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WINFORD PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES-July |
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Date: Monday 6 July 2009. Venue: Felton Village Hall, Felton Time: 7.00pm Councillors Present: Mrs B Smith (Chair) Mr A Parker Mrs G Patch Mr L Curry Miss K Bye Mr A Sage Mr P Longden Mrs M Murphy Mr P Etheridge Mr P Roberts (Clerk) Also present Steph Jones (NSC) Phil Bush (NSC) Graham Quick (NSC) 1. Apologies Cllr Simon Banks Cllr Paul Hatherell WPC Jackie McDonald. 2. Minutes of the previous meeting 2.1 5.5 line 2 – “to” amended to “the”. The minutes were approved and signed as a true record. 2.2 Matters arising (references to June minutes):- 6.3 NSC are looking at the request to place a TPO on 2 trees at the The Rectory, but this may be delayed until a new tree officer is in place; 11 BS had attended meetings regarding the West Lane cycle/footpath, the Composting Group and the Footpath Group which had not been reported to the meeting. 3. Crime and Disorder 3.1 WPC Jackie McDonald had provided a written report containing the following:- theft of a koi carp theft of a hanging basket attempted burglary to outbuildings where bikes were stored dwelling burglary in Felton resulting in the arrest of a local youth. 3.2 The council decided that local priorities for policing should remain unchanged and continue to target anti-social behaviour and driving vehicles on Felton Common. AP reported that funding is available for schemes to combat disorder by young people. It was agreed to refer the papers to PH 4. Open Forum 4.1 Nothing raised. 5. Highways and Footpaths 5.1 Steph Jones explained her role in the Streets and Open Spaces Team at NSC . She will be leaving in 2 weeks but it is hoped that her replacement will be in place by September. Members of the council expressed their thanks for her work over the last two years: her helpful and positive approach had produced some excellent results, particularly on waste and fly-tipping issues. 5.2 Phil Bush, an engineer in the Highways Department went on to respond to various points raised in a letter sent following the previous meeting. He said that the repair standards adopted by BANES do not conform to standard practice and that cyclists find the smooth strip around repairs very slippery. As far as temporary repairs to potholes are concerned, NSC are obliged to respond rapidly to reports that need to be dealt with and are aware that these repairs often do not last for long. NSC acknowledge that they have not always followed up with permanent repairs as quickly as they should have. 5.3 As far as West Lane/Felton Lane and Barrow Lane are concerned, these are on the list of potential repair schemes (costing £150k and £180k respectively) in the current year but it is not yet clear whether they feature amongst the 18 schemes that will be carried out. NSC has a system of prioritising schemes which takes account of location, traffic levels etc but with 1100km of roads in North Somerset the funding available is insufficient to carry out all the repairs that are needed. 5.4 Councillors asked whether changing the classification of Felton Lane/West Lane would increase its chances of being repaired. It is currently a C class road (Barrow Lane is a B class) and as such attracts funding from central Government and although in Mr Bush’s opinion a change to B class would not make a difference he provided contact names at NSC who deal with classification. 5.5 KB asked about payment for vehicle damage resulting from driving over potholes. Mr Bush confirmed that claims are dealt with as an insurance issue and are successful if it can be shown that the council have been negligent. They conduct inspections of road conditions to a prescribed schedule and negligence can only be shown if the council have failed to react reasonably to reports of problems. 5.6 LC raised the question of flooding on West Lane. NSC is aware of the issue and believe it is caused by water running off farmland and will be discussing it with the landowner. Mr Bush will arrange for drains to be checked to deal with flooding arising from Felton Quarry. 5.7 AP asked about the white lines at the bottom of Regil Lane that local residents believe are located such that visibility to the right is inadequate if they are observed. NSC is looking at this but it would appear that there is only limited scope for moving them forward. 5.8 BS asked about temporary lights for work on the corner of Chew Road at the Regil Lane junction. NSC are waiting for the landowner to confirm arrangements and it is hoped this work can be carried out before the embargo period begins in late July. 5.9 BS thanked Mr Bush and Ms Jones for their attendance and wished Steph well in her new job. 5.10 AP reported that work on the footpath extension from Brookside to the Prince of Waterloo had begun and would take about 2 weeks to complete. Temporary traffic lights are in place and local people have been informed. 5.11 With regard to the problem of visibility at the corner of Chew Road near the Regil Lane junction it was agreed that the council should write to NSC asking for a meeting on site to discuss possible long term improvements. 6. Planning 6.1 Previous applications granted:- 58 Long Cross, Felton: parking space and infill of balcony Court Farm, Winford: temporary consent for anemometer mast. 6.2 New applications:- 11A Church Road, Winford: re-submission of application for dwelling. It was agreed that the council should write dissociating itself from comments submitted by the District Councillor and objecting to the application on the grounds that the location of the dwelling as constructed (and now applied for) has an unacceptable impact on neighbouring properties. 6 Church Road, Winford: single storey rear extension. The council resolved to support the application. Land adjacent to 8 Felton Street, Felton: retrospective application for 2 storey side extension. It was reported that neighbours do not oppose the application and have written to NSC saying so. The council noted that this was another instance where a building has been constructed which does not conform to the permission granted and it was agreed to write to the planning authority raising no objections to the application but asking whether building regulations inspections could be used to check that construction conforms to the planning permission. Orchard Bungalow, Vee Lane Felton: new roof with dormers to create accommodation. It was resolved to make no objection. The Orchard, The Street, Regil: outline application for one dwelling. It was resolved that the council should object to the application on the grounds that a previous personal consent for a mobile home on the site does not provide grounds for the construction of a new dwelling. Regil Farm, The Street, Regil: listed building consent for rebuilding of a chimney. The council has no objection to the application. 