BARROW GURNEY PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held in the village hall, Barrow Gurney, on 11 July 2016. Present: Eric Gates (Chairman), Andy Robbins, Geoff Coombs, Steve King, Claire Arbery, Phil carnell, Rob McKenzie and Joanna van Tonder (Clerk) Colin Russell (NSC Parish Liaison Officer) Distribution: The Parish Councillors plus Nick Wilton, Colin Russell and PC Martin Faithfull 1 Apologiesfor absence No apologies for absence had been received. 2 Declarationsof Interest and dispensations a) Declarations of Interest Members were reminded that Cllr Steve King had dispensation to discuss and vote on matters pertaining to planning applications at the Former Barrow Hospital site. b) Receive requestsfor dispensations No new requests for dispensation were received. c) Grant requests for dispensations No new requests for dispensation were received. 3 Minutesof the previousmeeting - 9 May 2016 Andy Robbins proposed an amendment to the wording of paragraph 2, item lob) and it was agreed to accept the amendment and approve the minutes. 4 Policereport The Clerk advised there had been one count each of vehicle crime (Bridgwater Road), antisocial behaviour (Naish Lane), antisocial behaviour (Barrow Court Lane) and a public order offence (Barrow Court Lane) reported during March 2016. There had been no crimes reported during April and May. Two counts of theft from a motor vehicle and one each of criminal damage, theft and a nonrecordable other crime were reported during June 2016. Members discussed the e-mail received that day from PCC Sue Mountstevens in response to the Parish Council's letter to her advising that there had not been a police presence at Parish Council meetings for several years. It was agreed that it would be unreasonable to expect a police officer or the Crime Commissioner herself to attend meetings unless there was a specific need to discuss policing matters. Members noted the e-mail received from PC Martin Faithfull that outlined the reasons why police staff were unable to attend meetings. Action: Eric Gates to draft and circulate reply to Ms Mountstevens 5 PublicQuestions There were no members of the public present. 6 ActionsArising The following actions arising from the meeting of 9 May 2016 are still outstanding or addressed as follows: - Telephone Box: The phone box will be scheduled for painting during the walkways project road closure. - Planning - Other: Clerk to ask Enforcement Officer to investigate reports of vehicles parked inappropriately by JJ Secure Parking on the far side of the A38 - upon inspection, no evidence of this could be found; monitor and report if necessary. 1
- Village Noticeboard: awaiting confirmation of ownership from Ginny Gibbs and sourcing quotations for a replacement board or repairs to existing board ongoing. 7 Planning a) Planning applications, consents and refusals since the last meeting The fol/owing planning applications have been received: - Proposed Southern Strategic Support Main Pipeline to include development comprised of (Advanced Works) set up of temporary major compounds, implementation of protected species mitigation, (Main Works) set up of temporary minor compounds and temporary laydown areas, construction of new underground trunk water main, construction of associated control kiosk, manhole inspection covers and marker posts, temporary highway and PROW diversions as required and site restoration on land between Barrow Water Treatment Wor~ Banwel/ Riverside and Cheddar Water Treatment Works (16/P/l09S/F2) - SCOPING OPINION for an Environmental Impact Assessment in relation to a proposed housing-led mixed use development comprising a maximum of 5,000 dwellings, employment uses within the B1 use class, new educational facilities, community and social facilities, open space, landscaping, access and associated infrastructure at Land to between A370 and A3~ South West of Bristol(16/P/1133/EIA2) The following enforcement cases are still pending: - Unauthorised airport parking at Cross Paddocks, Bridgwater Road (case 2015/054830/11/2015) - Site cleared; continuing to monitor - Non-compliance of condition 24 (13/P/0473/F4) at Barrow Hospital, Wild Country Lane (case 2015/0553-03/12/2015) - Tree officers supervising for remedial works b) Barrow Hospital Eric Gates reported that Crest Nicholson were in negotiations with NSC over a possible reduction in the number of homes to be built under the two pending planning applications from 156 to 79. Barrow Gurney PC, in conjunction with Long Ashton PC, had put forward a wish-list of