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WOULDHAM PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES of the MONTHLY MEETING
of the PARISH COUNCIL held on TUESDAY,
4th SEPTEMBER, 2007, in the VILLAGE HALL, WOULDHAM.
PRESENT: Mr. K Malkinson (Chairman),
Mr. D Adams, Mr T Fulwell,
Mrs J Head, and Mr R Stone.
IN ATTENDANCE: Mr D Davis (Borough Councillor)
Mr R Dalton (Borough Councillor)
PC Dalton
PC Honeysett
Mr. M J Ross (Clerk)
MEMBERS OF
THE PUBLIC: There was 1 Member of the public
present. Action
by
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Apologies
for absence were received from
Cllrs. Giles and Parnell,
2. MINUTES: The minutes of the monthly meeting of the
Parish Council, held on the 3rd
July, 2007, were proposed by
Cllr. Stone and seconded by Cllr. Head, to be a true record of
the proceedings of the Parish
Council, and it was AGREED that they be signed by the
Chairman.
3. MATTERS ARISING FROM
MINUTES: Members AGREED that matters arising
from the minutes would be
dealt with under the appropriate heading as the meeting
progressed through the agenda.
4. CODE OF CONDUCT: The Clerk advised
Members that a new Code of Conduct had
been determined for all Town and Parish
Councils. It was necessary for the PC
to adopt
the code before the 2nd October,
2007. A copy of the model Code was passed to each
member and the Clerk pointed out the paragraphs
that did not apply. Members AGREED
that the model Code of Conduct, as presented by
the Clerk, should be adopted forthwith
and due notice of this fact should, as
required, be published in the local newspaper. The
Clerk agreed to circulate a document showing
the changes from the previous Code of
Conduct.
5. POLICE REPORT: PC Honeysett was
introduced as the new PCSO who would be
covering the Village besides other areas. She reported that during the past month
there
had been a total of 12 crimes reported.These
varied from criminal damage to theft of a
motor vehicle and the theft of a bicycle. David Kemp, the Community Warden was
currently ill and John introduced himself as
cover for the period of David Kemp’s illness.
John was the Senior Warden Supervisor for the T
& M area and planned to attend during
the day and some evening visiting as well which
was welcomed by members.
6. BOROUGH COUNCILLORS REPORT: Borough Cllr. Dalton referred to the
issues raised in regard to land adjacent to 11 School Lane and confirmed
that he
was aware of the PC’s concerns and was in contact with officers of
Development
Control at TMBC. Borough Cllr. Davis stated that Oldfield Drive was
still not
adopted. Plastic recycling at Burham was progressing but made the point
that if
Wouldham take up plastic recycling, the public should be advised to
tread on
plastic bottles etc. so as to condense them before placing them in the
recycling facility. The green lidded bin seminar for the Village, held
on the
previous day, was extremely poorly attended with only 2 or 3 members of
the
public.
7.
COUNTY COUNCILLORS REPORT: The Clerk reported that County
Councillor
Rowe had failed to send any report this month and there had been
problems
with the email system with the email sent, failing to be delivered.
8. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: The cleaning of storm gullies in the
village
was raised by a member of the public.
Cllr. Head responded by advising that this
work was scheduled for November 2007. However she had included the
cleaning
on the Spreadsheet and understood that KHS were planning to carry out
the work
in September. Did the Tour de France, which came through the village
along
Pilgrims Way, involved anycost to the PC ? was another question asked
and the
answer to this was No, no cost whatsoever.
9. PLANNING: (a) Planning applications considered and commented upon,
by
Planning Committee:
(i)
Land east of 11 School
Lane-Soil investigation: The PC object to
this application on the basis
that insufficient attention has been
given to locating the source and
extent of the contamination and
that, with the failure to do
noise tests at a more realistic location,
the original approval should be
revoked until such time as a much
more thorough examination of the
aforementioned areas has been
undertaken.
