January 2011

Frampton on Severn Parish Council

Gloucestershire England

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL

ON WEDNESDAY 5^th JANUARY 2011

PRIOR TO THE MEETING PARISHIONERS WERE INVITED TO RAISE MATTERS OF CONCERN WITH CLLRS:

None present.

STROUD VALLEYS PROJECT

Nadine Smykatz-Kloss gave Council an update on the Frampton Aggregates and Biodiversity Project being undertaken in the parish. Nadine accompanied her presentation with power-point slides showing working parties on the various tasks. The project will run until the end of March 2011 and Nadine asked Cllrs to let her know of any outstanding aspects which could be tackled before then.

The team would remove the old metal signposts and positioning of a 3-finger signpost at the new footpath in Baccabox would be investigated.

The Chairman thanked Nadine for her presentation and she left the meeting.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING

PRESENT

Cllrs Alexander, Baker, Clifford, Greenfield, Grist, Hutchinson, Peacey and Price, were present plus County Cllr Booth and District Cllr Smith and Lynn Ireland (Clerk).

APOLOGIES

Cllr Howe. In the absence of the Chairman Cllr Alexander took the Chair.

1/11 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None received.

2/11 PREVIOUS MINUTES

Minutes of the Meeting held on 1^st December 2010 were amended as follows:

Item 145/10 Honoured Framptonians Plaque

Second sentence to read "It was hoped that the Village Hall Committee would have no objection ......."

Item 153/10 Any Other Business

First item – delete the whole of the second sentence.

The Minutes were then approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

3/11 PLANNING

(a) DECISIONS MADE BY THE DISTRICT COUNCIL

S10/2292/MINAM
Summer Cottage 1 Oatfield	Minor amendment to add an extra window in the rear elevation to planning permission S10/1662/HHOLD	Approval
S10/2127/TCA
FoS Industrial Park	Work to various trees in Conservation Area	Consent
S10/2256/MINAM
Shipton Mill FoS Industrial Park	Minor amendment to planning permission S10/0494/FUL to increase size of canopy, height of silos and gangway for access	Consent

At this point the Chairman asked District Cllr Smith to take this Councils comments back to the Planning Department that it was extremely unhappy that Minor Amendments were being used on planning applications as a means of making changes retrospectively.

(b) PLANNING APPLICATIONS TAKEN BY THE SUB COMMITTEE

Members of the Planning Sub Committee have been authorised to act on behalf of full Council

S10/2280/HHOLD
Cant Leaze The Green	Replace window to side of property	Support
The application was supported under Policy BE6.
S10/2171/TCA
Frampton Lodge The Green	Fell Conifer tree in Conservation Area	Support
S10/2253/TCA
The Vicarage The Street	Fell Maple tree in Conservation Area	Comment only
A ‘comment only’ was made on the application stressing the increasing concern over the way the building project on this site has been handled.

(c) PLANNING APPLICATIONS TAKEN AT THE MEETING

S10/2392/HHOLD
Mallard Cottage The Green	Erection of ground and first floor rear extensions. Alterations to fenestration.	Support
Cllr Clifford reported there were no objections from neighbouring properties. Cllrs agreed to support the application under Policy HN16.

(d) OTHER PLANNING

Scheme of Delegation

The Chairman asked District Cllr Smith why he and District Cllr Jones had voted in favour of the change to the way in which planning applications were to be dealt with, when this Parish Council and others in the Severn Vale had expressed deep concern about the new system. District Cllr Smith explained that Stroud was the only District Council still operating under the old system. The new system was for a year’s trial period only and the new working practices were aimed at speeding up the process of applications through the system and making the whole process more efficient. Both he and District Cllr Jones considered the changes would be beneficial.

The Chairman said the new system went counter to the policy of the new Coalition Government who had stated that Parish Councils were to be given more of a say in their local community. The new planning system would seem to take away these rights by giving Members and Council Officers powers to override any comments made by parishes.

District Cllr Smith agreed to take this parishes comments back to the District Council and discuss them with

Cllr Barbara Stait and Members of the Planning Committee.

Planning On-line

It was noted that the IT system used by the District Council for on-line planning applications was creating spelling and grammatical errors when transferring comments. The Clerk had reported this and had been assured the problem would be investigated and resolved.

Planning Open Day

Parishes were invited to attend Information Sessions at the Planning Department. All Cllrs expressed interest in attending and the Clerk will make the necessary arrangements.

Council agreed to allow County Cllr Booth to report early to enable him to leave to attend another meeting.

9/11 COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT

County Cllr Booth reported:

County Council Electoral Review – this was intended to reduce the size of the County Council and 10 County Cllrs would be lost. However it would be some time before this was effected.

A38/Perryway Junction – he will give his full support to any action taken by the Parish Council to encourage County Highways to take measures to increase safety at this junction.

Highways –

	The road works at Saul are now complete but had overrun from 3 weeks to 2 months.
	Work is planned to resurface the Arlingham Road which will necessitate some road closure.
	The stock of salt held for road treatment in the County is enough for the next two weeks. Storage of large amounts of stock is difficult. Due to the recent icy conditions nationally the Government has commandeered stock for use on motorways.

