Minutes of the Meeting of Freshford Parish Council

held on Monday May 17^th 2010

Present; Hugh Delap, Chairman

Claudia Towner, Rowena Wood, Guy Ritchie, Nick Stevens, Mandy Knowles and Stephanie Jenkins, Clerk.

Present for part of the meeting was Neil Butters, District Councillor.

1. Election of chairman and vice-chairman

Hugh Delap was re-elected as Chairman, proposed by RW, seconded by GR.

Nick Stevens was re-elected as Vice-Chairman, proposed by HD, seconded by CT.

2. Apologies for Absence; Stuart Campbell and John Adler

3. Declarations of Interest; Item 10c, Village Green; NS as school governor/ FLiSCA committee member and GR as parent, both declared an interest.

4. Minutes ; the minutes of the meeting of April 12th 2010 were agreed to be an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

5, Finance

Payments needing to be made in MAY; approved

Ian Croker, Street Cleaning, two payments of £215.57, for May 10^th and June 7^th.

James Lock, installing two waste bins, £70

Stephanie Jenkins, Annual Parish Meeting Expenses, £54.84

Hugh Delap, Spring Bulletin Costs, £141.40

Mandy Knowles, Street Cleaning expenses, £12.38

B&NES, two slatted litter bins, £484.10

Hugh Delap; expenses for Affordable Housing meeting at The Inn on May 4th, £30 (£15 to be reclaimed from Limpley Stoke)

Receipts

B&NES Finance, Half Precept payment, £6842.50

B&NES Finance, Street Cleaning payments for April and May, £310.10 x 2

The Inn at Freshford, Spring 2010 Bulletin Sponsorship, £180

Procedures

Appointment of Responsible Financial Officer; the Clerk was appointed as the Responsible Financial Officer for 2010-2011 (proposed RW, seconded NS). NB this appointment will need to be reviewed again, when the new Clerk is in office

Review of Financial Standing Orders; Councillors reviewed and approved the existing Standing Orders.

Internal Audit; this is to take place on June 9^th, with Audit figures to be presented for approval at the June meeting.

6. Annual Reviewsa) Code of Conduct (adoption of revised version)

After considering a paper prepared by NS and discussing the implications, Councillors agreed to follow NALC’s advice and adopt the revised Code of Conduct, including Para 12 (2). NS was asked to check, with NALC, the fine details about the need for a Councillor, having registered an interest, needing to leave the meeting during discussion and vote. He offered to enquire as to the procedure adopted by Limpley Stoke PC on this matter. It was agreed that Councillors must consider their interests and involvement very clearly when controversial topics arise. The onus rests with them to declare an interest.

b.) Risk Assessment

The Parish Council’s table of Risk Assessment was reviewed and adopted.

The Clerk and the Chairman agreed to undertake an inspection of gravestones and report to the June meeting.

It was agreed to investigate the possibility of a structural survey of the cemetery wall.

7. Correspondence

ALCA; Newsletter, Legal Briefings, Members’ Needs Survey

Cotswolds Conservation Board; Newsletter, Grants Information, Managing Roadside Verges, Rural Skills Courses.

Natural England; Statutory Landscape Designations

Bath Preservation Trust; Spring Newsletter

CPRE; new Branch Newsletter

Open Spaces Society; appeal for funds

Wiltshire Council; Gypsy and traveller issues update

Somer Housing; Newsletter

West of England Partnership; Transport news and Joint Waste Core Strategy information

Avon & Somerset Police Authority; Newsletter

Mary Croston; request for article in next Bulletin about bonfire nuisance.

8. Councillors’ Allocated Tasks

HD had prepared a revised version of the current allocation and it was agreed that this would run until the Autumn, when further revision would be necessary.

It was agreed to consider further the most effective method of working with the school.

9. Recruitment of New Clerk

The Chairman reported that, even after the Clerk’s article in the Bulletin, the only interest shown in taking over the post of Clerk later in the year had been from Andrea Griffiths, Clerk to Limpley Stoke.

Councillors agreed that she should be appointed, subject to the Chairman and Clerk meeting her and agreeing terms and conditions not dissimilar to those existing.

10. Planning Matters

Decisions:

Walnut Grove, Rosemary Lane; 10/00498/FUL, erection of double garage and store;

PERMITTED

New Applications;

3 The Old House, The Hill; 10/01711/LBA, internal and external alterations to improve acoustic separation; following inspection and consultation with owners of both properties involved, the Parish Council had no objections.

Hillside Farm, Church Lane; 10/01569/FUL, installation of a row of 60 solar panels to generate electricity for The Galleries Shop, Two main issues concerned Councillors; the fact that the land concerned is within the Green Belt and so the application would need to be seen as benefiting from Very Exceptional Circumstances and also the effect on the view from the Tyning and from residences in The Glebe. After discussion, it was agreed to support the application on the basis of benefit to the community but with two conditions;

a) that the installation be concealed from all angles.

b) that fencing and earth moving round the installation be unobtrusive and appropriate to the venue

On-going Items

Sharpstone House, (10/00674/FUL), Change of use of existing detached store/summer house to ancillary residential accommodation; RW reported that, having spoken to the case officer, Hazel Short, it was likely that officer approval would be given. RW was concerned that the timescale for NB to inform Les Kew that Freshford PC would request that the application be brought to the Development Control Committee was extremely tight. It was also important that the Committee was aware of the serious planning principles behind the PC’s objection. NB agreed to pursue this matter urgently.

