Minutes - Parish Council Meeting - 7 Sep 2026
SUTTON MANDEVILLE PARISH COUNCIL
including Sutton Row and Lower Chicksgrove
DRAFT MINUTES of a meeting of the Parish Council held at The Stalls on 7th September 2026 at 7.00pm - subject to later approval by Councillors.
PRESENT: Cllr. H. Collins – Chairman, Cllr. M. Charlick-Vice Chair, Cllr. Anna Strang, Cllr. I Lester, Mrs. J. Childs, Parish Clerk. 1 resident attended.
The Chairman welcomed all to the meeting including Mr. Barnaby Hunter, Chilmark Estates.
Mr Hunter agreed the need for clear sightlines and the cutting back of brush and brambles to a distance of 1 metre from the perimeter fence at the right- angled bend of the C24 at its junction with C126 to Fovant. He explained that 25 businesses were now located on the estate and that he hoped to secure the quality of what was on offer and to preserve its heritage including 4 of the rarest bats, dormice as well as flora and other fauna. Conservation, preservation and ecology were important. There was an application for a grant for water retention on the estate which he hoped would ease flooding further down the valley.
The aim was to preserve the buildings and to use them to the advantage of the local economy without increasing traffic. He envisaged a sequence of workshops to discuss the stewarding of the site and broad consultation. The covenant dictated that for the present at least the fence line must be retained. Chilmark Estates had a duty to keep the area safe and without risk to its tenants.
The Chairman thanked Mr Hunter for his attendance, for sharing his vision and for his appreciation of the environment. He looked forward to future cooperation with Chilmark Estates.
1. APOLOGIES: Received from Cllr. T. Mockridge.
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS: No interests declared.
3. PUBLIC QUESTIONS:
Councillors had been informed that the Appeal relating to the Made Order of the diversion of SMAN13 would be heard within 11 months. The Chairman would continue to raise questions about Wiltshire Council’s perceived reliance on August 2023 DEFRA guidelines.
Cllr. Strang had received a request from a resident for the placing of a mirror on a road verge to ease exit from a drive to the road. The Clerk was asked to raise this with Wiltshire Council.
4. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS HELD ON 22 06 2026: These were signed by the Chairman as a true record.
5. MATTERS ARISING:
C126 - flooding of R. Nadder at Panters – Cllr. Mockridge was not present to discuss his report. The request for depth gauges was now the subject of a request to LHFIG.
6. WILTSHIRE COUNCIL:
WILTSHIRE COUNCILLOR'S REPORT: no report was available.
AREA BOARD / LHFIG: Warning signage for Access to/ exit from SMAN9 was now the subject of an LHFIG request form along with a request for appropriate warning signs on SMAN9.
7. FINANCE:
a) The Chairman had removed former signatories from the PC bank account and secured access to the account for a second councillor. The request for a new bank card to be held by Cllr. Charlick had not been progressed. The Chairman would be in touch with the bank.
b) Expenditure totalling £330.05 was approved.
c) Spending was in line with the budget.
d) The provisional budget for the financial year 2027 – 2028 would be discussed at the next meeting of SMPC.
8. NOMINATED ITEMS:
Rights of Way:
SMAN34 – Cllr. Charlick noted the difficulty of access which involved walking along a curved plastic drainage pipe at present exposed. He requested it be restored for pedestrian access. The Chairman agreed to take this matter forward.
SMAN30 – Cllr. Charlick reported that this was a quagmire in winter. It had been a well used path through bluebell woods. He asked whether it would be possible to improve both surface and drainage.
Notice Boards:
Councillors resolved that the notice board at Lower Chicksgrove should be replaced. It was agreed the new board should be fixed to the existing posts. Cllr. Lester agreed to arrange quotations.
The Walter Allotment Trust: No report.
Highways: No additional problems were reported.
9. PARISH WEBSITE: Cllr. Charlick noted there were now 70 regular subscribers. It remained a valuable source of information although it was considered not possible to post all communication from WC.
10. PLANNING: No further applications.
11. CORRESPONDENCE:
Changes to winter resilience – Parish Councils would assume greater responsibility for winter preparedness. Cllr. Lester agreed to check the physical state of salt bins.
Governance Review – the Chairman had circulated comments. It was agreed the Parish Council, as it existed, could meet responsibilities and valued its direct contact with Cllr. Najjar, WC.
The PC had received invitations to attend presentations about the construction of the new Local Plan.
Planning procedures were changing.
12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS:
The Chairman was in correspondence with National Landscapes about Wiltshire Council’s heavy reliance on August 2023 DEFRA guidelines when considering the diversion of SMAN13. Valuable questions were being raised.
The Chairman was keen to take forward advice from National Landscapes on its website in order to preserve the Dark Skies landscape of which SMPC was a part.
Community Events - Councillors were pleased to note the success of the Churchyard Wall Repair Fundraising Team. Details of all events were available on the parish website. A village BBQ would take place on 20 September at Glebe Farm.
13. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING: the next meeting of the Parish Council would take place on Monday 23rd November at 7 pm at the Stalls.
The meeting closed at 9.00 pm.
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