UNAPPROVED MINUTES
Minutes of a Parish Council Meeting held on Monday, 14th December at All Saints’ Community Hall at 7.15pm.
Present: Cllrs. D. Mowatt (Chairman), I. Bloomfield, A. Brett, R. Gatward, J. Hales, M. Linnette, C. Purbrook, J. Robson, M. Sherwen, C. Stead and M. Townsend.
In attendance: The Clerk, C. Cllr. van de Ven, Matthew Lane Sanderson and 3 member of the public
Matthew showed his design to the meeting. He had made all the alterations as requested. The Council chose design “b” for the tree which is to span the middle of both gates.
It was proposed by Cllr. Gatward THAT THE PARISH COUNCIL ACCEPT THE FINAL DESIGN AS SHOWN BY MATTHEW WHICH IS TO INCLUDE DESIGN “B” FOR THE CENTRAL DESIGN TO THE GATES. Seconded by Cllr. Sherwen and CARRIED.
Matthew will now forward to the Council his documentation for this work.
466/09 Apologies for absence: Cllrs. Barrett, Hardingham and Wakerley
467/09 Declarations of Interest: None
468/09 Minutes of the meeting held on 23rd November 2009:
It was proposed by Cllr. Gatward and seconded by Cllr. Sherwen that the minutes of 23rd November 2009 be signed as a true record.
469/09 Matters arising: There were no matters arising.
470/09 Notifications or Planning Consultation documents:
(a) CCC – Melbourn Primary School – Redevelopment of existing school including the erection of hall, reception offices, children’s centre and plant room, demolition of existing HORSA school building and alteration to existing school buildings. S/01293/09/CC. Permission Granted
(b) SCDC – Appeal by Mr J Mutty. Site at 80 High Street, Melbourn, informing the Council that this appeal has now been withdrawn and no further action will be taken.
(c) SCDC – 9 Rupert Neve Close. Conservatory. S/1437/09/F. Permission Granted.
471/09 Planning Applications:
(a) Application to carry out Tree Works Subject to a Tree Preservation Order or situated within a Conservation Area. All Saints’ Churchyard fell to ground an Ash tree in poor condition. Reduce crown of Yew Tree by approximately 25% to allow light to stained glass window in church. No Comments
(b) 31 Station Road. Erection of free standing greenhouse following demolition of existing greenhouse. S/1594/09/F. Recommend Approval
(c) Land to the South-east of 60 The Moor. Erection of 6 Flats with Carports/Cycle Store (revised Design to that Approved Under Reference S/2248/06/F) (retrospective Application) S/1320/09/F. Revised plans for information only. Noted
[The Clerk declared a Personal Interest in the next item and left the room]
(d) 91 Beechwood Avenue. Conservatory. S/1681/09/F. Recommend Approval
[Cllr. Bloomfield declared a Personal Interest in the next item.]
(e) Melbourn Village College – Signs. S/1565/09/A. Recommend Approval with comments. The Committee are concerned that there are no signs on The Moor road and that the signs as shown are not easily visible from the road.
472/09 Audited Annual Return for the year 31 March 2009:
It was proposed by Cllr. Purbrook THAT THE ANNUAL RETURN ALONG WITH COMMENTS MADE BY THE AUDITORS BE ACCEPTED. Seconded by Cllr. Stead and CARRIED.
473/09 Financial Report as at 30th November: Noted
474/09 Cheques to be signed:
The Clerk recommended the transfer of £ 9,000 from the Business No Notice Account to the Current Account
The Clerk recommended the transfer of £ 1,861.29 from the Magazine Account to the No Notice Account.
It was proposed by Cllr. Townsend that the cheques be approved and signed, seconded by Cllr. Robson and carried.
Cheque list for December 09
475/09 To receive an application for Co-option to the Council.
It was proposedby Cllr. Stead THAT DR. FRANK BENFIELD BE CO-OPTED TO THE PARISH COUNCIL. Seconded by Cllr. Brett and CARRIED.
The Chairman welcomed Cllr. Benfield to the Council and Cllr. Benfield, having signed his declaration of acceptance of office, took his seat at the table.
