16th May 2011
The Annual Parish Council meeting was held in the Village Hall on 16th May 2011 at 8pm.
Apologies Mrs Hobbs and Mr Huddleston
Present, Mrs Handley, Mrs Glasse, Mr Dinsdale, Mr Tebbit, Mr Blatch, Mr White, and, in the Chair, Mr Dalton. Cl. Mrs Heazell and Cl. Kindersley were also p
Vacancy Miss Sach was the only applicant and was duly appointed.
The following Officers were appointed unanimously for the year:-
Chairman Mr Dalton
Vice Chairman Mrs Handley
Treasurer The Clerk
Independent Auditor Mr Tony Richford
Appointment of Representatives for the year:-
Village Hall Mr White and Chairman, ex officio
Recreation Ground Mr Blatch, Mr Tebbit and Chairman, ex officio
P. Church Council To be elected
Village Sign Mr Blatch
Footpaths Mr Dalton
Minutes of the meeting held on 27th April were approved and signed.
Minutes of the planning meeting on 4th May were signed after Mrs Hobb's name had been added to the list of attenders.
Matters arising from the Minutes
1 Nixon's Hall Tablet. Mrs Handley proposed that, rather than commission a new stone engraving at considerable expense, a written facsimile could be prepared, framed and placed inside the hall as a record of its history. A duplicate could also be provided for the Village Hall. Mrs Handley offered to prepare a sample for consideration.
2 Land Registration of Parish Property Declaration. The Chairman agreed to contact the solicitors.
3 Road at St Helen's Transfer. Miss Sach pointed out that the houses opposite were changing hands and offered to help the Chairman move the issue forward.
4 Trees at 2 Wheeler's Way The Chairman reported that a team of volunteers had cleared the brushwood and disposed of it with the loan of Mr Tebbit's tractor and trailer. Grateful thanks were expressed to Mr Stephen Bidwell and Mr Guy Hillyard for organising this. A letter would be sent to thank them formally.
The Chairman had contacted BT about the removal of the tree, but they were not helpful.
5 Standing Orders. Nothing further to report.
6 Telephone Boxes: Mr Blatch has this in hand..
7 Cycle Path Eversden to Comberton A meeting of the group is scheduled for Thursday 19th May.
8 Recreation Ground Multi-Use Games Area – Consultation. Mr Blatch reported that the Recreation Ground Committee had decided to go ahead with a simple, unfenced and un-lit area of asphalt where any type of games could be played or practised. There would also be a moveable shelter for teenagers which would be sited near this. There would still be an opportunity for the tennis-club to make their own arrangements in accordance with any future agreements.
9 Affordable Housing Update on OSP148. The planning application expected on 22 April had been delayed as a result of all the public holidays. It was expected to reach SCDC shortly. Mrs Heazell offered to find out the date when it would be discussed by the Council so that a member of the PC could attend.
10 Bin Collection at Low Close Mrs Heazell reported that she had discussed this problem with SCDC and hoped that the matter had now been resolved and that the refuse lorries would drive into Low Close.
11 Village sign Mr Blatch confirmed that he remains in charge of arrangements for grass cutting and maintenance of this area. It was noted that the previous group of volunteers had now all retired.
12 Finance A statement of Accounts had been circulated to all members. Mr White proposed the adoption of these accounts, seconded by Mr Blatch and carried. Balance in the Bank £4068.71. Balance at the PO £2261.98.
Internal Auditor Mr T. Richford.
The following cheques agreed and signed:
Mr J. Sutton. Cleaning Tel. kiosk £60.00 POA 1953 s(i)
Ramblers Assoc. Affil fee £45.00 LGA 1972 s143(i)
CPALC Affil. fee £257.65 LGA 1972 s143(i)
13 Meetings Frequency. It was noted that SCDC now required the PC to return comments within 21 days. Since the applications often took 3 or 4 days to reach the clerk, our present pattern of meetings every 3 weeks was inadequate. It was proposed that meetings should now be scheduled every two weeks and cancelled if there was no business. Mrs Handley had prepared a calendar of dates to show this pattern provisionally. It was agreed to adopt these d
14 Kissing Gate opposite St Mary's. This had been reported to be in poor condition. Mrs Handley reported that it was choked with weeds. She had mentioned this to Mr Pearce whom she met by chance. He immediately strimmed the area, and the gate is now functional. It was agreed to thank Mr Pearce for his kind and prompt work. It was also agreed that consideration be given to the painting and preservation of the metal kissing gates which are now of genuine historical interest.
14 Planning
42 Wimpole Road Existing house to be demolished and replaced by two 5-bedroom houses.
It was unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting to allow members of the public to speak. Mr Don Proctor for the Developers described the plans. Other members of the public voiced their objections. A letter had been received from another resident of Wimpole Road. After resuming the meeting and further discussion the PC agreed unanimously to refuse the application and to attach the following comments to SCDC.
1. The proposed development is too big for the site.
2. Nos 34.36, 38 and 40 all are situate each on their own plot with a reasonable gap between the house and the boundary. The development on No 42 abrogates this principle and thus does not reflect the general appearance of the surroundings as is claimed.
3. The houses are 9 metres high which is significantly higher than both the house they replace and the adjacent houses.
4. Drainage of rainwater is an issue in that heavy rain from No 42 floods Nos 40, 38 and so on down to No 34 when it runs across the garden. Some houses even have their own pumps because of this. Proper handling of the runoff should be a condition.
5. Proper attention should be paid to the amenity of Nos 40 and the Listed Property No 1 opposite as regards overlooking, light, the environs etc.
6. Wimpole Road is narrow at this point and is not well provided with passing places. A single oil tanker delivering completely blocks the highway. The developer should be required to make adequate provision so that deliveries do not constitute an obstruction.
8. The present gateway to the paddock will be lost in the proposal. Any new gateway to the paddock will constitute a fresh access to the highway and will be subject to the usual conditions for any new access such as visibility splays. The plans should acknowledge this.
No 6 Finch's Field Single story extension. After discussion it was agreed to refuse this with the following comment
The treatment at the south-east corner adjacent to the front window of No 5 should be altered to prevent this 1 metre wide blank wall adversely affecting the outlook from this room in No 5.
10 Lowfields Extension Agreed to approve this application. The neighbours had been consulted and had no objection.
14 Cl. Mrs Heazell mentioned that she had reported the very bad state of the roadway in Finch's Field. Mr Gareth Jones had retired from his post as Head of Planning. This is a matter of great regret. Re-grading of jobs at SCDC has caused a number of officers to lose a substantial portion of their previous salary. (for some as much as 19%).
There was no further news about the bus services.
15 Cl. Kindersley reported that the Guided Bus developers were due to hand over in 28 days. Another firm was waiting to rectify the remaining defects. The total cost would be £187 million of which the tax-payers would have to find £71 million.
It had been expected that these costs would have been met from the development of Northstowe, but this cannot take place until the A14 is improved. But this has now been cancelled for the foreseeable future.
The Council is discussing constitutional changes which may result in fewer opportunities for the public to be consulted.
16 Mr Blatch reported that all but one bin had been removed from the Recreation Ground. It was agreed that a paper bin should remain. The Chairman would look into the provision of a textile bin elsewhere.
17 Correspondence In circulation.
Next Meetings
Planning Meeting (if necessary) Tuesday 31st May at 8.30
Full Parish Council Monday 27th June in the Pavilion at 8pm.