requirements that would allow the respective Parish Councils to take a more positive view of the reduced number of homes on the site. Concerns were raised that the extended wish-list had not yet been expressed as a list of key conditions for support and that BGPC should take a more prominent role as the site is within the parish. Members considered the various outcomes, should the developers take a decision to appeal. Colin Russell advised that, during an appeal, the Parish Council would have an equal standing with NSC and the developers, provided application was made in advance for the PC to be represented. The implications of a reduced number of homes on the overall consumption of the footprint available for development was discussed. Geoff Coombs suggested that, given the site is not currently designated for housing development, mechanisms should be explored to allow conditions to be attached that would extinguish the possibility of further development of any remaining footprint within the site. Action: Eric Gates to draft a letter to Neil Underhay (NSC Planning Officer) It was also agreed that any public open space within the development should not have restricted access for residents only. Phil carnell advised that works had begun at the garage on the A38 in Dundry that backed on to the Barrow Hospital site. Action: Clerk to investigate c) Barns Close The Clerk advised that, following a complaint made to the Parish Council regarding a property on Barns Close, she had initiated an investigation into possible breaches in planning regulations and any other enforceable transgressions. 2
The Clerk advised the Council that she had responded to the complainant in writing, outlining the action the Parish Council had taken and that she was awaiting further correspondence from the Enforcement Officer. d) AshtonVale / Taylor Wimpeydevelopment Eric Gates advised that the Parish Council's stance regarding the Taylor Wimpey proposals at Ashton Vale had been communicated to residents via e-rnail and that those who had replied were in agreement with that position. Members discussed various aspects of the proposal that had been on display at three publicly held exhibitions the previous week and it was agreed that the Parish Council would refrain from engagement with the developers at this early stage. e) South BristolLink Road(SBLR) Andy Robbins advised that the Link Road was likely to open to vehicle traffic at the end of December 2016. The Metrobus scheme was only scheduled for completion in Spring 2017. f) Other Welcome newsletter for Barrow Hospital residents: It was agreed to make welcome newsletters available to new occupants of homes on the Barrow Hospital site. Flyers would include key village information and lists of contacts as well as an invitation to join the village e-mail. Action: Steve King to circulate a draft for consideration Bristol Water pipeline: Members were reminded of the interactive map available on Bristol Water's website. The Clerk advised members that, although subject to change, the two week Barrow Street road closure was scheduled for September 2017. Bristol Airport: The Clerk advised that the PCAA had responded to three current planning applications submitted by Bristol Airport (responses forwarded to Councillors via separate e-mail): 16/P/1440/F: Extension to staff car park 16/P/1455/F: Development of a five storey multi-storey car park on existing car park providing a total of 1,878 spaces over two phases with associated pedestrian walkway, lighting and landscaping 16/P/1486/F: Development of car parking with associated temporary lighting, fencing and landscaping on agricultural land, providing approximately 3,650 long stay car parking spaces for use in peak months May-October and forming an extension to the existing Silver Zone It was agreed the Council would strongly support the PCAA's comprehensive responses. Action: Clerk to forward comments to NSC and PCAA 8 d) Finance Internal Audit Review 2016/2017 The Internal Audit Review 2016 /2017 e) previously circulated (copy attached) was accepted. Clerk'ssalary:costof living increase2016/2017 Eric Gates advised that the revised salary scales for local council clerks effective from 1 April 2016 had been published by NALC. Andy Robbins proposed, Steve King seconded and it was resolved that the clerk will receive the recommended cost of living increase of 1% as of 1 April 2016. The clerk's salary will rise by 38.61 to 3,899.61 per annum. f) Amendmentof Clerk'ssalary standingorder In accordance with 8(b) above, Clare Arbery proposed, Rob McKenzie seconded and it was resolved to amend the monthly standing order set up with The Co-operative Bank to pay the clerk's salary from 321.75 to 324.97 with effect from July 2016. g) Receiptsand Payments The Clerk reported there had been no receipts since the last meeting. 3
