Page One Hundred and Thirty Four
Comprising Bishopstone, Bridge Sollers, Byford, Kenchester and Mansell Gamage
Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 23 July 2009 in The Portway Inn Hotel, Staunton starting at 7.30pm.
Present: - Mr J Macklin (Vice Chairman) Mr B Merrick Miss S Hubbard
Mr J Verry Mrs C Draper Mr T Hunt, Mrs P Hickey
Mrs L Allsopp Mr G Malins Mr A French
Mr B Megson (Clerk)
Item 2. Apologies: - Mrs P Redshaw, Mrs M Holmes,
In Attendance Mr D Macklin (Newsletter Editor)
Item 1. The meeting began with the Chairman advising all present of the Fire Safety procedure and requesting mobile telephones be switched off.
There were none.
The previously distributed minutes of the last meeting of 7 May 2009 were accepted as a correct record and signed as was the minutes of the Annual Meeting held on the same day.
Item 5. Hereford Councillor Report.
Mr Adrian Blackshaw (our Ward councillor) invited the members of the Parish Council to a meeting to be held on 11th August 2009 in Wellington Village Hall to hear about the ESG plan and to ask any questions. He told the meeting how Herefordshire Council will be view planning applications in the future and the changes they have made in administration.
He informed the meeting that the formal opening of the open market in High Town would be on Saturday 25 July 2009.
He also said that it was planned to regenerate the Butter Market in the City. It will sell locally made drinks and food alongside the current retail offerings.
Finally he ended by saying that the modernisation of Widemarsh Street in the City will start in January 2010 and will last for 42 weeks.
Page One Hundred and Thirty Five
The Clerk advised the following……………
He had received a plan of campaign from Community First regarding the housing needs survey which the Chairman had scrutinised and approved of and that we had agreed to proceed with. An article will appear in the September Newsletter and a circular questionnaire will be posted to all households by Community First asking for a response in October. The results of which will be published in the New Year.
We have received a letter from Herefordshire Council advising that the 446 bus service will continue to operate until 2014.
Our letter has been sent to Herefordshire Council Highways advising our spelling of SOLLARS on the village signs to be placed on the boundary of the parish along the A438.This will be sometime this year.
The meeting was advised that a 5% discount had been obtained from our present insurance company and this had been accepted.
The Parish Freighter and Box Van had been booked for Byford on Saturday 26 September between 11am to 1pm.
The response letter from John Weaver (timber haulier) was discussed and it was agreed that we wrote to Mrs Midwinter (Mansell Gamage) and asked for her reaction before writing a response to John Weaver.
Herefordshire Highways have informed us that they are to start the procedure for evaluating Bishopstone to see if it meets the criteria for a 30mph speed limit.
Item 7. Co-opt new councillors.
Both Mrs D Shaw and Mrs S Knights presented themselves to the meeting and after each had introduced themselves a unanimous acceptance vote was given to both applicants. Mrs D Shaw will represent Bishopstone and Mrs S Knights will represent Byford.
Item 8. Speed limit
change on a part of the A438
This item was moved to be part of the Village Plan reports see Item 12.
Item 9. Resident’s
letters.
Mrs P Hickey councillor for Kenchester told the meeting that she had received a letter from a resident complaining about cars parked on the triangle of land in front of the Lady of Southampton Chapel and also a copy of a letter received from Herefordshire Council about who owned the land. The two items were discussed and it was agreed that the first priority was to confirm ownership of the land which according to Herefordshire Council now belonged to the Parish and was registered as VG26.
The suggestion that Kenchester residents should form a village green committee to look after the village green was thought practicable and it was agreed that a letter be sent to all residents informing them of this. The clerk was asked to write to the Land Registry to confirm that the Parish was the owner of a Village Green (when this had been established) and write to all residents of Kenchester.
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Page One Hundred and Thirty Six.
Item 9. Residents
Letter (continued).
An email from a Bridge Sollars resident highlighted the dangers of riding a horse on the Madley to Bridge Sollars road and asked the Parish Council to consider what help they could offer. After a short discussion it was agreed that the Clerk establish what the cost road signs advising persons riding would cost and if Herefordshire Council would agree to erect them.
