PC Meeting, August 2021
Post date: Jul 28, 2021 8:23:36 PM
Agenda for the Parish Council meeting on August 2nd, 2021
click here to get a copy of the agenda in PDF form, and the Clerk's notes are available via this link. A copy of the minutes follows the agenda, and is also available for download in PDF form.
From Catherine Fox, Parish Clerk:
The Next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held at 7:30 on Monday 2 August 2021 in the Reading Room with Giles Scott in the chair.
All members of the Council are hereby summoned to attend for the purposes of considering and resolving the business to be transacted at the meeting as set out below.
(Members: 8; Quorum: 3.)
1. Silent Prayer.
2. Apologies for absence.
3. Declarations of Interest.
(a) Councillors to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest in any items on the agenda;
(b) Councillors to declare any other interest in any items on the agenda.
4. Minutes. Consideration of the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council on 5 July 2021.
5. Open Forum for 15 minutes to enable members of the public to bring any matters to the attention of the Parish Council.
6. Matters Arising.
1. Neighbourhood Plan.
2. Bench in the playing field.
3. Update on co-opted vacancy.
4. Damage to Lych Gate.
7. Play Equipment: Report from Working Group.
8. Tree Works at the Bowls Club: Consideration of quotations received.
9. Clerk’s Financial Statement. For June 2021 and Budget Review.
10. Cheques for Approval.
11. Highways. Any repairs or maintenance needed.
1. Proposed Railings – Eltisley Road
12. Consultations
1. HDC Consultation Hackney Carriage & private Hire Policy
2. Gambling Act 2005 Consultation
3. Greater Cambridgeshire Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document.
(Consultation dates: 23rd July 2021-17th September 2021)
13. Correspondence.
1. Sand Road – Variations of Conditions C20. Comments from resident.
2. Retaining Wall in the Cemetery
3. Signage request at the pond.
14. Planning.
PARISH COUNCIL CONSULTATION – APPLICATION REF. 21/01587/HHFUL:
Single and double storey rear extension.
28 Winchfield Great Gransden Sandy SG19 3AN.
PARISH COUNCIL CONSULTATION – APPLICATION REF. 21/01521/S73:
Variation of conditions C20 (off site works as per plan prior to commencement) for 17/01375/OUT to reconcile the approved planning drawings pursuant to condition 20 with the associated completed off-site Section 278 works.
Land North East Of Mandene Gardens Great Gransden.
15. Next Meeting Monday 6th September 2021 at 7:30pm.
Minutes
Those present were:
Giles Scott, Chairman;
Peter King, Parish Councillor;
Nick Ginn, Vice Chairman;
James Catmur, Parish Councillor;
Catherine Fox, Clerk;
Nigel Day, Parish Councillor;
Michael Capps, Parish Councillor;
Andrew Pett, Parish Councillor;
Vikki Murphy, Parish Councillor;
District Councillor West;
and one member of the public.
1. The meeting was opened at 7:30 pm with a silent prayer.
2. Apologies. Apologies were received from County Councillor Stephen Ferguson. Vikki Murphy signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office form and was welcomed to the meeting by the chairman.
3. Declarations of Interest. There were no declarations of interest.
4. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting held on 5th July 2021 were approved and signed accordingly by the Chairman.
5. OPEN FORUM. The meeting was closed for 11 minutes.
With reference to planning item 14.2 on the agenda, Councillor West expressed his deep regret over the continuing failures of HDC to act appropriately with regards to the development on Sand Road.
Councillor West commented that he believed members of the Development Management Committee had supported the application on the understanding this condition would be met before development started, but that regretfully the enforcement teams at HDC had not been robust enough to ensure compliancy. Noting that there was never enough land in the ownership of the developer to complete condition 20 imposed by the DMC, Councillor West continues to withhold his support for any variation of the original condition.
Councillor West felt that the whole process had been flawed and does not reflect well on the local planning authority at Huntingdonshire District Council.