Clare Arbery proposed, Andy Robbins seconded and it was resolved to ratify the following payments made since the last meeting:- 321.75 Ms Joanna van Tonder / HMRC Clerk's salary (May 2016) 321.75 Ms Joanna van Tonder / HMRC Clerk's salary (June 2016) Clare Arbery proposed, Andy Robbins seconded and it was resolved to authorise the following payments to be made:- 50.00 Parish Councils Airport Association 36.00 campaign to Protect Rural England 9.66 Ms Joanna van Tonder / HMRC Annual subscription 2016/2017 Annual subscription 2016/2017 Salary increase backdated 9 Highways, pavements, verges and footpaths a) Action taken by North Somerset Council since the previous meeting The following action has been taken: A Verges along the A38: verges have been cut but hedges alongside the walkway are overgrown and impeding pedestrian access A Drains blocked on Hobbs Lane: cleared in early June A Drains blocked along Barrow Street between Vicarage Lane and Barrow Court Lane: no action taken as yet A Potholes on Barrow Court Lane in the vicinity of the postbox: filled A Potholes on Slade Lane: reported and filled Upcoming works: A Surface dressing works along the A38, scheduled for one day on 27 July (Clerk's note - following unfavourable weather, this date has now slipped into early August) Recycling: Following a number of complaints made about the recycling service and operatives, Colin Russell confirmed that the two members of staff responsible for the unacceptable incidents had faced disciplinary action. Colin went on to suggest that issues at Kier's depot including the condemning of their baler had led to long delays that had resulted in this particular team of operatives cutting corners. Action: Clerk to circulate feedback on village e-mail and encourage continued recycling Colin advised that a new, seven year contract had been awarded to Biffa who would be taking over from march 2017. Small electricals would be added to the list of recyclable items. Green waste wheelie bins, available at a one off cost of 20, would be introduced at the same time. Colin encouraged the Parish Council to sign up to the Parish Recycling Scheme. b) Condition of roads, pavements, verges and footpaths The following reports were received: A Verges along Freemans, Hobbs and Newditch Lanes A Excessive foliage around the bus stop on the A38 A Overgrown hedge (right hand side) obscuring exit from Barrow Lane on to the A38 A Works signs still in situ in Hobbs Lane after clearing of drains A Collapsing wall along the A38 in the vicinity of Dundry Lane Action: Clerk to report on Council Connect Action: Clerk to request gully maintenance schedule for Barrow Street Geoff Coombs asked if the Parish Council would be interested in taking on devolved duties such as hedge and verge maintenance from NSC if funding became available. He explained that ALCA could facilitate negotiations with the District Council if Parish Councils were 4
agreeable. Members discussed this and agreed that devolved powers and associated funds to manage certain maintenance works within the parish could be beneficial and worth looking into. c) NSC "Week of Action" Andy Robbins and Geoff Coombs attended the Gully Cleansing session in Nailsea and were joined by Eric Gates for Patching Repairs in Flax Bourton. All three went on to the Skanska site visit in Sandford later that day. Geoff Coombs felt the Week of Action was an encouraging initiative to introduce the new contractors and a good opportunity to engage with both Skanska management and NSC officers. Geoff said he had found the various techniques and procedures for road maintenance most interesting. Andy Robbins reported that a suggestion made to differentiate between higher maintenance, rural gullies and urban drains with regards to scheduling had been well received. He went on to explain that the previous method of gully mapping had been flawed and many rural drains missed. It had been recommended that NSC's Rapid Response team be deployed along Barrow Street to both record drain locations and clear, where needed. Action: Clerk to write letter of thanks to NSC Action: Clerk to forward unacknowledged e-mails sent to Gregg Brake on to Colin Russell for follow up h) Footpaths- general Andy Robbins presented his report, copy attached. e) Village Walkways Members discussed Andy Robbins' report, copy attached. Rob McKenzie expressed his disappointment that a hedge had been the preferred choice of boundary around the Village Green but accepted the reasons for the decision as explained by Andy. Andy confirmed there would be a marked crossing in the highway and a break in the hedge allowing access to the Village Green. 