Draft
CHEW MAGNA PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Minutes of the Meeting held in the Upper Hall of the Old School Room on Tuesday 5 January 2010 at 7.30 pm
Present: Jon Wheatley (Chairman) Rodney Andrews Paul Cornelius Nick Hasell Anne Slade Nick Scholefield Colin Timson Meryl Leach Ian Cox Jacky Morgan Ward Cllr. Malcolm Hanney
Item 1 Apologies Councillor Davis was unable to attend due to the inclement weather..
Item 2 Code of Conduct - Register of Councillors’ Interest The Council formally acknowledged the new guidance for granting dispensation on participation in Council deliberations where more than 50% of the Council had a prejudicial interest or abstentions would distort the political balance. Action: Clerk to circulate the guidance to Cllrs. Interests were declared in the following agenda items: Item 4 – The Chairman as a trustee of the Richard Jones Foundation charity. Item 8 – Planning application 09/20, Cllr. Slade is the house owner. Item 9 d) – The Chairman whose business sub-contracts work to David Littlewood who tendered for the ground maintenance and footpath clearance contracts.
Item 3Minutes of Previous Meetings The minutes of the meeting held in November were agreed and signed off by the Chairman.
Item 4 Village Agent Scheme Chris Head, Chief Executive of Community Action explained the scheme, which currently is a pilot project funded by B&NES covering 10 Chew Valley parishes, and introduced Mary Douglas-Jones who is the Agent for Chew Magna. Based at the Mill, Tunbridge Road in Chew Magna, the role of the Agents is to help people who are isolated through age, illness, language, geography etc., liaising with CAB, the Fire Service, Police and Parish Councils. Continuation of the service beyond the initial 12 months depended on B&NES’s budget and a business case demonstrating the cost effectiveness of Agents and whether other organisations were willing to provide funding. The Council supported this initiative, suggesting the mobile library staff and village postman could be useful sources of information for the Agent, and that sustainability might be an area where the Agents could play a role. Actions: Chairman to meet with Mr.Head to involve the Chew Magna Agent in forthcoming discussions with the Doctors to mitigate the problems that will be caused by the planned relocation of the Surgery to Chew Stoke. Councillors to contact the Village Agent regarding any parishioners who might benefit from some help. Clerk to provide to the Agent points of contact for the parish charities.
Item 5 Youth Issues a) Fred Cotterill, Member of the Youth Parliament for B&NES, briefed the Council on the paramount need for improved, inexpensive and flexible public transport in the Valley, and also to Bath and Bristol. This was the key enabler for participation in youth activities, and for work, education and leisure. The MPV car recently obtained by Target 80 could be a step in this direction. Activities and facilities for teenagers for sports, art, drama, music etc. as well as social meeting places, should be concentrated in just one or two places, to achieve economies of scale and encourage good usage and quality. Ward Cllr. Hanney explained that in total just over £3M p.a. was currently being spent by B&NES on transport subsidies, bus passes and Youth Services, and that these areas perhaps should be better aligned. The Council thanked Fred for his propositions and invited him and other youngsters to contact Cllrs. Slade and Cornelius with their ideas and also attend Parish Council meetings to promote proposals. b) Work days as part of B&NES Youth Offending Team restorative justice programme - Alex Morris from B&NES Youth Offending Team had e-mailed the Council to find out if the parish can offer work days of useful service suitable for their programme for reparation activities within local communities. The Council believed there were several suitable projects. Action: Clerk to respond informing Mr. Morris that Cllr. Slade was the point of contact and suggesting that the re-painting of the railings in the village might be the first project.
Item 6 Public Participation No matters were raised.
Item 7 Matters Arising a) Affordable housing project – The Chairman and Cllr. Cox had not yet completed their approaches to the landowners of the most suitable sites, but would do so by the next meeting. Three of the nine non Council members of the Focus Group (Liz Hawkes, Andy McCellan, and Lynette Cox) no longer wished to participate. The Council agreed to invite Ailish McKendry and Sophie Batt to join the Group. Action: Clerk to issue invitations. b) Quarterly Playground inspection report – The side goal post requires replacement/repair and ground bolts on spring rocker require tightening. The Council agreed GB Sports & Leisure should carry out the necessary maintenance, after Cllr. Cornelius had ascertained whether an existing spare goal post stanchion, held by Councillor Andrews, could be used. Action: Cllrs. Andrews and Cornelius to determine the suitability of the stanchion and inform the Clerk. c) Chew Valley Area Partnership - The Council agreed there should be a meeting within the next month with Valley Parish Councils opposed to the Partnership, to explore topics where concerted action and lobbying could be beneficial e.g. planning, transport, youth activities, expansion of the Mendip ANOB etc. Action: Clerk to invite representatives to a meeting in Chew Magna, from the following Parish Councils: Chew Stoke, Pensford, Publow, Bishop Sutton, Clutton, East and West Harptree, Ubley, Norton Marleward, Stanton Drew and Compton Martin. d) Planned Relocation of the Surgery to the Radford Site – The Chairman read out to the Council the response he had received from the Chief Executive of NHS B&NES (formerly PCT) which confirmed that funding for the new surgery was not conditional on any specific location or timescale. The Chairman considered the response was unsatisfactory as it did not provide answers to the questions raised, nor did it address the Council’s concerns. The majority of the Council supported the aspiration of establishing a Pharmacy in Chew Magna and the Chairman continuing to facilitate a last ditch effort to find an alternative solution to the relocation. Action: The Chairman to brief Ward Cllr. Hanney on the latest development.
