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BLEWBURY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes
Of the Parish Council meeting of Blewbury Parish Council.
Held on Friday the 5th of August 2010 at 5pm in the Benefice Office.
Councillors present: Mr Alan Cooper (chairman), Mr M Shread, Mr M Shayler, Mr Richard Farrell, Mr Chris Whatmore, Ms Jane Gibson
Also present: Ms E Smit (clerk)
1. Apologies for absence. Ms S Loy
2. Declarations of interest. RF & JG both declared an interest in the Recreation Ground as members of the RGMC and RF’s wife is a member of the Tennis Club
3. Resolution: Following the signing of a letter of intent for Phase 1 of the Blewbury Recreation Ground Enhancement Project agree that the Chairman and Vice Chairman sign the formal contract with Farnrise Construction Ltd as a deed. RF proposed, MiS seconded, all agreed.
JG joined the meeting.
4. Recreation Ground Enhancement Project update. AC reported that the floor of the new community room has been done. The new septic field has been put in and over all they were making good progress. The new ramp for the Scout Hut has been built with reinforced concrete. It should be in use in about a week. MaS did an informal inspection of the Scout Hut to see what needed to be done. He felt that most of what needed to be done was cosmetic. New windows with grills for security are needed as there are currently no windows. An electrical inspection was needed. The main door needed to be replaced and the lino could be removed. He mentioned that the line painter is making a mess on the floor and that this should be addressed. One toilet needs some attention and could be removed if necessary. If the storage room was going to be used for council documents, then a fire retardant door would be necessary. It was reported that the PC’s contractor was going to quote to remove the ivy from the Scout Hut. The lengthman has been carrying out work to fix the guttering but there was no evidence of a soak away. As this might have a bearing on the car park, it was agreed that it should also be investigated if the Band Hall had the necessary drainage for their downpipes. Action: AC to investigate soak aways at Band Hall and Scout Hut.
Prior to the meeting AC sent councillors a summary on the water situation. It became clear that the problem with water pressure is due to an inadequate ½ inch pipe running from Rubble Pit Lane, supplying the Croquet Club (which has constant supply to top up the water tanks) and supplying the cemeteries and all the buildings on the Recreation Ground, making it clear why there sometimes is no water at the old pavilion. An application for a new supply for the Recreation Ground has been submitted to Thames Water, leaving the existing one for the Croquet Club and the cemetery. AC also spoke to Mr Savage who said they had similar problems at their business and after they did not get any co-operation from Thames Water they opted for boreholes. This might have to be considered for the Recreation Ground as well.
It was reported that loan sanction approval has been granted and the clerk has been told that it takes 10 working days to get the loan once the application has been submitted. Although there were some rumours in the press about capping council tax and precepts, it was becoming clear that the loan was necessary and that a certain amount of the loan should be kept back to make repayments should the precept be capped. The application of the loan should be discussed at the September meeting. Action: AC & Clerk to draw up a budget report on the Rec Enhancement project.
MaS asked if any fundraising has taken place in the village and it has been confirmed that no additional fundraising has yet taken place although it would be needed for kitting out the new community room.
5. Payments for approval to be made under ancillary powers and within budgeted amounts
|
Description |
Amount |
|
E Smit |
£690.61 |
|
K Pottle |
£304.98 |
|
E Smit expenses |
£96.03 |
|
West Garden Machinery |
£484.34 |
|
Farnrise Construction Ltd |
£49,098.26 |
|
Regional Building Control Ltd |
£680.56 |
|
White Horse Horticulture |
£175.00 |
|
Sutton Griffin Architects |
£2,495.88 |
|
TOTAL |
£54,025.66 |
The last 2 amounts did not appear on the agenda prior to the meeting as the invoices was not received in time. RF proposed, MiS seconded, all agreed.
6. Any Other Business
RF mentioned that Cholsey Football Club was still interested in the use of the Recreation Ground and said that TFF could be used “at a push” although they would have to do some work to it to make it playable. JG mentioned that the Blewbury Football club would only be playing in 2011 again so it should not be a problem for Cholsey to use the grounds in the next season from that point of view.
JG mentioned that new names for the Load of Mischief bus stop have been sent to the OCC and that the issue about the absence of the bus stop has been taken up with them.
JG mentioned that as the deadline for the leases is the end of August it might be necessary to have a special meeting to pass a resolution to the effect that renewal of leases would not be unreasonably withheld at the end of the 25 year term. This resolution is to address concerns amongst clubs about the terms of the leases.
MaS mentioned that following his meeting with Upton PC he also attended the BVS EG transport group’s meeting and that he will try and have meetings with the landowners along Coffin Way. He also reported that the Cleve pathway is overgrown. Action: Clerk to ask lengthman to cut back vegetation on the Cleve pathway. Concern has also been expressed about the Cleve cob wall and that some areas are becoming dangerous. Action: JG to look at Cleve cob wall.
AC reported that the contractor has quoted £50 to clear Bridus Way, the same as last year.
7. Details of the next meeting. To be confirmed.
Meeting closed 18.49