Sunningwell Parish Council

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SUNNINGWELL PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT 7.30PM ON WEDNESDAY, 29^TH MARCH 2006 AT SUNNINGWELL VILLAGE HALL

Present: Cllrs. R. Nichol (in the chair), R. Macdonald, H. Lynam-Smith, M.Woodward,

D. Belcher and S. Payne.

In Attendance: County Cllr. B. Johnston, District Cllr. T. Ward and Pat Romans (Clerk)

1. CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS

Cllr. Nichol reported on the Reception he had recently attended at the invitation of the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council. The purpose of the event had been to thank Parish Councillors for the work that they do voluntarily on behalf of their communities. Cllr. Nichol said that he had felt that the thanks had been sincere and he had to pass these on to all members because he had been there representing them.

2. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS FROM ATTENDING COUNCILLORS/

RESIDENTS

(i) Cllr. Ward reminded members that the Inspector’s Report on the Vale D.C. Local Plan has been received. It endorses the Council’s policy on the Green Belt and upholds SPADE’s concerns to have clarity of wording where the Plan discusses possible moves to use Green Belt land for Park & Ride facilities. It recommends that 3 safeguarded sites at Botley should be released. The most contentious alteration concerned additional housing at Letcombe Regis where a proposal by the Vale D.C. for 50 houses had been increased to 100 dwellings. This, the District Council still maintains, is too much for this village community to easily absorb. The voting was close but Vale D.C. have voted to adopt the Inspector’s Report which is a very influential document and it is therefore very pleasing that it so closely upholds the main thrust of the Local Plan.

Cllr. Nichol said that he was pleased, having seen the contents of the Inspector’s Report,

about how scathing of the Wilcox proposals for Sunningwell it had been and he generally felt that the interests of the community were being upheld – it remains to be seen what SEERA will do and this will become known shortly.

(ii) Cllr. Ward said that the Vale Local Plan 2011 is due for approval in July 2006.

(iii) Cllr. Ward reported that she had recently attended a presentation on future Waste Strategy and OCC are close to making a decision regarding collection and disposal options. Cllr. Johnston said that central Government had insisted that all local authorities must have operational plans in place by 2009-10 and an initial 300 options have now been culled to 6. These will be reduced further to a possible 2 or 3 options and details will then be released for public consultation before a final decision is made.

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(iv) The Clerk had received a suggestion from a resident who is concerned about the number of vehicles that are getting stuck in the unmarked ditch in Dark Lane. This happens when they pull over to allow someone to get by and it often involves getting another vehicle to pull them out. The request was for a piece of pipe to be laid to ensure that drainage is not impeded and for the ditch to then be filled in. Members confirmed that Dark Lane is not in fact an adopted road and therefore not the responsibility of OCC Highways. Any request would need to be made to the landowner involved and the Clerk was asked to convey this information to the resident concerned.

3. APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from District Cllr. C. Wise

4. DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL & PREJUDICIAL

INTERESTS

Cllr. Lynam-Smith declared a personal interest in the development of the lean to behind Orchard Cottage, Sunningwell which she intended to discuss under Item 7 (b) Planning Matters. Cllr. Belcher declared an interest in Item 9 Long Furlong Road flooding maps. In neither case was the Councillors’ interest considered to be prejudicial..

5. MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 22^ND FEBRUARY 2006

It was proposed by Cllr. Lynam-Smith and seconded by Cllr. Macdonald that the Minutes be accepted as a correct record of the meeting. This was agreed unanimously and the Chairman signed accordingly.

6. UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS/ANY OTHER MATTERS ARISING

Page 165 Security lights at property adj. to The Stumps

It is believed that these lights have now been adjusted.

Page 165 Footpath Sign

This has still not been re-instated.

Action: Clerk to contact the OCC Footpaths Officer

Page 166 Completion of Village Gateways installation

It was noted that the Department for Transport have insisted that the frames painted on the roadaround the roundels need to be removed and these modifications will be carried out by OCC shortly.

