held on Monday January 7th 2008
Present; Stuart Campbell, Chairman Mary Stanhope, Hugh Delap, Rowena Wood, Ray Benfield, Betty Harris, Richard Blamey, Mandy Knowles and Stephanie Jenkins, Clerk. Also present, for part of the meeting, was Neil Butters, District Councillor.1 Apologies for absence ; Ann Ross.
2.Minutes
The Minutes of the meeting of December 3rd were agreed to be an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.
3.Planning Matters
Decisions; The Old Chapel, Pipehouse/07/03277/FUL; erection of extension and connection of existing garage to create bedroom/studio, extension of dining room and dormer window; permitted with the condition that the existing driveway space shall be retained for the parking of vehicles. Also all materials to match existing.New Applications;
The Yard, High Street/ erection of extension and front porch after removal of existing utility room/store 07/03587/FUL; RW reported that she was awaiting clarification from the planning officer on the extent of the extension as ground plans provided were inadequate. Parish Council response was due by January 10th. Neighbours had been consulted and appeared to have no objections.
2 The High Street/ single-storey rear extension/ resubmission; RW stated that the parish Council had not objected to the previous application and recommended that, as there was no material difference, the Parish Council should make the same response.
This was accepted.
Responses to recent applications
Community Shop; erection of new timber building/ 07/03529 alongside the village hall in Galleries field; this had been strongly supported by the Parish Council with comments giving planning reasons for this support.
On-going Items
Tennis Club Lighting; reply still awaited from planning officer regarding planting proposals
Parking at The Inn and internal alterations; further update awaited from John Trenoweth, B&NES Planning
Rhaniket Farm; John Trenoweth had confirmed that the works being done on the field were for trial holes. A new application for a pond (re-sited) is expected shortly.
General Items
Park Corner Pump Area; RJB reported that B&NES have confirmed that they would be willing to complete the renovation by June 2008 if the Parish Council would be prepared to pay half of the estimated £750 costs. There was some discussion about the spending of precept money on what could be seen to be Highways’ responsibility, but Councillors agreed that the cosmetic aspect of the renovation was important and that, in order to retain control over this, it would be worth agreeing initially to pay £375. RJB stated that he believed that the Friends of Freshford might be prepared to contribute to these costs, mentioning a figure of £200. RJB was asked to progress this matter.Fingerpost Renovation; RJB reported that B&NES have agreed to carry out the work as soon as possible, depending on weather conditions. He had asked that the Crowe Lane sign and that at Park Corner be given priority. RW queried whether the renovation work would be in cast iron, and not some cheaper alternative, and was assured that this would be the case. HD suggested that a comprehensive list of fingerposts and their current condition would be useful and RJB agreed. RJB was asked to make Jessica Hunnisett aware of the renovation project.Core Strategy Document; SC thanked HD for his work on the PC’s response to the Core Strategy Document which had been submitted to B&NES. He felt it was important that the Parish was seen to respond
Planning Delegation Scheme; SC reported that he had despatched the Parish Council’s response via Peter Duppa-Miller, who would be co-ordinating the responses from all the parishes involved. These would go first to Baljit Tiwana and Lisa Bartlett before going to the Development Control Committee for a final decision.
Gas Pipe/Dark Lane; RW reported that Jessica Hunnisett had contacted Highways to see if they would have any comments on the safety aspects of the pipe’s position. She had also discussed the planning/conservation issues within the Conservation Office. They felt that the issue lay outside their powers to act, but that they might use their influence to try to persuade British Gas to rethink the installation.
4.Freshford Mill
Meeting with Ken Williams (Bath Highways); SC and HD had met Ken Williams to put forward ideas to limit the inevitable increase in traffic on Rosemary Lane once the Mill development is occupied. One thought was to angle the alignment of the new entrance/exit to the site, in order to inhibit a left-hand turn on exiting from the site and to discourage a right-hand turn into the entrance. KW was not convinced that such an alignment would prevent a determined motorist from achieving either manoeuvre, but he agreed that, subject to approval from B&NES Traffic Safety experts and a financial contribution from the developers, it could be an option. SC also put forward the idea of making Rosemary Lane one-way southwards, but KW felt that traffic approaching Freshford Mill would still be able to use this route and then the developers would feel no obligation to support any other scheme.
The meeting had been a very positive one and KW had agreed to consider the Parish Council’s suggestions and to see if any other measures might be relevant, before responding in the new year.