Item 8 Planning a) Applications in circulation: 09/19 Randon, 5 Broadcroft – Erection of two storey rear extension following demolition of existing single storey rear extension. Responses had to be sent to B&NES by 31 December, and the Council’s was agreed by e-mail out of committee. The plans represented more than a 60% increase in volume. The Parish Council had raised an objection on these grounds. 09/20 Slade, Ruan House, Chew Hill – Erection of two storey side extension following demolition of existing garage and conservatory. The majority of Cllrs. supported the application but reference to the views of neighbours would be included in the Council’s response to B&NES. Agreed unanimously. 09/21 The Winford Red Limited, Unit 3, Littleton Mill, Chew Road – Erection of business unit following demolition of unit 3. The Council had no objections to the re-build, but would like the design/materials of the building (prefabricated/metal) to be reviewed. Proposed Cllr. Andrews, seconded Cllr. Hasell. 09/22 Perry, Greenleigh Farm, Well Road – Reconstruction and rebuilding of former barn to form holiday cottage. The Council supported the application but would comment that the car parking area did not seem adequate. Proposed by Cllr. Timson, seconded by Cllr. Andrews. 09/13A BIA – Outline plans for expansion of the airport – Notification by North Somerset Council of amendments to planning application. Cllr. Timson reported that North Somerset Council would make its decision on 10 February. BIA is offering to contribute funding towards alleviating traffic problems and highway improvements once passenger numbers reached 10,000. b) Results: 09/18 Taylor, Willow Cottagw, Church Lane – Erection of a single storey rear extension. Permitted. 09/19 Randon, 5 Broadcroft – Erection of two storey rear extension following demolition of existing single storey rear extension. Refused. c) Core Strategy - Draft responses were tabled for consideration by Cllrs.. The Council was generally content with the draft. Actions: Cllrs. Morgan and Scholefield to provide to other Cllrs. and the Clerk their contributions on Nature Conservation and the Environment within the next 5 days. Cllrs. to provide any amendments to the draft responses to the Clerk, again within the next 5 days. d) Trees Action: The Chairman, Cllr. Morgan, Cllr. Andrews and Jane Brewer, B&NES arboricultural officer, to meet to discuss whether the trees at the cricket pitch needed to be removed/re-planted for safety reasons.
Item 9 Finances a) Expenditure approved: Cheque No. T. Hillard (Road sweeper’s salary) £385.97 1373M-L Hales (Clerk’s salary) £551.53 1374 HM Revenue & Customs (Quarterly NICS & PAYE payment) £273.50 1375 M-L Hales (Clerk’s expenses –Postage £19.86 Quarterly telephone £103.50) £123.36 1376 Viking Direct (Cartridges for printer/scanner/copier) £61.72 1377 Proposed by Cllr. Slade, seconded by Cllr. Timson. b) Receipts B&NES Road Sweeping Scheme (December payment) £348.92 B&NES Ward Councillors Initiative £1475.00 B&NES Road Sweeping Scheme (January payment) £348.92 HM Revenue & Customs (VAT rebate) £641.12 c) 2010/11Precept The Council discussed the projected underspend for 2009/10 and draft budget figures for 2010/11. To allow Cllrs. more time to study the figures, the Precept would be decided at the next meeting. Action: Cllrs. to consult Cllr. Andrews regarding any amendments they would like to make. d) Re–tendering of ground maintenance and Footpath clearance contracts. The tendered prices for the ground maintenance contract were David Littlewood £3450 and GT Grasscare £1500. Countrywide Ground Maintenance declined to tender. The Council decided to place the contract with the lowest tenderer – G.T. Grasscare. Proposed by Cllr. Slade, seconded by Cllr. Cox. The Council chose to place the footpath clearance contract with the second lowest priced bidder on the grounds that Mike Reed, who is the current contractor, had proved very reliable and flexible, and his work had been excellent. The tendered prices were David Littlewood £15.50 per hour; Mike Reed £16.00 per hour; and GT Grasscare £17.00 per hour. The lowest bidder was not locally based, and the choice of Mr. Reed would maintain local employment and contribute to the parish’s sustainability efforts. Proposed by Cllr. Andrews, seconded by Cllr. Cox.
