Stanhoe Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on Thursday, 12th September 2013 at 7.00pm
in the village Reading Room
Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518409
Present:
Mr. T. Austin (TA)
Mr. D. Bridge (DB)
Mrs. R. Brown (RB)
Mr. M. Roche (MR)
Mrs. P. Roche (PR)
Mr. J. Seedhouse (JS)
Absent:
Mrs. P. Austin (PA)
1. To consider apologies for absence
PA had offered an apology for not being able to attend and this was accepted.
2. To consider approval of the Minutes of the last meeting
RB pointed out an error in Item 10. Mill House is situated on Burnham Road not Bircham Road as stated. This was corrected and the Minutes 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
One member of the public was present and welcomed to the meeting.
5. SNAP
TA had attended a recent meeting. There had been fewer instances of anti-social behaviour in Hunstanton, however, there had been 17 cases of criminal damage partly due to some poor behaviour of those attending the annual tennis week. The vast majority was well behaved. There had been rumours of break-ins in Stanhoe but these were false. There were no reported crimes in Stanhoe.
The previous 2-month period had shown a 4% reduction in crime on the same period last year. 18 violent crimes had been reported, of which 12 were domestic and the remainder of various types. Most recorded burglaries had been to outbuildings. TA agreed to place an article in Saints Alive informing residents of the lack of any crime in Stanhoe and the general reduction elsewhere in the North West Norfolk area.
6. Jack’s Lane Wind Farm
RES, the company constructing the wind farm, is currently appointing the necessary contractors to be involved. Work is due to commence within the next few months from September 2013. A press release has been placed on the Stanhoe website by a public relations company on behalf of RES, setting out a proposed timetable of the work and giving some details of the community fund which will be paid by RES to the communities affected by the wind farm. As part of a government initiative, there would also be some electricity discounts given by RES to a certain number of households based on post codes in relation to the wind farm site. Exact details of all these payments will emerge in due course.
7. Village Playground
Following an agreement with parish council insurers, inspections can be done fortnightly instead of the original requirement for weekly inspections. TA and the clerk had each carried out recent inspections. Some minor repairs were required and supplies were on order.
a) New signs were required at the entrance to the playground area showing the name of the owners with a contact telephone number, the address and postcode of the playground. There should also be a statement to the effect that no kites should be flown in the playground area (due to overhead power cables). TA and clerk to organise necessary signs.
b) Participation by councillors in the inspection rota would be appreciated. Some training could be given by TA and the clerk or more formal training could be arranged with a RoSPA representative. The clerk would circulate the inspection form for information.
c) Once supplies have been delivered, repairs will be carried out by TA, DB & JS. This will include removal of existing fence.
8. Results of individual inspection village
MR & PR reported damage to overhanging trees on Church Lane caused by heavy lorries. This lane is totally unsuitable for heavy traffic and it was hoped Highways department could enforce some form of restriction. JS reported the following:
- untidy area around the war memorial
- public rubbish bin at eastern end of the pond has the housing door open
- hedge adjacent to village hall requires trimming
- car park to village hall needs weeding
- broken glass and rubbish on the ground beside the bottle bank needs to be removed
- mounds of grass clipping on play area (it was explained by MR that this was a result of preparing a cricket pitch prior to matches)
- untidy area around the Diamond Jubilee tree
- bins of soil next to the play are being used as rubbish bins. This soil is kept there to fill potentially hazardous rabbit holes on play area.
- grass area around village cross needs to be trimmed
- newest area of churchyard needs to be weeded and tidied.
It was agreed that all the above items would be dealt with and were the responsibility of the Parish Council, the MEHM Trust and the PCC.
9. Electronic speed sign on Bircham Road and possible pedestrian signs
A suggestion had been made that signs could be placed on Bircham Road stating “No footpath” OR “Pedestrians on road” which might encourage motorists to take more care when driving along this stretch of road into the village. It had been noted by the speed watch team that drivers took very little notice of the 30mph signs on Bircham Road. One reason for this could be the normal 40mph sign and the flashing electronic 40mph sign at the village boundary on Bircham Road which drivers possibly mistook for the speed limit governing the whole village. Two alternative suggestions were made; firstly, that the speed limit on Bircham Road should be reduced to 30mph and the signs altered accordingly or secondly, that the electronic flashing sign should be moved to the starting point of the 30mph limit and be changed to show that speed limit. It was noted that the other two main access roads into the village, Docking Road and Burnham Road, had no 40mph sections but that only 30mph applied. The clerk would contact Highways department to discuss all of the above possibilities.
10. Scrap site planning
The situation at the scrap site on the corner of Fakenham Road and Bircham Road was unchanged but no action could be taken regarding its unsightly appearance as the site was perfectly legal. The owners had recently submitted a planning application for change of use from scrap site to residential site with two bungalows. A decision was awaited.
11. Water leakages on Bircham Road
A resident had complained about the number of leaks which occurred on this road it; was agreed that the clerk would write to Anglian Water to establish if something could be done to reduce the number of leaks and possibly renew the ageing mains pipes.
12. Updates on ongoing matters
a) Cross Lane traffic control – no developments
b) Geese on the pond – no reported problems
c) Storage shed at village hall – some rotten timbers need to be replaced. Work will be carried out by MEHM Trust.
13. Standing Orders & Financial Regulations
As a result of the recent external audit, it was established that the Parish Council needed to have a customized version of these in place. TA had amended the model documents accordingly and these would be circulated to all councillors for comments. The clerk had drawn up a “Freedom of Information” policy which would also be circulated. It was hope that all these documents could be formally adopted at the next parish council meeting in November. Councillors thanked TA for all the work done on these matters.
14. Financial Update and approval of payments
The clerk presented an up to date income and expenditure report together with copy bank statements and a budget to date report. No questions were raised. Approval was given for payment of the clerk’s salary and payment of the supplies for playground repairs.
15. Future meeting dates & times
After some discussion, it was agreed to maintain the meeting time of 7.00pm for all parish council meetings. Dates for 2014 were set as:
- 8th January
- 13th March
- 22nd May
- 10th July
- 11th September
- 13th November
The Annual Parish Meeting may also be held on 22nd May 2014, in which case the council meeting would commence at 6. 00pm to be followed by the open parish meeting at 7. 30pm. The clerk would contact the MEHM Trust regarding the availability and hire of the village hall for these dates.
No other matters were discussed and the meeting closed at 9.20pm.