CHEDWORTH PARISH COUNCIL

 

MINUTES – PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 9th JULY 2007

 

PRESENT:  Mrs S Moore (Chairman) Miss L Gallagher, Mr D Broad,

Mr P Cundick, Mr A Priest, Mr T Watt and Mrs E Broad (Clerk).

 

APOLOGIES;  Mr A Miles.

 

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES;  The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting, held on the 11th June 2007 were agreed and signed as a true record.

 

VISIT FROM CLAIRE DOWAN, YOUTH PARTICIPATION OFFICER CDC:  The Chairman welcomed Ms Dowan from CDC.  It was agreed to open the meeting to allow Ms Dowan to explain about Youth Parish Councils.  Ms Dowan answered queries from Councillors and members of the public and left some information.  The Chairman thanked her for attending.

 

MATTERS ARISING;

 

Footpaths:  The Chairman reported on a complaint she had received about the paths in the vicinity of Setts Farm towards the Calmsden road.  It was agreed to write to both landowners asking them to ensure the paths are clear also enclosing a copy of a GCC leaflet explaining landowners responsibilities.  The path down to Old Pastures from Hemplands Hill was overgrown.  It was also agreed to see if the paths across the Grass Keep field were passable, if not to write to Mr Beach.  Miss Gallagher was concerned about a hole along Horses Ash Lane which she felt was dangerous for horses.  Mr Cundick agreed to go and see how bad it was and report back.

 

Grass Verge, Hedge and Tree Cutting:  The Chairman had spoken to Mr Dean when he was cutting part of the Tuns Hill triangle. Nettle encroachment was a problem and Mr Dean was not licensed to use agrochemicals.  It was agreed to write and ask Mrs Clarke if one of her operatives could spray it for us.  Mr Priest reported on a complaint he had received about the overgrown stretch of Fields Road between Romans Yard and the Farm Shop.  It was agreed to write and ask Mr Finch if he would be able to address the problem.  The Chairman reported on a letter she had received from Mrs Jewell outlining several overgrown areas in the village.  The Chairman had telephoned and spoken to Mrs Jewell about this.  The Clerk reported that she had found out the details of the new owners of the Charity Field whose hedge bordering the road is overgrown and hanging into the road.  It was agreed to write and ask them to trim it back.  No response had been received from Mr and Mrs Gurnham at Fossebridge, it was agreed to wait a fortnight and see if the hedge is trimmed otherwise write again.  The Chairman agreed to produce some posters for notice boards reminding people of their responsibilities in keeping paths clear and hedges trimmed back from the highway.

 

 

Chairman……………………………

 

MINUTES – PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 9th JULY 2007 – Page 2.

 

Playing Field:  A cheque had been received from the MU for the playing field

booking.  Mr Watt reported that the Soccer School had booked three more dates in August.  Nothing further had been heard from the Cornium Sports Football Club.  The Parish Plan was organising a Youth Event on 30th July and asked to use the playing field, this was agreed for no charge.  The School and the Pre-school both

wished to use the field for their Sports Days, this was also agreed for no charge.

 

Play Area:  Mr Watt reported on the recent Play Area Committee meeting.

 

Parking in the Village:  It was reported that some of the plastic posts on the corner at The Hemplands had been removed.  It was agreed to ask Mr Flagg to replace these. 

 

Traffic in the Village and Road Matters:  A reply had been received from Mrs Watkins regarding the drainage on Fields Road.  Notification had been received that the stretch of road on the corner opposite The Hemplands was to be closed off for resurfacing repairs.  It was also noted that the stretch of road towards Hills Farm from Hawks Lanes was also to be closed off, although no official notification had been sent to the Parish Council regarding this.

 

Communication between Parish Council and the Public:  The Chairman reported that she had found all the map pins on the floor by one of the notice boards.  Mr Cundick agreed to be “notice board person” keeping an eye on the boards when he is around and about, he was duly thanked for this.

 

The Grass Keep Field:  The stile by Old Prices had been mended and the field had recently been cut by the tenant.

 

Chedworth Stream Project:  In abeyance.

 

Dog Fouling:  It was reported that problems were also occurring around the area of the Church and Courts Close.

 

Parish Plan:  Miss Gallagher gave an update which included notice of a public meeting on 23rd July and a Youth event on 30th July.

 

Bus Stop at Fossebridge:  Nothing further.

 

Tuns Hill Waterfall:  This was overflowing badly at present.  GCC had been informed and a blocked drain under the road identified.  This was to be subject to discussion at the drainage meeting at GCC.

 

Gloucestershire Medal for Courage:  A letter had been received from GCC stating unfortunately the Parish Councils nomination of Mrs Clarke had not been successful.  Mr Broad agreed to speak to Mrs Clarke to inform her.

