GENERAL MEETING - Bowburn & Parkhill Community Partnership - Charity Number 1112151
Tuesday 19 August 2014 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Present: W Bates, M Bell, J Blackburn, R Cowen, S Featherstone, J Geyer, K Griffiths, K Haigh, G Kitson, B Little, C Parker, S Raine, M Ridley, F Salisbury, M Syer, S Walworth,
In Attendance: Cllr M Plews
1.Apologies: Cllr Jan Blakey, PC Cockburn, D Paget
2i. Police: PC Cockburn sent the crime statistics - as he was on duty.
Cassop – Nil: Parkhill - 1 Garage burglary in Park Avenue: Bowburn - 3 Theft (Transit van from Horton Cresc; garden wind chime from Beaumont Close; number plate from library car park): 1 Damage to window in McCormick Close: 2 Attempt burglaries (Arins and Bede Terrace).
2(ii) PACT meetings for 2014 – 17 September and 12 November at 6pm in Bowburn Community Centre.
2iii. Neighbourhood Wardens: No report for August.
3. Minutes: General Meeting 15 July – The minutes were approved as a true record and agreed by members.
Matters Arising – All to discuss on the agenda.
4. Finances:
Expenditure:- Community Centre Room hire of £68; ‘Jobs’ Quiz prizes of £35
Income:- ‘Jobs’ Quiz returns of £83
>Fun Day finances: Donation of £300, being £100 from each of the three local councillors Cllr Blakey, Cllr Plews and Cllr Williams. This combined donation replaces the original donation promised by Cllr Plews.
Funds brought forward from Fun Day 2013 are takings of £255.
An explanation was given that the ‘rides’, costing £1000, must be paid before the Fun Day with a refund, after some negotiation, if the event is cancelled because of heavy rain.
Agreed: To pay £500 from the Fun Day monies held by the Partnership as part payment for the ‘rides’; with the balance being paid by the Youth Club. (Mike)
>Noticeboard repairs: The ‘Sign Man’ in Coxhoe has quoted £350 to strip out the damaged pin-boards and renew with magnetic panels, and replace the Perspex to two boards; those in Durham Road and Tursdale.
It was also reported that the Perspex is damaged in the noticeboard at Prince Charles Avenue.
Agreed: To pay up to £500 to repair all 3 boards. (Janet)
>Raffle prize: M Syer won the prize, kindly donated by S Raine
>Quiz: Winners of the ‘Jobs’ quiz - 1st C Chantler (Bath), 2nd D Janes (Pontypridd), 3rd S Pinkney (Durham). The new quiz ‘Fantasy’ at £1, for prizes of £20, £10, and £5 closes on 15 November.
5. Item for Any Other Business: Smoke from Parish Council allotments in Bowburn.
6. Current Masterplan:
6A. Regeneration Fund:
Community Centre: Work begins on the stage electrics on Wednesday 20 August. G Parvin has been informed
6B Reports:
6B(i) Planning:
>The Cooperage application is to demolish the pub, and replace with a retail outlet, which have offices above. There would be 21 parking places but it was unclear how the flow of traffic would be controlled.
Comments: The building is in the conservation area and the new plans with a glass front and a flat roof do not match the character of either the pub or Durham Road and Oxford Terrace.
A shop had been built, very successfully according to members, behind the facade of the Pot and Glass pub at Crossgate Moor in Durham with very little change to the frontage.
However members were pleased that Bowburn would have another shop and it would tidy up the area.
Agreed: To support the use of the site for retail and office purposes in principle but object to the new façade and ask that the original frontage be retained or reproduced in a sympathetic manner to the old public house and the Conservation area.
>The Daisy Field application has been revised.
In relation to the application a report on the Primary School Action Group held on 30 July was read out.
“”Mrs Sheila Palmerley DCC had sent calculations for the minimum site sizes required by the DfES’s Building Bulletin 103, for a Primary School with between 420 [the existing establishment, which is already near to capacity] and 525 places, with a 52-place nursery and space for 2 year old provision – though the latter was unspecified, and it was not clear whether it included babies aged under 2 years. The largest of these options, it said, would require 22,391m2, which compared with the actual Junior School site area of 23,269m2.
Mrs Palmerley’s message also stated that officers had “used the most up to date information on planned housing for the area”.