(ii)
Peters
Village-Construction of a single carriageway crossing –
Surface
water drainage: No comments
(iii)
Land east of 11 School
Lane-Details of surface and foul water
discharge:
No Comments
(iv)
Land east of 11 School
Lane-Details of slab levels: No comments
(v)
78 & 80 High
Street-Conversion to dwelling with separate 1 bed
flat: No
comments
(b)
Planning Consents
issued:
(i) Land
south of Upper Nashenden Farm-12mtre single transformer
pole
(ii) Land east of 11 School Lane-Erection of
4x2 bed houses: Details
of
materials and acoustic protection.
(iii)
Land east of 11 School
Lane-Erection of 4x2 bed houses: Details
of
landscaping
(iv)
Scarborough Farm
Barn-Alteration to form a dwelling: Details of
boundary
treatment
(v)
14 Nelson Road-Rear g/f
extension and attached side garage
extension.
(vi)
Land east of 11 School
Lane-Erection of 4x2 bed houses-Details
of slab levels
(vii)
Land east of 11 School
Lane-Erection of 4x2 bed houses-Details
of surface
& foul water discharge.
(c)
Planning
Applications refused:
There
were no applications refused this month.
(d)
Other
Planning Issues:
Access road to rear of High Street: The Clerk reported that he
had made
enquiries of Loic Flory at KCC regarding the possibility
of
obtaining a grant toward the fees for the access road and had been
advised
that this might be regarded as beneficial to the owners of the
High
Street properties backing on to the access road rather than a
community benefit. However,
Members felt that this would be
community
benefit and would alleviate the parking
problems in the
village
and agreed to proceed on this
basis.
Peters
Pit Development: The Chairman advised members that
The Planning Committee had met and considered
the application for
the
Greenway. There were a number of issues that were not clear with
one set of
plans with the application showing shrubbery in the line
of the road and another set showing the
shrubbery cleared.
Another
factor that seemed to have changed from the original plan
was the
traffic lights which were originally proposed mid way along
the
greenway whereas now there appeared to be 2 sets, one at
either end
of the greenway.
Action by
The
absence of a bridleway was also noted and it appeared that
riders
would either have to travel on the road or on the
cycleway/footway which was not considered satisfactory.In view of
these
fact, Members AGREED that the referral back to the Borough,
with a request
for clarification, was the correct course of action.The Clerk
Chairman
also made reference to the 106 Agreement for the site which,
he stated,
appeared to provide various forms of funding and felt that the
3 Villages
should capitalize on this and put forward one or two projects
each, for
funding by Trenport and see how this is
received. Chairman
10. YOUTH PROVISION: In the light of the possible
Community Centre project,
see under Village Hall item on the agenda, this matter has been
suspended. That is
not to say that the Management team of parents cannot continue
establishing the
basis of the youth club.
11. STREET LIGHTING: The Clerk reported a
letter received from DW Lighting, advising
that a Waste electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE)
required manufacturers,
sellers and resellers to ensure the correct treatment of all
equipment. Consequently, it was
envisaged that a charge of some 15-20p per lamp would be charged for
replacements.
There appeared to be no street lights out at this point in time.
12. HIGHWAYS & VERGES: General:
Further to the minute of the July meeting,
regarding Mr Jarvis’s request to place a memorial seat on the Riverfront
in memory
of his father, the Clerk reported that Mr Jarvis had been advised by
TMBC that the Borough
had no objection to the proposal and that he may go ahead and arrange
the installation of
the seat.
Cllr. Head advised members of the issues she was raising with KHS on the
Spreadsheet
this month. The were no other
issues to be raised and accordingly Cllr. Head undertook
to forward it to the Clerk for onward transmission to KHS.
13. FOOTPATHS/PROW: General: Cllr. Head reported that she
had agreed with Dennis
Munn who would be installing the kissing gate on MR 6, subject to
agreement on the
exact position of it
The Clerk reported that the acquisition of the strip of land alongside
the school, from
Trenport, was now completed and the PC were now the owners of the
land. The fees
payable to Kingsley Smith for acting in this matter, were among the
accounts for payment
this month and amounted to £1,615.09.
