English Bicknor Parish Council. Minutes of the bi-monthly meeting held on 4th August 2014 at English Bicknor Village Hall.

Transcription

1 English Bicknor Parish Council Minutes of the bi-monthly meeting held on 4th August 2014 at English Bicknor Village Hall. Those present were as follows: Councillor Mrs P. Drinkall - Chairman Councillor Mr J. Carrick Councillor Mr S. Dartnell Councillor Mrs D. Owen Councillor Mr D. Gunter Councillor Mrs G. Warden-Heggie Councillor Mr C. Lathan Also present were County Councillor Mr C. Guyton, County Highways Engineer Mrs E. Kirkham, Mrs A. Nicholson, Mrs M. Powell, Mrs S. Edwards, Mr R. Owen, Mr G. Cranfield, Miss D. Bowen and Mrs A. Bowen 490. Apologies and welcome Apologies were received from Mr V. Smith, County Council Cabinet Member for roads, District Councillor Mrs M. Smart and PCSO N. Jones Public Forum Cllr Mrs Drinkall introduced County Highways Engineer, Mrs Liz Kirkham who had come to give an update regarding the road closure at Junction Hill. Since April the works required on Junction Hill have been the County Council's top priority. Topographical surveys took place two weeks ago and ground investigations started today. Work is due to start at the end of October and she was confident that the road will be open before Christmas. Inclement weather will not affect the repairs as a process which is new to Gloucestershire called electro-kinetic stabilisation will be used. This process involves putting in charges to get rid of the moisture in the soil, which then stabilises the soil and provides long term stability. The works should take about 8 weeks to complete, but resurfacing can start half way through the stabilisation process, which takes 6 weeks. Mrs Kirkham explained that various options, including the use of hardcore, had been considered, but the process chosen, which has been used very successfully by other Councils, is cheaper, will ensure that the road is open quickly whatever the weather and should work for between 50 and 100 years. It was confirmed that there may be traffic lights on the road for a while after the road is opened for the work to be completed. Those present were able to question Mrs Kirkham about the repair, voice their concerns at signage, with no diversion route indicated, increased traffic on unsuitable roads and the continuing problem of the blocked culvert on Junction Hill past the junction with Tump Lane. It was confirmed that there would be no compensation against the County Council for any loss of business due to the road closure, and that the County had hoped that the repair carried out in 2013 would work, but subsequently the road slipped even more and is still slipping. In response to concerns, Mrs Kirkham will -

2 1. Arrange for a copy of the Geotechnical report to be sent to James Wakely of the NFU. 2. Provide information about other sites where electro-kinetic stabilisation has been used. 3. Speak to the Improvements team about the possibility of having the 30mph speed limit extended to include that section of the Hillersland to Symonds Yat road which is currently 40mph. 4. When available, send a scheme drawing to the Parish Council, highlighting the drainage improvements to be included on the upslope side of the road. 5. Ask Mr B Watkins to review the diversion signing, particularly with respect to the approach to Berry Hill Pike from Coleford, as lorries in particular are still travelling to English Bicknor and there has also been a steep increase in the number of lorries using the Hillersland Road and becoming stuck at the bottom of Symonds Yat Rock pitch. 6. Ask about clearing the culvert below the junction of Tump Lane and Junction Hill Several parishioners voiced their concerns at the bus service through English Bicknor. The bus due at 10.10am is frequently late due to road closures, often arriving at 10.25am. A second bus goes into Coleford at mid-day, but the last bus from Coleford leaves at 12.10pm. Cllr Mrs Drinkall confirmed that she will be attending an information day by Forest Routes, a new community transport partnership in the Forest of Dean, which is to be held at Bream on 8th September, and offered to take interested parishioners. Mr R. Owen addressed the meeting to explain that he has been mowing the village green opposite the church lych gate for over 2 years and his concerns at the possibility that this area could be made a hardstanding for parking, although the Parish Council had placed white stones around the edge of the grass stating 'no parking'. The village green is at the heart of the Village Conservation Area and has in the past been spoilt by car parking. Cllr Mrs Drinkall thanked Mr Owen for mowing the green on behalf of the Parish Council and was grateful for Mr Cranfield's offer of assistance should Mr Owen be unable to carry on at any time Reading and confirmation of the minutes of the last bi-monthly meeting The minutes of the June meeting were signed by the chairman after being proposed by Cllr Gunter, seconded by Cllr Dartnell and approved by all those present Report of the County Councillor County Cllr Guyton thanked the Parish for their frankness in explaining the problems associated with the road closure and hoped that the message would get through to the Authority. Cllr Guyton will be meeting Mr Watkins of Highways on 14th August and asked that we let him know of anything we want brought up. Cllr Drinkall confirmed that it was Mr Watkins who had suggested a speed limit on the Hillersland Road and could this be followed up. The Parish Council were surprised at the recent resurfacing of Balls Hill, which is a no-through road and serves only 6 properties. Cllr Guyton confirmed that he had also been unaware that this road was to be resurfaced.

