WOODCOTE PARISH COUNCIL

WOODCOTE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES of the Parish Council meeting held in the Function Room, Village Hall Woodcote Wednesday 4 th June 2014 commencing 7.30pm. PRESENT Chairman Mr. R. Peirce Vice Chair Mr. G. Botting Mr. A. Crockett Mr. M. Smith Mr. D. Booth Mr. B. Williams Mrs. D. Hadaway Parish Clerk Ms. Jenny Welham 1. Co-opt New Parish Councillor onto Woodcote Parish Council. The Chairman proposed that Mrs. Sarah McGurk be co-opted onto the Parish Council, this was agreed by all. 2. To receive apologies for absence Dr. P. Sudbury, Mr. B. Lewin 3. To receive declarations of interest 4. Public Forum: Opportunity for members of the public to address the Council. With the permission of the Chairman, the public may also speak about specific items of business as they arise. Several residents from Wayside Green to express their views and concerns regarding the work that had started to the grass verge area opposite their houses to create further parking, and their views regarding parking in their part of Wayside Green. Mrs. M. Maddock and Mrs & Mrs Preston regarding Planning application P14/S1385/A. The Chairman addressed the public present from Wayside Green and read out a statement concerning the works in Wayside Green, see Appendix 1 of these minutes attached. The Chairman then advised the public that they could each have 5 minutes each to speak and requested that they did not repeat the same points. Mr. A. Silver 106 Wayside Green addressed the meeting, He stated that he had been in email correspondence with the PC for some weeks. He has 2 adult sons so his household has 4 cars. His occupation is involved with Health & Safety, and whilst he agreed that vehicles parked on the verge opposite his house was unsightly, the rail that the PC have installed to prevent parking on this verge he felt had blocked off a safe area to park. The residents now park at the rear along the service road which was constructed some 40 years ago when the estate was built and is no longer fit for purpose. Due to the vehicles now parking in this area the road becomes blocked, visibility is poor and he feels the PC have created an unsafe environment for parking. Mrs. C. Silver 106 Wayside Green addressed the meeting, Mrs Silver s main point was that the PC had not informed the residents that the rail was going to be installed, she strongly felt that the process on communicating such actions by the PC needs to be investigated and improved. 19

She advised that her neighbour who ran a business from his property had deliveries 6 days a week from a large articulated lorry, this blocks the service road and creates risk for children playing. Mrs. Silver stated that she knew who the resident was who had complained and this resident had previously been a parish councillor, she felt undue pressure from this resident had precipitated the PC to install the rail. Mr. S. Henderson 124 Wayside Green addressed the meeting, He began by handing a copy of a letter from OCC to all the Councillors. He had enquired about the kerb stones being dropped and the letter from OCC confirmed that the PC would need to apply for permissions from OCC before this work was carried out. He quoted from the PC minutes of 19 th March and questioned why the communication to the residents had not happened earlier. He felt that very few residents had complained and requested copies and dates of the complaints. Mrs. D. Marcham 126 Wayside Green addressed the meeting, Mrs. Marcham asked why the residents had not been consulted about the works in advance and she expressed that they should have been asked for their views on the proposal. House numbers 120 to 128 Wayside Green that are opposite the green all do not want this work to be carried out. She stated that they have parked the vehicles alongside the pathway legally on the highway to prevent further work continuing. She expressed concern regarding the impact to the various wildlife that has been seen on the green and in the area of this work. Mrs. M. Webb 128 Wayside Green addressed the meeting, Mrs. Webb advised that she had lived at this address for 28 years. She feels that the work will obstruct the pathway that runs alongside. The installation with the posts at the rear cuts the grass verge area in half, in her view this reduces the space for parking. She stated that on occasions the grass area is used for parking by her family and other residents. The amount of cars that will be able to park on this area has been reduced by the current scheme (the designs is to park parallel to the highway) and only three to four cars will be able to park. The white van that used to park there was owned by a resident in Folly Green as the parking in Folly Green was difficult. This resident has now moved and the van is no longer parked on the grass, and this was the vehicle that had caused the majority of the damage to the grass. The noise and disturbance will disrupt her environment and that the money spent by the PC on this work could be better spent elsewhere. She felt strongly that the residents and the contractor should receive an apology from the Chairman. Miss. M. Moran 124 Wayside Green addressed the meeting, Miss Moran stated the residents from 120 to 130 Wayside Green do not want this work to be carried out to create parking. She requested photographs of the damaged and churned up grass, as since she had moved to her property 9 months ago she has not seen the grass in poor order, or had any parking problems. She agreed that at times when there was a party or visitors then the grass was used for parking. She re-stated that the white van that used to park there and churn up the grass has now gone. The residents who live in the houses at the top end of Wayside Green opposite the verge with the rail do not use this grass for parking. She expressed that the money spent on this project was inappropriate. Miss Moran did make some suggestions to improve parking and gain more spaces to the rear service road, this was welcomed by the PC Chairman and will need to be looked at and OCC Highways involved if it is to areas on the road, as it is owned by OCC. Miss Moran stated that they had not been aggressive on Monday 2nd June and apologised. 20

