DORCHESTER ON THAMES
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Parish Council Minutes September 2008
Home > Parish Council > Minutes > Sep 2008
The Monthly Meeting of the Parish Council was held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 10th September 2008 commencing at 7.30 pm.
The Chairman, Cllr K Bryan, presided; present were Cllrs. Mrs M Metcalfe (Vice-Chairman), M Day, S Gibbons, C Hill, Mrs J Nudds and M Stevenson with G Russell in attendance. Also present (part-time) was Mr Philip Collings.
1 Apologies for absence
Apologies were accepted from Cllr M Williams, County Cllr John Howell MP and District Cllr John Cotton, who were all attending other functions.
2 Public Participation
Philip Collings spoke about his application for listed building consent which is due before the Planning Committee on Wednesday 17th September with the officer recommending refusal. Mr Collings has already been in direct contact with Cllr John Cotton. It was agreed that either Cllr Stevenson or Cllr Hill would attend the meeting and speak in support of the application.
3 Declarations of Interest
None
4 Minutes of the Meeting held 13th August 2008
The Minutes as circulated were approved and signed as a true record.
5 Matters Arising from the Minutes
a. The Clerk said that he had asked John Howell to follow up on the work needed to repair the Meadside/Dorchester Bridge footway and resurface Drayton Rd. He had also told the County Councillor about the Parish Council’s interest in having a designated cycle track through the village from Abingdon to Henley Roads.
b. The quotation from Ringrose for tree works in the Recreation Ground and the Cemetery had now been received. It was considerably higher that that received from Jenks. The Council agreed to appoint Jenks to carry out the work at a total cost of around £4,700
c. The Clerk said that the District Council’s Planning Enforcement Officers have been reminded about the Meadside fence and a copy of this has been sent to Cllr Cotton.
d. Cllr Mrs Metcalfe said that the Museum committee has agreed that the DEFRA plaque concerning the Hidden Britain project could be positioned near the touchscreen in the Museum.
6 Finance:
Balance on NatWest Current Account at 29th August £33,947.45
Balance on NatWest Reserve Account at 30th June £24,421.91
The Current account balance is high because the VAT repayment claim for £10,714.19 has just been received and the County Council has not yet cashed the cheque for £10,000 in payment towards the costs of Bridge End repairs. A transfer of £15,000 to the Reserve Account was approved.
The Clerk was asked to find out what rates of interest could be obtained from other banks which have special arrangements for Parish Councils: the Bank of Ireland and the Co-op Bank.
The following accounts were approved for payment:
PJS Joinery (Pavilion doors and windows) £1,678.11
Total Pest Control (Mole control) £176.25
BDO Stoy Hayward LLP (annual audit) £470.00
Berinsfield Community Business (grass cutting etc August) £858.28
Jenks Oxford Ltd (yew tree in cemetery) £111.62
Chris Drewett Signs Ltd (no parking signs) £39.36
GGD Russell – Clerk’s salary £425.43
GGD Russell (website/easily renewal & gift to D Jupp) £78.36
Geoff Willis Handyman – 5 weeks - (August £300 £297.50
Thames Valley and Chilterns Air Ambulance appeal £50.00
The audit report has been received from BDO Stoy Hayward. The Council noted that the audit has been rated as mainly satisfactory but the auditors would like the Council to prepare a register of all its land and other fixed assets so that next year a formal register can be submitted. The statutory notice advertising completion of the audit will appear on the notice board.
7 Correspondence and Other Business:
i). Sports Club Pavilion & Playground;
Pete Smith has finished installing the new doors and replacement windows. The Sports Club will be asked if they will contribute £270, being half the cost of the windows. David Joseph and Alan Smith have quoted £450 for painting the exterior woodwork to match the existing brown. The old doors are to be stripped down in advance of new paint being applied. The quote was accepted. David and Alan will be asked to suggest improvements to the door fastenings and locks.
The Council noted the suggestion that more use should be made of the pavilion during winter months. It was felt this would mean that some heating is probably required.
BCB have been asked by the film production company to make good the damage done to the turf by their vehicles during the recent filming in the Abbey.
The Clerk confirmed that the play area safety inspection has been carried out and that the report is expected soon. Cllr Gibbons agreed to carry out the equipment safety inspections while Geoff Willis is on holiday.
Details of the artificial climbing ‘boulder’ will be circulated.
ii). Footpaths;
Cllr Howell has been asked to find out if there has been any progress about the access to the footpath past Overy Mill but no information has yet been received.
It was agreed that the gate which partially closes access to the path alongside the cemetery could now be left open rather than padlocked in a closed position.
iii). Cemetery;
The Council has received a letter from the Beechcroft Trust asking that work be carried out along the boundary with Herringcote. The quote from Tom Cottrell is £1,160 to completely clear ditch and the dead trees, undergrowth etc growing over the Herringcote boundary and on to the garages. It was agreed to accept this price.
iv). Allotments
Mark Townson has been asked for the Allotment Society’s views about the return of the archaeologists in 2009 and, possibly, 2010 and 2011. The Clerk will inform Mark that the Parish Council’s representative is now Cllr Mrs Nudds and not Cllr Hill.
