flats: Clr. Cavell said that the flats had been left in an appalling state after some building work had been done on site. She reported that finally, work had been completed and the rubbish and debris had been cleared away. Residents were happy that this had now been resolved.

Wall in cemetery: The clerk clarified with members that it was their wish to accept this quote and instruct Mr. Belfield to commence work.

Castle School use of tennis court: The lines on the tennis court were badly faded and the council handyman needed to repaint them.

Coach park: It was reported that on Easter Monday, a coach was attempting to enter the coach park, but was unable to do so because of the bollards that had been placed in the way. The coach then parked outside the parking area which resulted in the pathway being blocked. Clr. Baker agreed to contact National Park to resolve this issue.

Illegal parking in the village: Clr. John reported that traffic enforcement officers were visiting the village three - four times throughout the day and were paying particular attention to the bays outside Tesco and Spar. Eight parking tickets had been issued on Easter Monday. The lorry ban was now in force in the village. Clr. John said this was a matter that was regularly raised at the police forum. Lorries parked on corners and bends, thus blocking through traffic and bringing the centre of the village to a standstill. The meeting expressed frustration with the fact that the exclusion existed, but appeared to be flouted and there was no enforcement and therefore was there any point in having the signs up if the authorities were not going to do anything about it. It was resolved to write to the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner about the lorry ban and enquire about the enforcement policy.

Minutes of

Special Meeting

The chairman explained that the meeting had been called to discuss the White Paper and consider Saundersfoot Community Council's response to the proposals. The proposals included the concept of a 'competent council' and in order to reach that designation, there were a number of criteria, one of which was to have a budget of £200,000. The chairman explained that Saundersfoot had a budget of £45,000. Therefore, there was a distinct possibility that a number of smaller community councils would be amalgamated to form a larger 'competent council.' He went on to state that it was not an automatic assumption that Saundersfoot would go in with Tenby. It was agreed that an approach should be made to other communities in the Saundersfoot Bay area to seek their views on the proposals of the white paper.

Planning Applications

Base station installation - upgrade to an existing telecommunications installation and associated works - Beddoes Court, Milford Street (council resolved to offer no comment); single storey side extension - 13 Sandy Hill Park, Saundersfoot (council resolved to offer no comment); demolition of existing dwelling and erection of replacement two-storey detached dwelling with attached garage - Weathervane, Francis Road, Saundersfoot (council resolved to offer no comment); change of use residential apartments to hotel apartments - St. Brides Apartments, Stammers Road, Saundersfoot (council resolved to offer no comment); retrospective application for raising existing fence height to 2.0m and for erection of shed to store bins - Admirals Mews, Wogan Terrace, Saundersfoot (council resolved to offer no comment).

Correspondence received

Updates on Local Development Plan land allocations and larger development sites in National Park: Rear of The Cambrian, Saundersfoot - eight houses, four flats and live/work unit were completed. Sixteen units remaining, including six affordable dwellings. Members were concerned about work starting on these developments before September and interrupting the summer season. It was resolved to write to the National Park Authority to express this concern.

Proposed emergency planning event: A letter had been received from Claire George, Pembrokeshire County Council, to gauge interest in the council being involved in an emergency planning event the authority would like to develop. It was resolved to contact Claire George and indicate that council would be interested in taking part in such an event and invite her to attend a future meeting.

Saundersfoot Forum: A letter had been sent on behalf of the forum asking the community council to consider a number of matters that had been discussed at a recent meeting of the forum.

i) Public toilet in Regency Car Park: Concern was expressed by the forum about the condition of the toilets and their appearance. Clr. Baker explained that the PCC had contracted out the maintenance and cleaning of the toilet to a company called DANFO. There had been a proposal that the toilets were demolished at a cost of £45,000. Senior managers of DANFO were intending to visit Saundersfoot to view the block and decide what the next step was. It was understood that DANFO would provide a new toilet block, but as a result would consider charging to avoid having to spend on damage and repair.

ii) Beddoes Lake: A wide ranging discussion took place about the state of the river that runs along the back of the Regency Hall. The county council had responsibility for cleaning and maintaining the banks. Clr. Baker would speak to area maintenance.

iii) Car park: Concerns were raised by the forum about the Regency Car Park and the car park for The Mulberry which the forum described as a 'grubby lane.' As both these matters were out of the jurisdiction of the community council, it was resolved to send a copy of the letter to the National Park Authority and to Mr. Davies, who owned the Mulberry, for their response.