Item 10 Transportation, Highways and Footpaths a) Village Car Park – B&NES had been outbid on the purchase of the land previously owned by Punch Taverns, which has been bought by the new owners of the Pelican. Action: The Chairman and Ward Cllr. Hanney will meet the new owners to discuss the situation. b) Parking restrictions in the village – Cllr. Andrews would finalise the Council’s proposals for changes to the current street parking restrictions. Several Cllrs. believed the High Street should be considered holistically by B&NES rather than as a number of separate measures. There were difficulties with all the ideas for improving the priority system at Spratts Bridge. Action: Cllr. Andrews to submit the Council’s proposals to B&NES, highlighting the Council’s concerns. c) Footpath off the Stanton Road near Chew Court Action: Clerk to ask Mike Read to clear footpath CL 3/20.
Item 11 Correspondence a) Chew Valley Leisure Centre – The Manager had written to each Cllr. seeking views on the facilities and future programmes, as part of the consultation for the re-formulation of the long term business plan. Action: Cllrs. to respond individually to the Manager. b) B&NES’s had requested information on the owner of clay pit and land at North Wick for their survey on Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological sites. Action: Clerk to notify B&NES that the owner of the site is Frank Bell, Waterloo Farm.
Item 12 AOB a) BALCA Meeting on 16 February – No Cllr. will attend. Action: Clerk to provide agenda items for the Parish Liaisons meeting to Peter Duppa-Miller. b) Parish Liaison Meeting 24 February – The Chairman and Clerk would attend. c) PACT Meeting on 13 January - Cllr. Slade would attend. d) Annual Parish Meeting – The Council agreed to defer the meeting to 13 April as 6 April fell in the Easter holiday period. The theme would be parishioner participation, to encourage both the young and old to become involved in parish matters. The Living History film would be shown. e) Flood relief co-ordination – Cllr. Leach reported that she had gained 5 volunteers to co-ordinate activities and services during a flood event. f) Quartet Grant for Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition leader - Elli Connah, B&NES youth worker, had confirmed to Cllr. Slade that she no longer had the resources to find an expedition leader. Action: Cllr. Slade to write to Cllr. Chris Watts, B&NES Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children’s Services. g) The Pound Action: Cllrs. Timson and Hasell to propose a plan for restoration work, for discussion at the next meeting.
The meeting ended at 10.15 p.m.
Marie - Louise Hales, Parish Clerk 8 January 2010
|
|---|
DRAFT CHEW MAGNA PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Minutes of the Meeting held in the Upper Hall of the Old School Room on Tuesday 2 February 2010 at 7.30 pm
Present: Jon Wheatley (Chairman) Rodney Andrews Paul Cornelius Nick Hasell Anne Slade Nick Scholefield Colin Timson Meryl Leach Ian Cox Jacky Morgan Doris Davis Ward Cllr. Malcolm Hanney
Item 1 Apologies Ward Cllr. Hanney apologised for leaving the meeting at 8.30 p.m. due to other work he needed to complete that night. Cllr. Morgan left the meeting at 9.30 p.m.
Item 2 Code of Conduct - Register of Councillors’ Interest Interests were declared in the following agenda item: Item 7 b) – Cllrs. Andrews, Slade, Davis and Leach who are members of the Old School Room Management Committee. Item 3Minutes of Previous Meetings The minutes of the meeting held in January were amended, agreed and signed off by the Chairman.
Item 4 Public Participation No matters were raised.
