Little
Milton Parish Council
Minutes of Council Meeting held on 9th December 2009
Present:
Cllr Stuart McGill (Chairman)
Cllr Barry Coward
Cllr Tim Robinson
Cllr
Cllr. David Wakeling
Mr Raymond Fergusson (Parish Clerk)
John
Nowell-Smith (District Councillor)
David Turner (
Four
members of the public
01/12/09
Apologies
for Absence:
Cllr Mabel Wood (recovering from surgery)
02/12/09
Declaration of any personal or
prejudicial interests of members
Cllr
Stuart McGill declared a personal interest in the Village Hall and the IPS. Cllr
03/12/09
Approval of Minutes
The
Parish Council RESOLVED to approve
the minutes of Parish Council Meeting held on 11th November 2009 as a true
record of the meeting and the Chairman signed the minutes.
04/12/09
Matters Arising.
New
Refuse Collection system
The
Clerk informed the meeting that he had conducted a survey on a number of aspects
of the current refuse system with the residents of
05/12/09
Recreation Ground
The
Chairman informed the meeting that Mr Mark Willis had agreed to continue as
chairman of the Recreation Ground Committee but certain aspects of the
management of the MUGA had been delegated to Mr Neil Marriott and Cllr Stuart
McGill.
06/12/09
Finance
The Council RESOLVED to approve the following expenditure:
Colourplus
December 2009 newsletter
£264.32
Little
Milton Village Hall electricity for MUGA
£8.40
Society
of Local Council Clerks membership subscription
£61.00
The
Council RESOLVED that in accordance
with its powers under Section 137 of the LGA 1972
to incur the following expenditure which in the opinion of Little Milton
Parish Council is in the interests of the area or the inhabitants and will
benefit them in a manner commensurate with the expenditure:-
Oxfordshire Association for the Blind
£50.00
The
Council declined to make a financial contribution to the Oxfordshire Woodland
Project and Oxfordshire Netball.
The
Chairman informed the meeting of the letters of thanks that had been received
from South & Vale Carers, Sue Ryder Care and Thames & District Citizens
Advice Bureau in respect of financial donations made by the Council.
The
Clerk circulated papers for consideration by the Council in respect of the
Precept for 2010-11. He highlighted the current level of income and expenditure
and facilities that might require additional investment in 2010-11. The Council RESOLVED
to set the precept for 2010-11 at the Council meeting on 13th January
2010.
07/12/09
Planning
P09/W0977
& P09/W978/LB:
The
Council noted that planning permission had been granted by South Oxfordshire
District Council.
P09/W1115:
13 Chiltern View: Relocation of oil tank
The
Council RESOLVED that this
application should be recommended for approval by South Oxfordshire District
Council.
P09/W1028
& P09/W1031/LB: Fletchers Farmhouse: Single storey extension to the rear
The
Council RESOLVED that these
applications should be recommended for refusal by South Oxfordshire District
Council as it considered the further development of the site to be inappropriate
and would detract from the listed building. There were also some concerns that
the development would have an adverse effect upon the immediate neighbours.
08/12/09
The
Clerk informed the Council that he had attended a meeting at OCC Countryside
services in Holton on December 2 2009 in respect of a crossing over the river
Thame at Chippinghurst. This matter has been under consideration for a number of
years. The OCC officer present explained that a claim had been made that there
was an existing right of way of way across the River Thame at the Old Weir and
that this claim would need to be determined before any further options could be
considered. As part of the proposal for a new crossing the adjacent
landowners are seeking changes to some of the existing footpaths. The OCC
officer explained to divert or extinguish an existing footpath is subject to an
appropriate Order and each order required being determined individually. The
clerk informed the Council that the meeting RESOLVED that the existing right of way over the River Thame should
be determined first and a review of the position would be taken after that
decision.
The
Council RESOLVED to fully support a
crossing over the River Thame at Chippinghurst and this maintained the position
of previous Parish Councils.
09/12/09
Car Park and other related matters
The Chairman invited Cllr Barry Coward to update the Council on the
paper that had previously been circulated to Council members. He explained that
he had asked Carroll & Partners, a firm of Commercial Surveyors, for initial
advice on the suitability of the specification that had been received from
Southern Construction as he felt that the Council should seek independent advice
on the suitability of the work proposed by Southern Construction before placing
any contract. Cllr Barry Coward explained that the initial advice from Carroll
& Partners was that a soak-away was required at the entrance to the
car-park. The Council RESOLVED that
it would appoint Carroll & Partners to manage the project as there was
inadequate expertise within the Council for a project of this scale and
complexity. The Council asked Cllr Barry Coward to liaise with Carroll &
Partners and RESOLVED that based on
the decision made by the Council at the November meeting the contract should be
£10,000 plus the additional cost of drainage and that the professional fees
should be 10% of the total contract plus VAT. The Council accepted that the
final design may change to that initially proposed by Southern Construction as
details in respect of the edging and type of surface could vary after a review
by Carroll & Partners. The Council recognised that it may be necessary to
incur further spend on the car park in future years if that proved to be
necessary.
Cllr Barry Coward referred to the concerns of the Chairman of the Village
Hall in respect of pedestrian safety. The Council concluded that the proposed
plans for the car park would incorporate a path round the southern edge of the
site although it did not include any additional lighting. The Clerk was asked to
advise the Chairman of the Village Hall that it would not be possible to
expedite the work on the path outside the overall project.
The Chairman advised the Council that both the Village Hall and the Shop
were prepared to make a financial contribution towards the cost of the dedicated
compound for the skips and a figure of £150 per organisation was deemed to be
reasonable.
The Clerk stated after consulting with SODC it was necessary to apply for
retrospective permission for the sign that incorporated the Pine Lodge and the
Shop. The Council RESOLVED that the Clerk should proceed with the application but
recognised that some cost may be incurred. The Chairman indicated that the Shop
were considering illuminating the Pine Lodge sign using solar panel energy and
would be low level to minimise light pollution. This would operate for a limited
period in the winter months during the shops opening hours. The Council RESOLVED
that this was a matter for the IPS.
The Council RESOLVED to inform the site users of the decisions made by the
Council in respect of the car park and other related matters. It is hoped that
the site user co-ordination group will meet early in the New Year.
10/12/09
New Village Shop & Post
Office/Post Office Re-Instatement
The
Clerk stated that he had received two quotes to re-instate the old Post Office
in accordance with the lease agreement with the owners. The Clerk proposed that
the Council should seek to agree a financial settlement with the owner based on
the quotes as he considered it better if the owner controlled the project as
there was very likely to be other work to be done when the Post Office was
incorporated within Wall Street Cottage. The Council RESOLVED
that the Clerk should make a proposal to the owner and their agents for
consideration.
The
Chairman stated that the IPS had sought the opinion of their solicitors in
respect of the agreement between the IPS and the Post Office and had been
re-assured that it met the terms of the lease between the IPS and the Parish
Council. The solicitors opinion will be passed to the Parish Council in due
course.
11/12/09
Correspondence
Local
Transport Plan 2011-2030
The
Clerk reported that he had responded to the Local Transport Consultation Plan
2011-2030 and had included a by-pass for Little Milton. He stated that this has
been a desire for some time but had not been included on the list of possible
investments and improvements by the County Council.
12/12/09
Exchange of Information
There
were no matters raised
13/12/09
Date of Next Meeting
The
Parish Council will meet at
Parish Forum
There were no matters raised.
The meeting finished at 9.45 p.m.
Signed
by
Chairman
Date