Libraries – consultation is ongoing but it seems likely that the Mobile Library Service will be lost. Closure and/or relocation of many of the County Libraries is being considered.

Waste Contract – funding has been withdrawn and costs will now be taken up by the County Council.

County Council Budget – the budget meeting will be held in February and an update will be given to this Parish Council.

4/11 FINANCE

(a) Invoices for Payment

BT	Parish Office telephone	£68.34
Mrs L Ireland	Refund for stationery	£34.73

At this point the Chairman asked Cllrs for their thoughts on the continuance of the BT phone line. This appeared to be very expensive and cheaper alternatives are available. It was agreed to add this as an Agenda Item for the February meeting.

(b) Funds Received

Martells Office Solutions

Refund for stationery purchased by the Clerk

£34.73

(c) Financial Update

Cllrs noted the contents of the Financial Update for December 2010 provided by the RFO, Martin Lewis.

(d) Other Financial Matters

The Finance Sub Committee are still to discuss insurance cover of parish held assets.

Following the meeting it was agreed the Sub Committee would meet at 11am on Monday 17^th January. A report will be given to the February meeting.

5/11 HONOURED FRAMPTONIANS PLAQUE

Cllr Alexander advised that the Chairman of the Village Hall Committee is to make a decision about the positioning of the plaque.

6/11 TOWN & PARISH COUNCIL FORUM

This item will be taken to the February meeting to enable Cllr Howe to report.

7/11 COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTORAL REVIEW

This item will be taken to the February meeting to enable Cllr Howe to report.

8/11 A38/PERRYWAY JUNCTION

Cllr Alexander reported that he and Cllr Baker had met with local MP Neil Carmichael to discuss how best to progress negotiations for safety work to be carried out at the junction. A site meeting has now been arranged with Cllr Stan Waddington, Neil Carmichael and representatives of the Parish Council. The meeting will take place at 7.45am on Monday 24^th January. A full report will be given to the February meeting.

10/11 DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT

District Cllr Smith reported that the funding cut backs at the District Council were affecting all aspects of the Councils business.

11/11 CORRESPONDENCE

Land Registry – The Narles & The Green

Cllr Clifford declared a prejudicial interest.

The response from the Land Registry was noted. They do not propose to include any additional land in the registration.

Supporting Active Communities Grant Scheme

Notification of the scheme had been received and details of how to obtain further information.

Outdoor Recreational Spaces

Notification of the scheme had been received and details of how to obtain further information. Cllr Baker asked to see the papers with a view to funding for the Children’s’ Play Area.

Miscellaneous

Various papers and publications were made available for Cllrs’ perusal.

12/11 CHAIRMAN’S ITEMS

Update on New Cllrs’ Course

Cllr Peacey had submitted written comments following his attendance on the Nuts & Bolts Course. As he had been absent from the November and December meetings, the Chairman took the opportunity of answering the outstanding questions.

Royal Wedding – Friday 29^th April 2011

It has been announced that there will be an additional public holiday to celebrate the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton. It was agreed to place this as an Agenda Item for the February meeting to discuss whether this parish will provide any community celebrations.

Annual Parish Meeting

The meeting will take place on Wednesday 20^th April. The meeting traditionally takes an annual report from the Head teacher of Lakefield School and Cllrs put forward suggestions for additional speakers as follows: Sunnyside Lunch Club, Frampton Cricket Club, Wisma Mulia.

Snow Plough Operator

Following changes to their farming practices the Coole family had asked to be released from the contract as Snow Plough Operators. Subsequently there was some confusion over who was to take over this position. Cllrs Alexander and Price will discuss with Frampton Court Estate to reach a solution.

13/11 ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Cllr Peacey requested confirmation that following agreement of the budget the precept would be accepted by the District Council with no further consultation. The Chairman confirmed this was the case.

Cllr Clifford reported:

(a) the area outside Oegrove Farmhouse had been extremely icy and dangerous during the bad weather and he asked if it would be possible to have a grit bin located there. Cllr Alexander said he had asked County Highways for grit bins/salt for locations in the parish but the request had been refused. After discussion Cllrs agreed that Council should investigate the possibility of purchasing three grit bins/salt to be place at the Drs Surgery, Frampton Stores and Oegrove Farmhouse corner.

(b) two of the ‘no parking’ signs were still in place at Splatt Bridge but the third had apparently been stolen. Parking continued to be a problem in the area and in an attempt to resolve this, Frampton Court Estate were considering opening up an area across Splatt Bridge on Frampton Court Estate land to enable members of the Wildfowlers to get their vehicles off the highway. Cllrs Alexander and Clifford agreed to take this forward.

(c) there are serious parking problems in the Frampton Stores car park and approach road. Vehicles delivering to Merretts have been causing damage to The Green, and driveways to adjacent houses are regularly blocked. It was imperative that a solution was found. Cllrs Alexander and Clifford agreed to take this forward.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.14pm.

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