DORCHESTER ON THAMES
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Parish Council Minutes May 2008
Home > Parish Council > Minutes > May 2008
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council was held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 7th May 2008 commencing at the end of the Annual Parish Meeting
The Chairman, Cllr K Bryan, presided; present were Cllrs Mrs M Metcalfe (Vice-Chairman), M Day, C Hill, Mrs J Nudds, M Stevenson and M Williams with G Russell in attendance. Also present was District Cllr John Cotton.
1 Apologies for absence
Apologies were accepted from Cllr Stuart Gibbons who was on holiday
2 Declarations of Interest
Cllr Mark Williams declared a prejudicial interest in any matter which involved discussion about Berinsfield Community Business of which he is the director.
3 Minutes of the Meeting held 9th April 2008
The minutes of the Meeting were approved and signed as a true record after paragraph d) of Any Other Business was amended to read ‘It was proposed by Cllr Chris Hill that the Village Handyman should be employed part-time…’
4 Matters Arising from the Minutes
The Council noted that the planned visit to the Recycling Plant had been postponed due to the illness of the guide. It is hoped that the visit can be re-arranged.
5. Election of Parish Council Chairman 2008/9
Cllr Mrs Margot Metcalfe took the chair for this item
Cllr Maurice Day proposed that Cllr Ken Bryan should be elected as Parish Council Chairman for the coming year. This was seconded by Cllr Mrs Jenny Nudds and passed unanimously.
Cllr Bryan resumed the chair.
6. Election of Parish Council Vice-Chairman 2008/9
Cllr Mark Stevenson proposed that Cllr Mrs Margot Metcalfe should be elected as Parish Council Vice Chairman for the coming year. This was seconded by Cllr Mark Williams and passed unanimously.
7 Finance:
The balance on the Current Account at 30th April was £22,440.31.
The following accounts were approved for payment.
Berinsfield Community Business grass cutting (March) £171.55
OALC annual subscription £188.80
Bruce Ferriman Pavilion electrics £611.00
Allianz (annual insurance premium) £1,998.46
GGD Russell – Clerk’s salary £425.43
Geoff Willis Handyman – 4weeks - (April £257.50) £247.50
The Chairman asked the Clerk to complain to the bank about its record-keeping because when he had recently asked for a copy statement he had been told that he was not shown as a signatory to the account, although he had been one for some time.
The Council considered an appeal from Dorchester Play Group who would like a grant from the Parish Council to pay for a new external door. This has been quoted at £330 by a known local builder, Joseph Samuel Builders of Wallingford.
The Group has recently been successful in raising money for outside playground improvements and now want to concentrate indoors. The present door is not water tight and not very strong.
The Council agreed to consider this request but said that it would like more information about the Pre-School’s arrangements with its landlord, the School.
8 Urgent business:
i). Sports Club Pavilion doors & windows;
Pete Smith’s quotation has now been received and on a like-for-like basis compares favourably with that from Scion Estates. However the Sports Club has asked for new windows which, despite the Club’s offer to pay half the costs, puts up the overall cost of the project quite considerably. The Chairman said that he would review the matter on site and give the Council his comments as to whether the extra work is necessary at the June meeting.
ii). Play area sign;
Chris Drewett has been away but is preparing a sample layout to show how the additional wording could be displayed.
iii). Highways tree report dated 24th April;
Cllr Maurice Day has studied the Council’s proposals for tree work to be carried out in the near future and said that he was in agreement with what is proposed. The Council noted that the trees in The Limes were not on the schedule and the Clerk was asked to find out if any work is scheduled for later in the year.
iv). Watling Lane repairs;
The Clerk said that Tim Fisher has been asked to obtain a quotation for increasing his public liability insurance cover from £5 million to £10 million as this had been set by County Highways as a precondition for their approval that the work could be carried out by a contractor under the Parish Council’s supervision.
v). Letters to Chairman and Clerk;
a. The Council noted that SODC, having received several representations from parish councils throughout the District, has dropped the suggested change in procedure regarding referral of planning applications to the planning committee when the parish council wishes to oppose something that has been approved by the officers.
b. Council noted a complaint about rubbish left in the Drayton Road ditch adjacent to the property owned by Mr and Mrs Puri. It was agreed that BCB would be asked to clear this scrub and debris away. District Cllr John Cotton said that he would ask the officers at Crowmarsh whether the District Council has any records showing the ownership of the ditch.
c. The Council noted that the idea of placing a disabled parking space outside the village school has been dropped.
d. The Council has been invited to comment on Thames Water’s Consultation Paper on the Water Resources Management Plan. The period closes on 27th August and the documents will be circulated.
e. Cllr. Mark Stevenson is preparing comments about the consultation by the County on Bus Strategy – Chapter 3. The period ends on 6th June so Cllr Stevenson will circulate his draft to all members.
9 Planning
a. Applications
P08/W0412 Pippins, 5 Orchard Haven
Extension of existing garage and conversion of part of garage to shower/dressing room. Single storey extension to rear.
The return date for the papers is 23rd May so Cllrs Mrs Metcalfe and Mark Stevenson will use the next few days to study what is proposed in these plans.
P08/W0426/LB (Listed Building Consent), 31 High Street
Replace sealed up second front door with timber-framed sash window.
Although the Council is content to leave the final decision with the Conservation officer there were a number of comments and concerns about what is proposed.
PO7/W1413 The Chequers, change of use amended details
The applicants submitted a paper giving details of the marketing of the property and how unsuccessful this has been but the Council remains unconvinced that a genuine attempt has been made to sell the property as licensed premises and will continue to oppose the change of use.
b. Other Planning matters
Cllr Mark Stevenson’s e-mail setting out a response to the District Council’s Design Guide Consultation document has been circulated and meets with the Parish Council’s approval.
It was agreed that Cllr Stevenson would represent the Parish Council at the Planning Committee on 14th May when the planning applications regarding The Chequers will again be considered. Cllr Stevenson will ask the Committee to reject the application.
The Council noted that P08/W0183/LB and P08/W0226 concerning an extension to the rear of Virginia Cottage 21 High Street had been approved; on the other hand proposals for Thatched Cottage, Wittenham Lane P08/W0104 being the erection of a single storey extension and a single storey outbuilding had received planning permission but Listed Building consent had been refused for P08/W013/LB – the erection of a single storey extension and internal works at the same address.
10. Any Other Urgent Business
a. Cllr Mrs Nudds complained that the rubbish bin near the telephone box in the Bridge End car park had not been emptied.
b. Cllr Chris Hill said that there had been congestion caused by lack of car parking facilities on the previous weekend. The Clerk said that the attendance at the concert had been well in excess of expectations and so insufficient space had been provided. This choir’s ability to attract a big audience will be noted.
c. The Chairman said that he wished to give his support to the campaign against the Environment Agency’s plans to sell off some lockkeeper’s cottages and reduce its on-site manpower.
Like many others he felt that the move would increase the risk of flooding. District Cllr John Cotton said that he would ask the District Council officers if they had a view about this and also about whether plans to build more houses near Aylesbury on the banks of the River Thame could result in an increased risk of flooding the villages downstream, including Drayton St Leonard and Dorchester on Thames.
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