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Parish Council Minutes March 2006

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The Monthly Meeting of the Parish Council took place in the Village Hall on Wednesday 8th March 2006 commencing at 7.30 pm. The Chairman, Cllr K Bryan presided; present were Cllrs. M Day, S Gibbons, C Hill and Mrs J Nudds with G Russell in attendance. Also present for part of the meeting were District Cllr John Cotton and four residents.
1 Apologies for absence were accepted from both Cllrs Margot Metcalfe and Mark Williams, and from County Cllr John Howell, who had other commitments.

2 Public Participation
Cllr Hill spoke in his capacity as a resident of Bridge End and asked the Council to recommend that the proposal PO6/W0116 for a new dwelling to be built on land adjoining The Chequers, Bridge End be rejected. He said that agreeing to the proposal would be a threat to the future viability of The Chequers as a public house. The proposed building is also within the curtilage of a listed building and would be out of keeping with it. He asked that the Council should also take into account that the proposed dwelling would worsen the existing shortage of car parking spaces in that part of the village and be an extra burden upon the already inadequate sewage system. Finally he commented that if the District Council is minded to give approval it should be a condition that a full archaeological survey is carried out.
Other residents concurred with these views and drew the Council’s attention to letters that they had sent to the planning officer.

3 Declarations of Interest
Cllr Hill declared a personal and prejudicial interest in PO6/W0116 and the Chairman said that he would take no part in discussions about repairs to the damaged Pavilion doors as he might be asked to submit an estimate for carrying out the work.

4 Minutes of the Meeting held 8th February
The minutes as circulated were approved and signed as a true record.

5 Matters Arising from the Minutes
a. The Road repair spreadsheet has now been now completed by the Chairman and several members of the Council. It includes some jobs already reported as well as new items and the Clerk will send it to County Cllr Howell for further action.
b. The replacement of the diseased tree in Tenpenny is in hand.
c. The new village entry signs have been promised no later than early in April.
d. Brian Short has written to the Clerk explaining that the County has put on hold the transfer of agency contracts for roadside maintenance until 2007/8. There has been a problem about arranging insurance cover.
d. Henley Road/By pass junction; the extra bollard has been removed.
e. Highways have been contacted about the suggestion for a ‘Slow’ sign in Manor Farm Road and comments are still awaited.

6 District Councillor's Report
Cllr Cotton said that the District Council has plans for increased expenditure on leisure and youth services and upon offering rural transport assistance to villages which do not have any regular bus services. He hoped that SODC would be able to make a further contribution towards improvements at Dorchester Abbey.
He said that Adrian Duffield, Head of Planning, had indicated to him that the planning permission for the High Street garage site would automatically lapse after five years but the Clerk reported that he had been told by Sharon Crawford, the planning officer dealing with this site, that she had already written to the applicant confirming an extension to the approval.

7 County Councillor's Report; County Cllr Howell had sent his apologies.
8 Correspondence and Other Business
i). Sports Club Pavilion & Playground;
Following the recent Pavilion break-in it was agreed that stronger doors should be obtained. Three quotations would be presented to the next Council meeting.
Cllr Gibbons said that there had been a good response from residents willing to assist with fund raising for new equipment in the play area and he is organising a special meeting to present the plans and discuss how best to proceed.
Additional quotes for re-inforcing the entrance to the playing field using ‘Gridlock’ or a similar product will be obtained.
The Chairman and Cllr Gibbons said that they will inspect the play area swings and recommend to the next meeting whether new seats and/or chains etc are needed.
ii). Footpaths;
The Clerk confirmed that the tree work currently being undertaken at Overy Mill was approved by the SODC Forestry team but that there had as yet been no word from Mark Sumner concerning the fence alongside the footpath at The Mill.
The hedge by the footpath alongside The Manor needs cutting.
iii). Cemetery;
The Clerk distributed a draft of new regulations and fees. It was agreed that this would be discussed at the next Council meeting.
The wording for the plaque to be dedicated on 8th April was agreed. Scion have been asked to provide a quotation to improve the area in front of old buildings with wooden posts. BCB has declined this contract due to pressure of other work.
The Council approved the scattering of ashes of the late Dr Williams. The Rector is very keen that a memorial plaque on the Old Gatehouse Building wall should also be allowed, as Mrs Williams has become a regular member of the Abbey congregation since the death of her husband. It was agreed that a memorial plaque could be erected.
iv). Allotments;
The Council considered a request from Richard Anderson regarding a turning area outside 51 Watling Lane to assist delivery vehicles to exit the area. He had also asked about replacing a series of old sheds with one new one and suggested a new sign post to indicate the path across the allotments. It was agreed that these ideas should be discussed with Mark Townson, as Allotments Manager, before a decision was made.
Richard Anderson also said that he is proposing to carry out some repairs to the track.
v). Parish Plan;
The grant from ORCC has not yet been received but Cllr Williams has followed this up and the cheque is expected soon.
The Clerk reported that the DEFRA approval of the Hidden Britain project funding has been confirmed. This amounts to nearly £40,000 in total on projects that will take most of 2006 and 2007 to complete.
vi). Other letters to Chairman and Clerk;
a. The County has produced new posters urging drivers to ‘Respect our community – drive carefully’. These are available to Parish Councils to purchase.
b. The Council had received an appeal for funds from WRVS headquarters in Cardiff but confirmed that its policy is to support only those charities with a strong local connection.
c. The wording for Dorchester’s entry on the SODC tourism website was approved.
d. The Chairman had completed the consultation questionnaire about the future of Didcot, which included a section for those living in the surrounding area.

