Sunningwell Parish Council

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SUNNINGWELL PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT 7.30PM ON WEDNESDAY, 15TH JUNE 2005 AT BAYWORTH CHAPEL HALL

Present: Cllrs. B. Nichol (in the chair), G. Birch, H. Lynam-Smith, D. Belcher and S. Payne

In Attendance: District Cllrs. T. Ward and C. Wise, Mr. A. Baker (VHMC), Mr. S. Grigson (Chairman, St. Helen Without P.C.) and Pat Romans (Clerk)

1. CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS

Cllr. Nichol opened the meeting at 7.33pm and welcomed Cllr. Grigson, the newly

elected Chairman of St. Helen Without Parish Council, who had come to observe

proceedings. Cllr. Nichol said that he had submitted an article on Parish Council

matters to the Sunningwell Scene and hoped that he had met the deadline for the next

edition. He reminded members that the Annual Village Fete is due to be held on the

6^th August and it would be helpful if they would think about ways in which the Parish

Council stall might be displayed and run.

2. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Appreciation was expressed that the Council meeting was being held at Bayworth on

this occasion. However it was also noted that local residents had not taken the

opportunity to attend the meeting.

3. APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Cllrs. M. Woodward and R. Macdonald.

4. DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL & PREJUDICIAL

INTERESTS

No declarations were made.

5. MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 18^th MAY 2005

It was unanimously agreed that the Minutes should be accepted as a true record

of the meeting and the Chairman signed accordingly.

6. UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS/ANY OTHER MATTERS ARISING

Page 114 Repairs to Pot Holes – it was noted that the work has been completed on

the 3 pot holes previously reported to the OCC Highways Department. Cllr. Lynam-

Smith said that she has now marked further pot holes in Sunningwell Village and

Bayworth which are in urgent need of attention and was concerned that the problem

is growing due to the increased traffic – which includes heavy lorries – using the

village as a ‘rat run’. Cllr. Nichol reminded members that this issue had been

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discussed at the last Halcrow consultation. It was agreed that more evidence of the

possible correlation between the use of the roads by heavy vehicles and the increased

problem of pot holes is required – possibly by conducting a survey at some future

date. Cllr. Grigson mentioned that he has been in contact with OCC regarding further

weight restrictions being imposed in his Parish and had been told that OCC members

are proposing a wider use of weight restrictions throughout the County. However this

process is likely to take some time and will be dependent upon funding being made

available.

Action: (i) Cllr. Lynam-Smith to provide Clerk with site details of pot holes requiring urgent repairs (ii) Clerk to report these to OCC Highways Dept. and request help to prevent village being used as a rat run (iii) Clerk to contact Halcrow for information on the progress of the consultation process with OCC iv) Cllr. Nichol to draft letter to OCC regarding the possible use of weight restrictions in the village – this correspondence to be copied to Cllr. R. Johnston.

Page 114 Disruption from Abingdon Air Show – the response from the Vale D.C.

Environmental Health Inspector was read and it was noted that Cllr. Woodward

intends to seek a wider range of opinions from residents via the Sunningwell Scene.

In the meantime it was felt that the Parish Council should seek further advice and

information from the organizations concerned with the Air Show.

Action: Clerk to contact the Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Display organizers for further information on regulations and monitoring.

Page 116 Vale Local Plan Inquiry – the Clerk’s enquiry to the Vale Programme

Officer had failed to produce any very helpful information. Cllr. Ward gave details of

the Vale D.C. memo she had received regarding the further submissions to the

Inquiry Inspector by Mr. Wilcox and Mr. Clarke. The Chairman asked about the

likely status of these latest submissions and whether the Parish Council should be

taking further action. Cllr. Ward advised that ‘they are unlikely to go anywhere’ and

the main objective was to get something before the Inspector. It was agreed that the

Parish Council should reiterate their original concerns to the Vale. Longer term it was

acknowledged that it is necessary to wait for full details of the SEERA proposals for

the area before deciding on a plan of further action on this issue and how the Parish

Council should best respond.

Action: Clerk to write to Vale D.C. reiterating the Parish Council’s objections, as previously submitted, to the various proposals for housing development in the Parish.

Page 116 Design Trends in the Parish – Cllr. Nichol read a draft letter to the Vale

D.C. Planning Department that he had composed regarding the growing tendency to

have high solid gates and electronic entry systems installed at various properties in

the Parish. This draft was accepted by all members who felt in need of guidance

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regarding current planning regulations.

Action: Clerk to send letter to Mr. Rodger Hood, Assistant Director (Planning) Vale D.C.

Page 118 Recruitment to Children’s Play Area Sub-Committee – there has been

no response from residents regarding the request for help posted on the notice

boards.

