Minutes 19th January 2015 – Bramley Parish Council

Minutes of the Meeting of the Council
Date:	Monday 19^th January 2015		Time:	7.30pm
Place:	Bramley Room, Bramley Village Hall
Present:	Cllr Durrant (Chair)	Cllr Bell (Vice Chair)
	Cllr Wright	Cllr Ansell
	Cllr Clarke	Cllr Capel
In Attendance:	Maxta Thomas (Clerk)	6 members of the public
	Cllr Chris Tomblin (Borough)
Apologies:	Cllr Murphy	PCSO Nathaniel Johnson
	Cllr Keith Chapman (County)	Cllr Jayawardena (Borough)

		*Action*
1	Apologies for Absence
	As listed above. It was noted that this is the 13^th consecutive month that Cllr Jaywardena has not attended a Bramley PC meeting.
2	Declarations of Interest
	None
3	Co-option of Councillors
3.1	Update – Cllr Durrant took the opportunity to announce the resignation of Cllr Grieve. He noted the excellent contribution that Cllr Grieve has made to the Parish Council in her time on the Council, and particularly her work on the Youth Facility project and the Village Hall. He thanked Cllr Grieve for her hard work. There are now two vacancies on the Council, which will be advertised locally in due course. Cllr Durrant also welcomed Cllr Capel to the Council.	*Clerk*
3.2	Roles and responsibilities – the areas particularly requiring a Council representative are the Village Hall liaison and Clift Meadow Trust liaison. It was noted that it may be difficult without a full complement of councillors; however the Chairman asked all councillors to consider taking one of these on. Cllr Durrant is currently fielding CMT issues, and Janet Grieve will keep the Council up to date on Village Hall issues.
4	Minutes of the Last Parish Council Meeting
4.1	Cllr Ansell proposed and Cllr Bell seconded that the minutes of the meeting held on 15^thDecember 2014 were a true and accurate record. Unanimously agreed. The minutes were signed by the Chairman. Cllr Bell asked if all actions from the last meeting had been carried out. Cllr Durrant stated that two items were not complete, but would be imminently.
5	Open Forum
5.1	The Chairman invited questions and comments from those present. Mike Peats asked why Gleesons have not been required to carry out a Strategic Environment Impact Assessment (SEIA) for the proposed Strawberry Fields development when the NDP must.
6	Presentation on Level Crossing App by Steve Ardagh-Walter
	Mr Ardagh-Walter ran through his presentation. The app is available from www.levelx.info. It is currently being trialled at Thatcham Level Crossing. It gives data on when trains are expected through the level crossing and when barriers will be down. He noted frustration and safety issues with level crossing closure times. The developers are talking with SW trains and Network rail with an eye to developing a ‘car ready app’ with voice capability. Network Rail are looking for one authority to trial the app. There would be a financial contribution from Network Rail. However, the developers are also looking for earlier development directly with Bramley PC. Ongoing costs would be £600 per month for a 6 month trial. This would Include a survey of drivers at the level crossing for their typical travel details. The following questions were asked: What data is used and how is it obtained? Data includes all trains, including freight traffic, via live information from Network Rail data feeds. Has reliability of information been measured? It has – reliability is within 1 minute of actual times, and from 10 minutes ahead accuracy is 80%. How are manually controlled barriers taken in account? At the moment they are not; however, the developers are looking to liaise with Basingstoke Control Centre to take this into account. What has the take up at Thatcham? Currently 250-300 users and still increasing out of a possible 3000. More marketing is required. What do users have to do to use the app? Users register via the website to use the app, which downloads to smartphones. It is free of free of charge for now, but will be a subscription service later on. 10% subscription take up currently, which is not enough to finance further development. It is not Windows phone compatible at the moment – Android and I-phone capable only. Has a survey of traffic speeds been carried out since the app went live? There is a possibility of drivers speeding to avoid waiting at barriers. This has not been done as yet. The developers are very aware of the possibility, and plan to include strong safety messages in marketing material. The Council will consider the app and possible funding in due course.	*All*
6	Planning & Development