A letter from a Mansell Gamage resident asked the parish council to consider installing “Concealed Exit” road signs and a mirror to assist in exiting from their drive onto the road running through the village. The Clerk was asked to forward the letter to Herefordshire Council planning advising that at the planning stage we had warned of exactly this problem and to find the cost of such signs and mirror.
Three letters had been received from residents who all live at the end of the lane leading to Shetton Farm asking when their section of road would be repaired. The Clerk advised the meeting that he had been told by Herefordshire Council Highways that they had completed filling the pot holes and the top dressing would be done sometime after March next year. He has already written to all three residents advising them.
An email from a Bridge Sollars resident asked if the Parish Council would consider a separate Agenda item to report the progress of the work during the church conversion of St Andrews Church and to consider asking the NBCCC to post their meeting minutes on the local notice board. The meeting agreed that councillor S Hubbard would advise all local households near to the church when the work will start as a matter of courtesy. The Clerk was asked to write to the resident concerned to confirm that one local resident was already on the NBCCC and that the general public were always welcome to attend all parish council meetings. It was agreed to put NBCCC minutes on the notice board at Bridge Sollars and the clerk would have a separate Agenda item.
Item 10. Accounts.
The meeting was advised that we had received the sum of £162.04 from H M Customs and Excise being the VAT claimed over the past two years invoices.
The meeting agreed to pay the working expenses of £73.93 to the Clerk.
Our latest Bank Statements showed the Current Account at £1056.74 and the Reserve Account at £3942.83.
Item 11. Planning Applications.
The meeting was told
that Herefordshire Council had approved the proposed agricultural storage
building at Bridge Farm, bridge Sollars. HR4 7JH
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Page One Hundred and Thirty Seven.
Item 12. Village Plan Reports.
Community Centre Car Park.
The clerk told the meeting of the journey so far towards getting a car park where the NBCCC want it to be. He started with a very negative letter received from Herefordshire Planning, to the individual meetings with members of staff from Archaeological, Landscape and Historic Buildings in Herefordshire Council and obtaining their permissions. To Government announcement that all rural “A” roads will become 50mph and then to the reason for applying for a 40mph speed limit through most of the parish of Bridge Sollars along the A438 - the visibility distance required by law when entering a main road from a subsidiary junction
New councillor Mrs Knights told the meeting she had been in touch with the police about two weeks earlier complaining about the speed some vehicles were travelling at when passing her house and that the police were to consider monitoring the road.
The meeting decided that there were good reasons for the request for a 40mph speed limit and these were;- speed, safety, pedestrians, the garage (when open) and the Antiques centre and that there were many examples of similar speed restrictions around the County. The Clerk was given permission to write.
Councillor S Hubbard told the meeting that she had completed an estimate of the numbers of cars that are likely to use the car park on a regular basis. Councillor J Macklin told the meeting that they knew the length of pipe required and its cost and that this would be for the supply of water to the Church.
Item 13. West
Midlands Spatial Strategy.
The clerk told the meeting that the West Midlands Regional Assembly had held a meeting at the Courtyard in Hereford which he had attended and that he was concerned that if we did not respond to the “options consultation” we may put ourselves at a disadvantage. The meeting agreed that a number of councillors would read the document and together reply on behalf the Group Parish Council. This was proposed and accepted. The clerk was to obtain copies of the document and told the meeting that the document was available on line at www.wmra.gov.uk for those with computers.
Iterm 14. Correspondence.
Letter from external auditors regarding ownership of property.
Offer from a company called “Really Welsh” of daffodil bulbs.
Local crime report from West Mercia Constabulary.
Adrian Blackshaw’s Annual Report 2008/2009.
Quarterly Economic Bulletin – May 2009.
Invitation from A Blackshaw to attend a meeting on the ESG in Wellington Village Hall on 11th August 2009.
The next meeting is arranged for Thursday 17 September 2009 starting at
7.30pm in The Portway Inn Hotel, Staunton-on-Wye.