Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Isabel Mackay-Yau (health).

Transcription

1 RIDGEWELL PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 8 MARCH 2011 AT THE VILLAGE HALL Present: Mr Nick Rouse (Chairman) Mr Len Adams Mr Len Ellis Dr Christine Hale Mr Adam Richardson Mrs Susan Rouse () 1 Welcome and apologies The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. He particularly welcomed Len Adams to his last meeting as a Councillor and thanked him, on behalf of the village, for his loyal service and hard work. Len has been a Councillor for ten years and spent seven of those as Chairman of the Council. ACTION Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Isabel Mackay-Yau (health). 2 Declarations of Members interest in agenda items (including nonmandatory section 12.2 of the Code of Conduct) There were none. 3 Parishioners Open Forum There were three members of the public present. Mrs Janet Ridsdill-Smith echoed the Chairman s thanks to Cllr Adams. 4 Minutes of last meeting Minutes of meeting held on 11 January 2011 were agreed as a true record and signed. 5 Visitors Reports There were no visitors present. 6 Election in May 2011 The outlined the procedure for the Parish Council election due on 5 May this year. Forms were issued to those Councillors wishing to stand for re-election. These should be completed and returned to the by 29 March. Failing that Councillors are personally responsible for ensuring that their forms are returned to the Returning Officer at BDC by the deadline of 12 noon on Monday, 4 April. Posters advertising for new Councillors have been displayed. All 7 s Report Pot holes in Orchard Close and on the A1017 were repaired in January. Salt bins were refilled in January. A complaint regarding the Council s article on dog fouling was received on 17 January. The writer felt that the article targeted all dog owners rather than those committing an offence. A reply was sent on 20 January having been agreed by all Councillors. RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 1

2 Equipment for litter picks by the school and Garden Society was ordered for 25/26 March. A refuse vehicle for the village clean-up day has been ordered for 16 April at a cost of 160. All 13 of our volunteers attended the Community Speed Watch training in January. Confusion regarding no show may have arisen on the day as two of them live in Baythorne End. A request has been received from a parishioner for a street light at the far end of Ashen Road. The explained that this was unlikely to be possible given the high cost of providing an additional light, especially in the current financial climate. Two parishioners have been referred to the Village Agent who may be able to provide assistance to them. 8. Parish Plan Refresh ENV3: Wheelie bins the audit planned for 2/3 March did not take place. This will now be conducted on 30/31 March. 8.2 ENV1: Turning off street lights information on the part night photo cells had only been received from May Gurney today. This item was therefore deferred for discussion at the next meeting. Any requests for clarification regarding the cells should be submitted to the so that answers can be obtained prior to the next meeting. On a related matter, the service level from May Gurney over the winter months had been very poor, particularly with the repair of two street lights in Ashen Road. It was resolved to send a letter of complaint to them. 8.3 ENV4: Review whether additional dog bins required. 74% of survey respondents had requested more bins although narrative comments generally suggested that additional bins were not the answer and the problem of dog fouling is caused by one or two selfish owners. It was agreed that, as a first step, a survey of existing bins would be conducted to establish their location and condition and any sites not currently covered by bins. LA/LE/ All AR 8.4 The Parish Plan Refresh group, which now comprises 7 people, met in February and agreed to take on 9 projects. They will meet again in May to review progress. 9 Community Speed Watch The equipment and the risk assessment have now been received from the Police. It was agreed that two practice sessions will be held during March to give volunteers an opportunity to practice. The will draw up a rota to start formal patrols in April. A co-ordinator for the scheme is required and Cllr Richardson, the only trained councillor, does not have the time to perform this role now. It was felt that, as CSW is a Council initiative, a councillor should lead the team for up to a year to build a successful team. This item was deferred until the next meeting for the new Council to consider. AR RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 2

3 10 Housing/Planning Detailed responses can be viewed on the Braintree District Council website using the reference numbers given below Planning applications for discussion at the meeting None 10.2 Planning applications Observations conveyed to BDC None 10.3 Planning applications Decisions received from BDC /00329/TPOCON Belle Vue, Drury Lane: Felling of group of sycamore trees in rear garden Granted /01682/ELD Pineside, Ashen Road: Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for an existing use Use of building as an office and use of site and buildings as storage in association with building business Refused /00247/FUL White Horse Inn Erection of side and rear extensions and associated works The applicant s appeal against the decision to refuse this application was dismissed by the Inspector Any other planning matters Village Stores There has been no further activity at the site by the applicant. Planning Enforcement continue to monitor the situation Affordable Housing update A meeting had been held with Flagship Housing on 9 February 2011 to review progress. Agreement between Flagship and ECC on a sale price for the required land is awaited. The had spoken to ECC s agents (Lambert Smith Hampton) to expedite a response. Clarification from the government is awaited on how the affordable housing system will work under the coalition. This is not expected for some while so it is unlikely that an information event to consult with villagers will take place before the summer Potential availability of land in Chapel Road A limited response had been received to the request to residents for ideas for use of the above land. It was agreed that a second note on this subject be issued to villagers asking them to indicate their support of the various options suggested so far including a do nothing option. It was felt that the opportunity to secure this land for the village was an important one and the idea should not be closed down without further consultation. RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 3