6.1	14/03698/LDEU – The Slates Silchester Road Bramley Application for certificate of lawfulness for the existing use of one bedroom detached dwelling for residential occupancy Cllr Durrant gave some background to the application, noting that the PC objected to a previous application. However, no objections. 14/03806/HSE – 31 Farriers Close Bramley Erection of single storey rear extension No objections 14/03852/HSE – Brambledown Sherfield Road Bramley Erection of a single storey rear extension and raising the height of the roof to allow provision of first floor accommodation. Installation of additional windows and rooflight. Erection of front porch Wood effect cladding not in keeping with neighbouring properties. Cllr Durrant noted the changes would totally change the character of the building, as well as raising the roofline. Objections on this basis. 14/03831/FUL – Lilac Cottage Lane End Bramley Erection of new dwelling and parking following the demolition of existing garage. Formation of new access and parking at Lilac Cottage Cllr Durrant noted that this is the Conservation Area, and that the previous application was objected to and refused. The loss of garages adding to parking problems was noted. Objections to new building in Conservation Area. 14/03890/LBC – Grays House The Street Bramley Removal of section of internal chimney breast between kitchen and sitting room Cllr Ansell commented that all work should be completed on taking period elements into account. Otherwise, no objections. 14/03891/HSE – 26 Taylor Drive Bramley Erection of part two storey, part single storey rear extension Cllr Durrant noted that the second storey does block out some southerly light to a neighbouring building. Otherwise, no objections.	*Clerk* *Clerk* *Clerk* *Clerk* *Clerk* *Clerk*
6.2	Approvals/Refusals – recent approvals and refusals were noted.
6.3	Update on Strawberry Fields development
	Cllr Durrant has responded to the email from Cratus as agreed in December. He has also responded in full to the survey results, again as agreed in December.
7	Clerk’s Report & Correspondence The Clerk noted her forthcoming attendance on a Cemetery Management Course. The Clerk has received a letter of thanks from Rev. John Lenton for the completion of the grant for Cross House. Cllr Durrant noted that the meeting room at Cross House now looks very good.
8.1	Councillor Training Event – the clerk noted that she has been in touch with HALC with regard to running a training event for councillors in Bramley. With three new councillors recently co-opted, it has been suggested that an introduction / refresher course would be useful, aimed at Bramley Parish Council. The cost for this would be £550 for a one day training course for up to 16 people. This would be considerably less expensive per person than attending the standard course in Eastleigh. It could also be extended to include other local councillors if necessary. It was unanimously agreed to have the training session. Clerk to take forward.	*Clerk*
8.2	Fundraising Seminar – the Clerk has been in touch with HALC about setting up a seminar for local voluntary organisations on fundraising. This would be hosted by the Parish Council. There are no cost guidelines as yet. Cllr Durrant noted this is in response to the suggestion for a local forum event. It was unanimously agreed to pursue this further once costs have been obtained.	*Clerk*
8.3	IT Support Assistant – the Clerk is in the process of putting together an advert for the post, which should be ready for publication in a few days.	*Clerk*
8.4	Website upgrades – Cllr Wright gave a brief outline on maintenance work that needs to be carried out on the website. Two items need addressing. A major upgrade to the next version of Joomla needs to be applied, which will need professional assistance to ensure that everything migrates properly. It may be possible for the new IT support assistant to do this, if they are employed quickly. However, the work needs to be done soon, so Cllr Wright to obtain three quotes for work needed. Upgrade to web hosting plan will give more storage and functionality for website. Currently the website is at 75% full on webspace. The increase in cost will be minimal. This will give website space to grow – Cllr Wright noted that use of the website has doubled over the past year. Cllr Wright proposed the upgrade to the webhosting plan, seconded by Cllr Bell, and unanimously agreed.	*Cllr Wright* *Cllr Wright*
8	Reports
7.1	Reports from Parish Council representatives
a.	Allotments & Burial Ground Update – See appendix A. Allotments – waiting list is at 14. Sent out invoices for 2015. Burial Ground – Cllr Ansell has circulated information on burial ground costs for both Bramley and other local grounds. This will need to be looked at once clerk has attended training. February/March agenda.	*Clerk / Cllr Ansell*
