Search
| 2nd September 2008 |
|
2nd September 2008 MINUTES OF OKEFORD FITZPAINE PARISH COUNCIL MEETINGHELD AT THE PAVILION ON 2nd SEPTEMBER 2008 PRESENT: Cllr M Burt (Chairman) Cllr E Horton (Vice-Chairman) Cllr T Burt Cllr R Corben Cllr S Corben Cllr M J Paine Also present: - Cllr Mrs. Audrey Burch (NDDC), Cllr Mrs Hilary Cox (DCC), Mrs. R Burrows (Clerk), and 9 members of the public. 1. APOLOGIES: Cllr Allan Frampton (working) 2. MINUTES: the Minutes of 5th August having been circulated to Cllrs and notice boards, were taken as read. It was proposed by Cllr T Burt and seconded by Cllr E Horton that the Chairman sign the minutes, this was agreed. 3. POINTS FROM THE PUBLIC RELATING TO ITEM 5 ONLY None 4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Cllr M Burt as a member of the Village Hall Management Committee. Cllrs M Burt and E Horton as members of the DAPTC. Cllr M Burt as member of CPEND and LDWG. Cllr E Horton as member of NDDC Standards Committee Cllr S Corben (item 5.15) AOB (Allotments) It was proposed by Cllr S Corben and seconded by Cllr E Horton that “Allotments†which would have been discussed under 5.15 be brought forward, this was agreed. 5.15 Any Other Matters Arising 5.15.1 Allotments: Following on from the last meeting, the Clerk had not been able to glean very much helpful info from the Local Council administration handbook but the Chairman had agreed to attend the “Dig It†seminar organised by DATPC in August, as no one else on the council could do so. However, he had not learned anything from it that he did not already know. Cllr S Corben said that there were now 12 residents in the village who were keen to form an Allotment Association provided of course some land could be found. Two possible sites were highlighted – (i) land behind the Ridout housing development and (ii) land the other side of Castle Lane opposite the Pavilion. The latter was favoured due to easier access and the fact that allotments were previously (some 50 years ago) on the site. Mr Loving said that there was a lot of useful information to be found on the internet and that he had printed off extracts from a book entitled “The Law of Allotments†by Paul Clayden. The Chairman asked if it could be agreed for the council to purchase it’s own copy of this book. It was proposed by Cllr T Burt and seconded by Cllr M Paine that a copy is purchased by the Clerk. Size of plots was discussed as well as whether or not the Parish should try to lease or buy the land. Those members of the public who had come along to the meeting for this discussion were asked to think about the size of plot they would like, as it will be essential to try to gauge how much land will be needed. It was again emphasized that legislation requires a Parish Council to provide allotments if there is sufficient demand. It was proposed by Cllr R Corben and seconded by Cllr Horton that the Clerk be instructed to write to both land owners mentioned above (i) the Pitt-Rivers Estate and (ii) Mrs Spooner to ask if either would be willing to lease or sell part of their land for Parish allotments. 5. MATTERS ARISING 5.1 Recreation Ground/Pavilion *The Chairman had purchased new blades for the mower, refurbished all the car park lights and fitted roof tiles which Cllr R Corben had obtained. The main room has been repainted and the Chairman thanked the Football Club representatives. *Gate Rota: some adjustments were made to the rota. Cllr Paine offered to be included and the Clerk will issue a revised rota. 619 *Extension plans: The architect has revised the plans and the Chairman showed these to the meeting. It was proposed by Cllr R Corben and seconded by Cllr T Burt that they be accepted and submitted to NDDC for planning application approval, this was agreed. *Dumping of other (not recycling) waste: N.F.T.R. the Clerk will chase up NDDC for an update on when we can expect the sign to be ready and placed in the car park. *Golf: a comment has been made by a village resident that animals are frequently eating the golf balls which have gone over into the fields from the recreation ground. The playing of golf on the rec was discussed and the Chairman agreed to speak with the young lads who regularly hit golf balls to ask them to try to avoid hitting them beyond the boundary. As golf has already been banned in Bowey Field it was not thought that course of action should be considered at this stage in the recreation ground. 