Great Bardfield Parish Council  

'ESSEX VILLAGE OF THE YEAR 2009'

There were no members of the public present.

Declarations were received from Cllr Walsh – Planning 02345/FUL and Cllr Ruffle – Clerk’s Report 2 Bendlowes Road.

There were no apologies for absence.

These were approved and signed as a true record of the meeting. Proposed Cllr Walsh, seconded Cllr Hockley.

(a) The Youth Club, Playground Work and Pavilion would be discussed within the Agenda.

(b) 2 Bendlowes Road: BDC confirm that some work had been carried out without permission but after investigation advise that the terms of the tenancy meet the District Council’s criteria. They also advise that they often have difficulty in find local tenants for the bungalows and are happy for the PC to publicise the fact. The eligibility for such accommodation is published on the BDC website.

(c) Lordship of the Manor: It transpires that the delay in response from NALC was because the County Secretary had not forwarded the Council’s request; it had unfortunately been overlooked during the recent office move. However, matters were now in hand and NALC would respond as soon as possible.

(d) 1 Lime Villas: Following concerns raised by residents the Enforcement Officer confirmed that building work at this property is within permitted development (50sq.m. in a conservation area) and the PCSO/Community Warden are monitoring any inappropriate parking of large vehicles.

(e) Meeting Dates: The Editor of the BT had confirmed his deadline dates to which he has to work to prepare the disc for the printer. Unfortunately this corresponded to most of the PC’s

meetings for 2008 and although both a change of date and day were considered it was agreed to keep them as planned. However, to assist the Editor in meeting the deadline, the Chairman would provide details of any key messages and important information within the timeframe and follow this with her full report. This would be trialled initially to assess feedback, if any. The Clerk would advise the Editor accordingly.

(b) Rural Communities Development Fund: Confirmation of the award of £5000 towards the pavilion project had been received and the Chairman signed the Agreement on behalf of the Council and the Clerk would submit the necessary financial progress report by 31 August 2008.

(c) Precept 2008/09: The Return to BDC with the PC’s figures was officially approved and signed by the Chairman, Cllrs Ruffle and Hockley and the Clerk. However, further to discussions at the November meeting and in light of the urgent expenditure that had to be carried out on the playground area, the reserves had been affected. Therefore, the Clerk asked if the figure under ‘Sports and Recreation’ concurrent function, could be increased by £1000 to £2500. Members were mindful of not wishing to increase the parish rate by too much, however the bulk of the increase already approved was in respect of £5000 for the new pavilion project. The increase was approved and the final figure requested was £24,180 to which would be added £4,305 Parish Support Grant.

02345/FUL High Banks, Mill Road, side conservatory. The main concern here was that this property is the first visible structure on entering the village from Mill Road and (as stated in the VDS) careful consideration should be given to the visual impact of extensions and particularly conservatories, when they are visible either from the street or from public thoroughfares…and details such as windows doors and roof pitches should reflect those of the original building. There was no objection as it is outside the conservation area but possibly a modification in design and eventual screening of the area would improve the appearance and visual impact.

02543/FUL & 25444/CON Co-op St John’s Terrace, proposed new timber shop front and entrance doors. Work is being carried out to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act. The store is in the conservation area and there is no objection however, it will be noted in the Council’s response, that the design of the ‘slave door’ could possibly be improved.

(a) Youth Club: Cllr Slemmings reported that there had been two meetings with YC volunteers and first aid training had been carried out, since the November PC meeting. It had been decided not to renew the TV licence for the present time. The age range had been set for 11 to 16 year olds. The representative of the Essex Association of Boys Clubs, who visited recently, agreed with this decision as he had found that if 9 and 10 year olds are included you can lose the older children. The EABC have been very helpful with CBI checks and information. A big clear out of the pavilion is planned for 30 December prior to the launch date of 11 January and a rota of a minimum of 3 helpers had been agreed until Easter; it is also intended to open on some occasions during the summer. They are still having problems in sorting out the finance and arranging for a change in signatories.

(b) Pavilion: Following confirmation of the grant funding the first element of the next phase of the project, the Digital Survey, will be carried out shortly after Christmas. The Clerk will progress the other elements with the architect to move things along and monitor expenditure. The Chairman asked how the project would be managed and Cllr Slemmings said that the architect was in the best position (although one could employ a separate individual) to do this and monitor the work of the contractors. Regarding fund raising, in addition to members of the Council, it was intended to invite members of the community to join the fund raising group.

(c) Playground Work: Following receipt of the safety inspection shortly after the November meeting, which advised that the playground should be closed down, urgent works (as discussed at that meeting) were arranged. There was not enough time to arrange three quotes but comparison was made to similar work carried out recently at a neighbouring parish and, as a result, MDLandscapes were asked to carry out the work. All the ‘A’ category problems were dealt with and the ‘B’ graded items would be completed in the coming months.

The Clerk said that the Community Warden maintains regular contact and is proactive if there are any problems he can deal with and, if not, refers them to the police. The CPSO and PC Carter also call in to the CIP on a regular basis. Matters seem to have improved although, fortunately, there have been no serious crimes to test the overall response.

(a) Pipers Meadow: A letter had been received from Mr & Mrs Herbert, in which they raised concern about damage being caused by trees on Piper’s Meadow growing close to the cart lodge on the Meadow View site, which have already caused some damage; photographs were included to illustrate the problem. The Clerk was asked to contact Melvyn Crow (Landscape Officer BDC) to request he inspect the trees concerned. It might well be that the problem was the responsibility of the landowner and not the PC, however as that could take some considerable time to resolve, it was agreed that once Mr Crow had reported back certain works might be undertaken to alleviate the problem. The Clerk would also write to Steed & Steed in order that they can advise the landowner of the situation. Mr & Mrs Herbert would be advised of the above.

(b) Quality Councils Concordat: An invitation had been received from Lord Hanningfield inviting the Chair and guest to attend the signing of a Concordat between ECC and parish and town councils in Essex. This would be held at the House of Lords on 13 February 2007 at 6.30 pm. Cllr Hayward suggested that it would be appropriate for the Clerk to attend with the Chairman.

Lordship of the Manor: Cllr Hayward reported that Stella Herbert had now completed her photographic record of the paperwork. It was also hoped to check for any missing items with the register held by the Essex Records Office. The Clerk had also received today the final transfer documents, from Holmes & Hills, together with a paper history of conveyances. These would also be archived in due course.

Co-option: Alicia Holmes had expressed interest in being co-opted and this was unanimously supported. The Clerk would contact Alicia to discuss the Code of Conduct and other relevant matters and invite her to attend an informal ‘interview’ which could be held before the January meeting.

E Mail Communication: The Chairman said that it was important that members made full use of this facility and responded to questions raised as it was a good method of exchanging views in between meetings and could provide guidance for the Clerk if she raised any issues.

Dog Poo Bags: A supply of these had been provided for the CIP by BDC.

This will be held on 16 January 2008.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.45 pm

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Last modified: 10/28/09