GENERAL MEETING - Bowburn & Parkhill Community Partnership - Charity Number 1112151
Tuesday 21 April 2015; 6.30pm to 7.45pm
Present: W Bates, M Bell, J Blackburn, J Blakey, R Cowen, K Griffiths, K Haigh, G Kitson, B Little, D Paget, F Salisbury, M Ridley
1.Apologies: J Geyer, Cllr M Plews, S Raine, M Syer, S Walworth, M Williams. In attendance: None
2. Declarations of interest: Declarations of interests would be made as required through this agenda.
3(i). Police: PC Cockburn gave the following crime statistics since the last meeting:
Cassop – Theft from unattended DCC vehicle; Parkhill - Theft of cash from Nursery, arrest made, Clarence Villa restaurant none payment of bill for 12 people, Damage to motor vehicle with scratches; Bowburn - 2 Arson of poly-tunnel and shed, 1 Assault with arrest and charge, Theft - pedal bike, purse of services worker and items from shop at Jet garage, Damage to greenhouse at Burn Street, 10 Damage to motor vehicles with 2 from MW bridge and locations of McCormick Place/Bede Terrace/Robson Crescent with scratched cars.
Concern was expressed at the damage to vehicles and in particular from the Motorway bridge.
Incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported at the hairdressers next to the Co-op.
3(ii) PACT meetings: 2015 – 13 May at 6pm in Bowburn Community Centre.
3(iii) Neighbourhood Wardens: The new contact number for the wardens is 03000 261 000
4. Minutes: General Meeting 17 March – The minutes were approved as a true record and agreed by members.
Matters Arising: Item 5 Bowling Green: No reply from Cllr Maria Plews.
Cllr Blakey has arranged a site meeting with Nigel Dodds to discuss removing the railings and levelling the green with a contribution from the grant monies already in B&PCP restricted funds.
5. Annual General Meeting 19 May 2015: Trustees’ Nomination Form were distributed – to be returned by 5 May
6. Finances: Income: Unrestricted funds: £9.50 (Tea/Raffle).
Expenditure: £1 refreshments, £164.88 insurance premium, £15 quiz prize, refreshments re C Rose visit £15.20
Fun Day: A meeting will be held as soon as possible to decide how the funding will be spent. (Martin, Mike)
Bowling green: See Item 4.
Raffle prize: B Little won the prize, kindly donated by J Blackburn
Quiz: New quiz ‘Movements’ at £1, closes 16 May 2015
7. Item for Any Other Business: Infant School
8. Current Masterplan:
8A. Regeneration Fund: Designs of the planters are with G Parvin to find three like-for-like quotes. (Janet)
8B Reports:
7B(i) Planning:
County Durham Plan: The Council are taking guidance as to how the Plan should be taken forward, which could take between 18 months and 3 years. The interim period will have implications for the Bowburn/Parkhill area when developers would have no restrictions. However there may be case law to prevent over increase of house building.
Parkhill housing application: The Statement of Case for the Public Inquiry into the appeal has been sent, but no copies of the other statements have been circulated to those involved. (Richard)
Esh extension: Re email from James Taylor, associate director Nathaniel Litchfield, concerning the contribution from the proposed Esh application to education ‘to pay £82,000 to the places that cannot be accommodated’.
Graeme Plews, School Organisation Manager, Children and Adult Services replied;
“In the case of this development we considered it necessary to ask for a contribution because, as you (Janet) say, a classroom at the Infant School is likely to be required. Therefore we have asked for a contribution from the developer in respect of providing places at Bowburn Infant and Nursery School.
The figure of £575,190 was incorrect and following discussions with colleagues in the Planning Department was revised to £82,000. I can assure you however that there is no question that this money would be used for transport to other schools outside the village.
Members were concerned at the huge drop in the contribution from a potential half-million pounds to less than one hundred thousand pounds. (Janet)
Jet garage – alcohol licence application: Members did not want to object to the application but wanted to express their concern at the lack of training of the staff which could lead to problems if an alcohol licence was granted Janet
(ii) Highways/Environment: Next meetings: Wednesday 1 June at 6pm in Bowburn Community Centre.
Railings approaching the MW roundabout: C Mortimer MW Highways “On the tributary arms to the interchange, we only have responsibility from the junction mouth, the boundary fencing on our slips have been checked and are in order. Those on the A688 and A177 including the approach from the Cooperage are a local authority responsibility”.
Agreed to contact County to see if rusted and damaged railings can be replaced by DCC Highways. (Janet)
“On the litter front last month we (MW Highways) collected between Bowburn and Bradbury several hundred bags of litter. It is an ongoing problem which we address daily. We ask for litter to be taken home and if this civic responsibility were undertaken then the litter problem would be reduced if not eliminated”.
At this meeting it was noted that the MW Highways were leaving their own equipment behind adding to the litter.
8Biii Parkhill: Queried if the funds from Parkhill Residents’ group could be transferred to B&PCP. (Janet)
8Biv Community Centre: At the AGM the officials were re-elected and new members came onto the committee. CCTV cameras should soon be installed around the centre and in the office to protect members and the building. The next project would be the purchase of a defibrillator. Members of B&PCP were asked to report any damage to the Centre so that maintenance is ongoing to prevent the building from deteriorating.
8Bv Youth Club: No report this month.
8Bvi Artwork: An update will be asked for next month. (Janet)
8Bvii General housing: Response from Keepmoat to replacing the railings along the C12a:- “The railings referred to along the road frontage to our development are on highway land and we are not proposing to remove them, other than where they need to be removed to form the new road (and separate pedestrian) access to the site ... Our new ‘boundary’ treatment will be new timber fencing along the site side of the tree belt along the road frontage”.
Janet to make enquiries to Stephen Reed DCC concerning using S106 monies to replace the railings. (Janet)
8Bviii Education: See above Item 7Bi re the Esh extension.
8C Area Plans
8Ci Masterplan: Suggest ideas that meet the criteria which could be incorporated into a future Neighbourhood Plan.
8C(ii) Neighbourhood Plan: Mr T Woof, planning consultant, helped to shape the Plan. An application for funding has been sent and word should come back in the next 7 days. S Timmis has met Frank to give suggestions to get the NP published. (Frank)
9. Correspondence: None.
10. Reports and matters arising:
10(i) AAP: EDRC Partnership Board Meeting will be Wednesday 10 June 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm at Sedgefield Community Hospital.
10(ii) Parish Council:
Next meetings 20 May at Bowburn and 17 June at Cassop
Litter pick - 2 May come along and support us to keep your village litter free.
10(iii) Quarry Liaison – Meetings are held twice a year. The next one is in September
11. Group Noticeboard:
(i)Banner: The banner went to Hetton Club, and will be at Beamish for the Old King Cole event where the Children’s Banner will attend. Pye Hill Male Voice Choir will give a charity concert on Friday 1 May, tickets £3.00.
(ii) BVC Interchange: Articles and photographs should be sent to Mike for the next issue as soon as possible; The next Quiz Night is Friday 24 April to support the printing of the Interchange.
(iii) Credit Union Bank: The bank is open on Fridays from 11 am to 12 noon in the Community Centre.
(iv) The Fun Day: Fun Day 2015 is on 26 September.
(v) History: The AGM has been postponed.
(vi) Website: www.bowburn.net carries information about the Partnership.
12. AOB: Agreed to send condolences to the family of the Infant School teacher killed whilst on holiday. (Janet)
13. Date and Time of Next Meeting: Annual General Meeting 19 MAY 2015 at 6.00pm
Followed immediately by the General Meeting in Bowburn Community Centre