Cllr. Johnston reminded members that any traffic calming measures, apart from the Village Gateways, had been cancelled by OCC for budgetary reasons, and many aspects of the Halcrow consultation process were therefore lost. Cllr. Lynam-Smith said that a

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key recommendation had been to deter HGVs from using the narrow Parish roads and it was agreed that a case still needs to be made for this.

Action: Clerk to pass the Halcrow consultation documents to the Chairman and make this an agenda item for the next meeting.

Page 166 The Village Hall & Access to No. 57, Sunningwell

David Hodson, solicitor, has promised a settlement on this issue very shortly.

Page 166 Repairs to Pot Holes

The request for repairs has been acknowledged by OCC Highways but no work has been carried out to date.

Action: Cllr. Johnston to take this up with OCC officers on behalf of the Parish Council.

Page 166 Brown Wheelie Bin Scheme

This scheme is to be extended shortly and will then include Bayworth.

Page 166 Fly Tipping

Arrangements had been made by Vale D.C. to collect the tyres in Green Lane following the report at the last meeting. However since then further tipping has occurred. It was also reported that a car has been abandoned in the field opposite the Mobile Home Park..

Action: Clerk to (i) notify the Vale D.C. about the fly tipping in Green Lane and (ii) inform the Police of the abandoned car with a request that it be towed away.

Cllr. Lynam-Smith said that a considerable amount of litter has gathered at Long Furlong and around the Parish generally. It was agreed that another litter picking session is required but that a more satisfactory solution would be to have someone employed for a short period each week to keep the Parish clear of litter. A grant to help towards the cost of employing someone could be obtained from the Vale D.Cs fund set aside to help Parishes with this problem. Half the cost up to a ceiling of £500 is available annually.

Action: Clerk to add this item to the agenda for the next meeting of the Finance Sub-Committee who will look at the risk assessment and insurance implications of employing someone in this role.

Page 170 Helicopter exercises over Sunningwell

A response to the Parish Council’s request that exercises should not be carried out directly over Beaulieu Court had been received. This had been couched in general terms and made no reference to the issue raised.

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Action: Clerk to write requesting specific answers to the points raised in the original letter.

Any Other Matters Arising

Cllr. Ward asked whether there had been any progress with the flood prevention measures proposed by the Vale D.C. and was informed that this work has been arranged for the end of the summer when the cricket season has finished. The Chairman thanked Cllr. Lynam-Smith for her work in helping to bring this problem to a satisfactory conclusion.

Volunteer of the Year Award – Cllr. Lynam-Smith confirmed that she had, on behalf of the members, nominated Dr.Chris McMichael for the Vale D.C. Volunteer of the Year Award. Dr. McMichael had been invited to a Reception arranged for all nominees but she had been unable to attend.

7. PLANNING

a. Applications dealt with between meetings

SUN/7291/5 Lincombe Lodge, Fox Lane, Boars Hill

Demolition of existing building. Erection of a replacement building containing 8 flats

Parish Council response: Objections – full details on file.

Cllrs. Nichol and Macdonald attended the Development Control Committee when this application was considered. They made the Parish Council’s objections known but were not happy with the lack of discussion on the issues they had raised.. No-one else spoke against the application and the Highways Department did not object despite the fact that with the site developed, a considerable number of cars will be trying to exit out into a fast road with limited vision in both directions. Cllr. Ward said that she had not been able to speak because of a personal and prejudicial interest and although residents living nearby did not speak at the meeting, they had been invited to discuss their views over the phone.

Permission has been given for this development which will be fairly tightly controlled by a number of conditions that have been imposed.

Action: Cllr. Macdonald will write to Mr. Brian Short, OCC Area Engineer, and suggest that the Highways Dept. need to reconsider the dangers involved at this site once the development has been completed.

SUN 19257/1 31, Sunningwell

Proposed velux windows

Parish Council response: No objections but the Parish Council would like to support the owner of No. 23, Sunningwell – whose property is situated behind No. 31 – who comments that the 3 new velux windows at the back of 31, Sunningwell should be positioned at least 2 metres above floor level in order to maintain his privacy.

