Parish Council Minutes
1/ APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
No apologies were received.
PRESENT: Cllr G Harper (Chairman), Cllrs Mrs J Rogers, I Walker, G O'Neill, B Richards, G Walters and Mrs V McPherson, Susanne Griffiths (Clerk).
2/ MINUTES
The Minutes of the previous meeting of the Parish Council on the 18th December 2012, having been circulated were approved by the Meeting and signed by the Chairman.
3/ DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members were asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. None were declared.
4/ MATTERS ARISING NOT OTHERWISE ON THE AGENDA
The Clerk was requested to obtain the prices of a Wendy house for the play area. Copies of different styles and prices were circulated to the councillors for their consideration. All present agreed to discuss this further at the next Parish Council meeting.
The Clerk was requested to obtain a quotation to repair the surface reported as low risk due to the paviors that are sinking and may cause a very minor trip hazard. A quotation for £410.00 to complete the work required has been received. All present agreed to accept the quotation and the Clerk are requested to issue a work order. SG
The Clerk advised the members that the police had been informed about the various issues raised at the last meeting including inconsiderate parking and anti-sociable behaviour. PC A Ralph has agreed to monitor the parking situation and issue tickets when possible and increase patrols in the playing field area.
The Clerk was requested to obtain some indications as to the cost of the legal fees in the preparation of a lease agreement between the Parish Council and District Council concerning the proposal to lease the green space in the Thame Road. WDC has replied that it would not consider leasing one site without the Parish Council agreeing to take on responsibility for another open space in the parish further to the Parish Council's response minute (number 10 page 706). Cllr G O'Neil proposed that the Parish Council contact the WDC Cllr to request that he intervenes on behalf of the Parish Council. Seconded by Cllr I Walker. A vote was taken: 2 votes for the proposal, 2 votes against and 3 councillors abstained. A counter proposal was proposed by Cllr G Walters to postpone the proposal and revisit it in one years' time. Seconded by Cllr B Richards. A vote was taken and the motion passed with 6 councillors for the proposal and 1 against.
5/ FINANCE
A. Accounts for Payment
| Cheque | Item | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| S/o | Clerks Fees | S Griffiths - January salary | £341.27 |
| 61 | Risk Assessment | K Dobson - Risk Inspection Nov 2012 | £14.60 |
| 62 | Admin | S Griffiths - Expenses for Postage 01/04/12 - 31/12/12 | £114.15 |
| 63 | Insurance | Came & Co – Annual Insurance premium | £1,282.78 |
B. Receipts - Nil
C. Bank Balance £8,596.49 (allowing for the above cheques)
The income for and expenditure for January was examined by the Council. All present agreed that the necessary cheques be signed. The Clerk presented the accounts together with the bank statements and bank reconciliation for the members' consideration. All present agreed that the accounts were being handled in a satisfactory manner and the monies were all accounted for.
6/ CAPITAL ITEMS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES
A. Playing Field
All present agreed the hedge boundary needs replacing on the southern side. Cllr I Walker agreed to make enquiries and confirm the ownership of the hedge. SG/IW
B. Children's Play Area – Nothing to report.
7/ ROADS, VERGES AND RIGHTS OF WAY
The Clerk is requested to contact the B.C.C. concerning Bridleway 5 which needs resurfacing from the end of Walnut Tree Lane to the Railway Bridge for a progress report. The Rights of Way team has confirmed that the responsibility for that area lies with Highways. SG
The Clerk is requested to obtain a progress report on the replacement sign post with only one sign and which should have three, previously reported under reference number 341490. SG
The Clerk is requested to write a strong letter of complaint about the reliability of the VAS which is once again out of action, sending a copy to the County Cllr P Rogerson. SG
The Clerk is requested to report the pothole outside the Old People's Home in the Thame Road and what plans the Highways Dept have for resurfacing the Thame Road. SG
The 30MPH sign in Owlswick had been knocked by a council contractor and reported in November. The 30mph sign is now missing.
All present agreed to invite the Local Area Technician to a Parish Council meeting to discuss the outstanding issues. SG
8/ CORRESPONDENCE
None.
9/ REPORTS
- A. School Governors – Nothing to report.
- B. NW Chilterns Local Area Forum - Nothing to report.
- C. WDALC – Nothing to report.
- D. N.A.G – Nothing to report.
- E. Newsletter – Nothing to report.
- F. Area Forum - Nothing to Report.
- G. Risborough Area Partnership – Nothing to report.
- H. Village Hall – Nothing to report.
10/ WHETHER TO PROVIDE A COPY OF THE NEWSLETTER TO RESIDENTS BY E-MAIL
The Parish Council is considering offering the residents the option of downloading the newsletter website or sending it by e-mail. All present agreed to include an article to consult with the residents to ascertain if it is a service that would be used by the residents. VM
11/ A RESPONSE TO THE CONSULTATION ON WYCOMBE DISTRICT COUNCIL'S REVIEW OF THE LOCAL PLAN
WDC has requested that the Parish Councils write to inform them of any issues in the local community that should be addressed including any plans to prepare a Neighbourhood Development Plan and any sites that might be suitable for development especially for housing or sites for new employment. All present agreed no comments are required at this stage as no sites are identified and the existing policies in the Local Plan are sufficient.