iv) Harbour Development: The forum asked the community council to press the Harbour Commissioners and Pembrokeshire County Council to be more open and forthcoming about the plans and proposals for the harbour area; and to hold a public meeting and display development plans for the public to see. Clr. John, as the community council representative on the harbour advisory committee, said he could see no reason why they couldn't publish their plans. Clr. Boughton-Thomas explained that it was her understanding that the Harbour Commissioners hands were tied by Pembrokeshire County Council as to what they could divulge at this stage. Clr. Hayes said that the time had come for the matter to be discussed. General concern was expressed that what was being proposed should be on public display and that residents of the village want to know what is going on. It was resolved to ask the clerk to write to the commissioners to obtain clarification.

Save Saundersfoot Coal Office and Adjoining Gardens: A letter was received from the group asking the council to consider two things: to support the application for a tree preservation order for the commemorative trees planted in the Barbecue Lawn and to lead on a commemorative event for the 70th anniversary of the D-DAY Landings, VE Day and VJ Day. One big event held as a collective acknowledgement of an important part of history in this country. A wide ranging discussion then took place regarding these proposals and it was agreed in principle that the community council would lead on such an event with help and support from the community. It was resolved to write to PCNP and request that the trees be preserved. It was resolved to organise an event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of 70th anniversary of D DAY Landings, VE Day and VJ DAY.

Anonymous Correspondence

The clerk informed the meeting that she had received an anonymous letter and that in accordance with council policy not to consider such communications, the letter was not read to the meeting.

Applications for Donations

The following applications were granted: Girl Guides - £100; CRUSE (Pembrokeshire) - £50; PSEEG - £100; Regency Hall (to cover costs of hire fees) £1,000; Wiseman's Rowing Club - £100; Saundersfoot in Bloom - £500.

An application from The Vintage Cycle Club was adjourned to the next meeting to obtain more information.

other matters

Removal of the top fence around the tennis court: It was agreed that a quote would be obtained to undertake the work to remove the fence around the court.

Sports and Social Club and Bowling Club update: Clr. Poole informed the meeting that he had met with representative of the two clubs and discussed the issue of payment for water used by the community council. He explained that council had been asked to pay for what they use and pro-rata percentage of the sewerage cost. It was agreed that this was an acceptable way forward. A discussion then took place about the excessive bill that the Sports Club had received for water and the possibility of a leak resulting in that amount. Clr. John suggested that the way forward for the club was to approach JEHU directly themselves. Clr. Baker added that he did not consider this issue to be a matter for the community council. It was resolved to write to the Sports and Social Club and advise them that the issue regarding the excessive bill was a matter for them to contact JEHU about and not a matter for the community council.

Long Course Weekend: The clerk reported that she had met with Mathew Evans, of Activity Wales, who was anxious to engage with the community for the upcoming event. The event would be broadcast on a number of television stations and this was an opportunity not only for the community to become involved, but to showcase the village. A competition for the best supporting village would be run. The clerk informed the meeting that Saundersfoot had received this accolade last year and that a cheque for £1,000 was to be presented to the community council in recognition.

Reports from Committees

Clr. Baker reported on both county and ward matters. He said that following a number of meetings and telephone calls, he was pleased that Mr. Jason Sullivan at PCC was able to encourage the contractors to complete the outstanding work at Ridgeway Garden Flats, where areas had been cleaned up and new front doors installed. He was also able to confirm that DANFO (PCC contractor providing public toilet facilities and maintenance) were considering the possible renewal of the public convenience at the Regency Car Park, an initial meeting being expected in the next few weeks. PCC officers had confirmed to him that funding had been provided to carry out a feasibility study in relation to the long-awaited footway along the B4316, filling in the missing link past the Swallow Tree entrance to Rhodewood. At a recent meeting, a request had been made by SCC to reinstate the yellow lining and road markings adjacent to the Sands and the Arcade. Clr. Baker was pleased to confirm that this work had been completed and officers had further confirmed that a renewal of the white lining was also expected in the very near future around the village centre.

Clr. Steve John reported on Regency Hall meeting.

Any other business

Concern was expressed about the cliff fencing removal on The Strand. Clr. Baker would look into this.

Clr. Poole had discussed with Clr. Brabon the condition of the council bins and that they were in need of repainting, but this would not be done by PCC yet. If the paint could be obtained, it was something the community council handyman could be asked to do. Clr. Baker agreed to make enquiries about obtaining the paint.