5.2 Bowey Field *Gates: the Chairman had adjusted the mis-aligned gate. The new gate for the other end of the field has been delivered but there is no slam post. Chairman and Cllr R Corben will meet at the site and agree actions. *See-saw: the Clerk had arranged for a local playground equipment manufacturer (Hags) to meet with the Chairman to see what work needed to be done on the see-saw to have it reinstalled. Unfortunately, we were informed that the see-saw does not now conform to the European Standard so it can no longer be used. The cost of a replacement see-saw, supplied and installed by Hags would be £1698.05 plus VAT, plus the provision of a safety surface. It was proposed by Cllr Paine and seconded by Cllr S Corben that the clerk write to both the Primary School and the Play Group to ask what equipment they might like to have to replace the see-saw, this was agreed. *Football posts: Cllr Frampton is progressing with this job. 5.3 New Cross: Cllr Mrs Cox and the Clerk had both been pressing DCC for an update on the widening of the road south of New Cross. The clerk read out an email she had received that day from Mr Diaz which said that further investigations had been carried out to see if the works could be brought forward in the programme. However, the study had confirmed that as only one collision on the brown of the hill had been reported in recent times, it is likely that it will rank lower than other schemes that meet more of the targets of the Local Transport Plan. The council was disappointed with this but Cllr Mrs Cox said that the ‘goal posts’ have changed and schemes are now ranked on the most potential for saving lives. 5.4 Footway – Castle Lane: Mr Diaz has confirmed that DCC Legal Services have been asked to confirm land ownership along the route proposed and once he has this he will start the process of approaching the landowners to ascertain their views on giving up land outside of their boundaries for the benefit of the footway, if the land is owned by them. He had made no mention of contacting Bernard Trowbridge, ex Parish Councillor who had considerable knowledge on this and who was of the opinion that most, if not all, of the land in question was already owned by Signpost. Clerk was asked to contact Mr Diaz again and ask him to speak with Mr Trowbridge before proceeding with anything else. 5.5 Community Planning: Chairman will be attending a meeting on 9 September to discuss how the £2.8M for Wiltshire & Dorset will be used; he will report back in October. 5.6 Belchalwell & Fiddleford Items: None . 5.7 Parish Plan: Cllr Horton said that not as much progress as he had hoped has been made on analysing the survey results but he would try to arrange for a steering committee meeting and have the consultation document prepared by the end of October. 5.8 Bus Shelter/Museum: Mr D Corben is progressing with the painting. The roof tiles are becoming brittle and an alternative method of repair needs to be looked at. 5.9 Travellers: 85% of the group had gone but those remaining did not have access to a tow away vehicle. Cllr R Corben declared an interest in the site. The gate security was discussed and it was agreed that DCC be asked to ensure that the security was reinforced once the remaining travellers had left the site. Cllr R Corben agreed to liaise with Cllr Mrs Cox on this issue. The Chairman thanked Cllr Mrs Cox for her help and support with this matter. 620 5.10 Ridouts Footpath: the Chairman reported that the footpath has been laid and we await the invoice from Goddard Landscapes. 5.11 NDDC – Housing Allocation Policy: Cllr Audrey Burch said that she had spoken to Janet Rees of NDDC but there was nothing positive to add at present to this item, as more time is still required to formulate the policy and like most new schemes, it will evolve over time. That did not mean that the council could not keep the pressure on for the policy to reflect more the needs of local people. The Chairman thanked Cllr Mrs Burch for her assistance to date. The item will stay on the monthly meeting agenda. 5.12 Missing 30mph sign at Castle Lane: N.F.T.R. the Clerk had chased up DCC who had replied to say this was in hand. Clerk to follow up again. 5.13 Post Office closures: Clerk read the letter which Cllr Horton had sent on behalf of the Parish to the Post Office thanking them for retaining Okeford Fitzpaine services. 5.14 Blandford PACT and Home Watch: N.F.T.R. 6. PLANNING MATTERS 6.1 Applications: 2/2008/0731 Mr P Cook, Mayfield Farm, Broad Oak - erect 1½ storey and single storey extensions on existing dwelling. It was proposed by Cllr Horton and seconded by Cllr Paine that there be no objection, this was agreed. 2/2008/0742 Mrs V Davidson, 1 Castle Lane – provide vehicular entrance to property. It was proposed by Cllr Horton and seconded by Cllr T Burt that with the following two conditions, there would be no objection, this was agreed. (i) vehicles must be able to enter and leave the property in forward gear so that the safety of road users is not endangered. (ii) a 2 metre strip for the provision of a footway must be left along the frontage of the property adjoining Castle Lane. 6.2 Decisions: 2/2008/0601: The Paddock - erect detached double garage and store. GRANTED 2/2008/0621: Saints Hill Cottage, Belchalwell – erect conservatory. GRANTED 7. LOCAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES 7.1 SID’s (Speed Indicator Devices): Clerk had sent a letter with a map attached to Sturminster Newton Town Council (SNTC) indicating where the current SID post is located. The surrounding Parishes had been sent another letter by SNTC requesting confirmation of their interest in joining their scheme. 7.2 NDDC's Local Delivery Programme “Tough Choicesâ€: Clerk read out the email response she had received from the Town Clerk of Blandford Forum. This indicated that the Marsh and Ham toilets refurbishment (being carried out by NDDC) is due to be complete by the end of March 2009. 