Return to Blewbury Home Page Return to List of Minutes
BLEWBURY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes
Of the monthly meeting of Blewbury Parish Council
held on Wednesday 11th April 2007 in the Vale Room.
Councillors present: Mr M Brassell (Chair), Mr A Cooper, Mr R Farrell, Mr P Whitehead, Ms A Barclay-Watt,
Also present: Lynda Ewers (Covering for Parish clerk), Mrs L Blackie (W.I Representative), Mr S Barrett (Recreation Ground Representative) Mr H Osborne (BVS environment group) and 25 members of the public.
Matters resolved:
· No amendments required to the Risk Management Plan.
· Tennis Court sub committee to meet prospective agents on site for more detailed information.
· All due payments were approved.
· To grant the school one hundred pounds towards the cost of the mugs.
· To appoint the most cost effective company from the quotes received for the rabbit cull.
Actions arising from the meeting:
· MB to draft a letter to the PCC regarding the proposed mast.
· LE to arrange for second signatory on cheques for payments.
· MB to liase with CW prior to next election deadline.
· Clerk to notify all relevant village societies of the date of the Annual Parish Meeting.
· AB-W to place a note in the bulletin regarding the parking of cars on OCC land by the triangle.
· LE to respond to the person notifying the Council of the parked cars at the triangle.
· Clerk to advise the school of the grant made available for the mugs.
· AB-W to place note in the bulletin advising the proposed site for the letter bin and asking for any further suggestions.
· MB to draft a letter to SB thanking him for putting forward the proposal for the Recreation Ground development.
· Clerk to arrange for rabbit cull.
· LE to obtain dates from the OCC countryside department for them to attend an on site meeting at Bessels Way bridle path, and advise Councillors.
· PW to speak to CW as VHMC regarding the broken fence and old storage unit.
· Actions carried forward from prior meetings:
· CW to trim back branches at the Pound that are reducing pedestrian visibility.
· CW to speak to Lee Turner concerning ownership of trees in the village and the Triangle.
1. Apologies for absence: Mrs E Austin, Ms H Magnay, Mr C Whatmore, Mrs C Duckett and Mr C Lamont (County Councillor)
2. Declarations of interest: RF declared a prejudicial interest in the discussion about the possible erection of a mobile phone mast on the Church tower, and advised the public that he will need to withdraw from the meeting for this item.
3. Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 14th March 2007 were accepted and signed as a true record.
4. Police liaison: No police officers present.
5. County Councillors report: No County Councillor present.
6. Matters arising.
6.1 04/09/06 Speeding of vehicles through the village: The Clerk has received correspondence from OCC Highways confirming that they are looking at the possibility of installing a VAS at the eastern gateway and will contact us shortly. CW is trying to ensure that the installation site will not cause any issues along the lines of other recent installed OCC signs.
6.2. 3/12/06 Tree work required – budget and priorities: Awaiting further investigation from CD.
6.3. 14/02/07 Cleeve Path repair work: Awaiting a response from OCC Highways.
6.4. 01/02/07 Seera Consultation: Awaiting further investigation from CD.
6.5. 14/03/07 Mobile telephone mast: This item will be covered in Open Forum.
6.6. 14/02/07 Application for funding (Oxoncis): Details circulated, to be agreed after the May elections.
7 Open Forum.
Item 6.5 Mobile Telephone Mast: As a member of the PCC, RF withdrew from the meeting, having first agreed to answer questions outside it if required.
A representative from Grahame Close advised that over 20 residents were at the meeting, and from a straw poll held by the residents 75% were against the Church’s proposal to allow T-Mobile’s contractors to replace the existing flagpole with a mobile phone mast. Concerns varied from health issues (particularly given the large number of children in the vicinity) to visual impact on a listed building and the damage that installation may cause to it, the devaluing of surrounding properties and the disruption and environmental effects of power usage required to run the mast.
Hugh Osborne, representing the BVS Environment Group, tabled a number of statistics relating to power consumption and health research, and shared correspondence with the Diocese of Oxford which appeared to suggest that they would be reluctant to grant a faculty for the mast. Further questions were asked regarding the need for the 2G/3G services in the village, the possibility of mast sharing (Vodafone/Orange have an existing mast on Churn Hill) and potential issues around lightning strikes/associated fire risks and insurance premiums.