9 Planning
a) Applications
PO4/W0971 3, Haven Close (amendment)
Erection of a single storey carport and storage area to the western elevation and a porch to the northern elevation. Extension to the first floor and attic space raising the roof height. The Council had no objection to the proposed amendment

(Cllr Hill left the room while the following matter was discussed)
PO6/W0116 Land adjoining The Chequers, Bridge End
Demolition of existing garage building and construction of a 4 bedroom dwelling house and associated access and parking.
The Council noted letters of opposition received from three residents and comments made during in Public Participation earlier in the meeting.
The Council unanimously agreed to recommend refusal as the proposal, first, is an overdevelopment of the site – there has already been development in this area; secondly, adversely affects the viability of the ongoing business at the adjoining public house; and, thirdly, adversely impacts upon the setting of a listed building and other adjoining neighbouring properties.

PO6/W0155 59 Abingdon Road
Pitched roof dormer window to roof space.
The Council had no strong views, although noted that the position of the dormer windows was a cause for concern.

PO6/W0174 John Masefield Cheshire Home
Formation of new entrance lobby and canopy to existing nursing home to create added security. (Clifton Hampden PC consulted)
The Council had no strong views.

b) The Council noted the following planning decisions:
PO5/W1224/LB 26 Watling Lane replacement rear porch
Listed Building consent granted 8th February

PO5/W1258/LB 59 High Street – solar water heating collectors
Listed Building consent granted 1st March

PO4/W1341/RET Thatched Cottage, 4 High Street
Erection of 1.2m high fence – amended
Planning permission was refused on 3rd March 2006 as being inappropriate development and detrimental to the setting, character and appearance of The Thatched Cottage, Dorchester Abbey and the Dorchester –on-Thames Conservation Area.

10 Finance
a). Bank balances at 28th February 2006
Current A/c £12,836.48
Reserve A/c £32,675.44
The Current account balance included a receipt of £5,000 transferred from Reserve a/c and a grant from the County Council of £11,366 which is the cost of the new bus shelters on the by-pass (net of VAT)
b). The following accounts were approved for payment:
Total Pest Control (UK) Ltd (mole control) £176.25
Queensbury Shelters Limited (by-pass stops) £13,355.06
National Association of Local Councils (sub.) £14.00
Thames Water (Cemetery rates) £36.30
GGD Russell – clerk’s salary £361.86
GGD Russell - admin expenses February/March £109.80
Geoff Willis Handyman – 4 weeks - (February £182.50) £182.00
Berinsfield Community Business £91.77
Berinsfield Community Business £99.88

11 Parish Council vacancy
The vacancy has been advertised and there are still three days to run before it will be known whether sufficient residents have asked for an election.
In the meantime Mark Stevenson of 28 High Street has expressed an interest in being co-opted to the Council and had attended this meeting as an observer.
The matter will be discussed at the next Council meeting.

13. Proposals for new street lighting
Sheila Puri has suggested another light for Drayton Road behind the pavilion and it was suggested that a light along the footpath back to Queen Street would also be a good idea.
Caroline Pratt had mentioned to the Chairman that Malthouse Lane could do with more lights and had been asked to discuss this with her neighbours.

14. Any Other Business
a. Parcelforce van; the Clerk said that he been advised by the Police that there is nothing that can be dome about this van parking in the High Street as long as it is not causing an obstruction.
b. Neighbourhood Watch; the Clerk was asked to find out more about the present state of the Neighbourhood Watch organization within the village.
c. Litter bin in Manor Farm Road; this bin has been removed with authorization but it was agreed that a replacement is not required.
d. Dog waste bins; it was thought that there is a need for a bin at the top of Manor Farm Road. Cllr Mrs Metcalfe, as a dog owner, will be asked for her thoughts about other possible locations, for example, at Overy.
e. Cllr Hill asked about the status of the resurfacing project at Bridge End. There is no further information at the moment.
f. Cllr Mrs Nudds asked if a basic bus shelter could be provided at the Rose Walk bus stop and also said that the surface of the wooden bridge at the mouth of the River Thame is extremely slippery.
g. Cllr Day said that he was sure that the responsibility for maintaining the pavement on the road side of the Rose Walk must lie with the County Highways. He suggested that Highways be asked for advice as to what surface should be put there.

The Meeting closed at 9.31 pm

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