The Council’s highways officers believed there would be “adequate room to fence off a route through to ensure no conflict with the school users during construction”, though there would “obviously… be a localised impact on nearby residents”.
It was agreed by the action group:
(a) that the Council be asked to provide the evidence on which its predictions of possible future Bowburn Primary School roll numbers were based, including specifying which existing and proposed housing land in Bowburn and Park Hill could produce what number of future houses, plus the formula by which that resulted in a given number of children aged 0 to 11, during the likely lifetime of the new school;
(b) that those present were of the opinion that, even if the Council could show, with those predictions, that the new school could comply with the minimum standards of BB103, Bowburn should nonetheless aspire to standards that were above that bare minimum, recently laid down by the current Government, and
(c) that the Council should be asked to consider very carefully the long term savings it could make, by requiring any housing development on the Daisy Field to include the construction of a suitable access, for immediate use (during that development), in the medium term (when the school is being built) and in the long term.
It was further agreed, (d), that Richard (Cowen) raise the lack of reference to future school provision in the Local Plan, at the Pre-Hearing Meeting of the DCC Local Plan that was due to be held the next day (31st July 2014), with specific reference to Bowburn’s problem.””
Agreed by the Partnership at this meeting that notwithstanding the comments by the Inspector regarding education in the appeal members expressed the wish;
to make a strong argument for a primary school built to above minimum standards
to move the road to the outskirts of the estate to provide a permanent access to the school
to make a fuller case to represent that this site may well be needed wither for the school itself or as access for construction traffic as well as to the school as outlined above
The Heath Close, Crowtrees Lane application, after consultation with the public, is for 40 affordable houses. A footpath is planned on the outside of the estate opposite the Infants School.
Agreed: To accept the principle of housing at this location but to comment on the parking problems on Crowtrees Lane; the access to the site; the fact that there is no flood risk management report on the website; the possible increase in children to the local schools, and they expressed surprise that no voles or greater crested newts had been detected in the surveys. If these issues cannot be satisfactorily resolved, permission should be refused.
Parkhill outline planning application for 190 houses was opposed in line with the Parish Council’s comments.
Wylam Terrace, Parkhill, is an application for twelve bungalows. The access would be via Westlands which would be upgraded to an adoptable standard. The Partnership will support Parkhill Residents in their comment on the proposals.
Commercial Road, Coxhoe, application needs to be taken into account for a possible increase in school numbers which could affect the places in the Bowburn schools.
For information Cllr Plews stated that the developer is to provide a classroom for Coxhoe School when numbers of children increase.
Thanks to Richard Cowen who has agreed to send in our comments about the applications to DCC. (Richard)
6B(ii) Highways: Richard Cowen and Janet Blackburn met Stephen Jones, Highways assistant DCC, to discuss placing planters on Durham Road between the existing bollards and those to be installed. It was also asked when the pavement would be repaired and the bollards installed; also when the railings would be removed from Tail-upon-End junction with the C12a.
There was no report for this meeting but Stephen sent an email to explain the situation and for action. (Janet)
Planters: ‘DCC would need to do a full risk assessment, but before that they would need written confirmation of funding, public liability insurance, indemnity insurance, maintenance and liability agreement (parish council), detailed design of the planters’.
Design of planters: ‘I have asked the question but I have had no concrete response, but basically there isn’t a list of suitable planters, instead it would be down to the applicant to find a suitable planter, and at which point we can undertake a risk assessment, unfortunately … I am unable to offer assistance within a decision on a planter which I am later going to have to risk assess (too much of a conflict of interests)’.
When will the bollards, on order, be installed? ‘We have only been given the go ahead from the funding team a fortnight ago, we have raised the order, but as of yet there is no planned start date’.
Along with the repair to the cracked paving stones? ‘As per above’.
Also when will the railings be removed from the Tail-upon-End entrance? ‘We have only been given the go ahead from the funding team last week, we have raised the order, but as of yet there is no planned start date’.
A member informed the meeting that the Fire Centre being constructed on Bowburn South Industrial Estate backs onto the ‘railway lines’ which would risk the building of an industrial highway.
However another member pointed out that it was a buffer zone which could not be built on but could be used temporarily until the road is constructed.
