MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 11 MAY, 2009 AT 7.30PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL, AMPNEY CRUCIS.
Present: 19 electors, District Councillor Edward Horsfall.
Presiding: Councillor Barry Dent
Clerk: Mrs H E Tonks
1. Minutes of the last Parish Meeting held on 12 May, 2008
The minutes were agreed and signed as a true record.
2. Annual Report of Ampney Crucis Parish Council
The Chairman gave the following report:
As ever, the Parish Council has had a busy year.
Elisabeth Gerver resigned – thank you Elisabeth for your work whilst a member of the Council, and we were joined by Alan Lewis. The Parish Council therefore comprises of me, our vice Chairman, Peter Kelly, Gerald Gaden, Frank Skinner, Adrian Grazebrook, David Vessey and Alan. Each Councillor has their own responsibility within the Council, in an attempt to ensure that one person does not undertake all the work. Consequently, as Chairman I oversee financial details, David and Peter have taken on the responsibility for planning, Adrian volunteered to look after the footpaths, Gerald the burial ground and other council assets and Frank keeps an eye of the playground. Alan took over the responsibility for the annual Spring Clean.
The Council has been ably represented at District level by Sir Edward Horsfall. Our County Councillor, Lady Mavis Dunrossil, is also Chairman of the County Council. We always welcome her contribution when she can make it to meetings or in response to queries from the council. Two villagers who provide a regular service to the Council are Janet Campbell, our Tree Warden who comments on all tree applications and Neil Holt our Internal Auditor.
We have held six meetings this year covering a wide variety of topics, plus an extraordinary meeting to look at the Cripps proposals .
Planning
The Parish Council comments on all planning applications. We received 34 (as at 2 May) applications this year, and raised objections to 5 of the applications. Four of these objections related to the Cripps proposals, of which more later, and the final objection related to an application to build a garage at Lost Elm. Councillors were concerned, in this latter case, that the site was becoming too congested.
Should there be an objection, copies of all letters of objection written by the Council are posted on the notice boards.
Some planning issues continued to be discussed by the Council throughout the year. The application for a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use or Development (known as a CLEUD) at Park Close was refused by Cotswold District Council, and this has been taken to a local inquiry which will take place later this week at the CDC offices.
The emerging Local Development Framework will eventually take the place of the 2001-2011 local plan – the Parish Council will ensure that they continue to respond on behalf of the residents of the village.
The District Council has introduced electronic consultation on planning applications. The Parish Council is working with this as well as they can, but it does rely on Councillors having a broadband internet connection, which not all our Councillors have.
The District Council has sent out paper copies of the larger applications, and this has been appreciated by the Council. All planning applications can be viewed online at www.cotswold.gov.uk .
Cripps proposals
The extraordinary meeting was held on the 1st April to discuss the Cripps proposals. For those of you unaware of the plans, it was proposed by the Cripps family to build nine houses on land at the junction of School Lane with London Road, and one house on land opposite Gorston House (formerly the Butchers Arms pub), on Butchers Arms Lane.
Under current national, regional and local planning policies and regulations, permission would not normally be given to build these houses.
As an encouragement to CDC to permit the construction of the proposed ten new houses, Mr Cripps had proposed a ‘Village Enhancement Scheme’ that would give various assets to a charitable trust established by representatives of the Ampney Crucis Association.
Those assets were:
· Approximately 52 acres of agricultural land in the parish of Ampney Crucis;
· Of that land, approximately 4 acres would be cleared, and an area drained and levelled for use as a playing field, on a site to the west of Allotment Lane;
· A further part of the 52 acres would be used to construct a new building, suitable for use as a village shop, in an area next to ‘The Pleydells’; and
· Mr Cripps undertook to contribute £100,000 to the charitable trust, for the management and development of the 52 acres.
The case being made by the applicants was being made under the construct of ‘enabling development’. The case was that the benefits on offer would have such a positive impact on the village’s ability to survive and prosper as a village community in the future, that they were sufficient reason for setting aside the current, highly restrictive, planning policies on new build open market housing contained in Policy 19 of the Local Plan.
The Parish Council’s conclusion was that this argument was not valid. It took the view that the purported key benefits were either not sustainable (the shop), not relevant to the village needs (the recreation area) or were insufficient (the endowment). On its understanding of the principles of enabling development, the Parish Council believed the benefits had to be essential to, and sufficient for, the protection and preservation of the village in order to allow a consideration of a breach of planning policies. In addition, to allow residential housing on such a scale in open countryside would set a precedent which could make it difficult to refuse unwelcome planning applications in the future.
The Parish Council, by a majority of 5 to 1, objected to the proposals. Copies of the letter to CDC were placed on the notice boards and website, and a bulletin sent round to all households giving the Council’s reasons.