Councillor West had attended the Virtual Round Table Meeting with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough on the 19th July. On the agenda was a Presentation on the Community Speedwatch, highlighting how much the work of volunteers was appreciated. There was also a presentation on identifying scammers as a community.
Councillor West also reported that there was a discussion on the Police and Crime Plan Survey led by the Police and Crime Commissioner. This covered the themes of Community Priorities, Crime Prevention, Supporting Victims and Witnesses, Ethical Policing and Robust Enforcement.
Finally, Councillor West confirmed that he had attended the A428 Transport Modelling Briefing on 29th July. Slides from the briefing had been forwarded to Councillors.
6. Matters Arising.
6.1 Neighbourhood Plan – Update from David Prest.
As Chairman of the Steering Group, David Prest attended the meeting. The draft plan had been sent to HDC’s strategic planners for comment and was due back imminently. Following the last meeting, Councillors felt that an additional meeting should be convened for the purpose of discussing in depth any points raised and addressing any particular areas that may require additional changes. Clerk will organise this meeting. Following this,the next key stage will be submission under Regulation 14 which it is hoped will be in September , followed by a six-week consultation period (managed by the Steering Group). The final plan will be submitted in January 2022 to HDC (Regulation 15).
6.2 Bench in the Playing Field. Councillors considered the options for a replacement bench in the playing field, following the recent safety inspection report which had identified the bench nearest Little Lane as needing attention.
Councillors agreed that the bench should not be replaced like for like. It was felt that the metal benches were out of keeping with the park and that, due to increased usage of the park and its facilities, a larger picnic style bench which was also suitable for wheelchair users and made out of recycled materials (so as to avoid the need for ongoing maintenance) would be more appropriate. The price of an 8-seater bench that meets these requirements would be around £1000.00 inc VAT. This cost does not include installation. Clerk to obtain costs for installation and present to the council for final consideration at September’s meeting.
Councillor Capps suggested that the £300.00 set aside for reserves to cover Chestnut Paling should be used towards the cost of the new bench. These reserves have sat untouched for many years. This reallocation of funds from the budget was proposed by Councillor Capps, seconded by Councillor Scott and unanimously approved.
6.3 Update on Co-opted Vacancy. Having been only one further application for the remaining Parish Council vacancy, councillors unanimously agreed to co-opt Cathy Davis onto the Parish Council. (Proposed Councillor Pett, seconded Councillor Scott).
6.4 Damage to the Lych Gate. The Lych gate has suffered some minor damage and is in need of repair. As the gate lies in the curtilage of a listed building and is also a War Memorial, the Parish Council are mindful of the requirement to operate in line with correct planning procedures. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact HDC to advise them that the work would be done on a like for like basis. It is anticipated that no further permissions will be needed.
7. Play Equipment – Working Group Report.
Councillor Pett reported that the visit by the working group had not yet been undertaken due to adverse weather conditions. The report and recommendations will be presented at September’s Meeting.
8. Tree Works at the Bowls Club. Further to concerns raised by a resident at the last meeting, three quotations had been obtained for reduction of the large Elder Tree and removal of a similar tree on the Southern boundary of the Bowls Club. After due consideration, councillors unanimously agreed to instruct Charlie Vince to undertake the works. (Proposed Councillor Capps, seconded Councillor Catmur). Clerk to make the relevant application to HDC as the trees sit within the conservation area. Clerk to contact the Bowls Club to advise them of the agreed course of action.
9. Financial Statement for July 2021. The sheet filed as Appendix No. 1 had been circulated. The statement was unanimously approved and signed by the Chairman. Councillors also noted the budget review as at the end of July 2021.
10. Cheques for approval. The following payments were approved: (Proposed Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Capps)
SSE (outstanding amount) £106.33*
Balfour Beatty (Correction of invoicing error) £124.20
1. Clerk’s expenses for July 2021 £26.52
2. HMRC - PAYE (period ending 5th Sept 21) £0.00
3. Mr R Dring (Repair of bench Caxton Road) £240.00
4. The Mower Shed (Invoice 1011) £120.00
5. Great Gransden PCC (marquee hire for NDP societies fair) £30.00
Automated Payments payable August 2021.