The Chairman thanked the residents for their views. The Parish Council discussed the comments and the parking situation in Wayside Green, accepted that the consultation period was inadequate and agreed that: i. current activity should be immediately suspended until the plans had been reviewed, with the residents, and work not restart until other options had been explored. ii. the review be conducted as soon as possible, that Councillor Smith would lead the review with the aim of reporting to the next PC meeting. iii. Councillor Smith be supported by two other Councillors and that the residents should be involved. iv. discussions with OCC should continue to confirm the acceptability of the dropped kerb and that these discussions must be concluded before any further work is carried out. v. a re-quote will be sought from the contractor once the PC has confirmed the specification of the work following adequate consultation with the residents. Mr. Preston pointed out that the lorry that uses the service road on a daily basis is not an articulated lorry but a rigid lorry approximately the same size as the dustbin lorry. Mr. Preston is an articulated lorry driver and he stated that the lorry in question is a rigid and the driver uses his mirrors and has his reversing warning sound on when using the service road. Mr. Henderson advised that he could not find the minutes for May 2014 on the Woodcote Village website. The Clerk to check this and firmly address our web provider if this is the case. 5. To approve Minutes Annual Parish Meeting held on 21st May 2014. Approved as a true record. 6. Matters arising from those Minutes not on the agenda elsewhere. The residents from Wayside Green left the meeting with the exception of Mr. Silver. 7. District Councillors Report Cllr. Quinton reported, Leader of SODC Ann Ducker is being treated for pancreatic cancer. To allow the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2031 Issues and Scope document, and accompanying Local Plan 2031 Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report, to be published for a period of six weeks from 11 th June 2014 to 23 rd July 2014 for public and relevant stakeholder comment. To launch and progress initial work on the Local Plan 2031; to gather local opinion and that of other relevant stakeholders on matters such as the scale and distribution of additional development, and future planning policies for development. 8. Planning Applications P14/S1385/A Display of front and rear internally illuminated fascia signs. Address: 6 Wood Green Woodcote RG8 0QQ The Chairman invited Mrs. Maddox to speak, she stated that there had been an amendment and she was reasonably comfortable with the signs in place, however the need for the large size of the sign to the rear is questionably. The PC recommend refusal unless the following conditions are met. P14/S1451/HH Erection of single storey rear extension. Modification of extant planning permission ref. P10/E0555. Address: Roselands South Stoke Road Woodcote RG8 0PL. Cllr. McGurk has an interest as she resides in the neighbouring property. She stated as a resident that she has no objections with the design. The PC recommend refusal. 21

8.1 Applications Granted by SODC: P14/S1032/HH Application proposal, including any amendments : Single storey rear extension. The Old Chapel Long Toll Woodcote RG8 0RR. P14/S0525/FUL Application proposal, including any amendments : Erection of a pair of new semi-detached houses. Demolition of bungalow (As amended by drawing no. 601D, 602D and 603D accompanying Agents email dated 21/05/14). Wood Cottage Goring Road Woodcote RG8 0QE 8.2 Applications Refused by SODC: 8.3 Other Planning Matters The clerk updated the PC on the position with Goats Gambol and the ongoing complaints from neighbours about the noise from dogs due to the dog walking and boarding business that is run from this property. The correct license is in place. The noise issues are being logged by the neighbour and being sent to Environmental Health as requested. The clerk has spoken to Planning Enforcement to advise that since they inspected some years ago and found the business to be acceptable as it was only 2/3 dogs, that it has expanded with up to 17 dogs daily. SODC Planning enforcement felt they needed further investigation and they have written to the Clerk confirming this. Planning Meeting Update on meeting with SODC Senior Planning Officer Tom Wyatt. The Chairman and Cllr. Botting attended, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the PC and SODC would work together on planning applications now Woodcote has a Neighbourhood Plan. The Chairman stated that the NHP policies take precedence over SODC planning policies. There are often pre application discussions that SODC conduct and the PC wish to be involved in these discussions, this was agreed and is actively encouraged by SODC. There is currently a pre application consultation with Millgate Homes for 14 homes at the old bus depot site. The proposal is for 10 social housing, 5 rental and 5 shared ownership and 4 private ownership, this received a favourable response. The other area to be looked at for this development is pedestrian access from the development into the village as currently there are no footpaths. Tom Wyatt agreed that it would not be unreasonable to expect the developer to fund a rural footpath. This matter needs to be put on the Agenda for the next meeting as Millgate had gone directly to SODC without involving the PC despite knowing the NHP was in place. SODC recognise the importance of the partnership with the PC to review planning applications to be in accordance with the NHP policies. 9. Finance To approve payments. To note receipts. Date Paid Payee Name Cheque Ref Amount Transaction Detail Paid 28/05/2014 K. Knight 349 200 May Litter picking 28/05/2014 K. Smallbone 350 30 May War Memorial garden 28/05/2014 J. Welham SO 765 May Salary 29/05/2014 British Telecom SO 49 Monthly rental & BB 04/06/2014 SG Creative Solutions Ltd 354 112 Website 1/1/14 t0 31/3/14 04/06/2014 SwiftClik 355 43 Stationery APPROVED Total Payments 1,198 22

