HANLEY CASTLE PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on Thursday, 17th September 2015 starting at 7:00pm in Hanley Swan Village Hall.

Present: Councillors: Sue Roberts (Chairman); Bob Lamb; Sue Adeney; Sarah Darwent; John Taverner; Wendy Roberts-Powell

Apologies: Cllr Alison Bolton; Peter Goodyear (PPW); Mike Morgan (DCllr); Marjorie Nelson (PPW)

In Attendance: Mrs Rebecca Abunassar (Clerk); Andrea Morgan (DCllr); 18 parishioners

133/15 Welcome:

The Chairman welcomed all present to the Meeting of the Parish Council and said how nice it was to have so many parishioners present.

134/15 Declarations of Interest & Dispensation Requests from Councillors

a) Register of Interests: Councillors were reminded that they should have updated their register of interests and sent them to John Williams at MHDC.

b) To declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in items on the agenda and their nature: none declared.

c) To declare any Other Disclosable Interests in items on the agenda and their nature: None declared.

d) To Consider Written Requests from Councillors for the Council to Grant a Dispensation (S33 of the Localism Act 2011) – written requests to be with the clerk at least 4 days prior to a meeting – It was agreed to have a specific item on the agenda at the next meeting to discuss and finalise dispensations for the current term of office.
ACTION: The Clerk to add a Dispensation Item onto the next agenda.

Closure of the meeting to allow parishioners present to speak on any matters relating to the Parish.

Cllr Roberts invited the Parishioners present to raise any matters concerning them and Tim Griegg asked if they could discuss item 13a) on the agenda as the parishioners present had written and signed the letter that the item related to. He explained the situation and why the letter had been written and sent to the Parish Council and MHDC. The residents on Gilberts End were concerned about the number of caravans that were using the Brickwalls Barn Caravan site which they were aware was certified by two associations to take up to 5 caravans but on several occasions there had been up to 32 caravans and motor homes on a field adjacent to the certified site.

Having liaised with Daniel Wilson at MHDC they understood that these events were rallies organised by the associations and not by the site owner. The Clerk said that she had also spoken to Daniel about the site and he had advised that ‘the agricultural land adjacent to the Certified Location is being used for meetings organised and run by exempted organisations, such as the Caravan Club, Motor Caravan Club etc., on an occasional basis. There is no limit on the number of caravans on the site, however any event cannot last more than 5 consecutive days.’

The parishioners said that the issue was the number of large vehicles turning into and off of the site on a very narrow country road and that they felt it was extremely hazardous as it was on a blind bend. The other complaints were the noise level that emanated from the site due to the number of caravans and as there was no site owner in situ the noise continued passed 1am. The other concern was how the waste generated was being disposed of as there were no facilities at the site. There was also a right of way that crossed the site and parishioners felt intimidated to use it when the rallies were taking place.

They asked if the Parish Council could look into whether restrictions could be put in place on the number rallies that could be held and the number of vans that attend them. It was also felt that the site was not appropriate for large motor homes due to the limited visibility splay. The road is known to be in a poor state and numerous large vehicles using it to access the site would accelerate its deterioration.

After a long discussion it was agreed that the Clerk would write to Mr Smith the site owner, and raise the residents’ concerns and ask if it would be possible to have the dates of any rallies planned for the future so that the residents would be aware of when they would be happening.

ACTION: The Clerk to write to Colin Smith regarding the discussions and concerns raised at the meeting & whether notification of planned rallies could be given.

135/15 Minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on 16th July 2015 had been previously circulated and the minutes were approved and signed.

136/15 Matters Arising & Progress Reports not Listed elsewhere on the Agenda:

a) Min 69c/14: Anne Ballinger gift:

Action: Councillors to continue to source ideas.

b) Min 45b/15 Blackmore Bus Stop:

No additional update was available on the bus stop but Cllr Adeney advised that the new winter service was now every 1.5 hours rather than hourly. When Cllr Tom Wells arrived later in the meeting the item was raised again and he said that the bus company were still keen to pursue the proposal and were threatening to withdraw the service. The County Council would fund the realignment but he was not supporting it as he felt it would be dangerous. He asked how the Council would feel if it was used for Northbound only. All were in agreement that they would approve the use of the layby for Northbound journeys but not for Southbound as it was too dangerous a manoeuvre. Cllr Adeney asked where the Southbound service would stop; would passengers be required to exit onto the verge?
It was decided to put the item on the agenda for discussion at the next meeting and to invite residents and Chris Holloways’ replacement to attend.

