PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES

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Parish Council Minutes January 2005

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The Monthly Meeting of the Parish Council took place in the Village Hall on Wednesday 12th January 2005 commencing at 7.30 pm.

The Vice Chairman, Cllr Mrs J Nudds presided; present were Cllrs K Bryan, M Day, C Hill, Mrs M Metcalfe and M Williams with G Russell in attendance. Also present for part of the meeting were County Cllr John Howell and District Cllr John Cotton.

1 Apologies for absence

Cllr Mike Smith, who is in hospital, and Cllr Chris Sleigh.

2 Declarations of Interest

Cllr Day, as a Churchwarden, in PO4/W1341/RET; re the fence at 4 High Street

3 Minutes of the Meeting held 8th December 2004

Cllr Williams asked for the third paragraph of the Minute 8 i). Sports Club & Playgound to be changed with the word 'downpipes' replacing the word 'guttering'. He also asked that the minute should record that he was asking the Council to agree to pay the extra cost of plastic sheeting and said that the Council had agreed to consider this at its next meeting. In the event, he commented, the extra cost had not been requested after all. After these amendments had been made the Minutes were approved and signed as a correct record.

4 Matters Arising from the Minutes

i. Arrangements for the erection of the bus shelter at the Berinsfield 'interchange' are being made by Berinsfield Parish Council.

ii. Cllr Mrs Metcalfe and the Clerk have met with James Turner representing the 'Hidden Britain' promotion. The scheme seems to have several benefits and another meeting has been arranged in order to involve more people from Dorchester and the surrounding area.

iii. The Clerk reported that no date has yet been set for the District Council's Planning Committee to consider the Hallidays planning application.

iv. The meeting that was to have taken place earlier in the day with the County Highways Engineer had had to be postponed because County Cllr Howell had not been available. It will be re-arranged in the near future.

5 District Councillor's Report

District Cllr Cotton said that there will be a consultation meeting with Parish Councils concerning the South East Plan during week commencing 21st February in Didcot. Oxford City Council is hosting a similar meeting on 9th February with particular emphasis on proposals that would have an impact upon the Green Belt.

Cllr Cotton said that the application for the erection of a telecomms tower near Orchid Lake has been turned down but an appeal or an application for another site nearby should be expected.

He said that the District Council is reviewing the way in which it supports local tourism and that more information about this will be available soon.

6 County Councillor's Report

County Cllr Howell confirmed that the Examination in Public had resulted in criticism of the County's proposals for sand and gravel extraction, which would be considered by the full County Council within the next few months. While this is good news, it does not yet mean that the threat of local gravel extraction has totally gone away. Cllr Howell said that the EIP had also been critical of the proposed housing development south of Grenoble Road in Oxford. He thanked all the Parishes involved with supporting the PAGE campaign.

Cllr Howell said that he has had a meeting with the CEO of the Oxfordshire Ambulance Trust who had confirmed that the Trust will be picking up First Responders' out of pocket expenses such as travel and telephone and that the British Heart Foundation has come up with money to pay for the automated defibrilators that are part of the Responders' standard kit. Parishes who wish to support their First Responder with contributions may do so through a charity with the donations earmarked as being for this specific purpose.

Cllr Howell did not know if the local First Responder is yet aware of this but has another meeting with the Trust soon.

Cllr Howell said that he would organise a meeting for the parishes within his division so that the South East Plan could be studied in detail.

7 Correspondence and Other Business

i). Sports Club & Playground;

The repair work to the Pavilion has been satisfactorily completed and the account submitted for payment.

Total Pest Control have dealt with the recent problems caused by moles in the Recreation Ground and the Cemetery. The company has proposed an alternative to this occasional calling out in the form of an annual contract at the cost of £150 payable quarterly. It was agreed that this should be done for the financial year starting at the beginning of April.

ii). Footpaths;

Mr Baddeley at 37 Martin's Lane has advised the Clerk of his wish to replace his existing garden fence with one that would be located closer to the footpath. It was agreed that the Parish Council has no authority to agree to such a request and that the matter must be referred to the County Council.

The Clerk was asked to contact the Association of Local Councils to ask for advice about how the Parish Council might deal with the problems caused by residents who enclose property that does not belong to them. Cllr Mrs Metcalfe suggested that this is a topic that should be covered in the Chairman's report to the Annual Parish Meeting.

The Clerk was asked to get the Handyman to tidy up the branches that overhang the pavement in Manor Farm Road.

iii). Cemetery/ Abbey Closed Churchyard

Paul Jenks has completed the work on the horse chestnut in the Abbey closed churchyard and it was agreed that he and his team had done a very good job.