b.	Neighbourhood Development Plan – See appendix A. Cllr Bell noted that a habitat assessment is not required, although a Strategic Environment Impact Assessment (SEIA) is. This is because a maximum number of houses per site has been set, rather than a maximum for the Parish. The cost is of the SEIA will be around £5000 and must be carried out by an independent expert. It will take 4 weeks to carry out. Cllr Bell is obtaining quotes for the SEIA. BDBC may be able to contribute £4000 towards cost – Cllr Bell is liaising with the relevant Cabinet member, Mark Ruffell. Cllr Bell has also referred the issue to Planning Aid. An application for £7000 of grants for NDP work has been submitted, and a response is awaited. This has meant the project plan time has slipped, and a referendum is unlikely to be until March 2016. Cllr Bell is trying to push this forward for a sooner referendum. Cllr Durrant noted that any assessments required should be carried out – corners are not o be cut. Cllr Bell noted that consultations required cannot be carried out concurrently – they must be consecutive. Cost of presenting NDP to community – this needs to be investigated. Cllr Durrant noted that all public consultations must be professional. Cllr Bell to investigate getting the consultation document to all households in Bramley. Cllr Durrant noted that an extra £5000 has been allocated in 2015/16 budget for the NDP.	*Cllr Bell*
c.	Village Hall Trust – See appendix A.
d.	Youth Facility Project & Recreational Facilities – See appendix A. Outstanding items – sound proofing needs addressing. See item under grant applications.
e.	Education & Schools – Cllr Ansell to meet with the Head Teacher in first week of February.
f.	Policing and Neighbourhood Watch – see appendix A.
g.	Highways & Road Closures – The recent C32 closure due to a fallen tree was noted, as was the length of time it took to clear. The Clerk has been in touch with Highways, who stated that there were many fallen trees in the county that day, and priority was given to A and B roads. he Clerk also expressed to Highways the Council’s concern on the lack of diversions. Cllr Durrant noted the issue adds more weight for the PC argument that infrastructure in Bramley is not suitable for more development.
8.2	Borough Councillor Report
	Cllr Tomblin gave a verbal report. The new Chief Executive, Mel Barrett, is due to starts in the next few weeks. The Local Plan is ongoing – the Inspector has held a public meeting. He has highlighted that more houses per annum is required. It now looks as though the Local Plan will not be ready until spring 2016. This will leave areas such as Bramley to developers trying to pre-empt the plan. It has been announced that Manydown might not be financially viable with 40% social housing. This is now with Economic, Planning & Housing Committee for investigation. Cllr Tomblin has been in touch with Cllr Jayawardena re the LIF footbridge project, asking to be kept involved in meetings on subject. Cllr Tomblin to keep Brimley PC informed. Cllr Durrant requested that Bramley PC is also involved where necessary. Cllr Bell asked why £150,000 of Minchens Lane s.106 money is going to the footbridge project – Cllr Tomblin has queried this, but has not yet received a satisfactory answer. He will continue to investigate.	*Cllr Tomblin*
8.3	County Councillor Report
	No report. The Clerk has spoken with him about the flood in Coopers Lane.
8.4	Chairman’s Report Cllr Durrant has received a letter from a Minchens Lane resident about traffic volume, and abuse of pedestrians by motorists. Cllr Durrant has responded agreeing with residents’ complaints and noting that the PC is making representations to HCC Highways on the subject. It was noted that road maintenance has been severely lacking in the area. Cllr Durrant noted on-going correspondence with resident near Clift Meadow, who has had numerous questions and complaints about the Minchens Lane development. He has been directed to previous PC minutes.
10	Parish Environment
10.1	Speed Limit Reminder sign – Cllr Durrant noted the statistics received from BDBC, and noted that the SLR signs do not seem to making any impact on speeds – speeds are remaining steady. Cllr Ansell proposed cancelling SLR contract for now, seconded by Cllr Bell, and unanimously agreed. Clerk to action. Cllr Ansell to look at possible speed control methods.	*Clerk* *Cllr Ansell*
10.2	Road Safety Proposals – see appendix b. Cllr Ansell noted that community engagement needs to be carried out. He has found and met with a contact at Network Rail, who has provided a map of land in Bramley owned by Network Rail.Cllr Ansell noted that the footbridge and safety proposals are now all part of same project within BDBC. It was noted that the footbridge will not happen before electrification of the line, is due to happen in 2019. Independent survey – Cllr Ansell needs to speak with Cllr Murphy to obtain information.	*Cllr Ansell*
10.3	Cinder Track Maintenance – leaves have now been cleared from Cinder Track. All lights appear to be working. Clerk to find out who is responsible.	*Clerk*