MB advised that health issues cannot be taken into account during the application for planning and that planning decisions are made by the District Council not Parish Council, although the Parish Council will be able to put forward its views when and if a planning application is made. AB-W noted that if not on the church, T Mobile will be looking at other sites within the village, and that the church may in fact be the “least worst” solution, which was the conclusion the Parish Council has currently reached.
MB advised that in the absence of a planning application all comments were best directed at the PCC. MB agreed to draft a letter on behalf of the Parish Council to the PCC to make them aware of the strength of feeling expressed at the meeting and the nature of the objections which had been raised.
RF rejoined the meeting, and most members of the public left leaving 7 members of the public in attendance.
Recreation Ground development proposal: Mr Barrett addressed the council on his proposal for establishing a new charitable body to develop the pavilion site and manage the recreation grounds as a whole, which had been agreed by club representatives at the last Recreation Ground Management Committee meeting. During the discussion that followed SB advised that charities are exempt from VAT; that they would get 80% relief on business rates with the other 20% being discretionary; and that the new pavilion would be a village community facility, in accordance with the Parish Plan aims to provide an additional public meeting room. SB covered the regulations regarding how the facility would be run in some detail, with a trading company emerging as the preferred route for bar management, especially since it can gift aid any profits back to the charity.
MB questioned the issue of security at such a vulnerable site. SB advised that regulations governing pavilion designs took this into account, as it was quite common to have sports pavilions in remote areas and confirmed that the design specification would minimise the risks. It was hoped that various energy efficient designs could be used for heating and power generation to keep running costs low.
RF stressed the importance of all clubs signing up to the new proposal including the detail on how the facility will be run, and the need for an independent element. He also felt that prices charged in the bar must not undercut existing village facilities. SB confirmed that any drinks should be sold to generate profit for the facility and limited opening for sports related events mean that it would not take the place of village pubs.
SB asked if the Parish Council have any views on how quickly this body should be set up. The consensus was that this should be achieved as soon as possible, as long as all clubs are in agreement. SB will hold a meeting with the chairman of all clubs to draw up the detail. RF noted that Tickers Folly Field would be incorporated in the plans in terms of management and maintenance.
MB thanked SB for attending the meeting and putting forward such a detailed proposal.
SB asked if MB could update on the Tennis Court redevelopment, MB advised that the council had approached 5 agents and received 5 responses with an indication that the 2 houses on completion could fetch between £450,000 and £600,000 each, with the value for the sale of land being estimated anywhere between 315,000 to over £500,000. It is envisaged that meetings will be held on site with 2 or 3 prospective agents and that the sale can be progressed by the new council after the May elections.
8 Risk Management.
8.1 Annual Review of Risk Management Plan: The Risk Management plan has been circulated to all councillors. MB noted that the document is very concise, that he was not aware of any amendments needed, and suggested that it should remain as it is. Proposed RF, seconded PW, all in favour. MB advised that insurance levels will shortly be due for review and that the renewal documents for next year’s insurance have been received. The cost quoted by the insurers is within budgeted amounts. ITEM CLOSED
9 Planning & Housing
9.1 Sale of land and development at London Road tennis courts: MB circulated a review of the agents approached which summarises their proposals. All are keen to get this moving as soon as possible and MB proposed that after further consultation with the subcommittee (CD & CW) meetings will be arranged on site with the 2 or 3 agents providing the most cost-effective proposals, to get a more detailed view and clarification of costs. The sub committee will report back at the next meeting.
9.2 Planning Committee Report: No report.
9.3 Exception Site: Nothing further to report.
10 Finance & Administration
10.1 Payments for approval. All payments were approved. Proposed RF, Seconded AC, all in favour. It was noted that only one signatory was at the meeting, LE to arrange for second signatory to sign the payments.
10.2 Preparations for Elections: With 9 vacancies and 7 applicants we will need to co-opt after the elections. RF confirmed that the number of people standing for election in general has fallen. MB to liase with CW prior to the next election deadline for the purposes of Bulletin communications.
