The Parish Council discussed comments made from a member of the public concerning the Parish Councils minutes and their presentation. The comments have been taken on board. However, items that the Parish Council discuss at a meeting are not always easy to bring to conclusion quickly. Some items can take months by the time they have been referred back to a Council meeting following the Clerk writing back to the correspondent. It has been suggested that a copy of the minutes could go to the Post Office subject to their approval once they have been signed by the Chairman at the following meeting.

Further to the Parish Councils continuing investigations of the ownership of Highlands wall and the land adjacent to it, the results of the Land Registry enquiry showed that number 30 and 32 Highlands own their strip of land adjacent to the A360 while the ownership of the rest is uncertain.

The Conservation Area Character Assessment, which was commissioned by Kennet District Council, has highlighted the special characteristics of the Potterne Conservation Area and is intended to provide guidance on the preservation and enhancement of the village. Comments on the document have been sent to Mr C Johns, the Planning and Historic Building Consultant, so that they can be taken on board by Kennet District Council. The Conservation Area report may form part of the local plan.

Councillor Bunce gave a progress report on the Pathfinder project. An ISDN line has now been installed in the Village Hall. All the equipment that has been bought as part of this project is portable apart from the ISDN line. Over the last couple of months the Pathfinder committee has accepted the challenge of launching the project by March 31st, has designed and distributed questionnaires on the facilities which should be provided, and have negotiated a place for the project to take place - Potterne Village Hall. Potterne.net (the name of the Pathfinder project for Potterne) will be a website containing village and Parish Council information, and local advertising such as accommodation. The launch date for Potterne.net is Monday March 25th at 7:30pm in Potterne Village Hall.

In the Open Session the ditch in Tollbar Lane was brought to the attention of the Parish Council as the amount of silt that has accumulated will soon cause flooding in periods of heavy rainfall.

The Storyteller project continues to be advanced with a visit to St Mary's House and the School and it has been suggested that the tree outside St Mary's House could form part of a story.

The Jubilee Cup will be presented at the Annual Parish Meeting and so the Parish Council need to receive nominations on a possible recipient of the cup by April 8th. This will be advertised in the Parish Magazine.

The Pantomime Group will be performing their 'Greatest Hits' on June 21st and 22nd as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations. There are so many other activities over the weekend of the Jubilee that it is considered that there would be more interest in any village event on a different weekend. The Parish Council are looking for other village organization to add to the celebrations on this weekend.

On February 8th 2002 Wiltshire Magistrates Court Service concluded its review on the Courtrooms. Trowbridge Courthouse is to close as of April 1st 2002 and Devizes Courthouse will be closed to coincide with the opening of the Courthouse in Salisbury.

A consultation document has been received from the racial equality board. Unfortunately this arrived a week after the end of the consultation period. However the Clerk will keep this document for future reference.

Kennet District Council have granted planning permissions to:

• Nafford House for the provision of new windows and internal alterations
• Whistley Farm Bungalow for alterations to existing dwellings and a new garage block
• Wick Cottage for the erection of a single storey extension and porch together with new access and parking area

Councillor Day suggested that the Parish Council should look seriously into the future use of the Chapel in Mill Lane. The Rural Ministries are proposing to sell the property for residential use subject to planning permissions. Several people have expressed concern about the loss of this village amenity and have asked the Parish Council to investigate the possibility of leasing or buying the property for village use. The Clerk will contact the Rural Ministries directly.

Ringway Parkman have informed the Parish Council that there will be major roadworks along the A360 from Silver Street in Potterne to The Fairway in Devizes. This will consist of roadside kerbing, resurfacing of defective footways, addition of dropped crossing points, upgrading of additional drainage system, resurfacing of the entire existing carriage way and renewal and updating of road markings and traffic signs. These works are provisionally programmed to commence in the third quarter of 2002, taking at least six weeks. Temporary traffic signals will be in operation and a temporary road closure with a diversion will be operating, which the Parish Council will be informed of nearer the time.

A reply has been received from Wiltshire County Council in relation to traffic management schemes in Potterne in the next financial year. This will include a mini-roundabout and a zebra crossing at the junctions of the Butts and Silver Street. At the southern end of the village, Blounts Court, it is intended that there will be a central island put in place. Hopefully this work will be carried out in late summer and tie in to the general improvement to the A360.

The Parish Council discussed the refuse recycling bins at the Bell, as they will have to be moved if the planning applications for residential use are approved. If any member of the public have suggestions on sites for relocation the Parish Council would be pleased to here from them.