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Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting Held on Monday, 13th September 2004 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall Present Councillors: G. Massey, Chairman, J. Skittrall, Vice-chairman, C. Cannell, C. Chapman, P. Day, J. Ferrando, J. Hatfield, M. Rudge, I. Smith (Clerk). County Cllr. David Finch. One member of the public was present. Apologies Cllrs. A. Fish, D. Holmes, E. SnareyDistrict Cllrs. Jo Beavis, Wendy Scattergood and Stephen Bolter. Declaration of Interest There were no declarations of interest. Public Comment - None Minutes of the Last Meeting The Minutes of the last meeting were circulated, read and accepted as being a true record of that meeting. Chairman's Report The Chairman sadly reported the resignation of Cllr. A. Fish due to pressure of work and the fact that he is no longer living in the village. She read out his statement of resignation to the meeting, adding that his knowledge and commitment would be a great loss to the parish. Concerning the public meeting on the Recreation Ground to discuss the skate park issue, the chairman thanked the attendees. They will get together and pool comments they had noted from the public for evaluation and would report the outcome at the October parish meeting. Vice-chairman's Report Paul Partridge will contact David Hunt at Allied Sweepers to see if he can negotiate the return of the road sweeper. David Hunt is away on leave for two weeks, so we will have to await his return. Recreation Ground - The parish owned Hayter mower's engine is in need of replacement as it is irreparable. Approval for replacement was Proposed: Cllr Skittrall. Seconded: Cllr. Massey. Agreed unanimously The trees and laurel bushes have been cut back to afford a better view of what is happening in the vicinity. Friday night drinks parties are an ongoing problem, and the names of stores whose bags have been found are being noted and reported to the police. New footrests for the children's play equipment have been ordered to replace those stolen by vandals. This incident was reported as Criminal Damage and Theft. Keys to the top gate have been cut and passed to two disabled people for easy access to the Rec. More keys are being held in the office should anybody require one. Church Yard - The Deed of Variation has now been signed and returned, which enables us to proceed with the burial ground. One fencing contractor has already visited the site and the first quotation should be available this week. A further two quotations are being sought from other companies this week. Discussion on providing a suitable entrance will commence in the latter half of this week, as will discussion with Anglia Water regarding installing a tap. Tree Warden's Report Not available due to non-attendance of Tree Warden.
District/County Councillors Reports District Councillors' Reports District Councillor Jo Beavis'report was read by the Chairman in her absence. Jeff Butler, Crime Prevention officer, has advised that he would not support a CCTV system for retailers unless the scheme was officially adopted by the Parish Council. The venue of the Police Open Public Meeting has been changed from the Village Hall to Hedingham School. The date remains Monday, 18 th October, the meeting starts at 7pm. Skate Park - Cllr. Beavis reported hearing no support for a Skate Park, but an Activity Wall was requested. She advised that should the PC wish to change this scheme, then only the Home Office has the authority to change the scheme on their behalf. The Minutes of the Full Council meeting contains a definitive statement concerning Stansted. She urged everyone to read this section. BDC will become a Licensing Authority in 2005. District Councillor Wendy Scattergood's report was read by the Chairman in her Absence. Concerning the matter of improvement o the camber of the pavement at the junction of Cambridge Avenue and Swan Street, she had received confirmation that the works are programmed to take place the week beginning 13 th September, weather permitting. The condition of the brook at Rectory Road has been pursued via the riparian owners and work may take a few weeks to be completed. County Councillor's Report Cllr. Finch had brought along a variety of leaflets issued by Trading Standards and urged those present to take one of each. They provide very helpful information to people on what their rights how and how to achieve a satisfactory conclusion to any problems they have experienced in exercising their rights. Cllr. Finch advised that County had an ongoing waste strategy which involved all districts shipping waste to around 4 sites in the County. Around £1.5billion is needed to fund anaerobic digestion plants to cope with the waste. He added that it had been a quiet month due to holidays, but the second phase of Council Tax was being set for next year; last year it was set at 4.7% He went on to advise that he had recently spoken to the Chief Constable of Essex regarding the situation of the lack of community policing at Gt. Yeldham and had been assured that the matter would be looked into. Sir Peter Gershan's recommendations are now being implemented at County level. Sugar Loaves - Cllr. Finch told the meeting he had received telephone calls from anxious residents about their concerns of possible flooding in the area. He advised that County was near to exchange of contracts with