9.1 Quotations/Grants received for review/approval. Quote for 2 replacement stones to climbing wall in play area. 45.60 Plus vat. The VGC to install. Approved. 9.2 Reserve Funds Finalise investment with CCLA. The PC had agreed to invest the capital funds with the CCLA Local Property Fund at the last meeting, the unit form and application form had to be signed by 4 members of the PC, the Clerk took this round for the signatures, the 4 members being, The Clerk, Chairman, Vice Chairman and Cllr. Booth. 9.3 Internal Audit review report and recommendations Due to time constraints this item to be deferred to the next meeting. 10. Traffic Calming update and report on meeting with OCC Highways The Chairman and Vice Chairman had a meeting with Mark Francis Oxfordshire County Council Senior Traffic Technician in the village on Monday 2 nd June. The meeting was to discuss some of the traffic issues and concerns raised by residents, and now the Neighbourhood Plan is in place to start to look at ways to address some of these. It was a productive meeting and several areas were examined around the village with various suggestions being put forward. The next steps will be to form a Working Group within the next few months to look into more detail and bring recommendations to the PC for consideration. 11.Other Committee Reports Village Hall Management Committee Cllr. Booth reported, No meeting held since last PC Meeting Grant application to Biffa for window replacement has been officially accepted and goes before the Grant Committee in July. Looking for another grant now to cover Fire Alarm system and to include Youth Club evacuation sledge for disable. HMRC have acknowledge our application to apply for Gift aid. Few cancellations of regular users due to lack of their own members but do have potential new ones that are interested in starting new regular events. Budget proposed to generate 700 surplus which represents 3.3% on reserves. Village Green Committee Cllr. Booth reported, Unable to attend last meeting as date changed due to bank holiday. Trees trimmed in Folly Green playing field. Accident on play area where 6th year boy tried to hurdle the iron fence. Everybody accepts no liability on VGC. Supplier has agreed to patch "wet pour area" FOC where it has cracked on the joints ( a risk you take when patching). Delivery of second gate has a lead-in time of 4/6 weeks, they are proving to be a success. Neighbourhood Plan Group Cllr. Botting report, He has been busy elsewhere but copies of the plan are being sourced for all council members. It was discussed whether copies of the plan should be printed and sold to other groups and councils to assist them with their planning, the Clerk gets regular requests for copies. However it can be printed from the website. 23

The Chairman is presenting to County Councillors on 26 th June on the NHP process as Cllr. Botting will be on holiday. 12. Other Matters for Chairman 13. Correspondence 14. To note date of the next PC meeting: Wednesday 18th June 2014. Meeting closed 10.20pm. Signed...Chairman/Date... 24