Tim Guymer; RW reported that Tim Guymer would shortly be leaving the Planning Department. As yet there had been no news of a replacement and she was asked to contact Baljit Tiwana (B&NES Group Manager for Operations and Business Development) to find out who this would be. At present there is no activity on the site. The Clerk stated that her attempts to contact Tim Guymer to obtain plans for copying, as agreed at the Parish Council’s meeting with him had met with no success. It would again be necessary to go through the process of briefing the new planning officer when appointed.
5. Parish Plan
HD reported that leaders of the various working groups had met and planned the putting together of all the sections for presentation to a final general meeting. This was likely to take place in February rather than late January. SC stated that it was important that the timing of the Parish Plan did not slip and he noted that, as soon as a final draft of the Plan was available, the Parish Council should have sight of it. HD was asked to inform the steering committee of this. 6. Village ShopHD stated that the Outline Planning Application had received considerable support (almost 100 emails and letters sent to the Planning Department). Discussions had taken place with the case officer and a number of small changes had led to a resubmission of details, putting back the statutory eight weeks of consideration. This could mean that the application would be unlikely to reach the planning committee until their February meeting.
Councillors felt that running the story with the Chronicle would provide useful support, but the timing would be crucial. SC felt that it would be important to wait for the planning officer’s recommendation. HD was asked to sound out the Action Group, suggesting an approach to the Chronicle just before the Planning Committee meeting.The Clerk reported receipt of a letter of thanks for both the financial help and the written support to the application given by the Parish Council. Gitte Dawson, as Chairman, expressed the gratitude of the Shop Committee.
7. Affordable Housing
HD reported on a site meeting held on December 19th. John Mutter (Housing Association representative) had been absent because of illness, but Gary Ward (B&NES) could only see obstacles to the siting of houses on the land currently occupied by the Glebe garages. He had suggested that the Parish Council set out their reasons for favouring the scheme and stating how the objections of the Planning and Highways Departments might be overcome.
Site 9 on Ashe’s Lane had also been examined. Further information on the site needs to be gathered before discussing the suitability with the planners.
8. Footpaths, Walls and Trees
Wall Collapse alongside the field belonging to the Brewery awaits an insurance claim before rebuilding can start. MS reported that the footpath has been cleared.
Weeping Pear at cemetery; Hortsoc Secretary had asked whether the Parish Council would be prepared to contribute to the costs of pruning, as these had proved higher than expected. The Clerk was instructed to contact her to establish figures involved.Broken Tree/ Abbey Lane; RB offered to clear this obstruction. Councillors thanked him.
Tree works at Old Rectory; MS reported these as necessary and satisfactory.
Overgrown Brambles/ Rhaniket Field; following a complaint, MS had left a message for the owners, the Rideouts who had subsequently cut back the brambles.
Footpath Sign/ Rhaniket Field; this is incorrectly positioned. MS to investigate and action.Limpley Stoke Footpath Information; the Clerk is awaiting a response from Limpley Stoke’s Clerk to her request to be allowed to keep one of four A3 copies of their footpath map.Street Sweeper; The Clerk had spoken to Lyn Alvis from Monkton Combe about how they dealt with issues such as health and safety and contracts. He stated that matters had been run on a very informal basis and that he would be interested in viewing the Freshford contract letter when it is finalised.
Hall Play Area; RJB reported that the broken fencing and gates would shortly be repaired.
Cemetery Inspection;. The Clerk is to meet with Alan Duck to look at the older, unsafe headstones identified. It was suggested that the Historical Society might be prepared to fund the restoration of, perhaps, one headstone a year. SC agreed to approach Alan Dodge about the matter.War Memorial Grants; ongoing (RJB). James Long Masons were suggested as a possible source of a third quotation for this work.
Kissing Gate Repairs; this welding has been done, but no one knows by whom!