10 Village Green a) Village Green report Rob McKenzie presented his report, copy attached. b) Tree Warden report Members discussed Rob McKenzie's report, copy attached. The dumped spoil was of concern and Rob and Steve King agreed to meet on the site to take photographs and gather information. Action: Clerk to put together case for Enforcement c) War Memorial tree Rob McKenzie recommended that the War Memorial tree was not replaced as the open vista offered a good view of both the War Memorial and the surrounds. Councillors were in agreement and it was decided to leave the stump to rot away. Members discussed the possibility of commemorating the centenary of the end of WWI with a tree planted at another location. 11 West of England Devolution Deal Eric Gates reminded members that North Somerset Council had voted to reject the government's WoE Devolution Deal while Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire had voted to accept the proposal. Geoff Coombs advised that it was NSC's intention to continue working in partnership with the WoE parties within a number of existing co-operation agreements. 5
Geoff asked if the Parish Council would be interested in attending an ALCA presentation on NSC's devolution stance that could be arranged if there was sufficient interest. Members agreed that it would be beneficial. 12 ConselVation Area status Eric Gates advised there was nothing to report. 13 Rural Broadband Geoff Coombs advised that not much progress had been made since the last meeting but that fibre cabling had now reached as far as the Farleigh Green junction box, opening up the possibility that some households may be able to switch from the existing copper connections to fibre. 14 Open Forum for the Parish Council Clare Arbery presented her report on activities concerning Bristol Airport, copy attached. Members discussed the cessation of free travel for Diamond Travelcard holders on the Airport Flyer. Action: Clerk to establish the reasons behind this decision Eric Gates advised that Cemex had offered up the services of its employees who are permitted one day off a year to undertake good works within the community. It was agreed the Council would share this information with any known community groups that may benefit. 15 Future meetings Dates of future meetings: 12 September, 14 November 2016 2017 meeting dates: 9 January, 13 MarCh, 8 May, 10 July, 11 September, 13 November 2017 The meeting closed at 10:20 pm. 6
BARROW GURNEY PARISH COUNCIL Internal Audit Review 2016/2017 1. Standards Action Ca) Scope of Internal Audit The Internal Audit Panel of Parish Clerks was appointed Internal Auditor by the Parish Council on 11 November 2013 (Parish Council minutes 11 November 2013 item 9b). The internal audit work takes into account the Council's risk assessment and wider internal control arrangements. (b) Independence The Internal Auditor has direct access to the Parish Council. The Internal Auditor does not have any other role within the Parish Council as the structure of the Internal Audit Panel provides for participating councils and clerks to participate on a non-reciprocal basis. Cc) Competence The Internal Auditor is professionally qualified to carry out the Internal Audit work. The Internal Audit work is carried out ethically, with integrity and objectivity to the best of the Council's knowledge. 2. Effectiveness (a) Internal Audit work The Internal Audit work enables the Council to carry out its responsibilities and duties and is based on risk assessment. The Internal Auditor has full access to all the financial and other Council documents to enable him/her to complete his/her work. The Internal Auditor understands the Council and the legal and corporate framework in which it operates. (b) Catalyst for change The Council considers the annual report from the Internal Auditor and follows up with action where this is called for. The Internal Audit supports the Council's work in improving its service to the community. 3. Conclusion The Council considers that the Internal Audit work is carried out efficiently and effectively and gives the Council assurance about its internal controls and its management of risk.
