Christchurch Parish Council

07-Jan-2010

MINUTES OF THE CHRISTCHURCH PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

MONDAY 9th November 2009 – MEMORIAL HALL CHRISTCHURCH AT 7:30pm

Present: Councillors – Will Sutton (Chair), Jill Bliss (Vice-Chair), Wes Poole, Jackie Wincote, Alison Small and Nigel Russell. Stephen Cowell (Clerk) and 4 members of the public were also in attendance.

1. Welcome and Apologies

Cllr. Sutton thanked everyone for attending. Apologies from Councillors Andrew Sweetman, Mac Cotterell MBE (FDC) and Fred Yeulett (CCC) were received and accepted as were apologies from PC Coales.

2. Signing of Minutes

The minutes of the Council meeting of the 12^th October were accepted as a true record and signed by the Chair.

3. Disclosure and Declarations of Interests

Cllr. Bliss declared an interest in payment 8-3 as she is involved with the management of The Heron and Cllr. Poole declared an interest in item 9 as he is involved in the subject in a personal capacity.

4. Update on action points from previous meeting

The Clerk reported that Cambridgeshire County Council staff have no recollection of the drainage work on Upwell Road. It was agreed that the Clerk should look back through previous Council meeting minutes to see if the contractor’s name was mentioned.

It was reported that the stolen Post Box in Tipp’s End has been replaced.

All other actions have been completed.

5. Public Adjournment

Concern was reported that shrubs at 19 Crown Avenue are encroaching on the road. It was agreed that the Clerk should write to the owners asking them to cut them back.

Parking outside the shop and around the Upwell Road, Church Road and Green Lane junction is causing problems for drivers using the road and some cars are being parked across driveways. The Clerk was asked to write to Cambs County Council Highways Department to ask them to consider double yellow lines near to the junction and white lines across driveways.

Cllr. Bliss was asked to place a notice in The Heron asking car owners to park more responsibly.

6. Police Update

PC Coales sent her apologies. The Clerk said that she had given him a verbal report that included an incident at the Shop that had been reported but not pursued due to lack of evidence and a report of criminal damage. PC Coales also asked residents to keep an eye out for people living on their own as there have been a number of recent break-ins at properties owned by people living on their own.

7. Correspondence Received

In addition to the correspondence notified to Parish Councillors via the Council Mailbag the Clerk highlighted the following recently received correspondence:

· The offer by the Anglian Water of a Lagoon Tour at the Sewage Plant in the spring of 2010.

· An invite to the view the new Recycling equipment at the new site in March on Thursday 17^th December between 10am – 2pm. The Clerk was asked to indicate that 3 Councillors would like to attend.

· The Jointly Funded Minor Highways review has been completed and the bid made by the Council has been unsuccessful. The cost was estimated at £2k.

· The Clerk reported that the HGV traffic through the village survey is to be conducted during November and that Highways staff may use the toilets in the Sports Pavilion while conducting the survey.

· A letter has been received from a resident suggesting additional street lighting would be beneficial near the village shop and in the area of The Hill. It was suggested that Councillors should review the lighting in these areas and on the approach to the Sports Pavilion in readiness for a discussion at the next meeting. Clerk to place subject on the agenda for the next meeting.

8. Finance

The Clerk summarised the proposed FDC Concurrent Functions return that he had circulated with the meeting agenda. The Council agreed the proposed return. Clerk to send to FDC.

It was resolved that all the following items should be paid:

Clerk’s Salary £183.58
Office Costs £3.60
The Heron £50.00
Donarbon Ltd/Cambridge Community Foundation £1,000.00 (Skateboard Park 10% payment against receipt of £10k grant money received by the Recreation Ground Charity)
Remembrance Day Wreath £19.00
Morton and Hall Consulting Ltd £2,012.50 (inc £262.50 VAT). Fess for producing calculations and drawings suitable for Building Regulations and discharge of Planning Applications Conditions.

9. Pavilion Renovation/Memorial Hall

Following a discussion is was agreed that the Council should offer the Memorial Hall Committee support, help and advice in any work that may need to happen should the decision be made to dispose of the Hall to help fund the renovation and extension to the Sport Pavilion. Cllr. Bliss to mention this support at the next Trustees’ meeting and the Clerk to write a letter to the Committee.

10. Road Safety and Inconsiderate Parking

Item dealt with during the Public Adjournment.

11. Planning Applications

None to consider at this meeting.

12. Parish Plan

The Skateboard Park has been started. Following a brief discussion it was agreed to accept the fencing quote provided by the contractors. Clerk to inform contractors.

The Clerk was asked to place an item on the next meeting’s agenda for the discussion of landscaping at the Recreation Ground and the requesting of money from the Coldham Wind Turbine section 106 fund to help with costs.

13. Village Concerns

The following subjects were raised:

· A Fridge/Freezer has been dumped in the lay-by near to Poulter’s Drove on the Sixteen Foot Bank Road. Clerk to report to FDC.

· Speeding and inconsiderate driving by both cars and farm vehicles is still a problem in the Euximoor Drove area. Clerk to highlight to PC Coales.

· Cllr. Poole informed the Council that an anonymous donor has given the Council £190.00 towards Play Equipment saying that they owed the Council the money from a long time ago. The money was given to the Clerk to pay into the Bank account.

· Following the sewage scheme work the change in road surface is resulting in water running into the driveway of Rosedene, Church Road. This has already been reported but as no action has been taken the Clerk was asked to report the problem once again to the Highways Dept and to the sewage works Project Manager.

· Cllr. Sutton reported that the hedge near the Church Road/Padgett’s Road junction has now been pruned making visibility at the junction better.

· Cllr. Russell requested that a letter of thanks be sent by the Council to S & D Jarvis of Upwell for spraying the Recreation Ground to kill weeds at no cost. Clerk to action.

· Cllr. Sutton thanked Cllr. Wincote for laying the Council’s wreath at the Remembrance Day service on Sunday.

The Chair closed the meeting at 8.22pm