3 494. Report of the District Councillor A report forwarded by District Cllr Mrs M. Smart was read by Cllr Mrs Drinkall. The District Council already share some services with neighbouring Councils and are considering extending this in a bid to save a possible 55million over the next 10 years. The Draft Allocations document and the County Council's Minerals Local Plan have now been published and are available for consultation. Cllr Mrs Smart stressed the importance of studying the Allocations document and submitting comments to the District Council Matters arising from the minutes of the last bi-monthly meeting 458. Bus Service The clerk has written to Mr Elsmore at Forest of Dean District Council and to Mr Bill Carr at Gloucestershire County Council re the new time-tables. A reply has been received from Mr Carr, who says that Stagecoach are reducing some of their commercial services in the Herefordshire area and this will have an impact on Gloucestershire passengers. Also, due to funding cuts, Herefordshire County Council will be withdrawing their subsidy for various services including service 35, from 30 Aug The loss of bus 35 would leave English Bicknor with no bus service, however on 4th August Mr A. Barrett confirmed, via Mr C. Elsmore, that there would be a replacement for this threatened service. Mr Barrett will also ensure that there will be a link up with the Lydney bus at Coleford, there will be sufficient waiting time at Monmouth and there will be a bus for those who work in Monmouth. Cllr Gunter asked why bus passes given to the elderly could not be used to pay for fares on alternative transport, such as taxis. County Cllr Guyton will take this up, though he explained that the bus pass scheme was set up by central Government and they set the rules Junction Hill County Cllr Mr C. Guyton had arranged for Mr V. Smith (County Council Cabinet member for roads) to talk to the Parish Council about the road closure and take any questions that the Parish Council/public may have. At the last minute his place was taken by Highways' Engineer Mrs E. Kirkham. Mr B. Watkins confirmed that he is disappointed to hear that some drivers are ignoring a plethora of signs either for the restriction at Symonds Yat Rock or the closure at English Bicknor. He has raised this with Amey, their new contractor, for their consideration, and has made suggestions on possible wording on a sign. Cllr Lathan confirmed that the Ordnance Survey maps do not show the B4432 as continuing to Symonds Yat Rock, so it was hoped that eventually the County Council will update their maps, which still show the B4432 as continuing to Symonds Yat Rock Parish Council's Chairmen's Board Strips of metal for the board have been received, free of charge, from Mr Verity. However Mr Verity has misplaced the original strip which we sent to him. The strips received do not match those on the board so the clerk was asked to contact Mr Verity again to ask if he has any closer to the original Bus service in Hillersland It was agreed to send another letter to the District Council's transport co-ordinator asking if we could have some response before the Forest Routes meeting on 8th September Weed spraying Mr B. Watkins apologised for the delay in spraying the weeds through English Bicknor and confirmed that the works will be carried out from County Cllr Mr Guyton's councillor budget. On 15th July Mr