1. DD BT – Broadband Reading Room (11th August 2021) £30.16*
2. SO Caretaker Salary –July 2021 (28th August 2021) £806.98**
3. SO Clerk’s Salary – July 2021 (28th August 2021) £704.25
*Unfortunately, with the PC only meeting to approve payments at the start of the month, this more often than not means that payments are not in sync with the SSE billing cycle. Therefore, the account regularly appears in arrears. To avoid this happening in future, it was unanimously agreed that in accordance with Financial Regulation 6.7, a Direct Debit mandate be authorised for monthly payments to SSE effective as of the next payment date.
11. Highways.
Councillors reported no new potholes but raised the following issues:
11.1 Proposed Hand Rail on Eltisley Road. Councillor Ginn asked for clarity on the current status of the proposed hand rail following previous discussions. Councillor Scott confirmed that the residents, as owners of the ditch had not wished to accept the responsibility for any pipes that were laid and therefore had agreed that the railings similar to those currently on Fox Street were an acceptable alternative. Potton had agreed these changes via email and would amend the plans accordingly. It is likely that these changes will be available for comment at a later stage of the development as it moves through the planning process. Councillor Ginn suggested that it may be helpful to have an update on the progress of this application. This was unanimously agreed. Clerk to contact Martin Tharratt.
11.2 Elms on Church Street. HDC are still to issue permission for the works to remove the dead Elm Trees on Church Street. Although the initial period of 6 weeks has passed, further queries raised by the case officer continue to cause delay. It is now likely that works on these trees will have to be postponed until August 2022.
11.3 Highways Officers. Councillors noted the resignation of Ian Winfield as Highways Officer and the 7 vacancies that currently exist within that department. County Councillor Stephen Ferguson has agreed to take up the unresolved issues around drainage and the broken drain cover on Fox Street and will report back to September’s meeting. It is hoped that this will be sufficient to generate momentum resulting in satisfactory action being taken.
12. Consultations.
12.1. HDC Consultation Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Policy. Noted.
12.2. Gambling Act 2005 Consultation. Noted.
12.3. Greater Cambridgeshire Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document. (Consultation dates23rd July 2021-17th September 2021). Noted.
13. Correspondence.
13.1 Councillors noted the points raised by a resident around the Variations of Condition C20 (Sand Road).
13.2 Councillors noted the decline in the condition of the wall by the brook in the cemetery. Councillor King will ask the structural engineer currently looking at the Reading Room extension, to advise on the best course of action.
13.3 Councillors noted the request for signage to warn drivers of wildlife at the site of the pond. Although Councillors acknowledged that the death of the birds was very sad, it was not felt that additional signage would have any positive impact on preventing any further occurrences.
14. Planning
1. PARISH COUNCIL CONSULTATION – APPLICATION REF. 21/01587/HHFUL:
Single and double storey rear extension.
28 Winchfield Great Gransden Sandy SG19 3AN.
Councillors had no objections to the above application, voting unanimously to submit no further comments.
2. PARISH COUNCIL CONSULTATION – APPLICATION REF. 21/01521/S73:
Variation of conditions C20 (off site works as per plan prior to commencement) for
17/01375/OUT to reconcile the approved planning drawings pursuant to condition 20 with the associated completed off-site Section 278 works.
Land North East Of Mandene Gardens, Great Gransden.
Councillors unanimously agreed to recommend ‘refusal’ of the variation of condition 20 on the basis that it does not comply with the original plans and did not meet the promised safety levels. The completed works were not in keeping with the conditions imposed by the DMC and Councillors felt that, given the history of the application and the lack of meaningful enforcement action from HDC, there was no way that the Parish Council could, or would, support this variation.
18.Date of next Meeting.
The Next Meeting has been arranged for Monday 6th September 2021 at 7:30pm.
This meeting closed at 9:33pm