[As the time was approaching 8.00pm the Chairman suspended Standing Orders to allow for Public Participation]
[The Chairman resumed Standing Orders at 8.16pm]
476/09 To consider the authorisation by two Councillors of the Deed of Confirmation for Land at Grinnel Hill.
It was proposed by Cllr. Sherwen that the DEED OF CONFIRMATION FOR THE LAND AT GRINNEL HILL BE SIGNED BY TWO COUNCILLORS. Seconded by Cllr. Brett and CARRIED.
Cllrs. Mowatt and Townsend signed the deed.
477/09 To consider acquiring the freehold of the land known as the Old Recreation Ground.
Cllr. Mowatt explained to the meeting the history of this piece of land.
Cllr. Brett was requested to look at the paperwork for this piece of land to see if he can find who the land belonged to before it was registered in the Church Commissioners’ name.
478/09 Proposed Yellow Lines on Station Road:
It was proposed by Cllr. Hales THAT THE PARISH COUNCIL WRITE TO THE CCC HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT INFORMING IT THAT THE COUNCIL WISHED TO GO AHEAD WITH THE YELLOW LINES ON STATION ROAD AS SET OUT ON THE PLAN RECEIVED FROM MR RICHARD PRESTON WITH ONE ALTERATION. THE YELLOW LINE WHICH STARTS BY NO. 24 STATION ROAD BE REDUCED BY THE LENGTH OF TWO CAR PARKING SPACES. Seconded by Cllr. Purbrook and CARRIED with 11 votes for: 1 against.
The Clerk is to write to Mr Preston with a copy of the letter to Meldreth Parish Council, informing him of this proposal and requesting information on the way to proceed with this matter.
The Clerk reported that she had been informed by Sally Saunders that she had taken out a lease on the car park which is owned by Mr Pilkington.
479/09 Correspondence:
(a) (a) E-mail from Red2Green – request for funding.
(b) The Clerk is to write informing Red2Green that at the present time the Council only supports local charities.
(b) CCC – provision of Salt Bins,
The Clerk is to write requesting three bins if the positioning of the bins can be agreed to by the Highways Supervisor at the following locations: Russet Way, junction of Rose Lane & Cross Lane and the car park at Little Hands Nursery.
(c) E-mail from John Fuller Community Engagement Manager – Dates for Neighbourhood Panel meeting. Noted
(d) E-mail from Simon Gascoyne, Club Secretary, Melbourn Football Club – request for keys to the Pavilion and also the need for a separate changing room for the referee.
The Clerk is to check with the Council’ Insurance Company on this matter.
She is to inform the Play Group that keys may be given to the Football Club and that the club has informed the Council that a separate room may be required for the Referee.
(e) Letter from Iceni Homes – Police site in Melbourn.
The Clerk is to chase up the reply to her letter to the Monitoring Officer. She was advised to also contact Holly Adams to confirm the Parish Council actions were appropriate.
(f) Letter from Mr Guy Moody – Objections to the proposed speed limit trial in the village. Noted
Cllr. Stead thought that the 20 mile per hour speed limit trial would not work.
He felt that more car emission would be generated at this lower speed. He explained that speed bumps cause damage to car suspensions. In his opinion this was a political move by District and CCC and in all of this no one has considered the driver of the vehicles.
[Cllr. Stead left the meeting at this point the time being 9.25pm]
(g) Letter from Mr Guy Moody – Thanking the Council for it generous donation of the daffodil bulbs. Noted
(h) CCC – Unmetered Festive Lighting Connections. Noted
(i) No further correspondence was received.
480/09. New Road Cemetery gates:
This item had already been dealt with. Cllr. Mowatt was very pleased with the final design for the gates and he thanked Cllr. Gatward for bringing Matthew’s designs to the attention of the Council.
481/09 Report from County Cllr. Susan van de Ven:
1. I’m sorry for the delay in liaising as promised with Cllr Linnette on the concerns of residents of Little Lane and Meeting Lane. I have now contacted Cllr Linnette and arranged to meet him on site.