APPENDIX 1 Minutes 4 th June 2014 Woodcote Parish Council Environmental Improvements in Wayside Green - additional parking provision for residents. Woodcote Parish Council have been discussing the issue of parking throughout Wayside Green for over twelve months. Following a series of complaints from residents about unauthorised vehicle parking on PC land and the highway footpaths throughout Wayside Green and more specifically in the part of Wayside Green, even numbers 100-130, the PC resolved to take appropriate measures to protect the grass verges being churned up, particularly in the winter months, by unauthorised parking on land maintained and owned by the PC. WPC has long recognised the serious shortfall in parking provision in WG, a development of about 120 houses built over 45 years ago which only provides for one off-street parking space for the vast majority of the houses, together with a very small garage which was never designed to accommodate a family car. On-street parking provision is now a serious issue with the majority of households owning two cars, many also have a work-related vehicle, and a significant number of households have three or even four vehicles. WPC resolved to take action to prevent unauthorised parking, partly on the footpath and grass area close to the trees, opposite houses numbered 100-118, by installing a low post and rail fence to protect the grass verge being churned up by unauthorised vehicle parking. The PC considered how it could best make provision for a few additional off-street parking spaces for use by residents and their visitors on PC land in this part of WG with minimal impact to the existing environment. It was resolved to go out to obtain quotations for an agreed scheme to provide for off-street parking spaces on a grass-crete surface on the PC land, opposite houses numbered 120-130, with wooden bollards to prevent unacceptable encroachment onto the grassed area close to the hedge. At the PC meeting on 16/04/14 it was resolved to accept the lowest quotation and proceed with the works. (Minute 7.1) These minor environmental works by the PC on PC owned land do not require planning permission. This fact was re-confirmed yesterday to both myself and the PC Vice-Chairman by a senior planning officer at SODC. The PC gave further consideration to the contracted work at their meeting on 07/05/14 and resolved to include the provision of a knee rail at the rear edge of the grass-crete to contain the parking area. (Minute 10.1) Following further advice from the contractor it was agreed that a line of small wooden bollards would be sufficient and the knee rail was deleted from the contracted works. The work will provide for the parking of possibly five vehicles on the grass-crete, parallel to the highway, and will ensure that no vehicles are parked on the footpath. On Thursday 29 th May at about 1.00pm the PC advised residents of the houses numbered 100 130, by letter, of the pending start of the environmental improvement works to provide additional parking spaces on PC land. The letter gave clear details of the PC email address, fax and telephone number. Within an hour of the letters being delivered the PC received an email from a resident stating Thank you for your recent letter regarding the planned works to the grass verge in WG. I am really pleased that this is being done and look forward to it happening. This area is used by several residents for parking and it is good that something more formal is going to be put in place. No other emails, telephone messages or letters were received by the PC Clerk at the PC Office before 8.00am on Monday 2 nd June.

The PC Clerk was informed by the contractor on Friday 29th May that he would be starting the agreed work on Monday 2 nd June. Shortly after 3pm I received a telephone call from the Clerk informing me that a number of residents were shouting at the contractor and aggressively preventing him and his workmen from carrying out their contracted work to install the line of wooden bollards. The contractor had telephoned the PC clerk and informed her that residents had removed a post from the dug holes and were being actively obstructive. The contractor also stated that the residents had piled the posts together and were sitting on them to prevent him continuing with the work. I informed the Clerk that I would immediately visit the site to speak with both residents and the contractor. On arrival I immediately firmly informed the residents that they had no rights to be interfering with the work being undertaken by the contractor on PC land. I endeavoured to speak to the residents on site and answer specific points that they raised. Two residents in particular would not allow me the opportunity to answer or address their statements. The reporter from the Henley Standard had earlier been called by the residents and arrived on site to speak with the residents. I stated that I was leaving the site to speak with the PC clerk and the VC of the PC. Following discussion with the PC clerk it was agreed that the Police should be informed with regard to serious concerns involving obstruction of the contractors work and the security of the completed work after the contractor left the site at the end of the day. The contractor informed the PC clerk that he had arranged for additional fencing to arrive in order that he could fully secure the site at the end of the day. I then met with the PC Vice-Chairman to discuss the situation and we agreed a statement that he would email to the Henley Standard from the PC chairman and Vice-Chairman on behalf of WPC. I then returned to the site, spoke briefly with the reporter from the Henley Standard, and endeavoured to further discuss the situations with the residents. This proved impossible as they did not want to listen. I withdrew from the site to my car to answer a phone call from the PC clerk regarding the pending police involvement and then made the decision to leave the site as my continued presence would clearly serve no useful purpose. The PC clerk informed me that the police arrived at the site at about 6pm, they had telephoned her from the site, and spoke with the residents and the contractor. The police reported back to the PC clerk by telephone later in the evening following their visit. I inspected the site at about 9pm on Monday evening and noted that there were five cars parked adjacent to the kerbside; none on the footpath as had been the case prior to attendance by the police. No interference with the contractors work was noted. I further inspected the site at about 8.30am and 9.00pm on Tuesday and again noted 5 cars parked at the kerbside adjacent to the site. A very clear expression of the need for more off-street parking in this part of WG. The contractor has informed the PC clerk that the work to lay the grass-crete will start within the next few days. R H Peirce 03.06/14