9. Highways, Street Cleaning and RailwaysRe-surfacing Rosemary Lane; SC reported that this would not be taking place until February 2008. He had approached B&NES with the idea of opening up the closed gully which takes the springwater and surface water down the side of the lane and has caused problems for some time. By removing the concrete slabs and angling the new tarmac surface, a gutter could be formed and the Parish Council could ensure maintenance of a clear runaway through use of the street sweeper scheme. Highways had not rejected the idea, but made the point that, if the attractive cobbles which form the bed of the gully further up the lane prove to be missing from this lower section when the concrete is removed, there will be no budget available to replace them. SC is to approach Jessica Hunnisett to see if she might support the scheme. RB sounded a warning note when he reminded Councillors of the poor quality of the resurfacing work done, recently, on Ashe’s Lane, possibly by the same company engaged for the Rosemary Lane job. It was agreed that this would need careful monitoring.Proposed Bus Shelter by the school on Freshford Lane; RJB reported that this scheme was currently on hold.Bus to Bradford on Avon; RW reported that, despite a tight time-frame before Christmas, there had been very positive support for the idea and a good number of signatures to the list displayed at the temporary Post Office. West Wilts had been formally contacted by the Parish Council with a request for a twice-weekly service to Bradford, including a stop at Sainsburys. B&NES had also been contacted with a request for some funding for the scheme. As yet no responses had been received.Closure of A36 from march to June 2008; The Chairman thanked NB for keeping the Parish Council so well informed about the ongoing arrangements. After some discussion it was agreed that SC should approach Stephen Osbourne Smith of InterRoute, the Highways Agency’s contractors for the work, and invite him to the Parish Council’s February meeting so that Councillors could put specific concerns to him. The first three weeks of the twelve-week project will pose particular problems, with no access at all from Freshford to Brassknocker Hill. Commuter traffic seeking alternative routes through the villages could cause total chaos. RJB suggested that there should be a physical presence at the Branch Road junction on the A36, ensuring that all traffic heading for Bath would be re-routed through Hinton Chartehouse. RW regretted the apparent lack of interest in imposing a 20mph limit on traffic leaving the A36 and heading into Freshford and Limpley Stoke to find a through route. SC was asked to pass these concerns on to B&NES’ Nick Jeanes and also Police Commissioner, Olivia Pinckney. RB offered to bring the matter to the next Police Liaison Meeting.Pipehouse Junction; RJB reported that B&NES had again refused to consider the request for a turning lane on the A36.Huitson Flooding Problem; SC has been given a contact name and number for the West Wilts Highways Department for enquiries about the drains on Church Lane. He is also to approach B&NES Highways about possible blockages in the culvert running under the road at the bottom of Church Hill.Clearance of the Pound; MK explained that the quote given for this work, whilst it might initially seem expensive, was in fact a subsidised figure. The work involved two and a half days work for two men, van trips in and out to Bath to dispose of the rubbish and shredding suitable materials to form a base to the Pound enclosure. Alan Duck had not provided a quote, perhaps because he was not keen to undertake the work. The matter was discussed and it was agreed that the Clerk should approach Alan Duck and, if he did not want to take on the job, or his quote was not competitive, the quote from B&NES should be accepted. Exactly what the Pound in its cleared state should be used for- so that it was not just a dumping ground-was left for discussion at subsequent meetings. Councillors were asked to familiarise themselves with the piece of ground in advance.Replacement Tools for Ian Croker; MK was authorised to purchase a number of items and to present the bills to the Clerk for payment.Jobs for Ian Croker; RJB suggested that Ian be asked to cut the hedge back from the tarmac alongside the private section on Freshford Lane. After discussion it was agreed that this might be controversial and should be a job for Highways to tackle. RJB to approach Highways. Other jobs suggested were clearing storm debris from Dark Lane and from Rosemary Lane.Station Matters; Poster Funding; the Clerk reported that the donation of £100 from The Inn at Freshford had been paid and she had thanked the donor. RW stated that she had asked Peter Jobson why the poster was not currently displayed on the Bradford platform and was awaiting his reply. 10. Shared SpaceRJB provided Councillors with a copy of a draft letter to Peter Rowntree, B&NES’ Strategic Director of Customer Services composed by Hamilton –Baillie Associates. This letter was for discussion purposes and aimed to set the Freshford scene for Mr Rowntree and provide him with a copy of the Hamilton-Baillie Report into “Shared Space” options for Freshford, before requesting a meeting with him and relevant colleagues. The meeting would aim to
- Endorse the approach outlined in the report.
- Ensure cross-departmental understanding and support for the initiative.
- Explore potential sources of investment and funding from both public and private sectors.
- Engage with B&NES’ technical staff to help take the proposals forward in partnership with the Parish and the consultants, so that detailed schemes can be drawn up to be ready to take advantage of funding opportunities.
The letter continued by touching on some of the key, prioritised ideas and expressing hopes that B&NES would be interested in working with the residents of Freshford whose enthusiasm for the project had been strongly expressed.