2 Highways Whittlesford Depot is having an open day December 16 and I’ve asked if I could take a parish councillor with me – would anyone like to come along? The idea is to allow councillors to ask questions about any Highways issues they’d like more information on.
3. I have finally had a meeting with senior officers from First Capital Connect and Cambridgeshire County Council. The purpose was to introduce the two parties to try and stimulate cooperative work on improving access to rail service at our local stations. There was agreement from FCC 1) cooperating with CCC on a pre-published, fixed student discount fare, 2) progressing with idea of a ramp to the southbound platform of Meldreth Station, in partnership also with Sustrans who have made specific suggestions on such a project which it could help to fund 3) FCC acknowledged the underuse of Meldreth and Shepreth station car parks and agreed that it would review the business case for each, 4) FCC agreed that it would work with CCC to provide a workable bicycle wheeling channel on the pedestrian station bridge. As for item 5 – renaming to Meldreth and Melbourn Station – this was apparently in the remit of MD Jim Morgan who has now quit his post. I requested that it be looked at again. Other matters also discussed but there were the decision items.
4. Proposed 20 mph trial scheme: A leaflet headed ‘Very Important’ has been distributed in parts of the village, apparently from December 10th. It is unsigned but many people have contacted me about it, assuming that it has come from me. My name and contact details are printed at the bottom. The leaflet contains a number of inaccuracies about the scheme. Most importantly it states that a 20 mph speed limit is to be imposed rather than offered on an experimental trial scheme basis of 12 months. It gives the wrong closing date for the consultation and it suggests that Girton residents decided they didn’t want a 20 mph scheme in their village – in fact, there was no public consultation in Girton. There has been a distinct change of tone in letters, calls and emails I have received about the scheme since the time the leaflet was distributed. I have tried to reply to all correspondence and phone calls, however I did not realize the full implications of the contents of the leaflet until some time had passed. I will be seeking advice as to how to handle representations made as a result of this leaflet.
Cllr. Benfield enquired why it was thought that the trial was necessary. He was told it would reduce the possibility of accidents through reducing the speed of vehicles. Cllr. Mowatt said it was a step towards a better environment for all concerned. Cllr. Benfield enquired if pollution monitoring would be carried out. C. Cllr van de Ven said that Karen Lunn would be happy to speak to anyone on this matter.
[Cllr. Bloomfield left the meeting at this point the time being 9.58pm]
[As the time was approaching 10.00pm it was proposed by Cllr. Townsend and seconded by Cllr. Gatward that the meeting continue until 10.15pm]
Cllr. Hales raised the point that CCC did not think it necessary to move the speed limit signs at the edge of the village further out.
A letter is to go from the Parish Council with regard to the moving of the speed limit signs at either end of the village. The Council had understood that this was a sensible thing to do. Cllr. Hales is to liaise with the Clerk over the contents of this letter.
482/09 Cemetery and Churchyard Inspection Record:
Cllr. Hales had carried out the inspection and his comments are noted in the book.
483/09 New Road Cemetery:
Cllr. Sherwen said things were moving along and a meeting is to be arranged in January with the Archaeologist to discuss the return of the Anglo Saxon remains and the design of the mound will be discussed at the same time.
484/09 Further Developments to Village Car Park:
There is to be a meeting held on Wednesday 16th of December with Mr Larcombe at his office in Royston to discuss the lease agreement. Councillors and the Clerk will attend this meeting.
485/09 Update on BMX Trails:
Cllr. Linnette reported that the Surveyor had now surveyed the site. The soil testing is yet to be carried out.
Cllr. Mowatt enquired if any further progress had been made with regard to insurance on the site. Cllr. Linnette reported that CCC use Zurich and have no problems with this provider.
486/09 ASB High Street Panel:
There has been no meeting since the last Parish Council meeting – the next meeting of the panel is to be held tomorrow, 15th December. The Clerk reported to the meeting that PCSO John Coppard had requested a self locking gate at the end of the footpath as it goes through the bungalows to the school field on Vicarage Close. Cllr. Purbrook is to raise this at the meeting and will e-mail PCSO Coppard with the meetings’ thoughts on this.