It was noted that a large container has been in the front of this property for a considerable period now and is very unsightly.

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Action: Clerk to write to the owner of the property to ascertain when the container is likely to be removed from the site.

b) Other Planning Matters

(i) Foxcombe Hill Farm, Boars Hill

Cllr. Ward reported that a number of residents in Lincombe Lane had expressed concerns that this property is not being used as a farm but more as a storage site. There are pigs being reared there but there are no other farming activities despite a large number of coops for poultry. Officers from the Vale D.C. have inspected the premises and agreed that the site is an eyesore. The owner is going to be asked to remove the building materials and several caravans currently parked there. They will continue to monitor the situation but any feedback from members of the Parish Council would be greatly appreciated.

(ii) Lean to behind Orchard Cottage, Sunningwell

Cllr. Lynam-Smith tabled a paper outlining the situation regarding this site. It had been established that permission for conversion to a workshop remains current, but any plans to build a property on this site would require an application for change of use in the first instance. It was agreed that the situation needs to be kept under observation.

(iii) Warnborough Site, Boars Hill

Cllr. Ward mentioned the site meeting that had taken place recently and the fact that Barchester Health Care – who hope to develop the site as a Care Village – have extended an invitation to Councillors to visit their award winning complex at Nantwich in order to see the type of properties they have in mind. They are also planning to hold an exhibition in the Village Hall shortly to give all residents the chance to comment on their proposals They anticipate that many will see it as making good use of the site but members were aware that it could set a precedent and this must be a cause for concern. It remains to be seen how this application will be handled in view of its apparent over development within the Green Belt and whether it will be called in by the Secretary of State.

c) SPADE

Report received as follows –

‘Our focus at the moment is on finding out how to interact with the SEERA/OCC public consultation on the S.E. Plan which has just been submitted to the ODPM. We understand there will be another round of public response forms and we have contacted SEERA to express our concern that if this is the case, it has to be better handled then the ‘Your Shout’ consultation forms. We are keeping a watching eye on when this is going to happen but it should be 6 weeks during the period March-June.

We are also meeting up with other interested local groups (OPT, CPRE, Baldons etc.) to discuss what, if anything, we might be able to do together to ensure our voices are heard at the SEERA Inspector’s enquiry later this year/early 2007. Our concern is how the voice of small local groups and local people will find a place at the table and we may

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achieve more by working together. We have an initial exploratory meeting arranged for 18^th April which the Parish Council Chairman is going to attend.

The Vale Local Plan has been amended post-Inspector’s report and the Vale D.C. is now in public consultation on that. Any objections to or support of the changes (only) to the plan are to be submitted now and SPADE will be considering a reponse.’

8. BURIAL GROUND SPACE

Cllr. Nichol reported that arrangements to meet up with Rev. McKellen for an initial discussion on this issue had fallen through on two occasions. The Clerk has now written asking her to suggest another date for the meeting.

9. LONG FURLONG ROAD - FLOODING MAPS

Previous correspondence from the Environment Agency and Vale D.C. had been circulated prior to this meeting and Cllr. Nichol reviewed the information that had been received in November 2005 when the issue was first raised. Members acknowledged that the outcome from this correspondence had been far from satisfactory. It was agreed that two issues need further investigation - firstly when the maps were drawn up did the Environment Agency take the culvert issues into account and the flood defence channels that exist in the locality to cope with excess water? If not, what changes need to be made to the maps? Secondly, if the risks currently identified are valid, what advice are they providing to residents and the Vale D.C. on measures that might be taken to alleviate the chances of flooding? Members felt that answers to these questions need to be obtained before a meeting of residents is called and if at all possible, arrangements made for someone from the Environment Agency or a Vale D.C. Officer to come and explain the situation to both Cllrs. and residents.

Action: Cllr. Nichol to send letters to the Environment Agency and Vale D.C. requesting answers to these outstanding queries.

