Issue - meetings

This report is to update Conservators on the completion of the visitor trails and wayfinder project and final grant claim submission.

The Conservators received a report providing an update on the completion of the visitor trails and wayfinder project and the final grant claim submission.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Picnic Tables. A Member of the Conservators raised a concern regarding the picnic tables, which had been drilled through without authority. The concern centred around the suggestion of putting umbrellas in the picnic tables and how that would affect horses using the Downs. The Member suggested that a racehorse trainers should be consulted to determine if use of umbrellas in the picnic tables would be appropriate and acceptable. The Interim Property and Regeneration Manager confirmed that liaison and discussion with the trainers would happen. The Chair suggested that a suitable approach might be for umbrellas to only be permitted to be put out after racehorse training time had ended.

b)           Bin use by Downs keepers. A Member of the Conservators raised a question about the bins that have been replaced, asking whether they had made it easier for Downs keepers to empty whether they were anticipated to be able to withstand the heightened use. The Interim Property and Regeneration Manager confirmed that no complaints have been received so far about the bins being hard to empty or move. The Chair followed up to ask if there was still an option to go back to the manufacturers if an issue arose. The Interim Property and Regeneration Manager confirmed that was the case.

c)            VAT.  A Member of the Conservators asked if theinitial bid for the EAFRD grant was filled out incorrectly initially to incur the VAT costs and raised that even though the Conservators are not a VAT registered body, some of the components that make up the Conservators are and queried if that would make a difference to the VAT bill.  The Head of Finance responded to state that no matter how the form was filled out, it would always be the case that EARFD do not fund the VAT element of the project and informed the Conservators that it cannot be reclaimed as the Conservators are the body that incurred the expenditure, and they are not VAT registered.

Following consideration, the Conservators unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Note the completion of the project.