The Chairman referred to the footpath that was being created, through
usage, from Oldfield
Drive through to the Tramway and High Street. Members AGREED that the Clerk make an
approach to Trenport to see whether they would be prepared to allow this
as a permissive
footpath.
14. ALLOTMENTS: The Chairman reported that Andy Fizzani, on behalf
of the Allotment
Association, had reported that apart from a break in at the allotments
on the 27th July all was
going well. Nothing was taken
from the break in and the damaged fencing had been
repaired.
The Chairman suggested that he was considering asking the Allotment
Association if they
would be interested in resurrecting the Flower & Veg Show. In years gone by, an annul
Flower and Veg Show had proved quite successful and it would open to
residents of all 3
Villages. Members AGREED that
this suggestion was worth exploring further and the Chairman
Chairman be authorized to consult with the Allotment Association about
such a Show.
15. RECREATION GROUND: The Chairman referred to the
suggested layout of 2
football pitches on the Recreation Ground, produced by John Verrall of
Burham FC.
It was felt that this layout restricted the space for the public’s use
of the land and consequently
did not feel that it could be agreed to. Members AGREED that the layout was unacceptable
and that Mr Verrall be advised accordingly.
The Chairmn also referred to the fact that he was hoping to arrange a
meeting with officers of
TMBC, in regard to the Recycling area within the car park of the
Recreation Ground. It was
considered that this area needed re-vamping and he was hoping to agree
an improved area, Chairman
within the car park area, that would be more ‘user friendly’.
The Clerk reported that he had received the Engineer’s Report from
Zurich Insurance, for the
play equipment on the Recreation Ground. There were no major problems to be attended to
but a number of fairly minor repairs were suggested as being
necessary. It was suggested that
Dennis Worcester of ‘Just the Job’ be asked to quote for these repairs
and the cost might, at Clerk
least in part, be met from the fund held by TMBC as part of the 106
Agreement, for
maintenance and repairs.
16. VILLAGE HALL: It was reported that the Clerk had written to
Lefarge Cement
(previously Blue Circle) seeking their reaction to the PC asking for a
release from the
restrictive covenant within the conveyance of the Village Hall to the
PC, whereby the
building and land is limited to use for a Village Hall only. If the PC can obtain a release
from this restrictive covenant, they could then seek a valuation of the
premises with a view
to selling them and building a new community centre on the Recreation
Ground.
17. FINANCE: (i) General: The Clerk reported that there had
been three cheques written
during the month requiring approval, apart from those to be authorized
today, as listed
below. The cheques previously written were to Mr K Savage for materials
in connection
with the village sign (£138.60), Burham PC – 4th Week
Playscheme contribution (£211.05)
and Ms J Harmer – Salary for litter duties for July, 2007 (£214.00).
The income for the month amounted to £95.00, being the fee for the use of the Village Hall
for the election in May. This sum has to be transferred to the Village Hall account.
(ii)
Bank Position:
Income this month: £95.00
Current Account:
£7283.10 (less cheques for payment today)
Savings Account: £374.83
Building Society Account: £9,724.08
(iii)
Accounts for Payment:
Cheque No
|
Payee
|
Detail
|
Amount
|
|
2312 |
K Savage |
Expenses associated with construction
of Village Sign |
138.60 |
|
2313 |
Burham PC |
PC contribution to 4th
week of Playscheme |
211.05 |
|
2314 |
J Harmer |
Litter duties-July, 2007 |
214.00 |
|
Direct |
EDF Energy |
Street Lighting–Electricity supply
July & August, 2007 |
45.92 |
|
2315 |
Kingsley Smith LLP
|
Fees in connection with purchase of
strip of land |
1615.09 |
|
2316 |
BT
|
PC’s Quarterly Telephone Account |
72.12 |
|
2317 |
Zurich Municipal
|
Renewal of Employers Liability
Insurance, etc. |
3761.68 |
|
2318 |
Staples
|
Stationery, etc. |
28.39 |
|
2319 |
M J Ross (July & Aug.’07)
|
Sal: 1500.00; Rent: 300.00;
Exp:67.52; Imp:27.14 |
1894.66 |
|
2320 |
J Harmer
|
Litter Duties-August, 2007 |
171.20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total to be authorised today: |
7543.14 |
All the above accounts were approved for payment.
