Little
Milton Parish Council
Minutes of Council Meeting held on 7th July 2009
Present:
Cllr.
Cllr
Barry Coward
Cllr. Mabel Wood
Cllr
Cllr. David Wakeling
Mr Raymond Fergusson (Parish Clerk)
No
members of the public
01/07/09
Apologies
for Absence:
Councillor Tim Robinson, Mr David Turner
02/07/09
Declaration of any personal or
prejudicial interests of members
Cllr.
03/07/09
Approval of Minutes
The
Parish Council RESOLVED to approve
the minutes of Parish Council Meeting and the Annual Parish Meeting held on 10th
June 2009 as a true record of the meetings and the Chairman signed the minutes.
04/07/09
Matters Arising.
Old
Field security
The
Clerk reported that SOHA had consulted with the residents concerned with the
proposed new fencing on 3 July 2009. The Council will be informed in due course
of the decision made by SOHA in this matter. The Clerk stated that he had
informed SOHA that if the proposals were supported by the majority of the
residents that the Council would make a small financial contribution.
Variation
of Restrictive Covenant
The
Clerk informed the meeting that he had sent a letter to Horwood & James
requesting that the legal documentation in respect of the variation of the
restrictive covenant on the use of the recreation ground land and that it should
be available for completion within the next two weeks,
Mirror
The
Clerk reported that
New
Refuse Collection system
The
Clerk stated that
05/07/09
Youth Facilities
The
Chairman had no progress to report
06/07/09
Recreation Ground
The
Chairman informed the meeting that he had received a quotation to form a new
out-house to enclose the existing electric cupboard that would leave the current
electrical installation undisturbed. The Council are committed to improving the
current arrangement and RESOLVED to
seek alterative quotes to replace the existing unit.
07/07/09
Finance
The
Council RESOLVED to approve the
following expenditure:
Colourplus July
Newsletter
£264.32
- Grass Cutting
June
£117.71
£176.57
Society
of Local Council Clerks postage on book purchase authorised in May 2009
£2.00
Little
Milton Village Hall MUGA electricity
£40.61
James
DAlbiac rent re Post Office quarter to 30 September 2009
£75.00
The
Council RESOLVED to terminate the
lease agreement on the Post Office premises with effect from 30 September and
has requested a meeting with the owner to agree the work necessary to re-instate
it the premises in accordance with the agreement.
The
Clerk confirmed that £10,000 had been deposited in a NatWest Corporate Charity
Bond for a Year at a gross interest of 1.36% p.a.
08/07/09
Planning
P09/W0378:
Penn House: Extension over existing utility room
The
Council noted that planning permission had been refused by South Oxfordshire
District Council.
P09/W0375:
Penn House: Extension to upgrade existing conservatory
The
Council noted that planning permission had been granted by South Oxfordshire
District Council.
P06/W0226:
Land adjacent to the Plough
The
Chairman informed the meeting that SODC Planning had advised that the proposed
amendment to the approved scheme could not be dealt with as a minor amendment
but would require a new planning application. The amendment related to the
creation of a new agricultural vehicular access to the land adjacent to Plough
House.
09/07/09
Car Park and other related matters
The
Chairman invited Cllr. Barry Coward to chair this agenda item as he had recently
chaired a meeting of interested parties on this matter.
The
Chairman stated that there had been a meeting of representatives of the Parish
Council, the IPS, the Village Hall and the Orchard to discuss the issues
relating to the Car Park and other related matters in order to make
recommendations to the Parish Council. There were three areas to be addressed
·
Items that the Council required to do meet
outstanding Planning Conditions
·
Items that had been requested by the IPS
·
Other related matters
The
major item that the Council required to address was the surface of the Car Park.
This matter had been deferred until the shop was built but it was a planning
condition from the Village Hall planning application in 2004. The chairman
outlined four options:-
a.
To simply put gravel
on top of a re-graded surface
b.
To have a dressing on
top of a tarmac surface
c.
To use plastic grid
paving and fill with gravel
d.
