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Minutes of the Meeting of the Council |
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| Date: | Monday 16th February 2015 | Time: | 7.30pm | |
| Place: | Committee Room, Bramley Village Hall | |||
| Present: | Cllr Bell (Vice Chair) | Cllr Clarke | ||
| Cllr Murphy | ||||
| In Attendance: | Maxta Thomas (Clerk) | 5 members of the public | ||
| Apologies: | Cllr Durrant | Cllr Capel | ||
| Cllr Wright | Cllr Ansell | |||
| Cllr Keith Chapman (County) | Cllr Tomblin (Borough) | |||
| Cllr Jayawardena (Borough) | PCSO Nathaniel Johnson | |||
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Action |
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| 1 | Apologies for Absence |
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| As listed above. The high numbers of Parish Councillor absence was noted; three are ill and one is on holiday. Cllr Bell noted that it was unfortunate that neither of the Borough Councillors were able to attend, given the current issues with the Local Development Plan and its impact on neighbourhood planning. He congratulated Cllr Jayawardena on the birth of his baby daughter. |
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| 2 | Declarations of Interest |
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| None |
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| 3 | Council Vacancies |
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3.1 |
The vacancies have now been publicised in the Parish, with no-one coming forward to request an election. The Council is now free to co-opt as soon as at it is ready. |
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| 4 | Minutes of the Last Parish Council Meeting |
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4.1 |
Cllr Murphy proposed and Cllr Clarke seconded that the minutes of the meeting held on 19th January 2015 were a true and accurate record. Unanimously agreed. The minutes were signed by the Vice Chairman.
Cllr Bell noted that a ‘Matters Arising’ item should be included on future agendas. |
Clerk |
| 5 | Open Forum |
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5.1 |
The Vice Chairman invited questions and comments from those present.
Judy Foyle noted concerns from Moat Close residents about the recent road closure for the Bramley Road Race – does the PC get any say in road closures? Cllr Bell confirmed that the Council are notified of closure road closures, but have no say. Cllr Murphy noted there were also safety concerns for participants after they had completed the race. Clerk to contact BDBC and organisers with residents’ concerns. |
Clerk |
| 6 | Planning & Development |
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6.1 |
15/00010/FUL – 130 Kirby Drive Bramley
Erection of single storey extension and single storey rear extension to replace conservatory. Relocation of garden wall to include land from open space to residential land, following demolition of existing wall Concerns about taking over open space were noted. However, on checking the title plan, it is apparent that the space concerned is part of the property footprint. No objections. 15/00142/LBC & 15/00141/HSE – Minchens House Minchens Lane Bramley Erection of rear extension with first floor accommodation following demolition of existing single storey rear extension Cllr Bell gave some background to this application. No objections. |
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6.2 |
Approvals/Refusals – recent approvals and refusals were noted. Cllr Bell noted the parking conditions on QPS House application. |
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6.3 |
Update on Strawberry Fields development – no further news. |
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6.4 |
Emerging Local Development Plan – Cllr Bell outlined the recent meetings held at BDBC with regard to the Local Development Plan, and also how this will impact on the number of houses to be built in the Borough. He particularly noted the recent meeting of the Manydown Committee, which considered three proposals:
Cllr Bell went on to note that the current timetable for the Local Development Plan shows that it is unlikely to be in places until March 2016 at the earliest, which will leave sites identified for possible development vulnerable. Cllr Bell finally noted that BDBC appear to be keen to honour NDPs that are nearing completion. |
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| 7 | Clerk’s Report & Correspondence
The Clerk noted her recent attendance on a Cemetery Management Course. She has since met with Cllr Ansell to discuss various aspects, particularly with regards to health & safety and risk assessments. The Clerk has also attended a HALC Clerk’s update, which focused on the upcoming elections and also on audit procedures. |
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7.1 |
Councillor Training Event – the Clerk now has possible dates for this event. She will contact Councillors with details. |
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7.2 |
Fundraising Seminar – the Clerk has now has possible dates for this event, and will be in touch with local organisations in due course. The cost for this event will be £275. |
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7.3 |
IT Support Assistant – this position is being advertised. There have been no applications to date. Cllr Murphy suggested advertising the post at QMC sixth form college. |
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7.4 |
Website upgrades – Cllr Wright has made the necessary upgrade to the web hosting package, which means that there is now more storage for the website. He has also obtained two quotes for the work on upgrading the website to the new version of software and is awaiting a third. Cllr Wright was unable to give any further update as he is unwell. |
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| 8 | Reports |
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8.1 |
Reports from Parish Council representatives |
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a. |
Allotments & Burial Ground Update – See appendix A.