Action by
(iii) Grants: The Clerk reported that he had
consulted with Loic Flory of
KCC, regarding the PC’s application for a Local Schemes Grant. He stated that Mr Flory had
Indicated that any grant application must be complete with all necessary
approvals obtained to
show the PC’s commitment to the scheme and for the PC to be in a
position to commence the
project before the end of March, 2008.
It was also understood that the County Council had
much more limited funds this year with grants of £2,000 – 3,000 being
likely rather than the
larger amounts of the past. It
was agreed that in this PC’s case, it was doubtful whether they
would be in such a position for the Youth project, especially in view of
the most recent
possibility of selling the present Village Hall and erecting a new
community center on the
Recreation Ground.
In view of this Members AGREED that an application should be made for
the fees that would
be required for designing and making the necessary planning application,
for the access road
and authorized the Clerk to submit the appropriate application. This application would be for Clerk
a sum of £2,000.
It was also AGREED that a Local Members
grant application should be submitted, for the
costs of landscaping the newly acquired strip of land adjacent to the
school. This was likely Clerk
to be in the region of £1,200 - £1,500.
The Clerk also advised Members that Loic Flory had also enquired about
the most recent
Members grant for bluebells and Wouldham Common renovation works, which
was still
outstanding. Cllr. Head stated
that the bluebells would be planted in the near future with Clerk
the other planned works being undertaken shortly also.
18. SPECIAL REPORTS: (a)
Village Sign: As referred to last month, the Village sign was
now ready for erection. The
area on the green where it was proposed to locate it had been
checked for services and was clear.
Cllr. Stone, together with the Chairman and Cllr. Head
Cllr. Stone would determine the precise site of the sign within the
green area and confirmed that
they would ensure that the sign was erected as soon as possible.
The grass cutting of the green was also referred to since with the
erection of the sign and the
subsequent installation of a bench seat on the green, it was considered
vital that the PC had
control over the area and ensured that it always looked neat and tidy,
with appropriate planting
and it was AGREED that TMBC be approached again to determine whether or
not they would Clerk
be prepared to allow the PC to maintain this area.
(b)Church News & Letter: Various items were identified for
inclusion in the Church Magazine and in the absence of Cllr. Giles, the
Clerk undertook to Clerk
produce the item for the forthcoming month.
19. CORRESPONDENCE: The
list of letters and other correspondence received during the
month was
circulated to Members on the e-mail, so that any Member could request sight of
any
particular
item that they wished to read.
20. DATE OF NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be on the 2nd
October, 2007.
21. COUNCILLORS/CHAIRMAN/CLERK:
Cllr. Adams questioned the actions of Cllr.
Fulwell in bringing
a libel action against the Chairman and Clerk in regard to the PC produced
document
‘Response’. He considered it ill
advised and as the issue was some 6 months old
wondered
why he had chosen to take this course of action now particularly bearing in
mind
the fact
that the Standards Board for England had determined that there was no case to
answer.
Cllr.
Fulwell stated that this was an action brought by him against the Chairman and
Clerk and
was not a
matter for the PC.
Cllr. Head,
on the same issue regarding the libel action brought against the Chairman and
Clerk,
asked Cllr. Fulwell, if he lost the action would he resign as a parish
councilor.
Cllr.
Fulwell confirmed that he would if the case went against him.
There being
no further business to discuss, the meeting closed at 9.35pm
Signed as a correct record of the
proceedings
Date: 2nd
October, 2007. Chairman:………………………
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