7. Parish Council Property 7.1 Grass cutting. AP reported improvements in the quality and frequency of cutting. The Finance Group had considered the position and recommends that the contract is re-tendered in the autumn. This was agreed. 7.2 Felton Green seat. This will be delivered on 13 July and fixed in place shortly after. The location will be agreed with Felton councillors but the present one will probably be used again. 7.3 High Winford open spaces. BS and AP had met representatives of NSC and the developers on site. Agreement on most of the areas to be transferred were agreed but there remains a doubt about a piece of land near no 33 Kingston Lane. A commuted sum of £34,000 plus the cost of replacing 2 trees has been agreed. The developers will carry out work on the site within the next 2-3 weeks in preparation for transfer. 8. Bristol International Airport 8.1 PL briefed the council on the current position regarding BIA’s planning application. Comments need to be submitted by 13 August and NSC’s South Area Committee will consider it in September. He urged councillors to look at the application on NSC’s website and pass on comments, in particular regarding any mitigating measures that it is felt should be secured. The council’s Working Group and the PCAA would be meeting to consider responses. BIA has invited members of the council to look at the application at the airport on 15 July. 8.2 GP raised particular concern about the inclusion of car parking extension on the south side of the airport on what is currently farmland. This is despite the airport having vigorously opposed the use of farm land not under their control for car parking. 9. Finance 9.1 Money received:- Compost Sales - £38-00 9.2 Invoices received:- Streets Ahead – surgery transport £104-65 CPRE – annual subscription - £29-00 Broxap Ltd – Felton Green seat - £583-05 It was agreed that these invoices should be paid. An invoice from HTL Ltd for grass cutting would be queried with regards to the number of cuts claimed for. An invoice had been received for re-wiring of the Winford defibrillator cabinet. It was agreed that the reason for this would be queried before payment. 9.3 Winford Pre-school. AP reported that he had received confirmation that the Pre-school is being run soundly and has been very highly rated by OFSTED. The council agreed to provide a grant of £500 to enable them to complete the repayment of a loan due in September and consider any further request for support before the final instalment is due in 2010. 9.4 Rents:- Sports Ground. It was agreed that the council should not seek an increase in the rent at the review due in December and that it should remain at £300 per year; Reading Room. The rent for 2008/09 had been £300. It was agreed to make enquiries into the current state of the Snooker Club and also identify all the costs incurred by the council relating to the premises before deciding on rent for the current year; Allotments. The Finance Working Group recommended that the annual rent for a standard allotment, currently £10 per year, should be raised to £12 and others by a pro-rata amount. This was agreed. 9.5 AP drew attention to a newsletter about defibrillators that the council had received. It said that councils should budget for £150 per year to pay for replacement batteries and pads that will be needed every 2 years. There are 3 units in the parish so this will place a significant ongoing burden on council finances. As the council had not been informed that it would be responsible for ongoing maintenance costs it was agreed that it should write to Mr Setter asking for more precise details of likely costs and whether he had considered alternative, more appropriate sources of funding such as health services. 9.6 BS proposed that an annual payment of £10 should be made to the owner of the wall on which the Winford notice board is sited. This was agreed and a first payment, including arrears, of £20 will be made in November. 10. Felton Shop 10.1 PE reported the current position. The Post Office has been closed and the bank has repossessed the premises. Post Office Ltd is keen to keep a presence in the village and has been looking at alternative sites. The proprietor of Backwell Post Office is interested in renting the ground floor of the current premises. The shop committee considers that there is nothing further it can do until the situation with the bank is clarified. 11. Meetings Past meetings:- BS had been to a very well attended meeting in Dundry about the proposed south Bristol expansion; BS had attended a meeting of the Parish Plan environmental group; The Common Working Party had considered a proposal to use the common for Geocaching but had little awareness of what it involves. Councillors generally thought it would be unlikely to have any adverse effects as long as people are advised that driving on the common is not permitted and parking is limited. A response to this effect will be sent. Future meetings:- PL said that the Airport Working Group, PCAA and Environmental Impact Group would all be meeting; PE reported that the cycle/footpath Working Group would be meeting and he circulated copies of the latest plans produced by David Neale. These link the plans to wider access to the airport which appears to provide the best opportunity for success in bidding for funding. The St Katherines/Winford schools task force will meet on July 14th 12. Other Correspondence and items for next agenda 12.1 LC asked whether any action had ever been taken relating to the proposal to gate the entrance to the land below the Felton Hall car park. It was agreed to discuss this at the next meeting. 12.2 BS was asked to request the removal of the Chill Hairdressing sign from the grass in the centre of Winford. The meeting concluded at 9.59 PM. The next council meeting is on Monday 3 August 2009 at 7.00pm at Felton Village Hall.
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