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Dedham |
Minutes of meeting held on 14th October 2009
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DEDHAM PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes
of Meeting held on 14th October, 2009 Present: In the Chair R. Laverick Councillors: R. Appleby, Mrs. A. Cannon, R. Cannon, M.Dempsey, B. Hindley, Mrs. K. Spencer, A. Stock, S.White Parish Clerk: Mrs. J. Flewin Electors: 15
Mr. Martin Atkinson, National Trust Property Manager, Essex & South Suffolk, attended in order to discuss with the Parish Council and residents the allotment proposal at Bridges Farm. The NT had offered a piece of land for consideration as allotments and the recently formed Allotment Association, in conjunction with the Parish Council, were keen to resolve any issues relating to this proposal in order that a scheme could go ahead. The site was proposed as it is the only part of NT land holding in Dedham suitable on landscape grounds – due to the enclosed nature of the site the conversion to allotments would not detract from the wider Vale landscape. The area has been in an ESA scheme but consultation with Natural England indicates they are happy to support the change. Mr. Atkinson provided a map of the area and a very detailed synopsis of the proposal and invited comment. Residents from Westgate House, Westgate Cottage and Loke End were aggrieved that they had not been consulted earlier and felt that decisions had been taken without their knowledge. It was explained that this was not the case and a long process of investigation to see if the suggestion was viable had been necessary before the project could be brought before the public for comment. This was the state of play which had now been reached. Residents voiced their concerns which included planning, security, parking, use of the track by vehicles and other matters.. As there is no planning application there is correspondingly no parallel process for local consultation, so to address this Mr. Atkinson proposed that a period of 21 days from the publication of the notices on the parish boards be allowed for people to comment on the allotment plans. At the end of the period an extraordinary meeting of the planning sub-committee will be held when all comments will be given due consideration, plans modified as necessary and it is to be hoped that a decision which would meet with general approval can be reached. This was unanimously agreed and the matter will be considered again next month. |
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1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE received from Cllr. Garnett. 2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING having been circulated were approved. 3. MATTERS ARISING (a) Items for106 Agreement money Cllr. Dempsey is in the process of completing the grant application form for the “fitness trail”. The feedback so far has been positive and details will be published in the November parish magazine. Cllrs. Mrs.Cannon and Spencer had selected three pieces of equipment for the play area to replace the rocking items which are now substandard.. These items would be eligible for 106 money and it was unanimously agreed that the current items should be replaced under this scheme. However it was felt that the suppliers from whose catalogue the items were selected did not offer the best service and before proceeding further other sources should be sought if possible. (b) Parish Plan Cllr. Stock reported on the first meeting of the Village Plan Steering Committee. It was obvious that the workload would be considerable and further help to manage this was necessary. It was hoped that others would come forward to assist with activities as the creation of the Plan progresses. The next meeting will be on Monday, 19th October. Cllr. Stock had prepared a progress update a copy of which is appended to the Minutes. (c) Duchy Barn Shed Photographs had been passed to the vicar and Cllr. Mrs. Cannon with the Chairman will make a date to meet with him following his holiday. (d) VAS unit Following confirmation that the “Butterfields” site was not suitable for a VAS unit and the decision made at the October meeting, Cllr. Hindley had confirmed with Highways that they could proceed with the site at the side of Church House. Cllr. Stock wished to ensure that the prescribed examination of the effectiveness of the sign after six months would take place and that the unit would be removed if traffic speed had not been reduced. Cllr. Hindley agreed that this was the procedure and he will enquire of Highways what their criteria of effectiveness was. (e) Sports Field – Trees, Dog Notices, Metal Posts Following a further examination of the lime trees along The Drift it was felt that the grass cutter could be accommodated by the lopping of a few low branches which could be undertaken by “volunteers”. This work would be done in the dormant season. Cllr. Mrs. Cannon had written to CBC asking for permission to carry out this remedial work. Cllr. Laverick agreed to investigate the provision of dog notices for the playing field – i.e. Dogs must be kept under control and No fouling. A replacement notice stating that the entrance should be kept clear at all times is also required. Further enquiries have located the posts at the roundabout end of the field in the hedge line and these will be examined. (g) Report from C.Cllr. Ann Brown C.Cllr. Mrs. Brown provided an up-to-date report on the various matters raised following the walkabout in April. Some of the agreed work had been carried out but other matters are still outstanding. Mrs. Brown is following up the problems with Princel Lane, the smell in the High Street, dog bins on the Suffolk side of the river. She also asked that Cllrs. Spencer and Dempsey contact her regarding their thoughts on flailing the verges in Long Road East and traffic easing in Mill Lane. (h) Other items under AOB Mrs. Canham has not yet made a decision regarding the gap beside the gate to her field in Brook Street. |
