Stanhoe Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on Thursday, 13th September 2012 at 7.00pm
in the village Reading Room
Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518409
Present:
Mr T Austin (TA)
Mrs P Austin (PA)
Mr D Bridge (DB)
Mrs R Brown (RB)
Mrs P Roche (PR)
Mr J Seedhouse (JS)
Absent:
Mr M Roche (MR)
1. To consider accepting apologies for absence
An apology was received and accepted from MR.
2. To consider approval of the Minutes of the previous meeting of 12th July 2012
These were passed and signed by the Chairman.
3. To record declarations of interest from members in any item to be discussed
No declarations made.
4. To adjourn meeting to allow public participation
No member of the public was present, however, PR had been asked by a resident to raise the overgrown state of the hedge edging the fenced off piece of land adjacent to the playing field. As this related to Item 7 (2) of the Agenda, councillors decided to discuss the whole issue at this point. The piece of fenced off land and the surrounding hedge is owned by Knights as is the playing field which they kindly lease free of charge to the MEHM Trust. As such, the parish council has no powers to insist that the land is maintained in any way or that hedges should be cut. PR said she would report this back to the resident who was concerned about the hedge.
DB was particularly concerned by the presence of ragwort in this area. He believed this to be a notifiable plant, the seeds of which were highly poisonous to cattle and horses should it find its way into hay feed. It was understood to be the landowner’s responsibility to clear this weed and councillors requested that the clerk write to the landowner’s agent pointing out the existence of the weed and the concern of local people. The clerk would also write to the County Council to ask about their policy on dealing with ragwort. A notice would also be put in Saints Alive asking residents to report instances of ragwort to the parish council.
5. SNAP
TA had not attended the last meeting held on 5th July 2012 but had received a copy of the Minutes. Anti-social behaviour in Heacham and Hunstanton was still a problem but reports of incidents in Heacham had dropped by 30%. The number of burglary and theft reports had also dropped. A meeting was being held this same evening of 13th September and TA would report back when he received the Minutes.
6. Update on village inspection
A quotation of £150 had been received to refurbish the village sign and repair damage to the image of Sir Hervey de Stanhoe. It as agreed to proceed with the work. The brass plaque attached to the village hall, in memory of Tom Holmes, was in need of refurbishment. The clerk would contact the suppliers to find out the best way of cleaning the plaque. Some areas of the village had painted road markings, placed some months ago, where repair work should have taken place. The markings are now wearing away and no repair work has yet been done. The clerk will contact Highways Dept. A notice will be placed in Saints Alive asking residents to remove the anti-wind farm campaign signs from outside properties as the planning and appeal processes are now complete and a decision reached.
7. Fenced off area adjacent to playing field
1) PR apologised that MR had not contacted the landowner’s agent to find out what plans, if any, there were for this piece of land. Clerk would be writing to the agent. (See Item 4 above).
2) See also Item 4 above.
8. Necessary playground repairs
One of the upright posts on the trim trail has rotted at the base. It is unsteady and unsafe for use. Notices have been posted and barricade tape wound across the equipment to prevent use. The original suppliers of the equipment are no longer in business, however, the designer of the playground who now works for a company called “Joy Playgrounds” came to inspect all the equipment and give an estimate for the repair of the trim trail and supply of new wooden post. The figure quoted, including his time and inspection visit, is £700. He has provided a full report on all the equipment and recommends wood preserver on the bases of all wooden posts to prolong life and help prevent damage by grass trimmers. After some discussion, it was agreed to proceed with the work. DB offered to apply wood preserver as necessary and was thanked for his offer.
9. Updates on ongoing matters
a) Cross Lane traffic – no developments.
b) Bottle bank – no action on noise reduction yet.
c) Blacksmith’s workshop – awaiting response from buildings officer.
(A report has since been received to say that, although the building is neglected, it is not unsafe and does not pose any immediate danger).
d) Overgrown hedges in Station Road – County Council will take action.
e) Geese on the pond – apart from occasionally wandering into the road, they are not causing any particular problem at present.
10. Financial update and approval of payments
An up to date income and expenditure report and bank statements were circulated by the clerk. It was clarified that the majority of parish council funds were kept in the savings account (earning a small amount of interest) with sums being transferred to the current account as and when necessary to pay bills. The clerk confirmed that the separate account opened specifically for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee village event had been closed.
Payments were approved for the clerk’s salary, the external audit fee and an amount of VAT due on the purchase of a new dog waste bin.
11. To receive items for the next Agenda
The following items were suggested for inclusion in the Agenda for the meeting due to be held on 8th November 2012.
- Refurbishment of village notice boards
- Playground maintenance and repairs
- Ragwort problem
- Usual updates on ongoing matters
No other matters were discussed and the meeting closed at 8.35pm.