Minutes of the Meeting of Freshford Parish Council

held on Monday March 1st 2010

Present; Hugh Delap, Chairman

Stuart Campbell, Claudia Towner, John Adler, Mary Stanhope, Guy Ritchie, Nick Stevens, Rowena Wood, Mandy Knowles and Stephanie Jenkins, Clerk.

1. Apologies for Absence; There were none

2. Declarations of Interest; there were none.

3. Minutes ; the minutes of the meeting of February 1st 2010, which had been already posted on the website in draft form, were agreed to be an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

The Clerk asked if, in future, Councillors would agree to the Minutes being limited to key decisions and action points. As all reports submitted by Councillors are currently stored on the computer, discussion detail could be checked if needed. Councillors agreed, providing that any additional requested points could be added on an ad hoc basis.

4, Finance

Payments needing to be made in MARCH; approved

Ian Croker, Street Cleaning, £210.97

Stephanie Jenkins, Clerk’s Salary, final quarter, £750

Hugh Delap, Chairman’s expenses, £165

Movement of £1000 from current account to reserves (Scottish Widows Tracker Account)

Receipts

Friends of Freshford, £250 for notice boards. Clerk to write in thanks.

The Clerk to pursue the matter of Bulletin costs with YRD (£180)

Bollards on the Tyning;

It was agreed to accept the quote from James Lock, £240.60 for softwood posts and ask that the job be undertaken ASAP. The Clerk to check that the wood used will be tanalised. Stuart Campbell offered to apply a coat of creosote to the bollards on an annual basis. He was thanked for this offer and also for his work reconditioning the bench at the top of Dark Lane and repairs to the adjacent grit box.

Precept Request ; official recognition had been received.

Internal Auditor; the Clerk is to meet with Chloe Alexander to see if she would undertake the job. Councillors agreed on a sum of £100 for this.

Grass- Cutting on the Tyning the Clerk had congratulated James on the appearance of the Tyning after its annual clearance and had asked for his preferred payment schedule for work in 2010. He asked that the sum of £2080, which covers the whole job, be split into two payments, one at the end of June and one in November. Councillors agreed.

5. Correspondence

Somer Times, newsletter

ALCA, newsletter, notice of Special general Meeting to be held on March 18^th, plus agenda and minutes

Wiltshire Council, notice of on-line planning policy consultation database

Open Space Society, spring newsletter

6. Planning Matters

Decisions: none

New Applications;

10/00498/FUL – Walnut Grove, Rosemary Lane; revised siting of the already approved double garage. PC to raise no objection

On-going Items

Sharpstone House, (09/02697/CA); alterations to damaged boundary wall; RW reported that Lisa Bartlett had stated that the Local Planning Authority is not required to re-notify or consult in the event that revised plans are received. However, if, in the judgement of the Planning Officer concerned, the revisions will be of relevance to interested parties, then the LPA should consider re-notifying and re-advertising the plans.

Enforcement Issues

The Inn/ internal alterations; ongoing

10/00093/UNDEV – Hermitage Cottage; Officer to inspect.

Tennis Club Lighting; RW noted that the PC had not been consulted on the discharge of condition relating to the planting scheme.

General Items

Guide to Councillors on background and system for Planning Applications; ongoing.

Solar Panels; ongoing

Cross-border consultation; RW to contact Lisa Bartlett (cc Peter Duppa Miller) to request better consultation over applications which are so close to neighbouring parish borders that they are effectively part of the village. (Walnut Grove and the Tennis Club)

7. Annual Parish Meeting arrangements

The following format was agreed for the meeting on Tuesday April 28^th (8pm).

Chairman’s welcome; Guest Speaker (CT to approach John Ponting to speak on Green Issues); Chairman and Clerk’s/RFO’s reports (brief); Open question session; Refreshments. Individual Councillors’ reports will, this year, be contained in the spring edition of The Bulletin which will be published shortly before the meeting.