4 Watkins promised that the pavements through the village from Oak Farm to the church lychgate, and along Murrells Road, to be scraped of weeds, and then sprayed at a later date. He will also arrange for the nettles etc at the base of the hedge opposite the entrance to Cowmeadow Farm to be dealt with. The clerk will contact Mr Watkins to confirm that the weeds between Oak Farm and Redhouse Lane were subsequently sprayed, while nothing has been done to the weeds along the main road between Redhouse Lane and the lych gate or to those at the base of the hedge opposite Cowmeadow Farm. 428 Lime Kilns Letters of thanks have been sent to Mr P. Scott and Mr R. Fyffe for their work on this project. The area is becoming overgrown again and needs clearing. It was agreed to spray the weeds in April Neighbourhood Watch Mrs C. Parks has agreed to come to the Parish Council meeting in October to speak about Neighbourhood Watch. Mr P. Gwilliam will be invited to the meeting as it is understood that he was involved when the scheme was originally set up in English Bicknor Missing road sign, Main Road, English Bicknor Cllr Warden- Heggie explained that the sign is not missing, but has slipped to the bottom of the post. The clerk will again contact the relevant Authority Culvert under Junction Hill A further was sent to Highways on 15th June, but no reply has been received Trees between Chapel Hill and Sterts Farm At a meeting held on 15th July between Councillors Mrs Drinkall and Mr Carrick and Mr T. Bird and Mr B. Watkins of Gloucestershire Highways, Mr Bird, the county arboriculturist, stated that he had looked at these trees and did not feel that any work was needed Parish website Four sites are still available as English Bicknor Parish Council, three of which contain up to date information. Mr P. Scott confirmed that it is the site with the green title bar which is the correct site. Mr Scott will be asked whether he can delete the old sites, Councillors confirmed that a search for 'English Bicknor' only brings up the new site Street light adjacent to Cowmeadow Farm The old pole is still in place outside Cowmeadow Farm. Mr G. Surnam of The Gloucestershire Street Lighting Team advised that the old pole should be removed by Western Power in 2-3 weeks, meanwhile the clerk will confirm to him that the new light has been in place and working for 2 months Trees on Glebe Land The constitution of the Glebe Land confirms the make up of the committee and that a meeting should be held annually each September. Documents in the Glebe Land file show that The Village Hall Trustees' insurance covers the land for parking and other recreational use only while Gloucestershire County Council insure the use of the land by the school. Work has now commenced at the school, but Cllr Gunter expressed concerns at the rubbish which has been dumped on the Glebe Land, creating a mess with no security screening. It was agreed that the Glebe Committee should be the body to write to the County Council expressing concern at what is happening. The Parish Council will write to the other 3 parties who comanage the Glebe land stating concerns that, with no consultation, materials were dumped on the Glebe land on 4th August and their concerns relating to public liability insurance Tree overhanging Tump Lane Mr T. Bird has confirmed that trees