ACTION: Add Blackmore Bus Stop to the agenda and ask if Chris Holloway’s replacement could attend. Let the residents by the lay by know it is to be discussed.

f) Min 98a/15: Bus Passes/Route to school & meeting with the Parish Council and the High school to resolve issue:

Cllr Bolton had reported that the Hanley Swan children had been issued with bus passes to take them to the High School.
Cllr Adeney advised that several Councillors had met at the school with the police, district councillor, governors and senior leadership team from the school and had distributed leaflets to parents. A follow up leaflet drop had been scheduled for the 2nd October.

ACTION: Councillors to attend on the 2nd of October if possible.

g) Min 98b/15: St Gabriel’s Wood:

Caroline Sutton had emailed the Clerk with the details of the owner of the wood.

ACTION: The Clerk to email the details of the owner to the Councillors.

h) Min 98c/15: Speed Check on Welland Road:

The request was still outstanding with Safer Roads Partnership.

ACTION: The Clerk to send a follow up email request.

137/15       Finance:

a) Payment of Accounts:

Members approved the payments of accounts as in the presented schedule in Appendix 1.

b) Notification of receipts received:

c) To consider Applications for Discretionary Rural Rate Relief:

i) Messers R A Phipps – Jessamine Cottage

ii) Miss S Roberts – The Three Kings

Cllr Roberts left the room and Cllr Taverner took over as chair of the meeting. He talked through the various options to be considered by the Council in relation to the Discretionary Rural Rate Relief for both applicants. It was agreed by all that option B should be approved on both applications. Cllr Roberts rejoined the meeting.

138/15 Projects related to the Section 106 Funding:

a) Cricket Club:

Cllr Roberts reported that the work had been completed.

b) Parish Council:

The signage from the Big Lottery Fund was still outstanding and would be reordered.

        ACTION: The Clerk to order the signage and arrange for it to be put up.

139/15 Planning:

a) To Consider the following applications referred by MHDC for consultation:

15/01120/FUL Land adjoining White Cottage, Gilberts End, Hanley Castle, WR8 0AS

2 no. new dwellings and creation of new access

It was agreed to object to this application as White Cottage stands on its own and in open countryside and is outside the settlement boundary. It would also increase the volume of traffic on Gilberts End which is a narrow country lane.

15/01050/FUL Mortimer Lodge, Hanley Swan, Worcestershire, WR8 0DN

Amendment to permission 09/00319/FUL proposed conversion of former coach house to dwelling for insertion of ground floor window to east elevation, insertion of 2no. roof lights to west elevation. Part retrospective.

It was agreed to object to the application as they would over look neighbouring properties and go against the conditions of the original application. If additional windows are required they should be on the east elevation instead of the west.

15/00419/FUL (Reconsultation) Land at Blackmore Park Industrial Estate,

New headquarters for ESP Ltd including production facility, storage and distribution warehouse, staff welfare accommodation, offices and workshop. Diversion of culvert. Amendments to access road and car parking. Landscaping to blend in with surrounding area. Existing office building on site to be retained.

No objections to the changes.

15/000025/CL Application for Certificate of Lawfulness relating to a Waste Incineration
Location Land at Hangmans Lane, Hanley Castle, WR8 0AJ

There was confusion over the wording and whether the Council were being asked to provide evidence that it had not been used in the last 10 years or whether it had been in use for a 10 year period. It was agreed to speak to the Planning officer and clarify their intention.

