Minutes of the meeting of Westwood Parish Council held at the Parish Room, Farleigh Lane, Westwood at 7.30pm on Monday 4 September 2017
Present
Cllr. J Bishop (Chairman)
Cllr. D Adcock
Cllr. J Adcock
Cllr. J Johnston
Cllr. T Leeder
Cllr. G Mumford
Cllr P Phillips
Cllr. A Wheals
Mr. R Coleman Clerk
Wiltshire Council, Cllr. J Kidney attended.
There were five members of the public present initially.
1. Welcome and Introductions.
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Apologies.
Apologies for non-attendance were received from PCSO Andrew MacLachlan of the Community Policing Team.
3. Declaration of Interests.
There were no interests declared.
4. Minutes of Ordinary Parish Council Meeting held on 7 August 2017.
The Council resolved that the minutes of this meeting were a true and accurate record. The Chairman signed the minutes.
The Chairman took Agenda item ‘Open Spaces – d’ at this point of the meeting thus:
Open Spaces – d.
The Council noted the letter from The Woodland Trust indicating that it had an opportunity to acquire Avoncliff Woods – NOT Becky Addy Woods as stated in the Agenda – and that members of The Woodland Trust were keen to have a low-level, informal meeting with the Chairs of Westwood, Winsley and Freshford Parish Councils to outline their plans and to seek views from key stakeholders. It was confirmed that the meeting is to be held at 2pm on 12 September at The Inn at Freshford.
5. Westwood School Radio.
a. At the invitation of the Chairman, the Headteacher of Westwood with Iford School, Mr Ian Rockey, gave a presentation on the current Westwood School Radio project and plans for the development of this project to include the creation of an oral history of Westwood Parish. He explained in detail the nature of the oral history project and commented that it would be driven and managed by the children of the school and that it was a unique opportunity to engage all sections of the local community in its development. Mr Rockey explained that he had applied to the Lottery Grant Fund for grant aid and that he was intending to invite the Wiltshire Council Area Board to also make a financial contribution. Mr Rockey requested the Parish Council to contribute to the project, estimated to cost overall some £10,000.
Mr Rockey participated in a Question and Answer session with councillors; the latter indicating support for the project.
At the conclusion of the discussions, the Parish Council resolved to make a financial contribution of £1000.
b. The decision to make a donation to the project was made under Agenda item 5a. above.
6. Adjournment.
The Chairman adjourned the meeting for members of the public to raise any points of interest.
Wiltshire Council Cllr. Kidney gave a brief report on the following topics:
· Area Board meeting – 13 September 2017 at Westwood Social Club.
· Mobile Library Consultation.
· Wiltshire Council ‘Open Forum’ Consultation evening – 25 September 2017, 5.30pm at County Hall.
· Household Recycling – new contract and closure of Trowbridge Recycling Centre 13 September to 26 September.
· Bradford on Avon Health and Wellbeing Board.
The meeting was then reconvened.
7. Community Policing Team (CPT).
a. PCSO MacLachlan had sent a written report to the Clerk prior to the meeting that the Clerk had sent to all councillors. The Clerk read out that part of the report relating to ‘Local Crimes’ at the meeting.
This report relating to ‘Local Crimes’ is reproduced in full below, shown in italics:
Crime statistics 4th August – 4th September 2017
There have been 24 reported incidents for the Bradford Rural beat of which 2 occurred in Westwood. This compares to 38 rural incidents the previous period of which 5 occurred in Westwood. These are broken down as follows (last period in brackets):
| Crime | Rural beat | Westwood | Comments |
| Anti Social Behaviour (Personal) | 2 (4) | 0 (0) |
|
| Anti Social Behaviour (Nuisance) | 0 (2) | 0 (0) |
|
| Burglary | 2 (2) | 0 (2) |
|
| Drug Offences | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
|
| Criminal Damage | 4 (9) | 2 (1) | 7th August – Westwood mines – fence cut and mine access gained. 14th August – Lye Green – Ongoing issues with boundary fencing being cut. Enquiries ongoing. |
| Theft and Handling | 3 (4) | 0 (1) |
|
| Public Order | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
|
| Violence | 7 (5) | 0 (0) |
|
| Other | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
|
| Concern for Safety | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
|
| Domestic related | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
|
| Suspicious Circumstances | 1 (0) | 0 (1) |
|
| Transport related | 2 (6) | 0 (0) |
|
Other incidents of interest.