RB felt that it was important that, before any approach to B&NES was made, strategies should be more clearly defined.
RJB agreed that this would be important, but felt that the broader concept meant that a prime aim would be to persuade the most senior person at B&NES to consider the scheme sympathetically.
SC felt that the penultimate paragraph of the letter gave the wrong impression. He felt that it could be seen as a means of Hamilton-Baillie using Freshford to promote their philosophy of shared space more widely. It was agreed that he should rewrite the paragraph.RJB stated that the Parish Council would need to consider whether Hamilton-Bailey Associates should be invited to any meeting set up with Peter Rowntree as there would be a financial implication to such an invitation. SC said that in his view the Parish Council should spend no further money until there were signs that B&NES showed genuine interest and a financial commitment to the project.
11. Correspondence
B&NES Development and Major Projects; Future for Bath and NE Somerset.
West Wilts District Council; Core Strategy; Issues and Options Consultation.
Cotswold Conservation Board; Agenda and Minutes.
Community Action; Minutes and notice of Parish Plan Training Event.
CPRE; Fieldwork magazine.
First Great Western; magazine.
Highways Agency; details of forthcoming works on A36.
B&NES TAWM; copy of letter to Alan Cunningham about Ashe’s Lane traffic.
B&NES; Heritage Events leaflets.
Somer Housing; Magazine.
Clerks and Councils Direct; magazine and Yearbook.
ALCA; newsletter, garden party nomination form, Community-led planning framework.
12. Finance
Retrospective permission sought forHamilton-Baillie Associates; consultation fees, £910.62
Bath Preservation Trust; Annual Membership, £15.
Payments needing to be made in JANUARY
Ian Croker, Street Cleaning, £196.68.
SEC, Routine Maintenance for street lights, £181.35
SEC, Non-routine maintenance, £8.12
Southern Electric, Supply October-December, £259.95
Income
B&NES; Street Cleaning, £282.71
The Inn at Freshford, contribution to village poster design, £100.
Internal Auditor
Councillors had received details of the service offered and the costs involved in employing Paul Reynolds of Fair Account as the Internal Auditor required under the current audit rules. References and details of Professional Indemnity cover were included and Councillors agreed that, given the level of costs involved should any mistakes be made by the Clerk and not discovered at Internal Audit stage, it would be reasonable to accept the quote for a three-year contract of £150 for Year 1 (2008-09), £155 for Year 2 and £160 for Year 3. This would be based on a standard Internal Audit with site visits. Councillors also agreed to pay for an initial full Risk Assessment on the financial system’s internal controls (£25) which would then be updated annually without charge. The Clerk was instructed to inform Mr Reynolds of this.Street Lighting
The Clerk informed Councillors that she had placed an order for one new street lamp and bracket to be installed at Pipehouse (as discussed at the October meeting) with DW Windsor. The cost, including delivery, would be £652.65+VAT. The remainder of the lighting budget would go towards replacing the photocells currently giving an “all-night burn” on a number of lamps with cells which would enable lamps to be switched off in the early hours.
13. PACT MeetingRB was thanked for attending the PACT meeting to represent the Parish Council at such short notice. He had provided Councillors in advance with a detailed account of the meeting at which Parish Councils in the group had been encouraged to list their relevant concerns and then vote on their priority. Concerns expressed had been wide and varied, from traffic control (including speeding, parking, large lorries following satnav instructions, off-road motorbike use and car-dumping) to lack of youth facilities, poor maintenance of roads and footpaths, neglected buildings and blocked drains causing problems with rainwater. The Chairman of the meeting, Peter Duppa-Miller, had stated that the response was considerably stronger than at other PACT group meetings and asked representatives each to highlight just one major issue so that the Committee could decide what to prioritise for action before the next (April) meeting. Lack of local facilities with the attendant lack of youth activities topped the list, with traffic issues the next major concern across the group of parishes.
14 Pre-Advised AOB
Resignation; the Chairman announced that Richard Blamey had given him advance warning of his intention to resign from the Parish Council with effect from the Council’s year end, ie the April meeting. SC thanked Richard Blamey for making his decision known in good time and thanked him warmly for all the varied areas of parish life and responsibilities that he had taken on during his time as a Councillor.
SC suggested that it might be necessary to set up a sub-committee to review Councillors’ responsibilities with a view to re-organising the structure.