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Parish Council Minutes June 2007
Home > Parish Council > Minutes > June 2007
The Monthly Meeting of the Parish Council took place in the Village Hall on Wednesday 13th June 2007 commencing at 7.30 p.m.
The Chairman, Cllr K Bryan, presided; present were Cllrs Mrs M Metcalfe (Vice-Chairman), M Day, S Gibbons, Mrs J Nudds, M Stevenson and M Williams with G Russell in attendance. Also present for part of the meeting were County Cllr John Howell, District Cllr John Cotton and three residents.
1 Apologies for absence
Apologies were accepted from Cllr Chris Hill who was on holiday
2 Acceptance of Office
Cllr Mark Williams signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office which was witnessed and counter-signed by the Clerk
3 Declarations of Interest
Both the Chairman and Cllr M Day declared a personal and prejudicial interest in application PO7/W0551 6 Monks Close; the applicants being customers of Cllr Bryan and near neighbours of Cllr Day.
4 Minutes of the Meeting held 9th May 2007
The Minutes of the meeting were approved as circulated and signed as a true record of the meeting.
5 Matters Arising from the Minutes
a. Fred Cherrill has quoted £100 as the cost of refurbishment of two bus stop signs. It was agreed that the Clerk should write to Miss Susan Bowditch to see if she is willing to make a contribution as she had suggested she might, although Fred is unlikely to be able to do the work in the very near future.
b. The Clerk told the Council that the damage to the sign and the theft of the gate on one side of Blue Bridge has again been reported to the National Trails Office at OCC.
c. OALC has sent some comments about Parish Council responsibilities for closed churchyards. This will be circulated but in the meantime Cllr Day will also seek an opinion from the Diocesan advisor.
d. Cllr Stevenson said that he has spoken to Father John about his claims of church ownership of part of the area known as Waterloo and he had ben told that work to produce evidence is in hand. It was agreed that the Clerk should speak to Aileen Watson to see if she could shed any light on the ownership matter.
6 District Councillor's Report
Cllr John Cotton said that the District Council is about to be given a demonstration of a CCTV system that is both portable and wireless. The Parish Council might have some applications for such technology.
SODC is to prepare a corporate plan and Cllr Cotton said that he would like to hear if the Parish Council wanted to suggest some ideas and aspirations for the future of Dorchester which it would like to see included in the plan.
Cllr Mrs Metcalfe told Cllr Cotton about the recent problems with the blocked drains in Queen Street and asked about the status of Condition 11 in the Hallidays planning approval. She noted that the drains problem had coincided with the first occupation of the newly converted properties.
7 County Councillor's Report
Cllr John Howell outlined the Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework consultation arrangements. This involved a much wider area than was covered by the Parish Councils who are members of the PAGE campaign and is occupying a very large proportion of his workload at the moment. The process is in some disarray now because of changes made by the Government Office for the South East.
Cllr Howell said that it was now generally accepted that the soak-away in The White Hart car park had not been as successful in solving the Queen Street flooding problem as had been hoped. The County’s engineers are to carry out a survey to see how water from Queen Street might be conveyed to the River Thame. Cllr Day asked if a mechanical system would be practical.
Cllr Howell said that repairs to the surface of Bridge End are in the programme of works to be done in the near future. The County would be spending £20,000 in addition to the £20,000 already spent on the resurfacing of the Bridge End car park.
Cllr Howell was asked about guide marks on the High Street indicating places where there are already surface road signs. It was hoped that these guide marks would be removed soon.
8 Finance:
Balance on NatWest Current Account at 30th May £20.088.26
The following accounts were approved for payment.
Southern Electric (Pavilion) £30.37
Transpiration Limited (Park n ride) £58.75
Scion Estates Limited (grass cutting) £638.92
Town & Country Memorials Ltd (wall plaques) £308.84
Playsafety Ltd (Play area inspection) £229.13
Paul Tyler (gravedigger re Lammer) £220.00
Jenks Oxford Limited (Chestnut in Abbey grounds) £581.62
GGD Russell – Clerk’s salary £401.82
GGD Russell – admin & travel expenses May/June £114.20
Geoff Willis Handyman – 5 weeks - (May £188.50) £318.99
(includes £19.99 paint)
Total Pest Control (quarterly charge for mole control) £176.25
It was agreed that the hourly rate of payment made to Geoff Willis should be increased from £6.50 to £7.50 per hour with effect from 1st June 2007. The Council noted that this was the first review since 9th March 2005 and asked the Clerk to ensure that the review is conducted on an annual basis in future.
9 Correspondence and Other Business
i). Sports Club Pavilion & Playground;
Cllr Gibbons confirmed that the contractors have returned today to deal with the list of minor problems with their installation.
The Clerk reported that SODC has inspected the work and that WREN and TOE will do so in due course.
There has been a report of rot in the support legs of the wooden MultiPlay equipment and it was agreed that the RoSPA inspector, who had not identified this problem, should be asked to return and make an assessment.
There has been some graffiti on the new equipment and the SODC officer inspecting the area had suggested that the Council should consider providing a graffiti wall. This idea was rejected as being unlikely to solve the problem.