No report as Cllr Ansell is unwell. |
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b. |
Neighbourhood Development Plan – See appendix A.
Cllr Bell noted that timescales are all consecutive – each step cannot be carried out concurrently. Cllr Murphy also observed that BDBC also have their own time constraints that may cause delays. Cllr Bell stated that Parish Councillors can see the draft in its current form, but it is not ready to be released to the wider Bramley community. |
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c. |
Village Hall Trust – See appendix A. |
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d. |
Clift Meadow Trust – See appendix A. |
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e. |
Education & Schools – See appendix A.
No report as Cllr Ansell is unwell. |
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f. |
Policing and Neighbourhood Watch – See appendix A.
Problems with youths at Longbridge Road and Bramley Green Road were noted – PCSO Johnson is aware of these, but cannot do much unless he catches the perpetrators in the act. Advised residents to call 101 when problems arise. Cllr Murphy noted that Neighbourhood Watch will now not be sending out regular alerts – members will need to register via the relevant website. The Clerk has already signed up on behalf of the Council. |
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g. |
Highways & Road Closures – the Clerk has been in touch with Highways about the flooding in Cufaude Lane. There are two areas of concern. The first is under the railway bridge – the gullies have been cleared, and the flood is clear for the moment. A more permanent scheme will need to be put in place, but it is unclear when and what this will be.
The second area is the flood on the double bend near Sandwick House. Highways are aware of this, but are able to do little until the weather dries up more, as the area will need to be pumped out to allow investigations. Because of this, and also budgetary constraints, there is unlikely to be any work done on it until at least April, and it will more likely be the summer before any major work is done. Cllr Bell requested that the recent Highways newsletter should go on the website. Campbell Road Roundabout – Cllr Bell noted that the central reservation looks to be very narrow, but it is apparently legal. Bus shelters will be re-instated at their original locations, although set further back from the road, when the work is completed. Cllr Bell noted that mounds of earth bordering the road will be seeded when work is complete. However, soil and rubbish on the south side of the road will not be seeded; this will need to be addressed by the contractors and HCC. Lost time has been made up, and work will be finished middle to end of March. Farriers Close traffic island – Cllr Bell noted that this is illegally narrow, and that the Council can request a traffic safety audit, which will report safety issues on the island. |
Clerk |
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h. |
Road Safety proposals – no report as Cllr Ansell is unwell. Cllr Bell noted the report for the Parish Magazine which covers a lot of points. |
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8.2 |
Borough Councillor Report |
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No report as both Borough Councillors were absent. |
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8.3 |
County Councillor Report |
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No report. |
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| 9 | Parish Environment |
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9.1 |
Ditching work at Bramley Green – Cllr Bell gave an update. No response so far from contractors re ditch clearance. He noted that residents are using the land bordering the path on the south side of the green as a facility for garden rubbish – this is not acceptable and residents will need to be informed. Clerk and Cllr Bell to follow up with contractors.
Bullsdown Farm side – the ditch has been dug, but is too deep. SSE are infilling ditches to proper depth. Cones will be removed after this is done. |
Clerk / Cllr Bell |
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9.2 |
Coopers Lane Flooding – the Clerk reported that the proposed ditching work at Coopers Lane has been partially completed. The main source of the flooding was a blocked up ditch on or near a property at the end of Coopers Lane – this has now been re-dug and connected properly to the drainage system. Highways are to return in the Spring to tidy up the area and re-seed it. Sand bags should also be removed – Clerk to monitor this and liaise with Highways. More investigative work needs to be carried out on the other side of the road, as this is a different drainage system. This will be carried out in due course. |
Clerk |
| 10 | Consultation Documents requiring consideration |
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None |
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| 11 | Finance |
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11.1 |
Payments and Reconciliation Approval – see appendix B.