5 on both sides of Tump Lane near the junction with Junction Hill require attention. The land on the left hand side is possibly in the ownership of the Forestry Commission, but ownership of the left hand side is uncertain. Mr Bird asked Mr B. Watkins to carry out a search to establish the ownership of both sides of the road so that the work can be carried out Trees overhanging Junction Hill Mr Watkins and Mr Bird agree that the trees need attention before the road is re-opened. Mr Watkins has established that not all of the land here is in the ownership of the Forestry Commission and is still trying to find out the owner of the remainder of the land Pothole in verge near Eastbach Farm Mr C. Hawkins of Highways confirmed that the pot holes in the road were done on 29th July although he subsequently noticed the large pothole by the gate way into the field below Eastbach farm and has raised a works order to have three tonne of plannings put in there asap. The clerk will contact Mr Hawkins to request that plannings are not used as these will eventually be washed down the hill and block drains White lines at junction of Tump Lane and Eastbach Lane Mr C. Hawkins has spoken with Mr Wayne Howell, senior technician who deals with road markings, who confirmed that the junctions markings for Tump Lane are on his list although he could not give a timescale when the work will be done Planning application at English Bicknor Primary School This application was granted permission on 17th July Missing village hall sign The village hall sign is now in place Audit The completed annual return has been received back from the external auditor, Grant Thornton, with confirmation that there is no fee for the audit this year. The Notice of Conclusion of Audit was displayed on the parish noticeboards for the required 14 days Heritage Trail footpath A letter was written to Mr Gregory asking if he was the owner of the land and if so, could some attention please be made to both the stile and the state of the footpath. Following correspondence with the Public Rights of Way Officer, the Parish Council have confirmed to Mr Gregory that public footpaths and stiles are the responsibility of the landowner. It appears that the footpath sign by the kissing gate was hidden by overhanging branches, which have now been cut back by Cllr Mrs Drinkall. The stile is broken, though the footpath can be accessed through the broken down wire netting. The path through the field is still overgrown and needs cutting back Footpath REB/5/1 The Forestry Commission were advised that this path was overgrown and it has now been cleared Wild Boar A further letter was sent to Mr Stannard on 15th June Forest Forum The Forest Forum at Whitemead Park on 20th June was attended by Cllr Mrs Drinkall Tower at Blackthorns Farm Mr N. Bainton, the Enforcement Officer, wrote to the landowner about the tower, to which the landowner has telephoned in response saying that she will be taking the structure down, but it may take a while to arrange Green opposite lych gate on Ross Road A reply was sent to Mr Sproat containing the points outlined at the June meeting. Mr Sproat thanked the Parish Council for considering his request and said he quite understood the reasons set out in our letter.

6 487.5 Land at Linear Park, Cinderford A letter was sent to the Cinderford Regeneration Manager at the District Council supporting the objections outlined Speeding at Symonds Yat RockA letter of reply was sent to the parishioner, who was pleased with our response. The clerk put him in touch with his local Parish Council with the suggestion that they contact Herefordshire County Council. PCSO N. Jones advised that he has recently asked the Police Road Safety and Traffic Management Officer to conduct another covert speed survey on Hillersland Road within the 40mph speed zone, although it may take some time for such a survey to be carried out. However once completed, the Parish Council may be able to use this survey in order to strengthen our argument with Gloucestershire Highways to reduce the speed limit through Hillersland Overhanging brambles at Castle House The brambles were cleared before a letter could be sent Blocked drains Highways were informed of areas where blocked drains need clearing, but to date they have not been cleared so Highways will be contacted again Planning matters The following planning decisions have been received: (609) P0272/14/FUL Woodlands Caravan Site, Bracelands Drive, Christchurch. One bedroom extension (tree house) to holiday cabins 36 and 49. Full permission granted on 10th June. (610) P0053/14/DISCON Eastbach Court, Eastbach, English Bicknor. Application to seek compliance with conditions. This application was withdrawn on 6th June ) 14/0029/FDREG3 English Bicknor C of E Primary School Replacement of existing modular school buildings with new contemporary buildings. Full permission granted on 17th July. (612) P0833/14/FUL Bicknor Bears Nursery, English Bicknor C of E Primary School Retention of a duo pitched modular building used as a nursery building (renewal of consent) Full permission granted on 3rd July (613) P0786/14/FUL Cherrypips Cottage, Hillersland Extensions and alterations to cottage, garage extended to form car port Full permission granted on 29th July Accounts for payment. 1) Clerk's wages and expenses ) HMRC - PAYE on clerk's wages The above payments were proposed by Cllr Mrs Owen, seconded by Cllr