Geoff Willis is repainting the outside walls of the Pavilion, weather permitting. Scion Estates has completed installation of the ramp access and has boxed in some downpipes. The Chairman said that it has been suggested to him that the wide flat wooden rail should be replaced with a steel tube – this would be less of a barrier for spectators sitting on the Pavilion terrace – and that there should be a safety rail on the north east end of the terrace – currently open.
The Sports Club has a committee looking into pavilion improvements and there are some who would like to get rid of the old chairs which came from the village hall,
ii). Footpaths;
The Chairman and Clerk had had a look at ways of closing off part of the access to the path leading past the Cemetery from Martin’s Lane to Drayton Road. The idea is to reduce the width of the access to prevent cars from using it.
iii). Cemetery;
The Council approved the design of a memorial for the late Vic Bates which had been submitted by Abingdon Stone & Marble Ltd.
The Clerk said that he was expecting to receive an application from the Bowles family which would be for a wooden cross. The Council agreed that it would consider the matter when more details were received.
iv). Allotments;
The Council gave its retrospective approval for the erection of the shed on John Fisher’s allotment.
v). Hidden Britain;
It was agreed that the fifth Orientation Board should be placed adjacent to the lay-by in the Henley Road near Meadside. It was hoped that the board to be positioned near the River Thames at Day’s Lock would be put up within the next few days.
vi). Other letters to Chairman and Clerk
a. Roshan Puri of Drayton Road, who has just graduated, has written offering to do voluntary work on a temporary basis. Cllr Stephenson will make contact direct.
b. The Council has received a request from the Sailing Club for a grant towards a new clubhouse. This will be available to rent by other local organisations and people. The Council decided that it would not support such a venture, believing that it should give priority to the Dorchester Village Hall,
c. The Council noted that the Thirteen Parishes group is upset about a survey regarding the expansion of Didcot which polled only Didcot residents not those in surrounding villages.
10 Council Representatives/Responsibilities
The Council agreed the following allocation:
School Governor: Mark Stevenson ( in place of Stuart Gibbons)
Sports Club: Chris Hill & Stuart Gibbons
Footpaths: Margot Metcalfe
PCC: Mark Williams
Street Lighting: Ken Bryan & Jenny Nudds
Cemetery: Ken Bryan and Maurice Day
Flooding & Drainage: Chris Hill
Allotments: Chris Hill
Playground: Stuart Gibbons
Thirteen Parishes: Mark Williams
Village website: Margot Metcalfe & Mark Williams
Bus Services: Mark Stevenson
Car Parking: Ken Bryan & Jenny Nudds
Village Hall: Ken Bryan
River Users Group: Chris Hill
Neighbourhood Action Group: Mark Williams
Village Carbon Project: Mark Stevenson
It was agreed that in the next Dorchester News the Clerk would ask residents to sign up to be part of a database of email contacts for Parish Council communications.
11 Planning
a) Applications
PO7/W0538/Lawful Development; 12 Meadside; Insertion of new window.
The Council had no observations on this application.
PO7/W0551 6 Monks Close;
Proposed single storey side & rear extensions and alterations
The Council had no strong views on this application
b) Report on planning decisions, amendments etc
PO7/W0345 1 Crown Lane
Extension, porch and pitched roof to replace flat roof.
Planning permission granted 18th May
PO7/W0252 Ditch South of Henley Road
Clean out existing fishery and enlarge proposed enlargement of existing fishery.
Planning permission granted 23rd May with some special conditions
PO7/W0289 Copse to NW of Manor House off Manor Farm Road
Demolition of single garage & construction of double garage.
Planning permission granted 15th May with some special conditions
PO7/W0189 & PO7/W0190/LB Cranmer Cottage 90 High Street,
Demolition of annex and link and erection of replacement annex.
Applications withdrawn
12 Village Carbon Project
Cllr Mark Stevenson said that the nucleus of a group exists and that a launch event is being planned, possibly involving an exhibition of ideas. It was agreed that this will be a group separate from the Parish Council which will have its own funds. The item should, however, remain on the Council’s agenda.
13 Consultation on Sand & Gravel Extraction
It was agreed that the Council should submit its objections following the model response prepared by Cllr Howell and that councillors were also free to submit their own comments independently. The consultation period ends on the afternoon of Friday 15th June. Following the emailing to the Clerk’s current list of Dorchester contacts it was known that at least eleven residents have also submitted comments.
14 Archaeology Project
The Council noted the information received concerning the forthcoming excavation of part of the Recreation Ground. More details of the site and scope of the dig will be obtained together with information about the requirements for access to the facilities of the Pavilion. The Clerk will issue a letter of authority and also check the insurance cover of the project leaders.
15 Community Safety
The Council noted recent incidents of graffiti, bottlebank tampering, torched cars, house burglaries and thefts of cycles. One resident has asked about the temporary installation of CCTV and it was suggested that if SODC is thinking of having a trial of any similar equipment Dorchester should volunteer to be the location.
16 Car Parking & other Highways maintenance matters
The Council agreed that the cost of installing cycle racks next to the Bridge End car park seemed very affordable and the Clerk was asked to get more information about colours and specifications available.
The Clerk is in contact with a company who will provide a costing for carrying out surface repairs in Watling Lane.
17 Any Other Business
a. The new Code of Conduct and Register of Member interests will be discussed in July. In the meantime councillors will look at the newly published guides.
b. Various hedge cutting and grass cutting requirements were reported to the Clerk.
Meeting closed at 9.55 pm
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