landowners where the holding ponds were to be sited. An environmental study is being undertaken to ascertain what flora and fauna and ancient woodland in the area need to be taken into account. He has requested notification of the commencement of the study and how long it will take. Work on the defence scheme should commence within the next 6 months. Highways is conducting an investigation into congestion. County has taken back its contract with Highways in order to operate more efficiently. Some areas, such as Colchester, are given a budget and it is spent where they decide it is needed. However, this is not seen as being effective and all monies will be allocated by County, starting in April 2005. BDC held a debate on Stansted and Cllr. Finch opposed expansion. It will destroy 260+ ancient buildings, 200 acres of ancient woodland and cause suffering to 14,000 people due to an increase of about 70% in carbon monoxide levels in the area. The economic argument also remains unproven. Regional Assemblies - Cllr. Finch said he could not advocate spending £1.8bn to put this in place. He believes local government best serves the needs of local people. Cllr. Cannell asked where the 4 new waste sites would be. Cllr. Finch replied that 12 have been identified as possibilities in the southern area of Essex. Discussions on contracts are still ongoing, as the composition of waste needs to be assessed in order to provide a plant of adequate size to deal with it. Cllr. Skittrall asked how small rural areas would fare under the change in Highway services. How do we know we will be allocated the monies to carry out the work? Cllr. Finch advised that Sible Hedingham receives direct help, but larger areas such as Colchester and Brentwood will have their funding changed. Cllr. Finch assured the meeting that he would fight on our behalf to ensure we did not miss out on services. Cllr. Skittrall asked about road gritting, adding that he had read that rural areas will receive a better service, but not necessarily bus routes. However in rural areas buses are used to transport children to schools etc. Cllr. Finch stated that all A class roads are salted and that premises near to schools, ambulance stations etc would receive such service. He added that 45% of all roads are salted; also roads carrying 85% of all traffic in Essex are treated. More salting was undertaken last year and more money is budgeted for this service this year. The chairman thanked County Cllr. Finch for attending and for his comprehensive report. Matters Arising Item 12 - Cllr. Skittrall has spoken to Paul Partridge, who was surprised at this course of action. However Cllr. Skittrall pointed out that the machine was not suited to our purposes for the various operations carried out within the parish. Item 13 - The Clerk is assessing various monitors within the price range and said she would appreciate some advice from Cllr. Ferrando on the matter. Correspondence - Appendix 1 The correspondence file was passed to members for perusal. The Clerk remarked that very few Councillors had taken advantage of visiting the office to read the correspondence. The Chairman urged that as many as were able to do so should avail themselves of the facility. Keys to the office were requested for Cllrs. Day, Chapman and Hatfield; Clerk to supply. Committee Reports Planning There were NO OBJECTIONS to the following planning applications: 04/01529/LBC - Kentish Farm, Delvin End. Reinstate first floor window to original size and style, reinstate two additional windows, remove suspended ceiling and plywood wall partition. 04/01521/FUL - 'Wynyates', 33 Swan Street. Removal of existing garage to create access to new parking area at rear and re-site external gas meter. 04/01522/LBC - 'Wynyates', 33 Swan Street. Removal of existing garage to create access to new parking area at rear and re-site external gas meter. 04/01523/LBC - 'Wynyates', 33 Swan Street. Removal of existing garage to create access to new parking area at rear and re-site external gas meter. 04/01528/FUL - 52 Oxford Meadow. Erection of extension. 04/01597/FUL - 1 Station Road. Erection of side extension. 04/01579/FUL - 10 School Road. Reduce ridge level to rear main roof to same plane as veranda roof. Extend roof to cover existing balcony and replace front porch flat roof with pitched roof. 04/01698/FUL - Appledown, 5 Hills Road. Erection of first floor extension. 04/01741/FUL - Premdor Crosby Ltd., Station Road. Erection of portable building for office accommodation and creation of staff car park. OBJECTIONS were raised to the following planning applications: CC/BTE/89/04 - Hedingham School, Yeldham Road. Single storey extension to existing library including the formation of a new entrance to the property. Provision of new sixth form car park. No objection to the extension to the library. Objection to the siting of the sixth form car park because of nuisance to surrounding properties caused by noise and light pollution, fumes, and the fact that it would interfere with the right of way of an existing footpath. There is adequate spare land on the school site which would prove more suitable for car park use, and this option should be investigated. 04/01684/OUT - Land adjacent 45-49 Swan Street. Proposed residential development. Rejected on the grounds that the site is too small for the proposed development. Proposed: Cllr. Massey. Seconded: Cllr. Cannell. Agreed unanimously.