Cllr Day reported on the meeting he, together with Cllr Mrs Nudds and Cllr Bryan, had had with IJP Building Conservation Limited regarding the company's quotation and recommendations for consolidating the old cemetery buildings. It was agreed that no additional metal work in the form of gates and iron grills etc is needed and that IJP should be given a firm order to proceed with the work. The Clerk will see what grants may be available and also find out how much Oxford, Cemetery, for example, charge for commemorative plaques to be mounted on its wall.

iv). Allotments;

Nothing to report

v). Parish Plan;

Cllr Mrs Metcalfe said she is finalising the list of useful contacts for residents to have note of. This will be published both within Dorchester News and the Parish website.

vi). Other letters to Chairman and Clerk

a. The Clerk will obtain more information about the type and quantity of small trees that have been offered by SODC's Forestry Officer.

b. Cllr Mrs Metcalfe and, possibly, Cllr Williams will attend the District Council's Partnership and Funding Conference on 8th February.

c. A leaflet from the Ramblers Association will be circulated along with details of the new draft Community Safety Strategy and the proposed English Music Festival, to be held in Dorchester in October 2006.

d. Details about briefing seminars concerning the Licensing Act will be given to David Joseph, as licensee of the Village Hall.

e. Cllr Bryan agreed to complete the District Council's questionnaire about its provision of car parks.

f. The Clerk reported the recent changes concerning DIY electrical connections and will put details of these changes in the next issue of Dorchester News.

g. It was agreed that the Clerk should attend the OALC training course at

Didcot on 23rd February.

8 Planning

a) Applications

PO4/W1172 and 1173/LB Hallidays Antiques, High Street.

Amendment to proposal for conversion and extension.

It was agreed that the reduction of one residential unit and its replacement by a gym and fitness studio was not sufficient to remove the Council's objections to the scheme by reason of the inadequacy of the proposed off-street car parking.

PO4/W1189 Dorchester Sailing Club Abingdon Road;

amended details for new vehicular access

It was agreed that the Council had no strong views about this proposal but would ask the District Council to satisfy itself that road safety would not be compromised by this scheme.

PO4/W1341/RET 4 High Street;

Amendment to erection of 1.2m high fence

(Cllr Day left the room whilst this application was discussed and Cllr Mrs Metcalfe, as wife of the Secretary of the PCC, also took no part in this discussion)

It was agreed that the Council should continue to recommend refusal.

b) Planning decisions, amendments etc

PO4/W1187 Overy Manor

Erection of free-standing cedar wood greenhouse

Planning permission granted 8th December

PO4/W1265/T Orchid Lakes, Abingdon Road; telecomms tower

Planning permission refused 24th December

PO4/W1285 17 Page Furlong; single storey conservatory to rear elevation

Planning permission granted 22nd December

PO4/W1298 51, Watling Lane; Erection of a studio

Planning permission granted 4th January

c) Other planning matters

The Clerk was asked to draw to the District Council's attention the fact that there is a still a mobile home and also a compound surrounded by temporary security fencing on the land adjacent to Overy Mill.

9 Finance

a). Bank balances

Current Account £2,034.06 Business Reserve Account £46,532.43

It was agreed to transfer £5,000 from Reserve to the Current Account

b). Accounts approved for payment:

SODC (Dog bin service 3 months) £228.21

Berinsfield Community Business (work on pavilion) £1157.38

Berinsfield Community Business (grass cutting) £82.25

Pearces Private Hire (park'n ride) £120.00

Jenks Oxford Limited (horse chestnut in Abbey grounds) £1110.38

St John's College (Christmas Tree) £149.98

GGD Russell - salary £320.25

Geoff Willis (Handyman - 5 weeks) £286.00

c). 2005/6 Precept

It was agreed that the Precept should be increased by 3.4% to £26,500. The Clerk distributed a schedule of current expenditure and options for 2005/6. Firm budgets will be discussed over the next two meetings, including the provision of any donation towards the costs of the First Responder.

10 Representative to PCC

It was agreed that for the time being the Parish Council would not have a permanent representative. It was suggested that the two organisations should exchange copies of their minutes.

11 Grass Cutting Contract

(As a director of Berinsfield Community Business, Cllr Mark Williams declared an interest and left the room whilst this matter was discussed)

Tom Cottrell Landscapes had been invited to submit a quotation for the coming year but had declined to do so, saying that they felt unable to compete with the prices which the Council was already being offered by Scion Estates and Berinsfield Community Business. Following an examination of schedules prepared by both contractors it was agreed that the work should continue to be shared between them as at present. Although there were concerns about the standard of BCB's work at the beginning of the season there had been a significant improvement by the end.

12 Date of Next Meeting

The next Parish Council meeting will take place on 9th February.

13 Any Other Business

a. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Council wanted to know if there are any plans for special events in celebration of this. The Clerk will find out.

b. Members of the Council and the Clerk signed a card of condolence for the family of Tom Carter who had died on 1st January 2005. Tom had been Clerk to the Parish Council from 1st June 1989 to 28th February 1998. A memorial service will be held in Dorchester Abbey on Friday 21st January.

c. Cllr Bryan said that the Village Handyman should be commended for making a special effort to tidy up the litter that had been blown about the village during the gales of the past weekend. This had involved several hours of work on the Sunday and the Clerk was asked to pass on the Council's appreciation.

The Meeting closed at 9.50 p.m.

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