To use timber frames
and fill with gravel
The
Council RESOLVED to proceed with
option (c) as it considered that option would provide a rural type surface and
would provide a surface that would accommodate the load bearings expected.
The
Council also RESOLVED to extend the
current footpath in front of the Pine Lodge and Orchard on the ground leading
from the entrance to the shop. It was anticipated that any car park membrane
would be flush against the path. The ground in front of the hedge would require
a solid border.
The
Council RESOLVED to widen the
existing barrier to at least 4.8m as well as to have a lead in fence on both
sides of the existing entrance and to lower the hedge to 0.9m. The Council also RESOLVED
to refurbish the existing 5 bar gate and to have it locked unless access to the
recreation ground was required.
The
Council discussed the likely timing of the work to minimise the disruption to
the existing site users. It was unlikely that the work on the car park would not
start before the end of August but work on the barrier, the fencing and the
hedge could proceed faster.
The
Council RESOLVED that Cllrs Barry
Coward and David Wakeling would liaise with Mr Richard Alliston to enable the
Council to specify the work package more precisely and then obtain the necessary
quotes for the work and that this would be supported by the Cllr Stuart McGill
and the Clerk.
The
Clerk explained the process that the Council would need to adhere to if it
decided that part of the funding of the overall cost would require the Council
to borrow money. The Clerk explained that the Council need to submit an
application for Borrowing Approval from the Secretary of State by way of the
Department of Communities and Local Government. The Council RESOLVED
after due consideration to apply for Borrowing Approval of up to £15,000
over a ten year term.
10/07/09
Report from TV Energy
The
Chairman outlined the key points from the report produced by TV Energy in
respect of a possible wind-turbine behind the MUGA. The Council deliberated on
the role of the Parish Council in respect of the proposal but made no decision.
The Council RESOLVED that it would
defer any further work on the project for three months as there was insufficient
resource or time due to the work being done on the shop and the car park.
10/07/09
Correspondence
SODC:
Consultation on Gypsies, Travellers and Show People
The
Council RESOLVED to circulate the consultation document to members and
requested that any comments were passed to the Clerk.
ORCC:
Training event on affordable housing
The
Chairman informed the meeting that an invitation was extended to all Councillors
to a training event on Rural Affordable Housing in the Vale of White Horse and
South Oxfordshire would take place on Thursday 17 September 2009 at
The
Council noted the leaflet produced by Thames Valley Police that is designed to
let the community know what service they can expect from their police force as
they strive to make the community safer.
SODC: Change of address of Warren Barn
The Council noted the change of address of Warren Barn
Thame and District Citizens Advice Bureau
The
Chairman informed the meeting of the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of the
Thame & District CAB on Tuesday 28 July at
11/07/09
Power of Well-Being
The
Chairman informed the meeting that OALC had issued a statement that Little
Milton Parish Council was the first Town/Parish Council in Oxfordshire and the
third in
12/07/09
Exchange of Information
Council
Mower
Cllr.
David Wakeling highlighted that the Council mower had been moved from Warren
Barn where it had been stored and that this had made it more difficult to cut
some of the paths. Cllr. David Wakeling agreed to explore other alternative
garaging facilities for the mower and the Clerk was asked to speak to Malcolm
Harris about other options on Warren Barn.
Overhanging
shrubbery
Cllr.
Mabel Wood highlighted the overhanging shrubbery at the top end of Church Hill
and Cllr David Wakeling volunteered to talk with the local residents involved.
The
Chairman reported on his attendance at a briefing meeting on the South
Oxfordshire LEADER programme. He expressed his disappointment that the scheme
was unattractive for organisations that attracted Council funding as the matched
funding from the LEADER programme excluded local authority funding.
13/07/09
Date of Next Meeting
The
Parish Council will meet at 8.00 p.m.
on Wednesday 9th September 2009 in the
Pine Lodge Little Milton unless there is a need to convene any planning or
other meetings.
The
meeting finished at 10.30 p.m.
Parish Forum
There were no matters raised.
Signed
by
Chairman
Date