6Biii Parkhill: Enquiries have been made about a seat for the front of Parkhill estate and the Highways department will be asked as to its suitability.
6Biv Community Centre: Nothing to report over the holiday period.
6Bv Youth Club (Joanne Eden): The youth club has been open one evening a week over the summer and has been very well attended, In addition to this we have had trips to Seaham, Lightwater Valley & Flamingo Land - again very well attended, with a lot of young mums, their babies and older children coming along as well.
A young mums group will be starting in September through Sure Start.
The Youth clubs in our area will resume the week commencing - Monday 8th September.
6Bvi Environment: Mr Paul Armstrong is to liaise with Mr Geoff Woodcock about a possible site for the ‘Coal column’ artwork to be in the land at the front of Mary Terrace. (Janet)
6Bviii Housing in general: There were comments that Bowburn was in need of a ‘tidy up’ in Durham Road where bushes and verges were unkempt and doors hanging off the gas boxes did not give a good impression to the gateway to the village.
Agreed: To arrange a meeting of the Environment Group to discuss possible solutions to the problem. (Janet)
6C Area Plans
6Ci Masterplan: Continue to suggest ideas that met the criteria could be incorporated into a future Neighbourhood Plan or Parish Plan.
6Cii Co. Durham Plan: The Examination in Public is in October at the cricket ground Chester-le-Street.
Richard will speak on many issues including housing, green belt, transport, employment, the natural environment and education applying to Bowburn and the county as a whole. (Richard)
6Ciii Neighbourhood Plan: There is a project meeting on 20 August to identify the milestones for the Neighbourhood plan which will be considered by the Parish Council that evening.
7 Correspondence:
Members can have their say on Polling Stations and Children’s Centres on the Council’s website.
8. Reports and matters arising:
(i) AAP:
> As part of the Young People’s Participatory Budget bids are being invited for funding to provide projects for young people. Awards are being made of up to £4 000 and applications can come from any not-for-profit group, but the ideas must come from and benefit young people. Young people from within the AAP will vote to decide which projects will receive funding. Application forms are available from the AAP office, by email to eastdurhamruralaap@durham.gov.uk or by phone to 03000 261128 and must be returned by 3 October 2014.
Date/time of next AAP Board meeting: Wednesday 3 September from 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm at Kelloe School.
8ii Parish Council: Report of Cassop-cum-Quarrington Parish Council Meeting, 16 July 2014 – Sylvia Raine
The Clerk had been informed that the County Council was to engage in a 6 month consultation on the possibility of imposing a smoking ban in children's play areas. Parish Council agreed to support this when consulted.
There is still no progress on work by the County Council to improve the areas around the War/Miners' memorials; quotations for which had been received and accepted early in the year. "Adverse weather conditions" were cited as the reason for delay.
Report on Neighbourhood Plan steering group already given by Frank Salisbury (Item 6Ciii).
Next meeting is 20 August at Bowburn; Litter-pick 6th September - all welcome!
8iii Quarry Liaison: Work is being done on the bottom track for one week to provide a stable surface and zig-zags on the steep climb up to Quarrington Hill.
9. Group Noticeboard:
(i)Banner: Nothing to report.
(ii) BVC Interchange: Please submit articles for the September edition as early as possible.
(iii) Credit Union Bank: The bank is open on Fridays from 11 am to 12 noon in the Community Centre.
(iv) Football: No report
(v) Fun Day: Please book your stall at a cost of £5 payable to Martin Ridley, as soon as possible.
(vi) History: The guided walk on 12 August was very well attended and received.
(vii) Website: www.bowburn.net carries information about the Partnership.
10. Any Other Business: A member is concerned about an excessive amount of black smoke, which is obviously not from garden waste, blowing from the Parish Council allotments.
The Vice Chair of the Parish Council will enquire if a letter could be sent out to remind tenants of reasonable behaviour when lighting fire.
11. Date and Time of Next Meeting: 6.30pm on 16 September 2014
Actionable items
4 – Fund Day rides; Noticeboards
6Bi – Planning applications – Cooperage, Daisy Filed, Heath Close, Parkhill village and Wylam Terrace
6Bii – Planters – Take to Highways meeting
6Biii – Park Hill residents
6Bvi – Environment art work also 6Bvii – tidy up grot spots
6Cii – Local Plan