ACTION: The Clerk to contact the relevant planning officers with the council’s decisions.

b) To consider under the Scheme of Delegation any Planning Applications received
between the publication of the agenda and the Meeting

15/01197/FUL – White Cottage, Gilberts End, Hanley Castle Proposed replacement dwelling. – No Objections raised.

c) Details of Decision Notices Received to-date:

15/00640/HOU & 15/00641/LBC – Single Storey Extension to Hanley Hall

APPROVED 03/09/2015

d) Details of Appeal Notices Received to-date:

None received

e) Details of enforcement action:

Nothing to report

140/15 Highway Matters

a) Report & Works for the Lengthsman

Cllr Taverner reported no issues for the Lengthsman. The VAS was currently in Castlemorton and working well. Cllr Adeney asked if he could look at the cycle path by Cross Hands Corner towards the High School as there were brambles overhead and stinging nettles encroaching onto the path.

b) Update on reported issues

A meeting was held with Ian Bamforth on the 3rd August to show him the areas of concern on Gilberts End. Ian’s report from the meeting was still awaited.

c) Coverside Section of Road

Cllr Bolton had raised an issue of potholes on the roads around Coverside but had not been able to get confirmation as to who was responsible for the repairs. After a discussion it was agreed to contact Highways to ask if they knew who was responsible if it was not adopted by Highways. It was agreed to contact Fortis Living and explain that it was dangerous and ask if they would repair it.

ACTION: Cllr Taverner to ask Pete Sauntson to attend to the sections of the cycle path. The Clerk to contact Highways & Nexus.

141/15 District & County Councillors Reports

a) District Cllrs Morgan & Morgan:

DCllr A Morgan advised that she had been handling the complaints regarding Brick Walls Barn and liaising with MHDC to see if enforcement action was required. She said she was sorry she had missed the public section of the meeting but she was happy to help in whatever way she could. Cllr Adeney asked her about the Syrian Migrant situation and Cllr Morgan replied that they were waiting on London before decision could be made.

b) County Cllr Tom Wells:

Cllr Wells said that he had attended a large meeting at County Hall that day and had asked that they submit a bid to take a small number of refugees. It was unanimously agreed, and the decision means that MHDC would have County Council support. Funding would need to be in place by central government. He also talked about the initiative ‘World Class Worcestershire’ and what this meant. He then went on to talk about Blackmore Bus Stop, (reported in minute reference 136/15 b).

 142/15      Report of the:

a) Parish Paths Warden – (Peter Goodyear)

Repair work on the paths had been started.

b) Pond Wardens (Neil & Gigi Verlander)

None received but it was reported what a fantastic job they had done and the Clerk suggested emailing the Council’s appreciation.

c) Playing Field Warden (Graham Holmes)

None received

143/15 Environmental Matters

a) Report of the Environmental Working Group

Cllr Adeney reported that she was hoping to get the verge baled within the week. She asked if the Lengthsman could look at the verge by the primary school and determine how rough the ground was and whether he could cut it or if an alternative solution needed to be sought. It was also noted that there were a few issues with the cycle path which had been reported to the County Council for them to look into.

144/15 Neighbourhood Development Plan

Cllr Lamb informed the Council that after a lot of hard work the draft policies had been made; there were still some gaps and queries but the contracted consultants were looking at what had been produced.  A series of consultations was being run in the coming weeks and posters would be circulated to put up and advertise the events. Cllr Lamb suggested a separate consultation/update for Parish Councillors and all were in agreement that it would be a good idea. Cllr Lamb agreed to arrange a date for the other Councillors.  A design guide was being worked on and once agreed the Neighbourhood Plan could start to be written.

ACTION: Cllr Lamb to arrange a date to update/give a presentation to the Parish Council on the NDP.

145/15      Correspondence

a) Gilberts End Residents:

Temporary Caravan Site, Brickwalls Farm – Letter circulated prior to meeting – This was discussed in the Public section of the meeting.  

146/15       Topics raised by Councillors, Committees, Clerk & Parishioners –

a) Neighbourhood Planning consultation

Cllr Lamb spoke about this under the NDP section.

147/15      Councillors reports and items for future agenda:

Blackmore Bus Stop to be put on the next agenda.

148/15 Date of Next Scheduled Meeting:

15th October 2015

The meeting closed at 09.45 pm

Signed ……………………………… Date: 15th October 2015

Chairman

Appendix 1: Schedule of Payments & Receipts 16th July 2015

Payment of Accounts:

The under mentioned accounts were approved:

Signed ……………………………… Date: 15th October 2015

Chairman