The 2 burglaries were both dwelling burglaries in Limpley Stoke and Winsley.
In closing.
Please feel free to give out my mobile number to anyone who would like to contact me:
PCSO Andrew MacLachlan 0752 897 2236
“Like” our Facebook page – Bradford on Avon Police
Sign up to Community Messaging at www.wiltsmessaging.co.uk
For a detailed breakdown of the crime in your area visit…https://www.police.uk/wiltshire/
Community Coordinator Police Staff Alex Trombetta : alessandro.trombetta@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk
Deputy Sector Head - PS 1629 Gill Hughes : gill.hughes@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk
Sector Head - Insp 0041 Andy Fee : andy.fee@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk
b. There were no other matters raised.
8. Neighbourhood Plan.
a. The Parish Council resolved to dissolve the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group (NPSG) and decided that a decision on a revised Committee structure would be deferred until a later meeting.
b. Cllr. Leeder stated that he had sent a copy of a revised Neighbourhood Plan document annotated with his proposed changes and comments. He invited all councillors to examine the document and to send him their comments. He stated that the correct approach must be to ensure that the assertions and conclusions stated in the document are evidence based and are not simply speculative comments.
Cllr. J Adcock handed a CD containing the original draft Neighbourhood Plan that she had acquired from the (ex) Chairman of the NPSG to Cllr. Leeder.
Cllr. Leeder and councillors acknowledged the correspondence received from Chris Brown and Nigel Honer in respect of the NPSG and Cllr. Leeder explained that he had responded to that correspondence.
9. Westwood Road Safety/Community Speed Watch (CSW).
Cllr. Wheals reported the following (shown in italics):
The team went out on 6 separate occasions for a total of 6.5hrs over a 2-week period in August. The total number of vehicles recorded was 942 of which 91 were speeding. Sixty-nine vehicles we speeding at between 25 and 29mph and 22 were speeding at 30 mph or more. These averages conceal a wide variation in driver behaviour by location and time of day. For example, during one morning rush hour only one driver out of 98 was speeding yet on another evening rush hour 24% of drivers entering the village from the west were speeding. This value is one of the highest we have seen and may reflect the lower traffic density found during the school holidays.
10. Working Groups – Working Group Reports.
Cemetery.
a. Cllr. Johnston reported that the chain around the Remembrance Plot was broken and required repairing or replacing. The Clerk was asked to request Mr Downes to take the necessary action.
b. The Chairman and councillors reported that they had observed a total of four dead trees in the cemetery and following a discussion on possible action, the Council resolved not to take any action at present but to keep the situation under review.
Planning.
a. The Council noted the status of extant planning applications thus.
| 15/11456/OUT
| Land at Iford Lane, Iford | New dwelling (Revised Plans) | Pending |
| 17/02482/VAR
| Elms Cross Stables, Elms Cross | Variation of Conditions 2, 4, 6, 7 & 8 of 15/05497/FUL | Pending |
| 17/03353/FUL
| Cross Guns Inn Avoncliff | Retrospective application for the refurbishment of existing garden terraces. | Pending |
| 17/05068/FUL
| Fieldgate House 49 Lower Westwood | Demolition, alteration and extension to existing building | Pending |
| 17/05633/LBC
| Fieldgate House 49 Lower Westwood | Demolition, alteration and extension to existing building | Pending |
| 17/05730/FUL
| 106a Cottles Garden, Lye Green | Detached double garage, single storey extension and internal alterations. | Pending |
| 17/06080/FUL
| Magdalen Farm, Rowden Lane, BA15 2AB | Retention of temporary log cabin approved under W/11/03319/FUL as a permanent workers dwelling. |
NEW |
b. There were no planning applications received after 29 August 2017, although the Chairman tabled planning application 17/07282 (21 Bobbin Lane) that the Clerk had sent to all councillors (via email) for comment thus:
| 17/07282/FUL
| 21 Bobbin Lane BA15 2DL | Single storey rear extension |
NEW |
The Council examined this application and resolved that it had no objection to the proposed development.
c. There was a discussion on the Wiltshire Council Settlement Boundary/Housing Strategy Consultation and its implications for Westwood. The Council resolved that it had no comments to make in respect of the consultation.
d. The Clerk advised the Parish Council that Wiltshire Council was no longer sending out paper copies of planning applications to Parish Councils for comment and that the access to such applications was now via the planning portal on the Wiltshire website.
