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Parish Council Minutes May 2005

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The Monthly Meeting of the Parish Council took place in the Village Hall on Wednesday 11th May 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 C Sleigh 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

Apologies were accepted from Cllr M Williams who had commitments elsewhere

2 Declarations of Interest: None

3. Minutes of the Meeting of 13^th April

Cllr Mrs Metcalfe suggested the inclusion of an extra paragraph in Minute 14 which read, In his report to the Annual Parish Meeting on 5th May 2004 the Chairman had reported that the cycle barriers between Rotten Row and the Allotments had been moved to a new location at the request of Mr and Mrs Evans and the height of one side increased at the request of Shirlee Hazell. Sixteen residents were present at this meeting and none had commented on this matter at the time.

This was agreed after which the Minutes were approved and signed as a true record.

4. Matters Arising from the Minutes

i. Co-Op conversion: The Clerk confirmed that discussions are on-going regarding the Co-Op’s contribution towards helping with the difficult High Street parking situation.

ii. The organisers of the Dorchester Festival have asked the Parish Council about providing car parking facilities and it was agreed that further details of exactly what they require and upon which dates and times needs clarification.

iii. Affordable Housing; through Cllr Mrs Metcalfe, Cllr Williams reported that he and Frank Norman have progressed this task and walked the village with Suzanne Willers from ORCC. Twelve possible sites have been identified and officials dealing with highways and planning will be asked to comment on each before any contact is made with the landowners, neighbours etc.

iv. It was agreed that the Clerk could order a new Minute Book.

v. The area of land which needs the planning enforcement team’s attention can be clearly seen from Dorchester by-pass and is surrounded by old commercial vehicles.

vi. Simon Madden has told the Clerk that nothing untoward is happening on land adjacent to his property. He thought that it might just be extra riverside moorings. Cllr Hill said that he would take another look.

vii. Rev Sue Booys is enthusiastic about arranging a special memorial service for Trafalgar Weekend in October. The next edition of Dorchester News would be used to ask for volunteers to form a working party.

5. Election of Parish Council Chairman 2005/6

Cllr Mrs Jenny Nudds, who is standing down as Vice-Chairman, took this opportunity to thank the Council for its support during the previous nine months, for most of which she has been acting as Chairman. Cllr Hill proposed that the Council should record its appreciation of Cllr Mrs Nudds for all her hard work during this period and this was agreed by all.

Cllr Ken Bryan was proposed as Chairman by Cllr Mrs Nudds and was seconded by Cllr Mrs Margot Metcalfe. There were no other nominations. Cllr Bryan was duly declared elected and took the chair.

6. Election of Parish Council Vice-Chairman 2005/6

Cllr Mrs Margot Metcalfe was proposed as Vice-Chairman by Cllr Mrs Nudds and was seconded by Cllr Maurice Day. There were no other nominations and Cllr Mrs Metcalfe was duly declared elected.

7. Declarations of Acceptance of Office

Cllrs Bryan and Metcalfe signed their Declarations of Acceptance of Office, which were witnessed by the Clerk.

8. Correspondence and Other Business

(a) Sports Club, Pavilion and Playground;

Some action has been taken to control the rabbit population on both the recreation ground and cemetery. Total Pest Control has submitted a recommendation that the best time to take further action will be in December/January with a follow up visit in February/March. The holes should be easier to find at those times and the rabbits will be gassed. The costs are estimated at somewhere between £1,000 and £1,200. Cllr Sleigh said that he would ask Gill Howard if she would be able to put the Council in touch with any marksmen who would make up a shooting party.

The Clerk confirmed that David Joseph and Alan Smith have been asked to remove the damaged ‘springer' from the play area. The RoSPA inspection will take place in July and the inspector will also be asked to carry out a risk assessment.

(b) Footpaths;

The Clerk said that he had looked at the Samian Way end of Albert Place. There is nothing much there apart from grass and nettles which the Handyman can strim back. The area known as 'Waterloo' has been tidied'

A catalogue of equipment and notices to assist in reducing the incidence of dog fouling will be circulated and extracts from the District Council’s leaflet about responsible dog ownership will be reproduced in Dorchester News, along with some comments about bonfires and composting.

The path joining Martins Lane with Drayton Road is very overgrown. In past years this has been cut back by Dr Pritchard.

Several residents with family members buried in the Cemetery have complained about the damage being done to memorial flowers and plants by the rabbits. Cllr Mrs Nudds said that she would see if it is possible to recommend plants/flowers which rabbits do not eat. It was noted that on occasions muntjac deer have also been seen in the area.

The Council noted that the hedge alongside the footpath has been cut and approved plans to cut the other perimeter hedges.

(d) Allotments;

The advice received from Mark Townson, supported by Berinsfield Community Business, is that certificates are not needed for those who spray pesticides as amateurs rather than for commercial gain. However it may be that more formal training is needed before using strimmers etc. Mark Townson has asked if the Council would be prepared to purchase a strimmer for use on the Allotments. Councillors wondered if the Allotment Society could make use of the strimmer which the Council already owns, although its use would have to be strictly controlled.