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4. CORRESPONDENCE (a) Red BT Kiosk in High Street B.T. are contacting all local councils with the offer of the purchase of existing red BT kiosks for £1. This “adopt-a-kiosk” scheme has been taken up by many local communities throughout the country where they have been used for many purposes and the scheme is fully supported by English Heritage. Whilst applauding the scheme generally it was unanimously agreed that Dedham needed an operational phone box in the High Street and the listed red box still fulfils a useful purpose. 128 calls were recorded over the last twelve months which it was felt is evidence that the kiosk is not defunct. Mobile phone reception in the area is not good and not everyone has one. In view of the huge number of tourists/visitors to the village it was considered imperative to maintain a service in the centre of the village. The Clerk was asked to write to BT accordingly. (b) Cllr. Laverick had received a communication from Bunting & Sons asking for information under the Freedom of Information Act in respect of Horkesley Park Heritage Centre which had been requested in two earlier letters. Unfortunately these had been addressed to the previous chairman and not sighted by Cllr. Laverick. The necessary extracts from Minutes of meetings held in April and May this year, together with a copy of the letter to Horskesley Parish Council have now been provided. 5. REPORT OF PCSO Mark Hibben reported that Farm Watch was now up and running in Dedham. This, together with Business Watch, provided a link for information adding to the security of the area. He asked that the public be vigilant and ensured that their property was securely locked with all keys stored out of sight. He was aware of the problem of parking in the Lamb Corner area where cars were being parked on the footpath on this narrow stretch of road. This will be monitored over the next few weeks. He attended a meeting at Dedham Primary School when parking was discussed. The school was actively trying to encourage parents to use the walking bus, walk themselves or share cars. Unfortunately the problem had existed for many, many years and any improvement of the current situation was short-lived. 6. FOOTPATHS/PLAY AREA Jason Botelho the new Rights of Way Officer had visited the area and looked at Fpths. 12/26/27/28. Mr. Botelho was keen that the money allocated by PPP was more closely accounted for and Cllrs Laverick and Appleby will look into this. Most of the work involving the installation of kissing gates was done by volunteer groups and Mr. Botelho suggested that Dedham might like to participate in this. Cllr. Laverick had spoken with John Osborn (Footpath Group Chairman) who had agreed that they could assist. Cllr. Laverick had joined the group installing the kissing gate on Fpth. 27. The on-line footpath guide had been approved by ECC and should go live in about a month. New laminated maps were now available. New bark had been laid in the play area. Cllr. Mrs. Cannon had approached three builders for a quote for the pavilion step rails in accordance with the specifications provided by Cllr. Dempsey. Several small jobs needed to be done on the outside of the pavilion. The gutters and down pipes needed clearing, a drain cover needs to be replaced, ivy needs to be removed from the rear wall, the sink waste at the rear needs clearing, the meter box on he rear wall which has been damaged by cars needs repair and protection and a down pipe clip needs to be replaced. Cllr. Mrs. Cannon suggested that a small working party from the Parish Council would be adequate to carry out these tasks and members agreed to help. The cricket roller has been placed in the enclosure. The Cricket Club have asked if it would be possible to reinstate their practice nets on the playing field. The old site is alongside the play area which was not in its present position at that time. Whilst there were no objections to the nets being replaced it was felt that the old site was too close to the play area for safety. The Cricket Club will be asked to consider an alternative area on the playing field. A request to share the cost of a leaf blower was considered. This was agreed with 6 for, 2 against and 1 abstention. The Council was asked to participate in the Sports Club Quiz evening on 21st November. This was agreed. |
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7. ACCOUNTS It was agreed that the following accounts be paid: £ A.P. Hodson – Hours worked in Sept. Maintenance 180.00 PPP 300.00 Mrs. O.M. Ruff – Litter 168.00 R. Cannon – Expenses 62.80 Friends of Historic Essex 10.00 Dedham Sports Club – 2nd half grass cutting 1,026.60 Deans – Bark for play area 488.75 Essex Police Authority – PCSO 3,605.00 CBC – Emptying of litter bins on playing field 217.68
Income 2nd half Precept – £13,500.00
8. PLANNING The Planning sub-Committee has dealt with the following applications: COL/1223/ 2 Baytree Cottages, Crown Street, Dedham. Listed Building Replace front door and rear French doors Comments: Recommend approval
COL/1177 Gnome Magic, Old Ipswich Road, Dedham. Change of opening hours Comments: Recommend refusal or alternative hours for Christmas period.
COL/1139 Shorlands, Coggeshall Road, Dedham. Demolish existing chalet bungalow and erect two 4 bed. detached houses. Comment: Recommend refusal (going to Committee l5th October, 2009)
COL/1261/1263 Little Netherhall, Princel Lane, Dedham. Listed building Single storey rear extension and erection of single space cartlodge. Comments: Recommend approval with refinements.
COL/0953 Land to east of Brook Street, Dedham. Erection of barn. Comments: Recommend refusal.
9. REPORT OF BOROUGH COUNCILLOR Cllr. Garnett had reported that under the “Improved Homes” scheme Dedham was 6th priority out of 32. 10. PUBLIC REPRESENTATION Mrs. Appleby wished to say that her comments as reported by Mrs. Mercer on the subject of the allotments had been misinterpreted and misquoted. This was most annoying and she wanted this fact to be minuted. 11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Cllr. White stated that the question of the road surface of Princel Lane and the bad smells in the High Street were on-going. He expressed concern at the condition of the horse chestnut trees opposite the Assembly Rooms, one of which looked dead. This will be reported to the landowners, Veolia Water Company. Cllr. Hindley had attended a presentation from the Essex Probation Service who offered the services of small work parties to help with village projects, etc. The next NAP meeting will be held in Dedham on 9th November, 2009, at 6 p.m. 12 DATE & TIME OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be on Wednesday, 11th November, 2009, at 7 p.m. in the Assembly Rooms and will start with a presentation and discussion with Superintendent Jason Bloom of Essex Police regarding the effectiveness of community policing within the village. There being no other business the meeting closed at 9.50 p.m. |