Sunhill
The Sunhill Action Group continue to represent the Council in discussions relating to the composting plant.
Finance
The precept for the year ending 31 March 2009 increased to £7832, an increase of 4.4%.
The accounts for the year have been audited by our Internal Auditor, Neil Holt (thank you Neil) and externally by Moore Stephens of Bath.
The Parish Council continue to jump through many of the same hoops required by much larger Councils, with incomes of up to £1million. Although now more familiar with the scheme, the audit processes are time consuming and inappropriate for smaller councils such as ours.
The grass-cutting contract for the coming year has been awarded again to a local contractor, Tony Williams. Tony’s company have been cutting the grass in the village for 5 years now, and his work is appreciated.
Praying Cross wall.
This dry stone wall was beginning to bulge, and there were concerns that it could deteriorate further. The Council authorised Mike Harris to carry out the repairs and this work was completed in January.
War Memorial
A local resident arranged for Wells Masonry to clean and repair the war memorial and also arranged for grant aid from the Schroder Charity Trust to cover the costs of the work. The Parish Council are grateful for his efforts and would like to tank him, and the Schroder Trust for improving this important part of the village.
Riding Lane was resurfaced during the year, and the drainage in that area appears more efficient than in earlier years.
The County Council provided, after the offer of funding from the Parochial Church Council and the Parish Council, an area suitable for parking on Church Lane.
Councillors, the Clerk and members of GCC Highways met at Butcher’s Arms Lane to look at the continued drainage problems there. Some remedial work was completed, but further work is required to solve the full problem. This will be completed later this year.
Footpaths
The village footpaths are walked on a reasonably regular basis by members of the Parish Council but we do depend on members of the public to alert us to any problems with the footpath network. We maintain good relations with the local farmers who can generally be relied upon to mark clearly any footpaths which have been disturbed by ploughing.
Both the County Council and the Parish Council have walked all the paths in the parish in the last 12 months. Minor defects and faults have been notified to the landowners.
Spring Clean
A very successful Spring Clean Day took place on 4 April. Nearly 20 people took part, including children, and on recent walks around the village footpaths, not a single piece of litter could be seen. Many thanks to all those who took part, as well as to Alan Lewis and Gerald Gaden who organised the event.
Licensing application at Ampney Downs farm
The 3 day music festival at Ampney Downs Farm passed last year, largely without incident, but with local residents being alert to the signs of any trouble. Permission has now been given by CDC for the Festival to continue in future years, with further applications being necessary only should the festval format or size change.
Communications
The Ampney Times continues to be delivered to all households in the three villages. Thanks must go the Elisabeth Gerver who left the team earlier in the year, after several years at the helm as Community editor. Helen Franklin has now joined the team of Frank Skinner, John Franklin, Bruce and Ursula Evans.
There is also a village Website run by Frank Skinner. The Parish Council posts their notices, agendas and minutes on the site as an additional means of notification, and all minutes, from 2000 onwards are on the site. Increasing use is being made of the site by local organisations. Over 40,000 hits have been made since 2000.
The Playground
The day to day management of the playground now lies with the Friends of the School, although the Parish Council meets the costs of insurance premiums.
The Council continues to build up a sinking fund for the removal of the playground, and at present this stands at just over £4500. It is imperative that the required amount is built up by June 2010 at the latest. Although it seems odd to have to think about this, it is important. However small the risk of having to remove the playground (and it cannot happen before June 2010 at the earliest,) the responsibility for removal will be the Parish Council’s and the audit requirements oblige us to cover the risk. The original cost was estimated to be £5,000 though this is likely to be nearer £6,000 in 2010. The current precept has made provision to take the amount in the sinking fund of just over £5000.
Finally, the Council are pleased that following lobbying by both the Council and Councillor Sir Edward Horsfall, plastic recycling bins were placed in the village, and are, we are pleased to say, heavily used. Initial problems with them overflowing have, we hope been resolved.
I would like to thank all those involved with the work of the Council, including all Councillors and Clerk.
During discussion, it was noted that the plastic recycling bank was not easily visible from the road.
3. Parish Council accounts for the year ending 31 March, 2009
These were circulated and noted.
4. Accounts of the Village Hall Charity and the Robert Pleydell
Educational Charity.
These were circulated and noted.
5. Reports, if any, from other Village organisations and District and County Councillors.
District Councillor Sir Edward Horsfall gave the following report:
· He will be resigning from the CDC Cabinet to allow other Councillors to have to opportunity to take part. This will also allow him to spend more time at home and representing the villages.
· The County and European elections will take place on June 4th
· The CDC are grateful for the efforts of all residents who have increased recycling in the last 12 months. This increase has led to CDC recycling 60% of all rubbish, thus also saving GCC over £500,000 in landfill tax.
The Chairman thanked those present for attending.
Meeting closed at 8.05pm.