8. ALCA Meeting Report.HD reported on an appeal for Councillors to volunteer for membership of the Standards Committee’s Referral and Review sub-committee, convened to deal with complaints of breaches of the Code of Conduct. NS agreed for his name to be put forward. 9 Updatesa. Freshford Mill; Phil Desmond had responded on the discharge of conditions.

b. Roads and Traffic;

Freshford Roads and Traffic Report; NS to meet Adrian Clarke (B&NES Highways) on March 11^th, with Ray Benfield and Graham Jenkinson

Some of the promised HGV signs are in place. Tasos Papaloucas (B&NES Highways) to report back to the PC after a site visit.

Satnav; no further contact with Road Haulage Association planned until the effects of the new signage can be assessed.

Glebe Footpath Lighting; survey of opinion as to the value of this scheme to be taken, via a Bulletin article and at the APM.

A36/ Branch Road Safety Issues; Councillors favoured extending the speed limit (40mph) out beyond Ball’s garage, rather than creating a roundabout at the Branch Road junction. NS to put this view to Adrian Clarke at their meeting.c Communications and Funding ; April Bulletin to be funded by holiday landlords, Rowena Wood/ Carol Foster/ Deborah Challinor. June edition by Moore Stephens Financial Services. Clerk to contact Moore Stephens and request details of preferred publicity.

Community Database publicity; suggested link on the website to be developed by the Communications Committee.

d. Footpaths, Walls and Trees; Clerk to write to Cotswold Wardens, thanking them for the new seat. Clerk to ask James Lock about best course of action to improve surface of footpath through cemetery gates. MS had discussed the possible replacement of the stone stile with the Cotswold Wardens. They will report back.

e. Street Cleaning , Dog Issues, The Pound; MK reported that B&NES should shortly be installing three of the new waste bins (by the phone box on the High Street, on Ashe’s Lane and at the High Street end of The Tyning). Clerk to approach James Lock to see if he would quote for the installation of the two bins kindly funded by the Friends of Freshford for the Hall playing field and car park.Councillors to inform MK of problem dog-fouling spots as noted.

f. Public Transport; Station matters; Friends of Freshford have agreed to pay for poster reprint for centre of village. RW to approach previous sponsors to check information accuracy and possible additional sponsorship money. Councillors agreed that the best position for the proposed “Help Button” on the Bradford platform would be beside the footbridge. It was agreed that the Old Freshford Sign be sited on Bradford platform. Network Rail is to take responsibility for insurance.

g. Green Energy; all initiatives are active.

h. Parish Online; CT reported that this has only just got off the ground. The PC is now licensed and has access to the maps, but they carry a limited amount of information and the ability to add more is restricted. Three training sessions are scheduled for later this month. JA to attend at least one and report back.

i. Memorial Hall Development; ongoing

j. Affordable Housing; meetings are scheduled for March and will be reported on at the April PC meeting.

k. Emergency Planning; ongoing

11 AOB

a. Parishes Liaison meeting; HD reported on two important items resulting from the questionnaire on the satisfactory working of the Parish Charter.

The adoption of a formal “signing off” of schemes with Parish Councils, both before a scheme is launched and at completion (with particular relevance to Highways schemes)
The setting up of a Joint Working Party to look into and resolve the various Development Management issues identified within B&NES Development Control.

b. Chairman’s Award; following the submission of the PC’s recommendation of the Galleries Shop for the award, an invitation to the Award Evening on March 24^th had been received.

c.Valley Parishes Alliance; a further meeting had been held and a paper setting out the aims of the Alliance had been circulated and approved. A formal constitution is to be drafted which will include proposed subscription levels. For Freshford this will amount to £100 per annum. This was also approved.

d. Replacement Councillor/ Clerk; It was agreed that Councillors should approach a number of residents to gauge possible interest in becoming a Parish Councillor, replacing Mary Stanhope who retires at the end of April. With a Parish Council election due in 2011, it would be useful to identify a number of potential candidates.

With regret, Councillors learned from the Clerk that she would like to retire from her post by the end of the calendar year.

12 .Date of next meeting; MONDAY APRIL 12^TH 2010

Freshford Village Website (PC Minutes 1st March 2010)