The Clerk stated that he would ask the webmaster to put a link on the Parish Council website to this planning portal.
Councillors observed that internet access at the Parish Room and the purchase of IT related equipment for the Parish Council to use (e.g. a projector/screen) would enable the Parish Council and others to embrace the move to a paperless environment. The Clerk was asked to place this subject on the Agenda for the next meeting.
The Clerk commented that Wiltshire Council Enforcement Team had taken action in respect of the Tea Room at Fieldgate House and Manor Cottage, Farleigh Lane.
Finance.
a. The Clerk reported the current financial position thus:
| Lloyds A/C 1643417 | |||
|
|
|
|
|
| Bank Statement | £ 13,178.99 |
| |
| 31-Jul-17 |
| ||
|
|
|
|
|
| Credits (1 August 2017 to 31 August 2017): | |||
| HMRC PAYE Month 3 |
| £ 95.80 | |
| HMRC PAYE Month 4 |
| £ 105.20 | |
|
|
| Total: | £ 201.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Debits (1 August 2017 to 31 August 2017): | |||
| Clerk's Salary (July) - Standing Order |
| £ 479.00 | |
| Clerk's Back Pay (1/5/17 to 31/8/17) |
| £ 46.95 | |
| Clerk's Expenses (June) |
| £ 3.57 | |
| Clerk's Expenses (July) |
| £ 2.85 | |
| HMRC PAYE Month 3 |
| £ 95.80 | |
| HMRC PAYE Month 4 |
| £ 105.20 | |
| The Print Centre |
|
| £ 52.55 |
| Kedel Ltd |
|
| £ 148.89 |
| XYZ Web Ltd |
|
| £ 62.50 |
| D Downes |
|
| £ 490.00 |
| A Wheals |
|
| £ 14.26 |
|
|
| Total: | £ 1,501.57 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Balance at 31 August 2017 |
|
| £ 11,878.42 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Credits (1 September 2017 to 4 September 2017): | |||
| None |
| £ - | |
|
|
| Total: | £ - |
|
|
|
|
|
| Debits (1 September 2017 to 4 September 2017): | |||
| Clerk's Salary (August) - Standing Order |
| £ 494.65 | |
|
|
| Total: | £ 494.65 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Balance at 4 September 2017 |
|
| £ 11,383.77 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Lloyds A/C 7573321 | |||
| Bank Statement |
| £ 2,342.47 | |
| 31-Jul-17 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Credits: |
|
|
|
| 09/06/2017 (Approx) |
|
| £ 0.10 |
|
|
| Total: | £ 0.10 |
| Debits: |
|
|
|
| None |
| £ - | |
|
|
| Total: | £ - |
|
|
|
|
|
| Balance at 4 September 2017 |
| £ 2,342.57 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| National Savings Account (Park Fund) | |||
| Balance at 31 December 2016 |
| £ 6,912.63 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Credits: |
|
|
|
| Interest 1/1/16 to 31/12/16: |
| £ 41.53 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Debits: |
|
|
|
| None |
|
| £ - |
|
|
|
|
|
| Balance at 4 September 2017: |
| £ 6,954.16 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Funds at 4 September 2017 |
| £ 20,680.50 | |
|
|
|
| |
| Payments to be authorised 4 August 2017 | |||
| Clerk's Salary (September 2017) SCP24 |
| £ 494.65 | |
| Clerk's Expenses (August 2017) Approx |
| £ 4.23 | |
| HMRC PAYE Month 5 |
| £ 98.90 | |
| D Downes |
|
| TBA |
|
| TOTAL: | £ 597.78 | |
b. The Council noted that the Internal Auditor was undertaking a review of the Financial Regulations.
c. The Council resolved to accept the quotation of £270 from Mr Downes to prune the Windyridge/Playing Field hedge that runs alongside 47 Bobbin Lane rear garden.
d. The Council resolved to make the payments shown under ‘Payments to be authorised’ on the Financial Statement including a payment of £476 to Mr Downes.