12/ AN UPDATE ON THE PARISH EMERGENCY PLAN
Cllr G Walters distributed updated copies of the Parish Emergency Plan for consideration. Cllrs supplied additional details. Cllr G Walters agreed to update the plan further and circulate the revised version including the details he had received. All present agreed to adopt the revised version.
13/ THE BUDGETS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2013/2014 AND THE SETTING OF THE PRECEPT
Estimates summaries were circulated to members prior to the meeting. The Clerk explained that for this year the grant from WDC to compensate for the Reduction in Tax Base for Localised Council Tax will not be reduced. However, future support will depend on the level of the grant supplied to WDC from central government and WDC believes that this will be reduced next year. The Parish Council has kept the precept at the same level for the previous seven years, but due to the increase in the costs of maintenance and repairs, Cllr B Richards proposed that Council approve the budget and a request for a precept of £16,777. Seconded by Cllr G Harper. A vote was taken and the motion passed with a majority of 5 for the proposal and 2 against. SG
14/ THE EXPENDITURE ALLOWED UNDER L.G.A. 1972 SECTION 137
Cllr G Harper advised the Parish Council that included in the budget for 2013/2014 is a sum of £70.00 to be charged against expenditure allowed under Section 137 and he proposed that this be accepted. Seconded by Cllr Mrs J Rogers. All present agreed.
15/ PLANNING APPLICATIONS
A. New Applications to be considered
- 12/07889/FUL: Red House Farm Thame Road Longwick Buckinghamshire HP27 9SW. Proposal: Householder application for construction of two storey rear extension and rear orangery following demolition of existing conservatory. The Parish Council has no objections.
- 12/07849/FUL: The Old Stables Meadle Village Road Meadle Buckinghamshire HP17 9UD. Proposal: Householder application for construction of single storey glazed rear infill extension linking store and replacement garage to existing house. A site visit was held at the property on Wed 9th Jan and the Cllrs were shown the site of the proposed extension. Following the visit, and after suitable discussion, it was felt that the Parish Council should object to the proposal for the following reasons: (1) Overdevelopment of the site - when the property was purchased, estate agents details confirmed that the property itself had a floor area of 88 sq m and the adjacent garden store/garage was 30 sq m. The extension incorporates this garden store/garage of 30 sq m and an even bigger new build single storey glass room of around 48 sq m so the proposed extension of say 78 sq m represents an increase in footprint, against the existing 88 sq m, of some 88%. (2) The existing stable conversion dwelling is a structure that is of functional appearance and sympathetically maintains the agricultural character of the original building. The proposed alterations would change the character and appearance of the building to the extent that its original functional appearance would be lost and it would no longer be in keeping with its surroundings. (3) As stated in Meadle's conservation area character survey, special care must be taken to ensure that views looking into and out from the conservation area are not spoilt. Footpath No 21 crosses immediately behind the property and in the absence of hedging or solid fencing, the proposed modernised development will be totally visible and thus ensure a major (detrimental) change to the view looking in to the conservation area. It should be noted that adjacent properties, one of which shares foul water drainage with The Old Stables, have suffered flooding in recent years with the village being low lying yet with a high water table. Were this application to be permitted, then consideration should be given to ensuring that any building work permitted should have specific requirements re water runoff. Unauthorised extension of the owner's garden into the immediately adjacent field may give a misleading impression of the size of the garden relative to the size of the property as now and as proposed - a WDC compliance officer has already visited and instructed the owners to reinstate the boundary to its original line.
- 12/07942/FUL: Armour Farm Stockwell Lane Little Meadle Buckinghamshire HP17 9UG. Proposal: Householder application for demolition of existing extensions and outbuilding and construction of new two-storey extension with alterations to fenestration, new detached garage and car port with associated landscaping. The Parish Council has no objections.
B. Progress on applications already considered
- 12/07647/FUL — Decision: Application Permitted. Address: Armagh Place, Bar Lane Owlswick Buckinghamshire. Proposal: Proposed detached barn for the storage of hay and straw and the winter housing of livestock.
- 12/07622/FUL — Decision: Application Permitted. Address: Werribee Thame Road Longwick Buckinghamshire HP27 9SW. Proposal: Householder application for single storey rear extension and insertion of window to front in connection with conversion of garage into habitable accommodation.
- 12/07587/CTR — Decision: Not to make a Tree Preservation Order. Address: Dove Cottage Meadle Village Road Meadle Buckinghamshire HP17 9UD. Proposal: Reduce canopy by up to 1.5 metres to Walnut Tree ref no. 62.
16/ AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING
To be advised.
17/ DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on Tuesday 18th February 2013 in Longwick Village Hall at 7.30pm.
There being no further business to discuss the Meeting closed at 9.30pm.