10. VACANCY ON PARISH COUNCIL

There has been no response to the Chairman’s article in the recently published Sunningwell Scene and members considered how they might best recruit a resident to fill the current vacancy. Cllr. Ward said that she will talk to members of the Boars Hill Residents Association to see if there is anyone there interested in taking on the role.

11. FINANCE

a) Finance Sub-Committee Report

It was unanimously agreed to accept the recommendations of the Sub-Committee as follows –

• the ring fencing of money for new equipment for the Children’s Play Area will cease and the current equipment will be refurbished to meet RoSPA standards
• a notice board for the Boars Hill end of the Parish will not be purchased unless there is a specific request from residents who will have found a suitable site for it.
• A one-off donation of £50 to be paid to Vale House Alzheimer’s Home, Botley

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• Cllr. Woodward confirmed that the £650 budgeted for the Sunningwell Scene is sufficient to cover 2 editions of the magazine. The other 2 editions are paid for from advertising revenue.
• It was noted that a Risk Assessment Review has been completed by members of the Sub-Committee.

b) Payment of Accounts

The following account had been paid between meetings

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

12. CORRESPONDENCE

The following correspondence has been received since the last meeting

12.1 OCC Home2School Newsletter – Spring 2005

12.2 Minerals & Waste Development Framework – Statement of

Community Involvement

12.3 Oxfordshire Highways – change of telephone number

12.4 Vale DC Is your community interested in a renewable energy project

(VHMC & Bayworth Chapel)

12.5 Sunningwell Village – Flood Prevention Scheme

12.6 Planning for the Future of the Vale – consultation on Statement of

Involvement Submission Document

12.7 Vale Community Safety – newsletter

12.8 Thames Valley Police – opening hours of Police Stations

12.9 Open Space – magazine

12.10 OCC Guide to Services

12.11 Newsletter – March 2006

12.12 Vale DC Visitor Guide

12.13 Free Bus Passes – posters for notice boards

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12.14 Meetings of Council & Committees

12.15 North East Area Forum meeting – details circulated

12.16 OALC Gratuities and new Taxation Regime for Pension Scheme

12.17 Primary Care Trust – agenda

12.18 Sunningwell School of Art – acknowledgement of pledge

12.19 Oxfordshire Ass. For the Blind – acknowledgement of donation

12.20 The Local Channel – advertising

12.21 Clerks & Councils Direct – magazine

12.22 OCC Review of Subsidised Bus Services – No. 44 retained – timetable to

follow

12.23 Vale DC North East Area Forum – agenda

12.24 Revised Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance (Cllr. Macdonald)

12.25 Local Plan 2011 – Principle Modifications (on file for reference)

12.26 Oxford City Primary Care Trust – agenda & minutes

12.27 Society of Local Council Clerks – Regional Conference

13. SUB-COMMITTEES/GROUPS

Children’s Play Area

Cllr. Belcher reported that he has attempted to obtain 3 quotations for the refurbishment of the Play Area but this is proving to be very difficult. A number of firms have not been interested in undertaking the work or have failed to keep appointments to view the site. He has received one firm quotation and has arranged for another firm to look at what needs to be done.

It was agreed that the Finance Sub-Committee should look at the quote received and that further delays over having the work done is not acceptable in view of the need to confirm to the RoSPA safety standards.

14. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

(i) Cllr. Nichol read a letter he had received from Mrs May Hall regarding the current vacancy on the Poors Law Charity Trustees Committee which has arisen because of her retirement. Cllr. Lynam-Smith said that the Trustees have this matter in hand.

(ii) Cllr. Woodward said that Bayworth Chapel are holding a Plant & Produce Sale on the 27^th May in aid of their building fund and plan to site their stall in front of Pond Cottage

(iii)Cllr. Lynam-Smith asked if care could be taken over the cutting of the grass at Bayworth Triangle so that the leaves of the daffodil bulbs planted last year are left to die down naturally.

(iv) Cllr. Ward asked members to consider whether they might be able to take an active role in supporting the Radley Lakes Campaign Group and also the group campaigning to save the local hospitals from closure.

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There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.56pm

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

Chairman