Water Management A meeting was held last week concerning the brook. The BDC to be pressed for action. Items for the Agenda for Cluster Group Meeting Would Councillors please let the Clerk have any items for this Agenda by 1 st October 2004 latest. Village Plan Although Cllr. Fish has officially resigned, he has generously offered to undertake to write the Village Plan. The PC has been granted an extension until February 2005 to complete it. CCTV Surveillance Cllr. Chapman explained that he had approached local businesses asking if they would consider becoming a collective to purchase a system. Forty-eight businesses had shown interest and were willing to contribute £50.00 towards the project. This was seen as a contribution towards improving the environment of the village in which they lived; hopefully deterring vandalism and anti-social behaviour. He went on to explain that the mobile CCTV would be solely for use by the Parish Council, who would make any decision as to where it would be sited. The PC would not require a licence to install the system. It could be used in covert situations so culprits would be unaware of the camera, and he suggested that a kind of Neighbourhood Watch system might work well in this instance. The camera would have a variable lens to suit different requirements and he would be happy to assist with setting up the system as he had wide experience of them. Cllr. Chapman handed out a useful note on systems, together with a list of local businesses who had pledged their support. Concerns were voiced by members regarding any possible prosecution. Would a householder then be targeted if the camera had been sited within their property? Cllr. Chapman said as the camera would be hidden he doubted any reprisal, as any perpetrator would be unsure if the camera was recording his/her activities. He suggested that a demonstration of the equipment would be helpful. He would contact Jeff Butler and manufacturers and produce a report for the next PC meeting. The members present were generally in favour of pursuing the matter, but the Chairman advised no firm decision could be taken without absent Members being involved. Purchase of Petrol Strimmer It was agreed unanimously to purchase this piece of equipment. Children's Play Area This item was covered in the Vice-chairman's report. Emergency Action and Finance The Vice-chairman sought approval for spending money on such emergencies as Removal of trees which had blown down, replacement of machine parts etc. It was pointed out that the Clerk already had authority to purchase such items on behalf of the parish. Approval was Agreed unanimously. Bulb Planting This scheme was very successful last year when £70 was spent. An extension of the planting to different areas was suggested by Mrs. Eileen Goldthorp, who also thought that some shrubs would improve the street scene. The frontage of the Shell garage was a case in point. A sum of £100 was proposed for this year and a Horticultural Sub-Committee was agreed. The Chairman will be Cllr. Hatfield, with Cllrs. Skittrall and Day in support; Mrs. Goldthorp to be a co-opted member of this committee. Cllr. Ferrando suggested advertising on the parish website for any excess plants parishioners might wish to donate. Proposed: Cllr. Massey. Seconded: Cllr. Cannell. Agreed unanimously. Purchase of up to 5 litter bins for Recreation Ground In some cases it is actually the inserts which need replacing. Cost is £31 + VAT each. Proposed: Cllr. Massey. Seconded: Cllr. Ferrando. Agreed unanimously. Accounts for Payment - Appendix 2 The accounts were passed for payment. Members' Items Cllr. Rudge raised several points. Capes Chase has overgrown trees by the fence which need cutting back. Cllr. Skittrall to organise work.Parishioners in Alexandra Road have complained about the dumping of black sacks outside the substation behind Top Of The Tree greengrocers. It appears after, and sometimes before, the rubbish collection has been made. This is an invitation to rats and contravenes Health & Safety regulations, causing a health hazard. The identity of the householder responsible is widely known and the Clerk will write to him requesting he stops this anti-social practice. The Chairman closed the meeting at 9.50pm. |