4 Ball park figures for the land range from 500pa per acre on a 25 year lease to 5,000-10,000 per acre to purchase the freehold. 11 Finance 11.1 Payments totalling 1, were approved. App The finance report for March was received. It is expected that expenditure for the financial year will be within budget Travel expenses for Councillors This item was raised by Cllr Richardson who felt that councillors should have the opportunity to claim petrol expenses for attending meetings on behalf of the Council. After discussion, it was agreed (Cllr Adams abstained) that a policy should be drafted for discussion/approval at the next meeting whereby councillors could claim if they so wished. Historically, Ridgewell councillors have not claimed expenses but it was noted that the cost of petrol continues to rise. No budget has been allocated for this for 2011/ It was resolved to appoint Heelis and Lodge to conduct the 2010/11 internal audit at a cost of It was resolved not to renew the domain names previously used by the Parish Council when these expire in April. App 2 12 Environmental/Grounds Maintenance Matters 12.1 Grant application for new trees for the village greens Cllr Rouse presented his application to the Big Tree Fund seeking a grant towards 11 new trees for the village. Two alders for Chapel Green An oak for the left-hand side of Church Lane (as approached from the A1017) and an ash for the right-hand side. These will frame the entrance to Church Lane and will mark this year s Royal Wedding and next year s Diamond Jubilee. Three Acer campestre for Cage Green (by Sunnyside). These are particularly good for autumn colour. Two limes either side of the slip road on the main green to soften the impact of the road across the green. The school will be involved in planting the trees at the end of November. Cllr Rouse will attend an assembly to explain the project. The total cost of the project is 530, including trees, mulch and growing aids. It is hoped that 75% of this will be funded by the grant with the balance coming from the community. The Garden Society has already agreed to make a donation. The Project was approved for submission. RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 4

5 12.2 Report on village walk-round Cllrs Rouse/Adams reported as follows: Repairs to village green Chapel Green, along edge of Meetings Lane closest to Chapel, and near Chapel needs building up with soil and repair. Problem is caused by cars passing on entry/exit from the pre-school. If the problem persists, costs will need to be passed to pre-school/chapel. Drury Lane, along edge adjacent to war memorial, needs building up with soil as does Sunnyside driveway entrance. 2-3 turfs to be set by post box to get grass established. A quotation for this work will be obtained for it to be done in April Drainage of land behind bus shelter This area is extremely wet and the annexe to Richmond House had been threatened with flooding recently. The surface water drain from Drury Lane going towards Church Lane may not be working properly. This will be inspected after a heavy rainfall to see if the drain is running. If not, it will be necessary to arrange for a camera to be put into the drain to see whether any potential blockage is on Highways land or the village green. The estimated cost of the camera to the Council is 250 which will have to come from reserves RPC-owned footways The Meetings Lane footway is deteriorating but it was agreed that no action will be taken at present. Watch will be kept on it. Outside Poplar Cottage there are small potential trip hazards developing which may need patching at some point. Agreed no immediate action necessary Meetings Lane Condition of this has deteriorated significantly with the mouth breaking up and pot holes increasing in size. On list of work awaited from ECC. Will be reported again Church Lane Water is seeping from the edge of patched area. Possible water main leak. Will be reported to ECC again. Kerb edge is uneven and possibly dangerous. Will be raised with the School as this is possibly the demarcation point between Highways and the School. LE LA/ LA/ LA/ 12.3 Stock of sandbags The sandbags currently stored at The Cedars will be checked for RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 5

6 condition. The owners are moving home shortly and a new storage place may be required Any other environmental/grounds matters The PROW to the allotment site is in a very poor condition and has been moved, over time, from its original location. This will be reported to ECC PROW team. BDC is offering 10 free native trees, including oak and ash, to be planted by end of March These are too small for the village greens project (see 12.1). Contact will be made with the church, chapel, school and village hall to see if they are interested. LA 13 Street furniture/signage st Bomb Group Memorial, Oaker Hill Further contact from the Bomb Group awaited Signs advertising burger van Blackboards advertising the burger van service outside the village have been displayed recently at both ends of the village. These are unsightly and will be reported to ECC Highways for removal as a licence for such boards is required. Checks will also be made to see whether the new owner has the licence for the burger van including a condition to clear rubbish each day The slab set in front of the post box has been broken. A replacement, donated by a resident, will be put in place The finger sign near the village sign will be repaired. 14 Highways and Footways matters 14.1 All dealings with ECC Highways must now go through a Customer Liaison Team whereas previously we had a nominated contact for our queries and requests. The new system is not working well. A letter to County Councillor Finch will be drafted to this effect Three Chimneys Lane has been prepared for re-surfacing from May this year. This is not a matter that has been raised by the Council and it was felt that there are other more urgent highways issues in the village. A comment to this effect will be included in the above letter. 15 Flood protection for properties A letter from ECC dated 2 March 2011 was considered. It was agreed that there are no groups of houses in Ridgewell meeting the criteria for the flood protection being suggested. 16 Queen s Diamond Jubilee Volunteers from the Garden Society, History Society and WI along with two Councillors will form the nucleus of a committee to discuss the above with an initial meeting taking place in April/May. Ashen has opted to arrange its own celebration. LA LA RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 6

7 17 Events RCCE community-led planning event 5 March 2011 Cllr Hale had circulated a report of her attendance at the above which she had not found very useful. Toppesfield Parish Council wants to talk to Ridgewell about our Parish Plan Refresh exercise. BDC Parish Summit 29 March 2011 The Chairman and the will attend this. CH/ 18 Next meeting The next meeting will be on 10 May Signed:... Date:... BALC = Braintree Association of Local Councils BDC = Braintree District Council CSW = Community Speed Watch ECC = Essex County Council RCCE = Rural Community Council of Essex RPC Minutes 08/03/11 Page 7