7 Carrick and agreed by all present Footpaths in the Parish The clerk will contact the Forestry Commission to ask if they could please clear the overgrown footpath REB36/2 from the junction of Woodland Road, Christchurch and Hillersland Lane through to the former red telephone kiosk (now the Parish Council information point for Hillersland) Wild Boar Cllr Mrs Drinkall attended the Forest Forum on Wild Boar at Whitemead Park on 20th June. The day was chaired by Mr K. Stannard, who told those present that the Forestry Commission has spent thousands of pounds on surveys regarding the Wild Boar. From surveys to establish boar numbers, the best estimate is that there are possibly 900 boar in the Forest, but there is no way of knowing how accurate this figure is. Based on these figures, a cull of 400 will be instigated, but no details of the cull will be released due to threats to his staff. High Meadow Woods was mentioned as having a high density of boar, but Mr Stannard would not confirm whether a cull will be carried out in this location. He advised that we should continue to him with details of boar damage and concerns. A further survey on the impact the boar have on the local community was carried out by Dr John Dutton of the University of Worcester. This survey showed that more people are happy with the boar than are against the boar. However, additional information can be sent to Dr Dutton for inclusion in the survey Correspondence received since last meeting 1. An application for prior notification of proposed demolition had been received from the District Council relating to the demolition of the toilet blocks at Christchurch campsite, which are no longer needed as permission has been granted for holiday cabins to be built on the site. Councillors supported these proposals, noting that the site is in West Dean Parish. 2. The District Council is seeking public comment on the draft Allocations Plan as part of a consultation process. The Plan identifies adequate land for the next 10 years of house building and once agreed will act as a template for development across the District until the year 2026, replacing the 2005 Local Plan and associated maps. Cllr Mrs Drinkall confirmed that no changes are proposed for English Bicknor and only small scale development will take place in the Parish. The clerk will reply that councillors are happy with the Allocations Plan proposals for English Bicknor. 3. A letter has been received concerning Parish Resilience and Winter Maintenance in Parishes. A questionnaire was included to which the clerk will respond. It was agreed not to purchase a hand spreader, as some Parish Councils have experienced problems with insurance cover. Mr Bowen will be asked if he is willing to continue as our Snow Warden and the clerk will ask Mr Guy at Symonds Yat Rock if he has sufficient salt for the winter months, as salt has to be ordered now. 4. All councillors have been invited to an information day at West Dean Centre, Bream on September 8th organised by Forest Routes, the local transport partnership. Cllr Mrs Drinkall said she would attend and take up to three interested parishioners. 5. A Highway Information evening was held at Shire Hall on 21st July, but

8 no councillors from English Bicknor Parish were able to attend. 6. The District Council is carrying out a review of polling districts, places and stations. The Parish Council will reply stating that the village hall in English Bicknor is an ideal location and we hope it will be retained as a polling station for the Parish. However, there are 4 properties at Carterspiece, 2 of which are in English Bicknor Parish, and 2 are in West Dean Parish. A request was received a while ago from the owner of one of the properties to ask why she cannot vote in English Bicknor and this was passed on to the Electoral Services Officer. The clerk will contact the Electoral Services Officer again. 7. A letter has been received from a parishioner asking for permission to park on Common Land outside 2 Almshouses Cottages. Councillors discussed the various aspects of this issue. It was agreed to inform the parishioner that permission would need to be sought from the Secretary of State if the Parish Council wanted to agree that the land is to be used for car parking. 8. The District Council have organised a meeting to look at emergency plans for communities. Cllr Carrick will attend this meeting, which is to be held on 29th September in the District Council's Council Chambers. 9. A letter has been received from Nikki McLean, the Community Engagement Officer, outlining the Community Payback scheme run by the probation service. 10. Information has been received of the annual Wye Valley AONB Study Tour, to be held on Friday 26th September. The clerk will inform the AONB that Cllr Mrs Drinkall will attend this day. 11. A complaint has been received about the behaviour of two dogs in English Bicknor. However, the concerns related to dogs in their own garden. The Parish Council will advise the parishioner that if he encounters any problems with the dogs outside of their property, then the District Council's dog warden should be contacted Date of next meeting The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday October 6th, at English Bicknor Village Hall, starting at 7pm. Mrs C. Park will attend the meeting to talk about Neighbourhood Watch.

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