Page 119 Footpath Access – the fact that Footpath S9 had been ploughed over had

been reported to the OCC Footpaths Officer who had promised to investigate. Cllr.

Lynam-Smith said that weed killer had now been sprayed on the path and it is

possible to walk it. It was pointed out that the breadth of the swathe left available to

walkers had been too narrow last year but Cllr. Lynam-Smith felt that this is

reasonable at the moment.

7. CO-OPTION TO THE PARISH COUNCIL

The Chairman referred to Dr. Shirley Payne’s letter of application to serve as a

Parish Councillor which had been read in full at the last meeting. It was proposed by

Cllr. Lynam-Smith and seconded by Cllr. Birch that Dr. Payne be co-opted to the

Council. This was agreed unanimously and Cllr. Payne signed a Declaration of

Acceptance of Office which was witnessed by the Clerk. It was agreed to obtain an

electronic version of the OALC Induction Pack for New Councillors from OALC.

Action: Clerk to send copies of this document to Cllrs. Belcher and Payne.

8. PLANNING

8.1 New Applications) None received since the last meeting

8.2 Decision Notices ) of the Council

8.3 No. 57, Sunningwell

The Chairman outlined the main points of a letter he had received from David Hodson, solicitor, in which he had stated a strong case for the Parish Council’s registration of the land in question. It was not possible for him to supply specific details of the costs involved at this stage because it is not known whether a legal dispute will result. It was unanimously agreed that Mr. Hodson should be asked to act on behalf of the Parish Council on this issue and that any other matters involving the legal ownership of land in the Parish be dealt with separately at a later date. In the meantime Mr. Hodson has asked for help in establishing the whereabouts of the original documents in this case.

Action: Clerk to write to Mr. David Hodson requesting that he proceeds with the registration of this land on behalf of the Parish Council.

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8.4 SPADE Update

No update had been received from SPADE and it was acknowledged that they – like the Parish Council – are now waiting for the SEERA report before deciding on their next course of action. Cllr. Ward said that whilst overall numbers of intended new houses for the region had been released, it is where they are eventually to be built that is the important issue. It was agreed that should any detailed information be released that requires an urgent response, an emergency meeting of the Parish Council will be held and members will liaise with one another quickly in order to formulate an agreed response. It was noted that whilst working closely with SPADE on this next stage, as in the past, responses would be submitted separately.

No information was available on SPADE’s appearance at the Vale D.C. Local Plan Public Inquiry.

8.5 Hedgerows at Manor Farm, Bayworth

Cllr. Birch referred to a recent email from Mr. Iain Corbyn – copy on file. She said she had been to inspect the site and whilst she could see that some trees had been taken down, this did not appear to be recent work. Cllr. Ward said that she has been in touch with Mr. George Reade, Vale Tree Preservation Officer, about this. He had found that the hedges had been treated with herbicide and he intends checking the original planning regulations.

8.6 Fencing and Gates at Bellapais Manor

Whilst investigating the above issue Cllr. Birch had been greatly concerned to see the very high fencing and gates that have been erected at this property. She feels that this structure is higher than the regulations allow and therefore planning permission should have been sought. It was generally agreed that this was a good example of subsequent additions to a property which is contrary to the ethos of the Green Belt and is an issue where the Parish Council is in need of advice on the legal position.

Action: Clerk to inform the Vale D.C. Monitoring Officer of this situation and to copy the letter to Mr. Rodger Hood, Assistant Director (Planning)

8.7 Tree Clearance, Rainbow House, Boars Hill

Cllr. Ward reported that this unresolved situation had been considered by the Vale D.C. Development Control Committee on the 6^th June. It was decided there that the TPO should remain in force – exceptions being that any trees within falling distance of the house and garage can be felled and if the owner, on inspection and with the agreement of the Tree Officer, finds other trees that constitute a problem, these too can be removed. Further attempts at mediation were recommended.

It was noted that the recent planning application submitted by the owner of The Clearings, Foxcombe Road, has had to be referred to the Chair of the Planning Committee because of objections lodged by the owner of Rainbow House, who has stated that when the trees on her property are felled, she will be able to see the proposed extension at The Clearing.

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9. FINANCE

9.1 Report from Finance Sub-Committee

The Chairman outlined the main recommendations and actions taken by the Sub-

Committee at their last meeting – full report on file. It was unanimously agreed that

grants should be given to the Citizens Advice Bureau (£60) and the Wootton & Dry

Sandford Youth Club (£100) once the organization is fully operational.

It was noted that the Glebe papers are now held at the PCC Records Office and an

access number is held on file for anyone wishing to refer to them in future.