8. CORRESPONDENCE 8.1 letter from NDDC re extra chargeable litter bins/dog waste. Clerk to reply that no extra bins required. 8.2 Sturminster Town Council – invitation to Civic Reception re Local Delivery. Chairman to attend 8.3 Blandford Leisure Centre action group re meeting 1 Oct.Vice Chair & Cllr Paine offered to attend. 8.4 DAPTC – Summer 2008 Newsletter – distributed to all PC’s 8.5 DAPTC Circulars 11/08 & 12/08 – copied to all PC’s 8.6 DCC’s Corporate Plan Summary 2008 – 2011 8.7 DCC – Structural Maintenance draft list of schemes for 2009-2010. Nothing affecting our Parish 8.8 DCC Waste Management Strategy for Dorset – passed to Chairman 8.9 E-mail Elisabeth Orrell, Weymouth Fairtrade Forum re networking day for Dorset on 11 October 8.10 MacMillan Cancer Support – World’s Biggest Coffee morning – noticeboard 8.11 Local Health & Social Care - information flyer 8.12 Clerks & Councils Direct – Local Councils update 8.13 Clerks & Councils Direct – Sept 08 magazine 8.14 LCR Sept magazine 8.15 Glasdon – latest products for local councils 9. REPRESENTATIVES’ REPORTS 621 9.1 ROW Liaison Officer: Cllr Horton said he would prefer it if a younger/fitter person could undertake this role and Cllr Paine volunteered to take over. A member of the public reported that the footpath from Shillingstone which passes along the rear of Wessex Homes factory needs to be adequately waymarked to avoid confusion to pedestrians.. 9.2 Okeford United Football Club: New season starts this weekend, the August tournament was a great success with 83 players taking part. 9.3 Village Hall: Day bookings are increasing. 10. DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT: Cllr Mrs Audrey Burch said that there had been several complaints about the loud music at the Royal Oak Beer Festival in August. A further festival is planned for 6 September but a representative from NDDC will be in attendance to monitor the noise levels. 11. POINTS FROM THE PUBLIC 11.1 Rubbish in the steam at Nether Mead: Cllr Paine will organise a call for volunteers to help clean up the pallets and general rubbish which has been dumped in the stream at Nether Mead as reported by a member of the public to the Clerk during August. 11.2 Regarding item 11.1 in the August meeting minutes, the Chairman said that the member of the public who had asked whether planning permission had been sought for the land above the recreation ground to be used for motorbike racing and paintballing, did not agree with the decision that they should report it to NDDC and felt strongly that it was the duty of the Parish Clerk to do so. It was proposed by Cllr M Burt and seconded by Cllr Horton that the Clerk should write to the Planning Department of NDDC; this was agreed. 11.3 Via the Clerk - a member of the public was concerned about over-grown weeds/plants and general untidiness of a neighbour’s garden. Clerk was requested to write to Signpost. 11.4 Mrs Calcott said that the bottom of the prison door (75 The Cross) is rotting away and asked if there was anything the PC could do. It was suggested that she should write to English National Heritage to see if they can offer any assistance. 11.5 A member of the public mentioned that a ditch adjoining Ridouts development had been filled in and an established footpath blocked. 12. FINANCIAL MATTERS 12.1 Accounts paid since last meeting: Southern Electric (Bus Shelter) chq 390 £ 15.90 12.2 Accounts to pay: Allan Frampton (Bowey Field maintenance expenses) chq 391 £ 16.95 Mike Burt expenses (hire of telescopic boom & tractor maintenance) chq 392 £544.50 Okeford Fitzpaine Youth Club donation chq 393 £ 50.00 Mrs R Burrows’ salary for August £348.44 and expenses £17.56 chq 394 £366.00 Paul Louth Masonry – cleaning of war memorial chq 395 £497.00 Mike Burt expenses (new gate at Bowey field & hanging post for gate) chq 396 £170.38 North Dorset District Council – fee for planning application (extension) chq 397 £185.00 All items proposed by Cllr R Corben and seconded by Cllr S Corben that these be paid, this was agreed. 12.3 Monies received: Donations of £50.00 each received from Cllr & Mrs M Burt and Okeford Fitzpaine Village Hall to assist with the cost of the telescopic boom which was hired for the pavilion. 12.4 Financial other: the Clerk reported that a letter had been received from BDO the auditors on 30 August with a query on the last financial year accounts regarding a discrepancy of £10.00. Although the auditors had been in possession of our accounts for several weeks, their letter requested a response and resolution by 12 September which hardly seemed acceptable but if we could not meet their deadline, BDO said there would be additional charges for their services. The Chairman said he would speak to Mrs Burt to resolve this matter and this was agreed. 13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None 14. THE NEXT MEETING will be held on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 at the Pavilion, Castle Lane at 7.30pm. The Chairman thanked all present and closed the meeting at.9.25pm. |