[As the time was approaching 10.15pm it was proposed by Cllr. Townsend and seconded by Cllr. Purbrook that the meeting continue until 10.30pm]
487/09 Village Plan:
Cllr. Robson reported that the results of the forms have now been collated. There is a meeting on Wednesday the 16th of December to look at the findings. Funding has been received in the form of grants which total £2,050 of which £1,800 has been spent. The committee is now ready to move on to the next step.
488/09 Financial support to the Village Plan:
Six months has passed since the resolution to give financial support to the Village Plan, and that the following resolution is proposed by way of continuing such support:
That the Parish Council continues to offer its financial support to the Village Plan project, up to a maximum of £5,000 in total, providing that the Parish Council approves the nature of the expenditure incurred.
It was proposed by Cllr. Robson THAT 1.THE OFFICE OF TREASURER WITHIN THE PARISH PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE HELD BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL AND 2.THE STEERING COMMITTEE SHOULD PRESENT FINANICIAL INFORMATION TO MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL AT LEAST ON A QUARTERLY BASIS. Seconded by Cllr. Purbrook and CARRIED.
489/09 Neighbourhood Panel:
The next meeting is to be held in February.
490/09 Committees:
(a) Finance and General Purposes: Cllr. Gatward requested that the Clerk write and thank the following with regards to the Christmas tree: Phillimores for the tree: Leeches for the electricity supply: Justin Willmott and Colin Charter for their help with the erection of the tree and placing of the lights.
(b) Play Area, Recreation and Youth: There was no meeting held.
(c) Cemeteries: There were no comments.
(d) Urgent reports from Committee Chairmen: There were no urgent reports.
491/09 To Ratify a Proposal:
It was proposed by Cllr. Purbrook THAT THE PARISH COUNCIL RATIFY A PROPOSAL MADE AT THE FINANCIAL AND GENERAL PURPOSE MEETING THAT COUNCILLORS ARE ALLOWED TO SERVE AS CHAIRMAN ON ONE COMMITTEE ONLY, AT ANY ONE TIME. Seconded by Cllr. Sherwen and CARRIED.
492/09 Future Meetings.
(a) 4th January – Planning
(b) 11th January – Finance and General Purposes
(c) 18th January – Planning
(d) 25th January – Parish Council
493/09 Urgent Matters.
The Clerk reported the she had been informed by PSCO Coppard that commencing in March all deliveries to the Co-operative store would be made before 8.30am if at all possible.
Cllr. Gatward reported that due to the Play Area, Recreation and Youth meeting not being held its precept requirements would not be broken down and listed as was usual.
There being no other business the chairman closed the meeting at 10.30pm
Addendum to the Parish Council Meeting of 14th December 2009
A resident of the village addressed the meeting and asked for the support of the Parish Council.
She envisages problems with the proposed Ambulance Station on Whiting Way due to the status of Back Lane being classed as a By-way. There were already going to be 20 extra HGV using Back Lane due to proposed moulding factory. The Ambulance Station would have 62 traffic movement daily and 52 movements at the week-end. To accommodate all this traffic the surface of Back Lane would need to be changed to raise it from the status of a By-way to a road.
Residents in the area will be lodging a formal complaint against SCDC due to the lack of notification. The residents are also enquiring why they do not have the support of the Parish Council in this matter. They wish to know if the Parish Council is willing to lend its support.
It is also felt that a noise impact report should have been done earlier.
The resident reported that rapid response vehicles do not have to stick to speed limits. This could be very dangerous. In January there is a meeting of the full Planning Committee. It is hoped that the local Parish Council and District Council will support this matter.
C. Cllr van de Ven said that a large number of residents from all over the village have contacted her with their concerns.
The Resident told the council that the Moulding Factory will not be making any more jobs in the village as its present work force is moving with it.
The Parish Council now feels that it had a lack of relevant information at time of dealing with the Planning Application. It feels that the danger posed to the public on Back Lane is grounds for support.
A Councillor will speak at the planning meeting to be held at the offices of SCDC on 13th January 2010. There will be a need to register the name of the speaker with the Democratic Service Officer before the meeting.