Action: The Clerk to seek further clarification regarding the conditions under which the papers are held – especially with reference to the reserving of copyright and the right to destroy papers at any future date.

9.2 Application for grant from Village Hall Management Committee

The Chairman referred to the letter of application from Mr. A Baker on behalf of the VHMC – copies previously circulated to members and copy on file. Cllr. Nichol pointed out that a request to the Parish Council for funding from any organization would normally be considered in detail by the Finance Sub-Committee and a recommendation brought to the full Council. However due to the shortage of time available to the VHMC in which to submit a grant application to the Vale D.C. , it was not possible in this case for the Parish Council to follow their established procedures. Mr. Baker confirmed that an application for a grant of £8K had been submitted to the Vale D.C. with a covering note to say that the Parish Council had been approached for funding. He said that the figures stated were sufficient to cover the highest quote received and final costs were not likely to be that high. It was planned to match the £8K requested from the Vale D. C. with money from local support – including the Parish Council – and from reserves.

There was concern expressed that District Cllrs. Ward and Wise, as members of the Vale Area Committee which will hear the VHMC’s application on the 30^th June, should not be part of this discussion. Cllr. Wise said that as Vice Chairman of the Area Committee he wished to declare an interest but didn’t feel compromised in any way and therefore declined the suggestion that he should leave the meeting. Cllr. Ward also decided to stay.

A prolonged discussion then took place on the proposal that the Parish Council should grant £3K towards the total costs of repair work on the Village Hall. The amount of money allocated to the VHMC over the last 5 years was considered and the efforts already made by the Committee to improve the Hall were acknowledged. Cllr. Wise said that grant applications for up to £5K were generally successful but above this amount, questions are asked about what reserves might be available to cover the shortfall. He also said that as from the September 2005 Area Committee meeting, the grant procedure was going to be much more rigid than it is at present. He made it clear that the Vale had been concerned in the past to find that they had given grants to bodies which they subsequently found had possessed large reserves and he felt unable to look favourably any more on applications of this nature and that this was the reason for the change to procedure due in September. The Chair pointed out that the current

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application is being made before these changes and that it would be unfair to impose the changes before they had come into being. He further pointed out that the Vale should design a pro-forma similar to the one used by the Parish Council to ask for all relevant information from applicants in order to create a fair procedure and to avoid the problems which had troubled the Vale previously. Mr. Baker explained that the VHMC currently hold approximately £13K in reserves but there are 4 major items for which money is going to be required in the near future –

(i) asbestos has to be cleared from the roof

(ii) the electrical wiring needs to be replaced

(iii) the toilets have to be refurbished

(iv) the kitchen must be refurbished

Cllr. Nichol said that he could confirm these details and the reserves held are insufficient to meet the likely costs of this essential work. Cllr. Wise then suggested that the Parish Council should further consider the use of its own reserves and asked how much was held. The Chair responded by saying reserve details are available as a public document and that Cllr. Wise could discuss them in detail with the Clerk. The Clerk pointed out that the Parish’s reserves are also earmarked for major purposes. Cllr. Wise accused the parish of avoiding declaring their reserves at the meeting. Mr. Baker agreed to supply further information to the Vale D.C. on the intended use of the reserves held by the VHMC in time for the meeting to be held on the 30^th June. He pointed out that their application to the District Council is very much dependent on proving that support from the Parish Council is forthcoming. He reminded those present that the work currently being considered, and the essential future tasks as outlined, are intended to keep the Village Hall in operation for the foreseeable future. Members agreed that they wished to support the efforts being made by the VHMC and various funding options were considered. It was eventually proposed by Cllr. Birch and seconded by Cllr. Lynam-Smith that up to £2K – in addition to the £1K already budgeted – would be made available from Parish Council funds, dependent upon the application to the Vale D.C. being successful. This was agreed unanimously. Cllr. Nichol reminded those present that the Parish Council is the body ultimately responsible for the Village Hall and informed Mr. Baker that should the application to the Vale D.C. be unsuccessful, members would be only too happy to work with the VHMC to formulate a revised plan for the Hall.

At this stage Cllr. Wise apologized for having spoken so forcibly and left the meeting. Members of the Parish Council remained concerned that boundaries had been compromised by his insistence on being present for this debate.

8.3 Accounts for payment

It was proposed by Cllr. Belcher and seconded by Cllr. Payne that the following accounts be accepted for payment. This was agreed unanimously.