10.3 Funds to be allocated to reserves: It was agreed that the emergency contingency reserve resolved at the last meeting should initially be set at a level of £1000.00, to be set aside for emergency village upkeep. ITEM CLOSED
10.4 Annual Meetings: The Annual Parish Council meeting is on 9th May and the Annual Parish Meeting in the main hall will be on 16th May. RF noted that the clerk would need to notify all village societies that attend. It was noted that the accounts for the Malthus Trust have been received. Clerk to notify all involved on his return from holiday. ITEM CLOSED
11. Items requesting a reply:
11.1.1. 16/03/07 Triangle opposite Manor – Parking of cars: Parking issues are a matter for the police, this is OCC land and they cannot enforce parking, AB-W to place a note in the bulletin asking that people do not park on this land. LE to write back to the person informing us of this parking issue. It was advised that a similar parking issue resulted in the need for the Parish Council to reseed an area of Parish Council land at the Pound. It was also noted that small children have been dumping article from nearby gardens off the Church End bridge. ITEM CLOSED
11.1.2 26/03/07 Request for grant – Blewbury School: Funds for the grant for mugs to the school would need to paid from the small grants budget, and although the Council likes to support the school, funds are very limited. RF proposed a grant of £100, seconded by PW, all in favour. The clerk will advise the school and arrange payment at the next meeting. ITEM CLOSED
11.2. Items for information: None
12. Cemetery Development Plan: Nothing further to report.
13 Parish Plan
13.1. 02/02/06 Blewbury Surgery: No updates to report.
13.2. 25/01/07 Litter Bin site: One suggestion has been put forward for a new bin to be sited where the ice cream man stops at Eastfields, LE advised that the last litter bin for the village was sited at Eastfields. AB-W will place a note in the bulletin advising of the suggestion and asking for any alternatives before the final decision is made.
14 Recreation Ground.
14.1 28/11/06 Management Committee Structure: MB confirmed that the proposal put forward (see Open Forum) was helpful and the Council will look at disbanding the current Council sub committee formally when the plans had been agreed, although the Parish Council obligation as landowner will obviously still be in place. MB to draft a letter to SB thanking him for providing the proposal.
15 Allotments: Nothing to report.
16 Footways, Footpaths and rights of way.
16.1 02/09/05 Village upkeep review – Gravel laying: To be carried forward to the next meeting.
16.2 01/02/06 Coffin Way Cycle Track: RF advised that both the Blewbury and Upton councillors that were dealing with this issue have stood down but there is a lot of interest from Upton for this cycle way. AB-W confirmed that she would be happy to take this on after the elections.
16.3 02/01/07 Annual rabbit cull: MB advised that the current rabbit control person is no longer in business and we have had to get quotes from new companies, the cost should be less than budgeted however the companies all use gassing to cull the rabbits rather than the previously preferred method of ferreting. There have only been two burrows located. It was proposed by RF that we go with the most cost effective of the quotes received, seconded AC, all in favour. The Clerk to arrange as a matter of priority on his return from holiday.
16.4 03/03/07 Bridus Way: LE has contacted OCC regarding the responsibilities of the bridle path, they have confirmed that the Parish Council can undertake general maintenance however they will need to be consulted if we wish to change the surface. They are aware that this is a very popular route and are happy to look at covering part if not all of the cost, they have however made it clear that they have a duty to maintain and repair but not improve. Mark Sumner from the OCC countryside department is happy to meet on site to discuss the proposal. LE to obtain dates from OCC that they would be prepared to meet on site.
16.5 02/04/07 Cob Walls: RF circulated details relating to the possible ownership of the Cob Walls, we need to establish with all certainty who owns this land before deciding the way forward. To be carried forward for the next Council to address.
17 Roads, Road safety and public transport.
17.5 27/02/07 Parish Transport Representative: To be carried forward for the next Council.
18 Village Hall management committee report: Nothing to report. However PW noted that the fence is broken and in need of repair and questioned what was happening with the old storage container. PW to speak to CW.
19 Environment: Nothing to report.
20 District Councillors report: RF confirmed that the Council are now concentrating on the pending elections and had nothing further to report.
21 Any Other Business:
MB advised that OCC have again asked if we want to take on the responsibility of removing signs. Councillors confirmed that they did not wish to do this.
MB advised that the Calor village of the year details have been received.
MB advised that the external audit paperwork has been received and the audit is due for completion in August.
MB advised that the bill for the youth club has been received and will be put forward for payment next month.
22 Details of the next meeting: Next meeting will be the Annual Parish Council Meeting on the 9th May 2007 at 19:30 in the Vale Room.
Meeting closed at 9.41