10.4	Bramley Treescape Appraisal – this is being looked at as part of NDP- it has been suggested by BDBC. Cllr Bell to follow up with tree officer at BDBC.	*Cllr Bell*
10.5	Ditching work at Bramley Green – security ditches have been reinstated at access to Bullsdown Farm. However, drainage ditches need clearing. The Clerk has been in touch with SSE who have confirmed that Bramley PC are responsible. Clerk to contact Bulpitts for a quote for clearance. Bramley Green Lane – Lane End to be shut in near future. Clerk to find out why.	*Clerk* *Clerk*
10.6	Coopers Lane Flooding – the Clerk noted the flood at Coopers Lane. She has been in touch with Highways, who were due to carry out work to resolve the matter last weekend. Cllr Chapman is also now involved, so results should be seen very soon, if not already done. Update to go on website.
11	Consultation Documents requiring consideration
	None
11	Finance
11.1	Payments and Reconciliation Approval – see appendix B. The clerk outlined the payments and reconciliation for January. She noted the following: Final payments to Strongbond and Macallan Penfold for the Youth Facility building. There is still a £7150 retention to pay in 6 months, but other than this, the building costs and s.106 grant payments are complete. The Clerk has put in a claim for the first tranche of VAT, but due to delays at HMRC, this has not yet happened. Clerk to contact builder and BDBC re VAT situation, and request an extension on paying the current bills until the situation is resolved. Bills have been received from the CMT for the agreed rental of office space and hall hire at the YFB and Pavilion. Other payments are as expected. It was proposed by Cllr Durrant and seconded by Cllr Wright to authorise the payments subject to above comments. Clerk to process.	*Clerk* *Clerk*
11.2	Acknowledgement of Receipts – See appendix B S.106 money has been received for the Youth Facility. Minor monies have been received for burials, and a small wayleaves payment has been received from SSE.
11.3	Finance Committee Report the Clerk has circulated draft minutes of the meeting held on 12^th January. She noted that the budget was finalised, and that discussion was held on the Clift Meadow Trust grant situation. Cllr Durrant will be chair of the Finance Committee (FC) for the next two meetings. If no-one comes forward as Chair at that point, then all decisions will revert to full council. This may happen anyway with the current shortage of councillors.
11.4	2015/16 Budget & Precept – the budget has now been finalised, and the FC recommended to Council for approval. Cllr Durrant noted that general project spending does not need to be itemised at this stage. It was proposed by Cllr Durrant and seconded by Cllr Clarke to adopt the 2015/16 budget. Unanimously agreed. The FC recommended that Council set the 2015/16 precept at £65,000, which is the same as last year. This was proposed by Cllr Durrant and seconded by Cllr Bell and unanimously agreed. The Limited General Grant will also be applied for at the same rate as last year. Clerk to process.	*Clerk*
12	Grant Applications
12.2	Clift Meadow – it was noted that CMT have now allocated all of the £11,500 grant that was made by the PC in October. However, further funding is now required for soundproofing the YFB, and for signage (the funding for this item was re-allocated to purchasing tables and chairs). Sound proofing – it was noted that the Pavilion has been sound-proofed, but not necessarily very successfully. Cllr Ansell noted that CMT needs to obtain more than one quote for the work, which needs to include extra electrical work to get it up to usage standard – he observed that the Council need to be seen to be spending public money with due diligence. Unanimously agreed. Signage – Cllr Tomblin suggested approaching Cllr Chapman for a grant towards this item. No decision this due to getting further quotes for soundproofing work. Cllr Ansell asked about operating costs, and queried why there were backdated electricity costs. This is due to the new building being a spur of the Pavilion circuit. PC to ask if a separate meter can be put in for YFB to clarify the bills. Cllr Tomblin asked who project managed the project – the Borough managed (and specified architects) along with two parish councillors. Cllr Tomblin asked to be kept informed of developments. Cllr Durrant noted that bills were paid through the PC so that VAT could be reclaimed. The VAT was meant to cover the s.106 shortfall. It does, and there is also a surplus, which should be used to cover any extra expenses on the YFB. It was noted that the Council should hold a copy of the contract that was awarded, together with the original budget. Clerk to obtain.	*Clerk*
14	Date of Next Meeting
	The meeting closed at 9.54pm The next meeting will be held on Monday 16^th February 2015 at 7.30pm, in the Bramley Room at the Village Hall.