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10. CORRESPONDENCE

The following correspondence has been received since the last meeting

10.1 OCC Newsletters – May & June 2005

10.2 “ SEERA presentation by Cllr. Keith Mitchell (Cllr. Lynam-Smith)

10.3 “ Roadside Timetable Displays (Mrs M. Hall & Cllrs)

10.4 “ Minerals & Waste Development Framework

10.5 “ Home2School Newsletter – Summer 2005

10.6 “ Countryside Service – Annual Report

10.7 Vale D.C. Meetings of Council & Committees

10.8 “ Swapshop & Collection Morning – 18^th June 2005

10.9 “ Public Entertainment License – consultation

10.10 “ NE Area Forum – 29^th June – agenda (already circulated)

10.11 “ Countryside Events Programme

10.12 “ Didcot Joint Inquiry Inspectors’ Report – May 2005

10.13 “ Standards Committee – Agenda & Minutes

10.14 OALC County Circular + papers (Cllr. Nichol)

10.15 RoSPA Play Area inspection notification (Cllr. Belcher)

10.16 CAB AGM 30^th June 2005

10.17 Friends of Sunningwell School – grant acknowledgement

10.18 Kennington Parish Council – additional road safety measures

10.19 Vale Housing Association – flood prevention measures (Cllr. Lynam-Smith)

10.20 Radley History Club – Exhibition – 25^th June

10.21 OGBN Anniversary Newsletter – June 2005 (Cllrs. Lynam-Smith, Payne)

10.22 NatWest Bank – information update

10.23 Open Space – magazine – Summer 2005 (Cllr. Payne)

10.24 Primary Care Trust – agenda & minutes (Clerk)

10.25 Christ Church – invitation to Service & Tea Party

11. SUB-COMMITTEE/GROUPS UPDATES

11.1 Flooding

Report from Cllr. Lynam-Smith tabled and copy on file. She said that a report on the work of the Flooding Committee over the past 2 years is almost completed and will then appear in the Sunningwell Scene. A second stage flooding letter had been sent to relevant residents in the Parish and Cllr. Lynam-Smith said that she is keen to work with Mr. Iain Corbyn where flooding clearance issues link with his proposed vole survey. The Chairman said that people generally want to co-operate over issues like the prevention of flooding and he thanked Cllr. Lynam-Smith for her work in this area.

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11.2 Children’s Play Area

(i) Cllr. Belcher said that a site meeting with a play equipment supplier had taken place recently and this was attended by Cllr. Nichol. When feedback from the firm arrives, Cllr. Belcher will circulate this to members. He said that he has received comments from some residents who have queried whether the provision of new equipment is really necessary and a lack of interest in serving on the Sub-Committee may also indicate an absence of enthusiasm for the scheme. Cllr. Nichol said that there is a question in the Parish Plan Questionnaire which should make the level of support a lot clearer and Cllr. Birch said that a Vale D.C. survey sometime ago had identified the Parish as being deficient in play facilities. Cllr. Payne pointed out that a Play Area needs to be very local and with four separate communities making up this Parish, overall support might not be forthcoming. Cllr. Nichol said that the Parish Council will have to be guided by the results from the Parish Plan questionnaire and, if necessary, the plan to provide new play equipment will need to be shelved. In the meantime Cllr. Belcher agreed that he should continue his preliminary work on the project.

(ii) Cllr. Belcher reported that some concerns had been expressed about a group of youngsters currently using the corner of the field near the play area as a gathering point. They arrive in cars and therefore are young people rather than children. They are not being disorderly at the present time but Cllr. Belcher has discussed the situation with PC Broomfield who has agreed to increase his patrols in the area. Mr. Baker said that he has lived close to this piece of land for 14 years and it has always been used by youngsters of this age as a meeting place. In his opinion they are not there to cause trouble and he hoped that the Parish Council would not make a problem out of it. The only issue seemed to be that of litter and Cllr. Belcher said that he would speak with a nearby resident who seems prepared to be responsible for clearing it up. The provision of a litter bin was discussed but it was acknowledged that the Vale D.C. would be unlikely to provide one or service one purchased by the Parish Council.

12. LETTER re HEDGES REQUIRING TRIMMING

A draft letter had been previously circulated to members and Cllr. Lynam-Smith said that she would compile a list of relevant properties to put before the next meeting of the Council. Cllr. Birch was keen that pavements should also be included in the letter to protect the well being of pedestrians and wheel chair users as well as cyclists and motorists. It was also suggested that a paragraph in the Sunningwell Scene about the problem might be useful.

Action: Cllr. Lynam-Smith to supply revised draft letter and list of relevant properties for consideration at next Parish Council meeting.

13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Cllr. Birch mentioned that a huge firework display had taken place in the parish recently and the fact that Cllr. Belcher had written to the resident responsible offering advice and guidance was acknowledged.

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There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 10.41pm

Signed…………………………………….Date……………………………….

Chairman