Item 5 Matters Arising a) Annual Parish meeting 13 April – It was agreed that the theme should be “parishioner participation”, to engage parishioners in the Parish Council’s work and as a precursor to the Parish Council elections in 2011. An exhibition would be held on Saturday morning 10th April. The exhibits would cover CCTV – whether to renew the system – and crime; the local Charities; improving the parish environment; Affordable housing; the Village Agent; renovation of The Pound and the potential for establishing a Heritage Trail around the village; and the rationale for further cost reduction measures regarding street lighting funded by the Council Actions: Clerk to invite potential speakers, including P.C. Simon Glanfield. Council working groups to prepare presentations on their areas of responsibility. Cllrs. Timson and Hasell and Clerk to meet John Bresnahan to discuss ideas for restoring The Pound. b) Playground equipment – Cllr. Cornelius confirmed he would be able to repair the stanchion attached to the goal post. c) The meeting between the CEO of the Radstock Co-operative Society and the Chairman, Cllr. Andrews and the Clerk, held on 29 January had been very productive. The Co-op has undertaken to consult the Council before it makes changes and will address ways of improving how waste material is contained outside the store. For the time being the Council would tolerate the back lighting on the signs, which will be turned off when the store is shut, but will revisit the issue in due course. Action: Clerk to liaise with the Co-op manager on a continuing basis. d) Flood Protection Scheme – Cllr. Timson reported that B&NES’s application for a grant of £295,000 to survey properties and install protective measures in the Winford Brook area, would be considered later this month and a decision made in March. There would then be just one year to complete any required work on the properties. e) Chew Valley Partnership – Stanton Drew and Bishop Sutton Parish Councils did not wish to participate in an alternative forum to the Partnership. The Parish Councils of Ubley, Clutton, West Harptree, Chew Stoke and Compton Martin have expressed interest. Actions: Clerk to invite all the Valley Councils and Ward Cllr. Hanney to a meeting in Chew Magna to be held p.m. February 19. The Chairman, Cllr. Slade and Cllr. Andrews to attend. f) Youth Services - Ward Cllr. Hanney confirmed that funding constraints meant that B&NES would have to target money for Youth Service to the areas where there was the greatest deprivation. This would result in a movement away from B&NES staff initiating and running schemes, to a more subordinate role whereby B&NES would help local communities progress and manage their own initiatives.
Item 6 Planning a) Application in circulation: 10/01 Warren, West View, The Chalks – Provision of rear dormer. The Council would comment that the proposed skylight should have non-reflecting glass and adequate soundproofing should be included between West View and the adjoining house, The Anchorage. 10/02 Hamilton-Davies, Parcel 9772 Norton Lane – Provision of new vehicle access. Actions: The Chairman and Cllr. Cox to discuss the application with Tim Hamilton-Davies. Clerk to seek an extension from B&NES on the deadline for comment, so that the application can be considered at the March Parish Council meeting. Hunt – Erection of agricultural poly-tunnel and extension of existing barn. Although the application had not been sent to the Council, it agreed to submit comments to B&NES drawing attention to the enforcement history at the site; asking for assurances regarding the proposed use of the poly-tunnel and extended barn; and suggesting that the tunnel could be better orientated to maximise its effectiveness and should be nearer to the barn. b) Enforcement: i) B&NES officials have not yet re-visited Travessa, which is owned by the Hunts, to check the grounds are no longer being used as car parks, but have visited Butham Lane and are in discussion with the Hunts regarding the parked coach. ii) Another Enforcement letter has been delivered to the owners of the new straw house at Limeburn Hill c) Appeal - Tyler, JAT Environmental Reclamations, The Barn, Chew Road – Nature of breach “Without planning permission a material change of use from Use for Storage and Sale of building materials (use Sui Generis) to Class B2 (General Industrial) Use namely the cutting and processing of stone and associated storage of stone and sale of stone products); and associated building operations (namely the erection of covered working areas) d) Tree work applications - The Council agreed that a minimum of two Cllrs. should examine each application. In addition to Cllr. Morgan, either Cllr. Andrews, or in his absence, the Chairman should be involved. e) Update on BIA expansion planning application – Cllr. Timson updated the Council. It has asked that the application should be called in by the Secretary of State as the concessions and amendments regarding climate change, green belt and the funding it is offering towards improving transport services and roads is completely inadequate. The Council has also commented to B&NES on the Summary Draft Section 106 obligations and amendments. A special meeting of North Somerset Council's Southern Area planning committee will now sit on 3rd March to consider the application. f) Affordable Housing – Cllr. Slade reported the outcome of the visit to the sites that had the best potential, carried out by B&NES officials and English Rural Housing on 26 January. Many were deemed by B&NES to have access problems, both vehicular and pedestrian, and at this stage there was no clear front runner. It was evident that some compromises would be necessary. B&NES is drafting a report on the sites and then it would be for the Parish Council to select its preferred site. Actions: Chairman to complete initial discussions with site owners and again sound out John Bresnahan regarding the Tennis Court site. Clerk to request a copy of B&NES’s draft report before it is finalised so that the Council can make an input. Clerk to arrange a meeting of Councillors and Ward Cllr. Hanney when the draft is available.