Appendix A – Briefing Notes – January 2015

ALLOTMENTS

Total plots currently under lease agreement

X8 full plots
X8 half plots

Total plots available for lease –

All plots available are under offer/lease

The winter newsletter has been released, as have the invoices for the 2015 lease costs.

Plot 9 was released at the start of the year and has been split into 2 ½ plots and allocated to 2 residents originally waiting for Plot 1.

Currently waiting list has 16 applicants, but will be reducing by 2 this month due to Plot 1 being available again once turned over and fenced in the coming months.

The list has been reduced by 34% in these last few months.

Actions

Plots 1 & 2 although cleared are not ready to be used as allotments. Once drier weather returns as approved by the PC we will look to fence of the areas, clear the remaining roots and spoil, we are still waiting for the drier weather.

BURIAL GROUND

As requested at the December Parish Council meeting a small survey in to burial costs has been carried, the short briefing note has been provided to councilors via email.

NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The Neighbourhood Plan is in Draft Form and waiting minor editing. The Plan in its present form was presented to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for preliminary screening. This was for consideration by consultation bodies to see if a Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment

(SEIA) and Habitat Regulation Assessment were required for the Plan. The report from Basingstoke and Deane has been received requesting an SEIA. This will take 3 to 4 weeks and has to be completed by an Independent professional organisation and will be presented to BDBC along with the Finalised Draft Plan. Prior to this it has to be approved by the Parish Council. The report from BDBC is on the web site www.bramleyndp.org.uk

The SEIA will cost about £5,000. BDBC have said that there could be a contribution of £4,000 and an application form has been made available. In discussion with Planning Aid, then a suitable body is being found to do the report. Such a report was requested for Oakley Draft Plan.

Reports have been completed on how the £7,000 grant received from Locality has been spent. This money had to be spent before the 31^st December, 2014. As a result, the 10% of the grant held back will be released.

In December, the Bramley Characterisation was completed. This is a comprehensive report on the character of Bramley taking into account the layout of housing, the topography of area, reporting on open spaces, green natural features, wild life ecology, landmarks, building details and land uses. It will be an appendix to the Final Plan and will be on the web site within the next month.

With the extra reports that are required as a result of BDBC preliminary screening, the plan will not get presented to the PC before February. Besides having to do the SEIA, the comments from BDBC are that the plan is looking good and will if accepted by the community play an important role in any future developments in Bramley.

VILLAGE HALL TRUST

There is nothing new to report since the BN in December. There is a Murder Mystery Supper on 14 February which has been widely advertised. We have a VHT meeting next Monday 26 January so there will be more information for the February BPC meeting.

Community Facilities Manager – The LIF agreement confirming funding for the above role has been forwarded to the Village Hall Trust. A small Steering Group of VHT and Clift Meadow Trust representatives has been set up to manage this in conjunction with Stephen Bate of the B&DBC Community Development Team who will ensure compliance of all procedures and reporting requirements. Advertisements for the role will be placed in early February across local media and noticeboards.

YOUTH FACILITY PROJECT/RECREATIONAL AMENITIES

Recreational equipment and amenities:

The gym equipment has been installed at Clift Meadow Park

EDUCATION & SCHOOLS

No report

POLICING & NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

Shed and Outbuilding Burglaries: Shed and Outbuilding Burglaries have started to decrease after the Christmas period. They still remain a big concern for the Constabulary and local residents. Three offenders have been arrested. One narrowly avoided a Prison sentence, another has been bailed pending sentencing (on an unrelated incident) and has been placed on electronically monitored curfew to prevent further offending. The third is still awaiting their time in court. This is a great result and shows our communities and the offenders that we are taking these incidents seriously.