Environmental.
a. Cllr. J Adcock stated that the Parish Steward continues to undertake tasks within the village and that he is very thorough in his approach. Councillors reported a number of matters to be added to the schedule for the Parish Steward including various potholes, the need to stabilise the Lower Westwood road near to Iford Fields, the verge at 130 Upper Westwood and to add scalpings to the edges of Avoncliff Lane. Councillors also reported a number of street light defects.
b. The Council noted the correspondence from an Avoncliff parishioner that ‘No Parking/Passing Place’ signs needed to be erected in the two ‘laybys’ on Avoncliff lane to deter vehicles from parking in those spaces causing an obstruction. The Council resolved to donate £50 to the Avoncliff Community Group for the purchase of those signs and noted that they were to be erected on private land adjacent to the ‘laybys’ and not on the highway.
Open Spaces.
a. Cllr. Wheals stated that the Horse Chestnut tree overhanging one of the gardens in Chestnut Grove has been trimmed back, as requested, to the wall and although it was possible to prune up to about 6 metres, about half of the debris fell back into the garden. The Council thanked Cllr. Wheals for undertaking this work.
b. Cllr. Wheals reported the following (shown in italics):
The play equipment has been inspected and is sound and safe. An additional six partly broken slats have been replaced in the fence making a total of 16 replacement slats. There is a small worn patch in the matting near the edge of the play area which we need to consider repairing if that is possible. If not we will think of other creative ways to make it safer. It is a warning that the play area and equipment have been there for about 24 years and will not last indefinitely. Plans need to be in place soon about the longer term future of the play area.
Cllr. Wheals tabled information regarding the repair of the roundabout (1.8m high Rotating Play Web) that he had received from Tayplay Ltd. The cost of the Replacement Nylon Collar Set is £355 plus £13.50 delivery. The Council resolved that this item be purchased to enable the roundabout to be repaired and to be fully operational. The Clerk was asked to contact Tayplay and to place the order.
c. The Council resolved that the dead cherry tree is to be felled including stump grinding at a cost of £240. The Clerk stated that he would inform Acer Tree Ltd (Nick Cranston) accordingly.
d. This Agenda item was addressed earlier in the meeting.
Footpaths.
a. Cllr. Johnston stated that there was nothing significant to report.
b. Cllr. Leeder stated that there was dead tree that needed clearing on Path 29.
11. Bradford on Avon Area Board/Community Area Transport Group.
Councillors noted that the next Area Board meeting is to be held on 13 September at Westwood Social Club.
12. Dates of Meetings.
Councillors noted the dates of the next Parish Council Meetings:
· 2 October 2017 and 6 November 2017 - Ordinary PC Meetings.
13. Any Other Business.
Exchange of views on matters not requiring a decision:
Cllr. J Adcock:
· Bradford on Avon Campaign (Dementia Awareness) – Use of Black/Dark Coloured mats to be avoided.
Cllr. Johnston:
· The untidy state of the grass and gardens at the (new) Selwood Housing properties. Cllr. Kidney is to send the Clerk details of who to contact at Selwood Housing.
Cllr. Bishop:
· Parish Room Opening Reception – 9 September at 12.30pm.
· Dorothy House information to be included in the Westwood Update (not Website).
· Wiltshire Council Briefing Note – Disabled Parking Bays.
Clerk:
· Mobile Library Consultation (ends 4 November 2017).
The meeting concluded at 1005hrs.
Chairman 2 October 2017
Westwood Parish Council
ACTION LIST – Meeting 4 September 2017
Action 1 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To make payments.
Action 2 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To send comments to WC – Planning application.
Action 3 (4/9/17) Cllr. J Adcock.
To advise Parish Steward of new tasks.
Action 4 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To place order for the roundabout (Play Area) replacement part.
Action 5 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To ask Mr Downes to prune the Playing Field/Bobbin Lane hedge.
Action 6 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To ask Acer Tree Ltd to fell dead cherry tree in Westwood Park.
Action 7 (4/9/17) All Cllrs.
To examine Neighbourhood Plan document and send comments to Cllr. Leeder.
Action 8 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To send PC comments on Settlement Boundaries to Wiltshire Council.
Action 9 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To ask Mr Downes to repair/replace Remembrance Plot chain.
Action 10 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To contact Selwood House – grass cutting at new properties.
Action 11 (4/9/17) Clerk.
To contact webmaster – add link to WC planning portal.
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