Freshford Primary School; 10/01435/FUL, change of use of land adjacent to the school from agricultural grazing land to Use Class D, external play space;

Following the Parish Council’s vote to object to this application, at an Extraordinary Meeting held on April 27^th, RW reported that she had spoken to the case officer, Richard Stott, to inform him that the PC would request that the application be brought to the Development Control Committee. He had stated that, because of the complications with the status of the land as Village Green, it was likely to go to Committee as a matter of course.

Enforcement Issues

The Inn/ internal alterations; RW told Councillors that, while enforcement was still officially ongoing, cuts within the Planning Department meant that the matter was unlikely to be resolved in the near future.

10/00093/UNDEV – Hermitage Cottage; the property owner had told the enforcement officer that work on the foundations and retaining walls had been started within the timescale of the planning permission. The Clerk reported that the original application papers were proving difficult to track down.

11. Village Fete Arrangements

It was agreed to follow the tried and tested Treasure Hunt and Sweet Game.

In addition, a section of the stall would be used to publicise the Village Website and to encourage residents to subscribe to the email database.

HD has the PC banner and a copy of the Treasure map.

He also agreed to purchase sweets.

NS stated that he would not be available to man the stall, but the remaining Councillors and the Clerk would be there. CT would be occupied with Pre-School activities.

12 Updatesa. Freshford Mill; RW to contact YRD to suggest that their signs at the various entrance routes to the village be removed and stored until work at the site resumes.

b. Valley Parishes Alliance: HD updated Councillors on activities since the April meeting and asked for any comments on the document “VPA Positions in Relation to the B&NES Core Strategy Spatial Options Draft”. The official launch of the VPA would be held on Monday June 21^st , at midday on Dundas Aqueduct.

c. Roads and Traffic; NS told Councillors that, following his meeting with Adrian Clarke, B&NES Highways, he was still awaiting minutes of the meeting, promised by AC. This delay was frustrating for a number of reasons, one of which was the need to secure funding for two major schemes; “ safe walking to school” and a reduction in speed limits through the village. NB’s suggestion was to wait a few more days and then, if no response had been received, the Parish Council should write a letter of complaint to him (NB) as District Councillor. If this produced no response NB offered to take the complaint higher up the chain of command at the Highways Department.

d. Communications and Funding ; at GR’s suggestion, Councillors agreed that the planned updated version of the website, whilst available for use by the whole community, should clearly state that it is maintained by the Parish Council, thus differentiating from sites run by individuals. GR to liaise with Dan Towner over cost implications of refurbishing the site.

e. Footpaths, Walls and Trees; a number of Tree Orders had been received. HD offered to deal with these.

f. Children and Youth Affairs; CT informed Councillors that the Pre-School had submitted a planning application on behalf of the Memorial hall for a new door giving access from the pre-School room to the new garden area. Further grant funding of £1050 from B&NES would be spent on a specified list of quality toys and resources.g. Street Cleaning , Dog Issues, The Pound; MK reported that the new waste bins had at last all been installed and would be emptied by B&NES Waste Department. The older, specifically dog waste, bin would be removed. The Clerk was asked to present Sonia Followes with a card and flowers, thanking her for her services in emptying it so regularly. The requests for grit bins at Pipehouse, outside the shop and on the lower reaches of Staples Hill were discussed and it was agreed to approach B&NES and, if they were not prepared to provide them, to investigate the purchase and the procedure for re-filling them. MK was asked to check the current timetable for Gully Emptying and mechanical street sweeping so as to avoid duplication with Ian Croker.

h. Public Transport; RW stated that both the matter of the posters and the installation of the old Freshford sign at the station were ongoing. Gordon Edwards had warned that the Tuesday bus service to Bradford on Avon (No 95) was likely to be cut because of lack of use.

i. Affordable Housing; NS reported on a recent meeting with all parties involved in the Affordable Housing initiative. Depressingly, much old ground has to be re-covered in terms of establishing that all the landowners who were not willing to sell land when previously asked, are still unwilling. Gary Ward (B&NES) stated that all the Limpley Stoke landowners identified, close to or within the Housing Development Boundary have to be approached before the Planning Department will begin to consider land outside the HDB under the Exceptions Policy. Even more depressingly, Wiltshire do not apply the concept of HDBs and Exception Policies, meaning that any development in Limpley Stoke would be subject to all the strict requirements of new build within the Green Belt. A further meeting of the group was scheduled for early July by which time enquiries to landowners will be made, an article featured in the Clarion and notices placed on the various village boards. NS advised that any public enquiries/ anxieties generated by these activities should be directed to him or to HD.

j. Emergency Planning; ongoing.

11 AOB

Possible Parish Boundary Changes; NS advised that a review is underway, particularly in the Midford area. RW proposed that the PC keep a very close eye on this.

12 .Date of next meeting; MONDAY JUNE 21st 2010

Freshford Village Website (PC Minutes 17th May 2010)