Even though we have had a great result with catching three offenders, there are still many out there who would not have a second thought about breaking into your shed and stealing your items.

Please consider this advice:

Multiple (different types) locks on your shed doors. – Most locks require different tools to remove

Place net curtains in the windows of your shed/ outbuilding.

Ensure you have all valuable garden equipment serial numbers stored somewhere safe.

Consider placing a ground anchor lock within your shed/ outbuilding and secure valuable equipment to that with a heavy duty lock.

Consider moving your high value items into your house.

Take pictures of your valuables so if they are stolen and recovered it is easier to find out who the owner is.

Use a UV pen to write your postcode on any equipment so it’s easier to identify the owner.

Anti Social Behaviour: ASB rose by one incident this month however this is not concerning as the majority of these incidents were “one offs.” We are still working very closely with our partner agencies in order to prevent these issues emerging in the future. Please be assured that these reports are very localised, coming from the same areas and does not spread across the whole of the beat.

I would like to encourage all residents to report any incidents of anti social behaviour to us on 101, or if you are a resident of social housing and your issues are with a neighbour also living in social housing accommodation, please report any incidents to your local housing officer.

Overall: A good month with a reduction in incidents across the beat, hopefully this reassures some residents regarding some concerns they may have. If you still have concerns regarding issues in your area please don’t hesitate to call us and report it.

Emergency. As always, please can I ask all residents to report any suspicious persons, vehicles or incidents using the 101 telephone number; please only ring 999 if it is a genuine emergency.

HIGHWAYS/RIGHTS OF WAY & ROAD CLOSURES

No written report on Highways.

Rights of Way

No Paths issues have been directly report to the Parish Clerk.
There is no update concerning the path linking the German Road and Lane End Roads to the C32 along the side of the railway. As explained the path link is in breach of the Rights of Way. There is an outstanding challenge through planning to the developer concerning this, however at the moment I cannot provide any further information, no change on this item since November 2014.

TRANSPORT/ROAD SAFETY PROJECT

Meeting – Developer Level-X application

I and Maxta met with the developer of the Level-X application, Steve Ardagh-Walter.

Steve provided a short presentation of the function of the application and the history behind its development, Maxta and I posed some questions to Steve. Short bulleted synopsis below.

The system and application is currently installed at the Thatcham level crossing
Original business model was to offer a 3 month free take up, and they move to a monthly/annual charge of within £10-£15, unclear if monthly or annual.
The original business model failed, and currently no funding in place. Take up within the Thatcham scheme was between 300-350 users, but very few looked to take up the offer when the free period finished.+
Ongoing discussions with Network Rail, but no agreed deployment yet.
Some modification would be needed of the application to work for Bramley’s crossing.
Accuracy of the application achieved improves over time with approx. accuracy of 95-99%.
The envisaged monthly charge for a 6 month trial deployment would be approximately £600 a month, overall cost within the region of £7000

I shall not provide my personal feedback until councilors have been able to review the application and the planned short presentation by the developer at the January Parish Council meeting.

Establishing LIF project plan

I have taken sometime to establish a draft project plan to cover the next 2-3 months for the Parish Council

I would very much welcome any comments / help.

Meeting – Network Rail

After many months of trying we seem to have established a firm point of contact for Network Rail. Tony and I met with Ivan on Thursday 8^th January.

We mainly discussed the situation related to the proposed footbridge and also land in and around the station and level crossing.

Ivan has provided a mapping overlay indicating the specific land owned by Network Rail, I need to map this over OS, google earth etc.

In discussing the footbridge, he seem very surprised that the proposal was not Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant. We need to pursue this engagement and I believe the Parish Council should discuss how we continue contact during the phase of the feasibility study for the LIP funding.

Contact details –

Ivan Dowman | Project Manager | Wessex Route

Network Rail | Asset Protection | Asset Management

Waterloo General Offices | Suite 2 – Floor 4 | London | SE1 8SW |

Tel: +44 (0)20 7922 9712 | Internal: 00:29712 | Mob: +44 (0)7779 707 227|

Email: Ivan.Dowman@NetworkRail.co.uk

Appendix B – Finance