The clerk outlined the payments and reconciliation for February. She noted the following:
All other payments are as expected. It was unanimously agreed to approve the payments for February – Clerk to process. |
Clerk |
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11.2 |
Acknowledgement of Receipts – Appendix B
S.106 money has been received for the outdoor gym equipment, and the final payment on a grant for the NDP has also been received. |
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11.3 |
VAT update – HMRC have finally paid the VAT claims for 2012/13 and 2013/14, after clearing up the confusion between this Council and Bramley, Surrey. The claim made in September 2014 is still awaiting payment. The Clerk is chasing HMRC to find out when payment may be expected. | |
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11.4 |
Brocas Hall Sound Proofing – Graham Miles and Simon Gill outlined the quotes they have received for this work, together with recommendations of which quote should be accepted. Cllr Clarke proposed and Cllr Murphy seconded accepting the Trustees recommendations and approving the grant. Unanimously agreed. Clift Meadow Trust to engage the contractor and arrange for the invoice to be sent to the Clerk for payment. |
CMT / Clerk |
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12 |
Grant Applications |
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None |
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| 14 | Date of Next Meeting |
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| The meeting closed at 8.42pm
The next meeting will be held on Monday 16th March 2015 at 7.30pm, in the Bramley Room at the Village Hall. |
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Appendix A – Briefing Notes
ALLOTMENTS
No report
BURIAL GROUND
No report
NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN
The Neighbourhood Plan is in Draft Form and final editing is near completion. There is going to be a delay of 10 weeks before presentation to the Parish Council waiting for the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) requested by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC). It can only be presented to the PC when this is available. The Final Version of the SEIA can be found on the web site www.bramleyndp.org.uk. The timescale is longer than expected because of the time given to the Strategic Consultees, who have to be given a period of 5 weeks to reply to the report from the Independent Consultants. The Consultant from AECOM has been instructed to produce the report.
In this period, work will continue producing the summary of the results of the community engagement. These along with the Appendices expanding on topics in the NP will then be presented to the PC for agreement. The timetable for presenting the NP to the community will also be worked on so that at the end of the presentation to the Strategic Consultees we shall immediately be able to present it through Open Meetings, making the plan available throughout the village and on the web site to the community to view and comment. The plan going to referendum is now February/March 2016 because there are going to be further delays. The Examination of the plan by BDBC and an independent examiner clashes with BDBC finalising the Local Plan. As a result Officers will be tied up with the Local Plan and not have the time for Neighbourhood Plans.
VILLAGE HALL TRUST
No report
YOUTH FACILITY PROJECT/RECREATIONAL AMENITIES
No report
EDUCATION & SCHOOLS
No report
POLICING & NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
No report
HIGHWAYS/RIGHTS OF WAY & ROAD CLOSURES
No report
TRANSPORT/ROAD SAFETY PROJECT
No report
CLIFT MEADOW TRUST
1. Expenditure.
Over the last month Clift Meadow have continued to upgrade the Park area courtesy of Parish Council grants. All the work proposed in the original October request has now been completed with the new car park lights the latest upgrade. There are still some funds to be spent including installation of wi-fi, and play mats for toddlers. Recent grant expenditure includes redirecting funds for signage to purchasing tables and chairs for Brocas Hall. I understand the delivery is imminent. We shall have permanent cafe style seating by the kitchen, and more traditional folding tables and stacking chairs for irregular users. In addition the emergency grant has been called upon to mend the shutter over the front door of the Pavilion, a genuine issue which has been a problem for a while and at its worst stops people from entering the building. The latest grant request is for Acoustic tiles in Brocas Hall. We have had 4 potential users refuse the Hall because of the echo. We shall be in touch with them again once the issue is resolved mid March (hopefully!)
2. Booking Activity.
In terms of new users we have 5 for Brocas including a new Mums and Tots group. This initiative is to coincide with the Health Visitors and will be a forum for new Mums to socialise with each other. It is really for those with new-borns, and is not a rival to 0-5’s. This initiative is being launched by Helen Wallace and Caroline Wadsworth. If popular we shall look to make it more regular.
The Youth Club’s first introductory session is on Monday. Much work has gone into its preparation with invaluable advice and input from BVA (part of Band DC). It is expected to be a slow-build but growing to 2 meetings a week. The Scouts have adopted Brocas as their new venue.
3. Events.
The Farmer’s Market had its second outing and is proving popular. We are trying to source a grocer/fruiter (?) but it’s the wrong time of year. We probably want 1-2 more food stands.
We will run a Beer and Wine evening to meet local producers in April, and a Beetle Drive shortly. We are considering running a Big Lunch in the summer. This is a nationwide initiative to encourage communities to share picnics etc… once the new tables arrive we plan to hold a series of Table Top sales.
Of concern is the complete lack of interest in cricket in the village. A new initiative needs to be launched to try and reverse this. Old Basing are using the pitch once more this summer on a few occasions.
4. Conclusion.
We continue to be in negotiations with the architect and builders regarding snagging, and the fitting of the acoustic tiles will be the final piece of the jigsaw. Looking ahead, the Pavilion needs some cosmetic upgrading; we need to be more able to host the summer FunDay and thoughts need to go into planning for that, and we are woefully short of storage for our users and we need to find a solution for them.
Interviews for a Facilities Manager start in March.
Our next meeting is on Mon 9th March at 7.30pm. Venue tbc.
Appendix B – Finance