Item 7 Finances a) Expenditure agreed by the Council: Cheque Nos. T. Hillard (Road sweeper’s salary) £385.97 101378M-L Hales (Clerk’s salary) £551.73 101379 EDF (Electricity supply for street lighting) £481.74 101380 Mike Reed (Footpath clearance) £42.00 101381 SEC (Street lighting maintenance) £191.38 101382 (Proposed Cllr. Slade, seconded Cllr. Leach) b) 2010/11Precept – The Council agreed to increase the Precept by £500 to £21500 (2.38% more than the 09/10 Precept) (proposed by Cllr. Andrews, seconded by Cllr. Hasell). Although there was likely to be an underspend against this year’s Precept, the Council needed to have sufficient reserves to cope with the very significant expenditure expected next year to maintain and update street lighting; maintain and replace playground equipment; potential village car park costs; and any renewal of the ageing CCTV system. Cllr. Timson raised concerns regarding the amount and legitimacy of the provision for a grant to the Old School Room to assist with the payment of the building insurance premium. The Chairman stated the budget item was wholly justified as the building was a key part of the village.
Item 8 Correspondence B&NES Library Survey Action: The Clerk and Cllr. Davis to respond to the survey. Cllr. Leach had already commented to B&NES.
Item 9 Transportation, Highways and Footpaths a) Potholes – In response to Cllr. Davis, Ward Cllr. Hanney stated that an additional £3M had been included in B&NES’s budget for 2010/11 for highways maintenance, of which £1M was directly related to the recent cold weather. £0.5M had been brought forward from next year to the current financial year. He believed B&NES would be issuing a general request to Parish Councils, to be informed of potholes that posed a hazard. Action: Cllrs. individually to inform B&NES of the worst potholes and any instance where repairs had proved unsatisfactory. b) A368 Weight restrictions – Ward Cllr. Hanney understood B&NES was in contact with North Somerset Council about establishing consequent weight limits on the B3130. Action: Clerk to contact B&NES to ascertain the state of play. c) Footpath clearance – Following Mike Reed’s report, the Council agreed he should take down the tree that was in danger of falling at the start of the footpath CL3/20, opposite the drive to Chew Court, which he had recently cleared. (Proposed Cllr. Cornelius, seconded Cllr. Leach). Action: Clerk to report to B&NES the broken railing and footpath sign at the footpath entrance and also a tree hazard at Little Barton at the junction of the Stanton Road with Norton Lane. d) Community Action and Target 80 Meeting 9 February – The meeting to discuss transport needs in the valley and how these can be met through community transport schemes, had been cancelled. e) Norton Lane encroachment of bank onto the road opposite Lower Batch. Action: Cllr. Cornelius will speak to the landowner and if the problem falls within B&NES’s bailiwick the Council will write to B&NES. f) Parking restrictions in the village – Cllr. Andrews tabled the latest version of the Council’s proposals for changes to the current street parking restrictions. The Clerk reported that B&NES’s Traffic Safety engineer believed consultant advice would be required to address the High Street holistically. By a vote carried by a majority of Councillors (7 for, 1 against and 1 abstention) it was agreed that the double yellow lining at Spratts Bridge should be extensive on both sides of the road. Action: Cllr. Andrews to amend the Council’s proposals and submit them to B&NES, highlighting the Council’s concerns and asking for detailed drawings to be produced. The Parish Council would then ensure there was public consultation prior to the drawing up the road traffic order.
Item 10 AOB a) Maps – Cllrs. Scholefield and Morgan had attended a meeting at which the availability of on-line maps had been promoted by B&NES. The Council agreed that provided costs were minimal, i.e. around £10 per annum, the Council would make use of the service provided by the firm “Getmapping” (Proposed Cllr. Cox, seconded by Cllr. Slade) b) High Street – The Council agreed an additional bollard was required along the High Street opposite the Old Stable where the road narrows. Action: Clerk to make the request to B&NES. c) Chew Magna street scene Actions: Clerk to advise Denise Perrin and Cllr. Hasell to speak to the Better Food Company informing them that the banner placed at the triangle advertising the Saturday vegetable stall at the Old Mill, could not be permanent and should be removed after a couple of weeks, or only erected the day before each market – provided it was taken away immediately after. d) Status of the village car park – Several Cllrs. reported that parishioners had asked them for information regarding the ownership and continued use of the village car park. Action: The Chairman to liaise with the owners of the car park to produce a joint statement. e) Blue bags provided by B&NES for the collection of waste cardboard. Action: Clerk to write to B&NES to point out that there were still households that had not received a bag.
The meeting ended at 10.25 p.m. Marie - Louise Hales, Parish Clerk |
|---|