 

Chairman…………………………………….

 

MINUTES – PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 9th JULY 2007 – Page 3.

 

School Traffic - Letter from Mrs Nashe:  This was noted and it was agreed not to respond.  Mr Broad gave an update on the school planning application.

 

Snow Arrangements:  The Clerk had telephoned Mrs Clarke and she had agreed to continue assuming the role of Snow Warden for Chedworth.

 

PLANNING;

 

CD 3596/D West House – Conservatory & Alterations – Objection.

CD Contr. 3169 Willow Bank - Tree Works – No objection.

CD 7396/K York House – L.B. Consent – No objection.

CD 7396/L York House – Alterations – No objection.

CD Contr. 3172 Meadowside – Tree Works – No objection.

 

Approval:

 

CD 2055/L Four Winds - Garage.

CD 6480/U Whites Barn – L.B. Consent.

CD 6480/V Whites Barn – Alterations.

CD Contr. 3148 Wookeys Tump – Tree Works.

CD 2713/J Cherrington House – Garage Extension.

 

Application Withdrawn:

 

CD 0311/L Apple Cottage – Extension.

 

Other Planning Matters:  The Clerk reported that notification had been received of a written representation Appeal for the conversion to holiday let of the former Pump House adjacent to The Rookery.  Mr Watt declared an interest and left the meeting.  The Council would reiterate its former objections to the Inspector.  Mr Watt rejoined the meeting.

 

On Line Planning Applications:  The Parish Council had been asked for comments on the new system of which two applications had been tried recently.  It was agreed to reply to Mr Kitchen at CDC with the following comments:  “The Parish Council is, on the whole, not averse to this system in theory but in the limited experience gained from the consideration of two applications several practical problems have arisen. The first problem relates to the CDC website.  In one case the application had not been posted on the website contrary to advice and in another Councillors had difficulty accessing the site and/or finding the relevant pages.  The plans are difficult to read on a standard monitor screen.  It is difficult to compare different pages of the plans.  Parish records are incomplete without a paper copy.  While it is appreciated that the system may be experiencing teething problems the Parish Council believes that a way must be found for making the plans easily legible while still affording an appreciation of the scale of the plans. Additionally it would be appreciated if the PC could be sent by email a link direct to the plans.  An old fashioned paper copy is still required”.

Chairman…………………………………

MINUTES – PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 9th JULY 2007 – Page 4.

 

Affordable Housing at Courts Close:  The Chairman had received a letter from

Andrea Pellegram at CDC asking for views on the site at Courts Close which

CDC felt may be suitable for affordable housing.  It was agreed to open the meeting to allow members of the public present to comment.  When Council reconvened it was agreed to reply as follows:  “The Parish Council believes that CDC has jumped the gun in opening dialogue on the use of this site for affordable housing.  The Parish Plan is still in preparation and is unlikely to be published until late Autumn.  If the Plan identifies a desire for affordable housing in the village then the Parish Council will undertake a Housing Needs Survey.  Should a housing need be identified there are several sites within the parish which could be made available for affordable housing all of which would seem to be preferable to the Courts Close site which the Parish Council considers to be unsuitable for development largely because the site is elevated above the road by about 2 metres making access very difficult”.  It was agreed to ask to please direct all future correspondence to the Clerk.

 

HIGHWAYS AND RIGHTS OF WAY;

 

GCC Temporary Road Closure – Fields Road 10th & 11th July 2007:  Noted.

 

FINANCE:

 

1.    Viking Direct (Printer Cartridges) £33.48, prop. A Priest, sec. S Moore.

2.    Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (Subscription) £25.00, prop. A Priest, sec. T Watt

3.    Council in receipt of £20.00 P/F Rental from The Soccer School.

4.   Council in receipt of £15.00 P/F Mrs Marshall, MU.

 

CORRESPONDENCE;

 

Cotswold Conservation Board Information & Email:  Noted.

 

GPFA Newsletter:  Noted.

 

Cotswold AONB Management Plan Improvement Plan Letter:  Noted.

 

GCC Rights of Way and Countryside Access Letter:  Noted.

 

OTHER BUSINESS;

 

Items Arising from E-mails:   There were none.

 

Lower End Graveyard Gate:  A letter had been received from Mr Wilkinson drawing attention to the fact that the gate post at the Lower End Graveyard had rotted away.  It was agreed to ask Philip Dickenson for an estimate to replace it.

 

The meeting concluded at 9.50 pm.

 

Chairman………………………………..

MINUTES – PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 9th JULY 2007 – Page 5.

 

NEXT MEETING:  Monday 20th August 2007 at 7.30 pm.

 

Chairman……………………………

 

Date