Great Bardfield Parish Council  

'ESSEX VILLAGE OF THE YEAR 2009'

Present: Cllrs Dyson (Chairman), Ruffle (Vice Chairman), Slemmings, Walsh, Holmes

There were no members of the public present.

Prior to opening the meeting the Chairman was pleased to announce that Great Bardfield has won a place in the final of the Essex Village of the Year 2008 Competition. Judges will be visiting the village on 24 June to meet a number of representatives of the Community and a suitable display would be prepared to highlight life in the village.

Cllr Ruffle registered her interest under Finance.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Hayward (holiday) and Hockley (who had been on fire brigade duty overnight).

Following the amendments detailed below, the Minutes were approved and signed as a true record of the meeting. Proposed Cllr Slemmings, seconded Cllr Ruffle.

Pipers Meadow: Work to trees has been carried out satisfactorily.

Fountain: A letter had been sent to Mark Hitchcock but the requested work and costings had still not been dealt with. It was agreed the Clerk should speak to him, to confirm if he was still interested in completing the work, and also obtain tenders for the remaining work necessary to ensure continued flow to the fountain. It may be necessary to seek additional funding opportunities to offset costs.

Amenity Land (Town Hall) The grant application to EET had been successful in the sum of £1750, which is the maximum under their criteria. Before releasing the funds, they require a management plan and details of access arrangements, and Cllr Slemmings has agreed to prepare this in liaison with the Clerk. On the matter of access it appears from the plans that this may now be blocked by sheds and fencing erected by immediate neighbours, and Cllrs Holmes and Slemmings will study the original documentation, to ascertain the exact point of access and if it has now been impeded.

Affordable Housing: It was hoped to conduct the survey in September after the main holiday period.

Co-op Store: There has been some reluctance to report the problems of lack of even basic stock items, however the problems continue, and it was agreed the Chairman would compose a suitable letter. She reported an incident when, during a recent power cut, the store refused to allow the head teacher access to purchase items to provide food for the children’s lunches.

Playingfield Visits: Members agreed that regular visits would be made to ensure any problems would be dealt with quickly. The Village Handyman would also be asked to monitor the area when he carries out his duties.

Town House: A meeting took place between Mr Graham (the house owner), Cllr Walters and officers from ECC Highways, on 17 June, to discuss ways in which this property might be protected from vehicle damage.

Lady Newton: A response had been sent and, if Lady Newton was able to visit the village, it was hoped to have a date prior to the July meeting.

(i) Donation: The Council wished to record their appreciation to Mr Ian Ruffle who, on the occasion of his 50^th birthday, rather than personal gifts, received financial contributions totalling £354.50 which he has donated to the Pavilion Project fund.

(b) Annual Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2008: A copy of these were provided for each member and, following confirmation that the Lord of the Manor title would be treated as an Asset, they were unanimously approved and signed by the Chairman and Responsible Financial Officer, Proposed Cllr Ruffle, seconded Cllr Holmes.

(c) Annual Return for the Year ended 31 March 2008: This had been completed and approved by the Internal Auditor, Mr Richardson, and was agreed as a true and correct record of the Council’s financial position, proposed Cllr Slemmings, seconded Cllr Walsh and was duly signed by the Chairman and RFO.

000903/Chiefs Farmhouse, Walthams Cross, conversion of barn to form family annexe. Although described as an annexe it was the creation of a separate dwelling. The design and materials were approved and the property would undoubtedly look better than the existing barn. However, a condition would be requested to prevent the separate sale of this new property and/or Chiefs Farmhouse.

01129/TPOCON Land rear of Place Farm Barn: Cllr Walsh had inspected the area, and there were no objections to this application for the felling of 4 conifers, which were causing damage to a listed building and becoming unsafe.

The hedge needed cutting back on either side of the Walk where it encroaches on the access off Bendlowes Road. The Village Handyman would be asked to deal with this if possible, and if not, the Clerk would contact MDLandscapes.

Pavilion Project: Cllr Slemmings updated members on the situation so far and, with the help of new drawings, illustrated the changes that had been incorporated to meet FA criteria for funding. There was a brief discussion about new funding opportunities, including any community events, and a meeting of the fund raising group would be arranged shortly.

In addition to the areas already under discussion a letter from Mr Paparestis-Stacey was read which detailed his concerns regarding the improper use of Mill Lane and the Walthams Cross area. Details of this had already been forwarded to ECC Highways the day before and a response was awaited.

Beslyns Lane Drain: This was still not working properly and would be reported again.

Bridge Wall: This had not been reinstated fully and the Clerk was asked to contact Bridges section.

Footpaths: An update was given on the situation and the Clerk advised that the PROW Officer had promised that the annual clearance of paths in this parish would be undertaken during the present week. Some paths were in a particularly bad condition, and enquiries would be made as to whether the work could be devolved to the parish, with appropriate grant support similar to that of the verge cutting contract.

Olympic Celebrations: Cllr Russell Everard, BDC Head of Enterprise and Culture, had written to advise an event would take place in Braintree on 24 August hopefully involving members of the Chinese Community.

Welcome Packs: Cllr Everard had asked if the PC had any thoughts on the provision of such packs for new residents. This was an idea that the Council had always supported, however logistically they felt such information could be better channelled through the CIP, and well publicised in the BT.

BT Omission: Cllr Hockley’s name was now missing from members’ details and the Clerk would contact Chris Bullen regarding this.

Signage: The A frame on Crown Green is affecting the sight line for motorists and should be moved.

Bunting: Details of storage were confirmed and also that the Youth Club could borrow this for their forthcoming July 4^th event.

Paving: The area outside the White Hart is badly damaged.

Town Crier: The Clerk was asked to investigate the ratification of this role for the village.

The Council could act under the powers provided by the Local Government Act 1972 – sections covering tourism and entertainment

Land at the entrance to the Bardfield Centre: This area of land – which appears to have no registered owner – needs regular maintenance and it was agreed that the Clerk investigate the possibility, with Land Registry, of taking ownership.

Planning Course: It was agreed that Cllr Slemmings could attend the course "Linking to the Statutory Planning System" be held by RCCE. The cost of £25 (for members) was covered by the previously agreed training budget.

SID: The Clerk would contact ECC regarding relocating the device to Braintree Road.

Annual Risk Assessment: There were no amendments to existing criteria therefore the copies presently held by members would remain in place. It was noted that RoSPA inspections continued and faults reported acted on immediately. Insurance recommendations were being met.

This would be held on 16 July 2008

The Three Fields Cluster – hosted by Great Bardfield – was to be held on 25 June 2008,

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.45 pm

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