Mark Townson has confirmed that allotment holders are not concerned about Anderson's 'cultivation' of the plots outside their house.

(e) Parish Plan;

Cllr Mrs Metcalfe said that the meeting with young residents of the village will take place on Friday 20^th May. Aileen Watson will assist along with Ken Crisp, Sue Hartley and Anton Nath from ORCC.

She has circulated details about the siting and design of information boards which have been identified as being needed by the ‘Hidden Britain’ working group.

The County Highways engineer’s drawings of village entrance signs and also a revised layout for the junction of Henley Road with the by-pass are being circulated. County Cllr John Howell will be informed of the Council’s views about these as soon as everyone has had an opportunity to comment.

(f) Other letters to Chairman & Clerk;

i. The Council has received a letter from the Dudleys, who have suggested that the Council should consider introducing parking restrictions in anticipation of the increased demand that is anticipated upon completion of the conversion of the Hallidays property into residential units. They suggested a residents only section for Queen Street and in the village centre parking limited to one side of the High Street only. It was agreed that the Car Parking Working Party should be reconvened and that the matter should also be discussed with Highways.

ii. The Council has received details of the County Structure Plan and the Proposed Modifications to Deposit Draft Plan. Any representations are required by 17th June and County Cllr Howell said that he thought that a response should be made.

iii. The Council noted that Paul Stevens, the owner of the Fleur de Lys, has applied for the justices licence to be transferred into his own name.

iv. The District Council is not after all going to re-instate the green waste collection service from the closed end of Oxford Road but it is introducing two different types of sack in which recyclable waste can be collected: clear plastic sacks, which will keep waste paper dry and therefore of greater recycling value, and biodegradable paper sacks which will take waste for composting. These sacks are not yet available but, when they are Sue Graney, has agreed to hold stock of them at least for a test period.

9. Planning

a. Applications:

P05/W0442 Crown Cottage, 52 High Street; Conversion of existing outbuilding to ancillary domestic accommodation

No strong views.

P05/W0443/LB Crown Cottage, 52 High Street; Conversion of existing outbuilding to ancillary domestic accommodation

No strong views

P05/W0459 Enville, 9 The Limes; erection of new entrance porch

No strong views

P05/W0503 9 Oxford Road, Demolition of existing garage and conservatory and erection of two storey side extension and detached double garage. New vehicular access.

No strong views

P05/W0506 Queenford Farm; Variation of conditions 3 & 4 of planning permission P04/W106 to allow change of tenants.

No strong views

b. Report on planning decisions, amendments etc

PO5/W0051/RLB and PO5/W0061/RAD The White Hart High Street

Applications concerning advertising and direction signs have been withdrawn

P05/W0191 Peppers Cottage 71, Watling Lane; demolition of single storey extension and replacement with two storey extension to form kitchen and bathroom.

Planning Permission granted 14th April

P05/W0506 18 Abingdon Road; Erection of a conservatory to the rear elevation. Planning Permission granted 5th May

10. Finance

Bank balances:

Current Account 29th April £8,986.62

Reserve Account 27th April £42,004.56

It was agreed to add Cllrs Ken Bryan and Margot Metcalfe to the list of approved account signatories.

The following accounts were approved for payment:

Berinsfield Community Business - grass-cutting £261.44

Total Pest Control - rabbits, recreation ground & cemetery £279.65

Edward Sheldon Ltd Newcomers Welcome Evening wine £68.04

Oxfordshire Green Belt Network - subscription £15.00

GGD Russell (Clerk’s salary) £305.00

Geoff Willis (Village Handyman) 4 wks to 6/5/05 £169.00

Berinsfield Voluntary Day Centre (replacement for 1532) £50.00

11. Parish Council Vacancy

The Council agreed to co-opt Stuart Gibbons of 14 Meadside. The allocation of Parish Councillor's responsibilities for 2005/6 will take place at the June meeting

12 Consultation on Code of Conduct

It was agreed to discuss this at the June Meeting

13 Local Bus Transport Plan

County Cllr Howell said that it was important that The Parish Council should comment and that he would help to draft the response.

14 Date of Next Meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting should take place on Wednesday, 8th June

15 Any Other Business

i. The Clerk reported that Mr Don McGregor has informed him of a plan to have the war memorial refurbished in time for this year’s Remembrance Day service. At the same time the name of William Bumpass would be added to the list. The Council declared itself supportive of this initiative and agreed to contribute (an amount to be agreed subsequently) towards the cost.

ii. The Council agreed to fund a bench in memory of the late Chairman, Cllr Mike Smith, to be located upon the York stone paving outside the Co-op and to be inscribed with an appropriate message to be agreed in due course. The style and size of bench will be discussed at the next meeting.

The Meeting closed at 9.10 pm

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