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Cllr Ferris Cowper's report to BLPC - Editor (20th May 2013 - 10:13:06) AGM 20th May 2013 This report is a little shorter than usual due to the general disruption in County Council activities during the election period. First of all I am very pleased to be re-elected as your County Councillor and I look forward to continuing to work with you. Secondly, please be aware that I have just been elected as the Leader of East Hampshire District Council. This should not detract significantly from my County duties because, on being chosen as the new EHDC Leader, I resigned my private sector employment as Chairman of FWP Matthews Ltd. a £12m food manufacturing company. To the normal business, the main points I have to report are as follows. There is no updated highway spreadsheet on this occasion. 1. Highways a. Walk to Woolmer Hill School Through Hammer Lane, Bramshott A new Surrey County Councillor for the Haslemere Division was elected and she is very committed to safer routes to school. I have engaged her support for this scheme. Her name is Cllr. Nikki Barton. 2. Children’s Services The biggest local issue at the moment is the Bohunt Manor proposal. I attended last Monday’s meeting of your Planning Committee and commented then, but since then I have received my briefing from HCC Children’s Services. I was briefed by the County Council Assistant Director and the Area Director. A synopsis of this briefing follows. As a result of recent growth in housing in the parish and the effect of planning applications approved but for which no building has yet begun, HCC Children’s Services estimate that by 2015 there will be a need for a further 0.5 of a class in each primary education year group, (that’s about 15 pupils per year group). This requires a physical expansion of capacity to be ready by 2015. HCC are open to all options. Their main concern is to ensure that there is a continuation of high quality education in this area. Whilst there are different considerations applying to a maintained school such as Liphook Federated Junior and Infants when compared with an Academy such as Bohunt, both solutions are likely to require public funds and the deployment of developers contributions from past developments that have been earmarked for education. Both solutions will require approval from the DfE. The cost of the extra capacity running through all primary school year groups will be significant, possibly in the region of £8m although no detailed estimation has yet been carried out. Although an Academy or an Independent School could apply to the DfE to progress this capacity independently, the scale of the financial challenge is likely to ensure that the Education Authority remains in overall management control of the capacity expansion. The Bohunt School interest depends on the Bohunt Manor planning application, as I mentioned last Monday. If we assume the application to the South Downs National Park, (the Planning Authority for the proposed application), is refused and an appeal ensues it is unlikely that a decision will be made finally on this until end September at the earliest. The DfE would need to be alerted to the options available by about the beginning of January 2014, based on normal lead times I am told, to ensure the capacity will be in place by September 2015. That suggests the final quarter of this year will be the timescale for the consultation and decision. HCC Children’s Services also tell me that local opinion is a significant consideration when developing a solution. As a result there will be an extensive consultation programme involving everyone on the community who wishes to be involved. 2. Millennium Centre Following a contact from Cllr. Hoskins, I have just recently initiated enquiries about grant funds to assist with the cost of repairs and refurbishment. 3. Contact You can contact me at ferris.cowper@hants.gov.uk or on 01428-609858. Cllr. Ferris Cowper, Hampshire County Councillor for Bramshott and Liphook, Grayshott and Headley 19th May 2013

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