Footpaths July 2016 A new initiative to create an accessible route for pedestrians between the Barrow Hospital site and Barrow Gurney village has been agreed with North Somerset Council. The removal of the old wooden stiles and replacement with metal pedestrian gates has started and to date 5 new gates and a kissing gate on the Wild Country Lane start point have been installed. The short passage between hedges at Whistlewind has also been cleared and the hedges cut back. This only leaves the stile in the corner of the field above Upper Mill to be upgraded. The cost of the hardware is being shared on a 50:50 basis between NSCand BGPC. The labour is being provided, on a voluntary basis, by the Woodspring Ramblers Association. On completion of this route 4 more gates will be installed to similarly upgrade the footpath village. that links Redwood Farm to the Both improvement schemes should be completed by the end of August. The parish contribution to these schemes has been previously agreed at 700 and a charge from NSCwill be generated shortly.
Walkway Report July 2016 The Barrow Street Scheme as presented at the village consultation has been finalised with minor adjustments. The most significant adjustment has been in the area of the village green. Following a review of potential costs, and discussions with the Barrow Gurney Estate, the proposed revision to the boundary delineation involves a programme of parallel management of the existing hedge and a new hedge planted at the bottom of the bank. A planning application has been submitted on behalf of the parish council for the non-highway works in the centre of the village (within the context of the overall plan). We have been assisted in this application by Nigel Salmon of Salmon Planning Company (Nigellives at Barrow Court). Our thanks are due to Nigel as he has provided his time and expertise free of charge and the only charges arising are related to the actual drawing up of elevations etc. The South Bristol Link Road is scheduled to be completed to a stage that enables a "soft" opening of the highway link between the A370 and A38 during the last few weeks of December 2016. It is therefore envisaged that the Barrow Street highways works will commence early in January. We have had further confirmation that the internal NSC"ballpark" costings make the key elements of the scheme affordable but the scheme is now being assessed by Skanska, the contractor that will be responsible for implementation of the scheme.
Village Green Report For July 2016 1. Village Green Tidy up occurred on Satuday 1r h June. Well attended. Thanks to Bob and Phil Coombes for providing a trailer to dump cuttings in and to the volunteers for enthusiastic help. 2. Quote for War Memorial tree stump removal - 220 from Bustastump. Approved by Village Green Committee. 3 Tree inspection due Dec 2016. Obtained Quote from Bosky Trees for Village Green Tree Inspection 345 excl VAT.Bosky Trees carried out the previous inspection. Will Obtain a couple of other quotes Tree Warden Report for July 2016 Carried out a walk around the Woods surrounding the Hospital site on 16 th May. Observations a. On the site a TPO tree has been removed b. Another TPO tree has been damaged by fire c. Fencing has recently been put up around the site to delimit building site from the woods. d. One of the two Bat houses has been damaged by vandalism e. A large amount of spoil has been dumped in one of the fields f. Away from the building site area woods in general in that area seem to be thriving.
Bristol Airport update Irresponsible driving by Hire Car operatives The company who clean and fuel vehicles for the car rental operators on site, have agreed new measures to address feedback on driver behaviour and speeds on local roads and around the Airport site. They will shortly be introducing tracker devices which will provide a real time flag to managers when a speed limit is broken by one of their drivers. In addition, they intend to put in another layer of management at the Airport to control and monitor vehicle movements. Downside Lights Regarding the illegal right hand turn into Downside Road, BA have spoken with the Police and agreed to carry out monitoring to collect vehicle make, model and registration details. The first round of monitoring has been carried out, recording seven incidents over the course of an afternoon. A morning monitoring session will take place shortly to ensure we have a representative sample. Details will then be provided to the Police who have agreed to write to vehicle owners. Bristol Flyer Diamond Travelcards have not been accepted on the Flyer (or the A4 to Bath) since 1 July. This is a result of a local authority decision to remove both services from the national scheme which provides rebates to bus operators offering concessionary fares to card holders. While the decision to withdraw the concession was not BA's, they have been working with local councils to communicate the change to passengers. The information was displayed on buses and on the terminal forecourt, but clearly during the transition there has been some confusion. (Note I travel regularly and have not seen these "Posters" displayed at all) Local residents in B540, 8541 8, 8548, 8549, 8529 and 8525 postcodes continue to be eligible for reduced fares on the Flyer through community scheme. Application forms are available on the Bristol Airport web site. Claire Arbery July 2016