8 Planning:
a. Applications
PO8/W1021/CA & P08/W0896 Land between Nos 32 & 36 High St.
Demolition of existing workshops; construction of access road and the erection of a terrace of four two storey dwellings with associated parking
The Council noted a copy letter received from Greg Stores who expressed concerns about access. It was agreed that the Parish Council needed more time to study this application and would meet again in a few days to make its decision.
PO8/W1022/LB & P08/W1010 16 Malthouse Lane
Lowering of existing patio to rear of house. Replacement of front and back door. Replacement of 5 windows
This application was recommended for approval. It was suggested that double-glazed panes should be used.
PO8/W0847 & P08/W0915/LB 24, Bridge End
Erection of new walling and gates
This application was recommended for approval subject to the planning officers being satisfied that the character of the street scene is retained.
PO8/W0918/LB The Chequers, Bridge End
Moving a door on first floor to bedroom
Already returned – planning group had no strong views
PO8/W0950 91, Abingdon Road
Erection of extension to provide a car port and new conservatory to rear. New garden shed to replace existing.
Already returned – planning group had no strong views
b. Other Planning matters
APP/Q3115/A/08/2082713/WF Proposal for new dwelling on land at 86 High Street.
In February the Council, having received one letter of opposition from a neighbour, agreed that this Application should be approved. The design statement was felt to be a good one and the actual design to be satisfactory. The proposal for off-street car parking was welcomed.
In fact the application was rejected and the applicant has now lodged an appeal.
The Council has been asked if it would submit its views to the inspector in writing. Cllr Mark Stevenson had drafted this letter and his wording was agreed.
Planning Committee 17th September; P08/W0610/LB Cranmer Cottage, 90 High Street.
The Planning Officer will recommend refusal but the Parish Council has been invited to send a representative who will have the opportunity to speak. It was agreed that either Cllr Stevenson or Cllr Hill will be that representative.
9 Village Bus Services
It was agreed that a public meeting should be organised as soon as possible at which all bus users would have the opportunity of raising their concerns with a representative from the County Council’s public transport section.
10 Any Other Urgent Business
a. Dorchester Carbon Project; Cllr Stevenson reported that the group’s notice board is being produced with the assistance of a grant from the Co-Op. The Dorchester Bag will be distributed to every household later this month, in exchange for some environmental pledge(s) being made.
Cllr Stevenson wants the Parish Council to write to SODC requesting that they opt in to the Sustainable Communities Act when invited to do so by the Secretary of State. He also offered to nominate a representative to the citizens’ panel. This will be discussed at the October meeting of the Parish Council.
b. Cllr Gibbons reported that the Sports Club needs a new mower at a cost of £3,600. He asked if the Parish Council would make a contribution similar to that recently given to the Hurst Water Meadow Trust (£100). This will be discussed at the next meeting.
c. Cllr Hill said that the grass on The Green at Bridge End is not being cut low enough and that the cuttings are not being properly collected.
d. Cllr Mrs Metcalfe said the area around the bottle bank needs tidying as do the fallen leaves in the High Street. The property for sale notice board on the corner of Herringcote had been fastened to a council lamp post and this was not appropriate.
Meeting closed at 9. 15 p.m.
A Special
Meeting of the Parish Council
A Special Meeting of the Parish Council was held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 16th September 2008 commencing at 7.30 pm. The Chairman, Cllr K Bryan, presided; present were Cllrs. Mrs M Metcalfe (Vice-Chairman), M Day, S Gibbons, C Hill, Mrs J Nudds and M Stevenson with G Russell in attendance. Also present were ten residents
1 Apologies for absence
Apologies were accepted from Cllr M Williams who was attending another function.
2 Public Participation
Several members of the public spoke against the application for the development of the land between 32 & 36 High St. on the grounds of the unsatisfactory design and positioning of the buildings. There were also very strong concerns about the access.
3 Declarations of Interest
None
4 Planning Application
PO8/W1021/CA & P08/W0896 Land between Nos 32 & 36 High St.
Demolition of existing workshops; construction of access road and the erection of a terrace of four two storey dwellings with associated parking.
The Parish Council unanimously agreed to recommend refusal of these applications although, in the case of consent for the demolition of the workshops the Council said that, while it is sorry to lose the last light industrial site from within the village, it would have no objection to the proposal provided that light industrial activity on this site has been shown to be no longer viable.
The Council does not believe that the proposed development of dwellings - the largest development that we shall see in Dorchester on Thames, at least in the village centre, for some time - is of sufficient quality to merit approval.
Furthermore the access to this site is narrow and visibility when exiting into the High Street is frequently blocked. Vehicular access and egress involves driving over the pavement.
The Meeting closed at 8.15 p.m.
Revised Oct/2008 © 2008 DOTWeb