ALBRIGHTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING

Thursday 17th June 2010 at 7.15 pm in the Red House

 

 

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 17th June 2010 at 7.15 pm in the Red House.

 

PRESENT: Cllrs. D Beechey (Chairman), M Pate (Vice Chair), R Balkwill, G Beechey, M Holden,

P Illes, D Johnson, P Lusk, J MacLachlan, J Nelson, D Murray, S Pledger.

 

PUBLIC SESSION: One member of the public was in attendance. There were no questions or comments on any item on the agenda.

 

1.      APOLOGIES:

 

Cllrs. N Hester, S Pate.

 

Both apologies were accepted by the council.

 

2.      DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

 

Personal:

 

None.

 

Prejudicial:

 

Cllr. Nelson declared a prejudicial interest on item 14 as the owner of the building under discussion.

 

3.      MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING:

 

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting of 20th May 2010:

 

Cllr. Illes asked that the draft minutes of item 12, “Matters Arising”, concerning the future development of the railway station be amended to read “ Both parties suggested this refurbishment be brought forward...” to avoid the suggestion that it was only the Civic Society that wanted this matter reconsidered. The amendment was agreed by the council and Cllr. M Pate proposed that the amended minutes were a true and accurate record which was seconded by Cllr. Balkwill. The proposal was unanimously agreed by the council.

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the planning meeting of 3rd June 2010:

 

Cllr. M Pate asked that his name was removed from the list of those present as he had presented his apologies. With this amendment Cllr. Johnson proposed that the minutes were a true and accurate record which was seconded by Cllr. Lusk and agreed by the council.

 

Annual Parish Meeting 22nd April 2010:

 

The draft minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of 22nd April 2010 were deferred to the Annual Parish Meeting of 2011.

 

4.      MATTERS ARISING:

 

Cllr. Hester’s email regarding the complaint against a councillor was read by the Chairman. Cllr. Hester suggested in his email that the council’s standing orders should be amended to accommodate any future incident of this kind but the Chairman stated that it would be more appropriate to amend the complaints procedure to ensure that any complaint was first discussed by the council before any reference was made to the Standards Committee. Cllr. Pledger said that the matter should be referred back to Cllr. Hester as he was the council representative on the county Standards Committee for further consideration before a decision was taken. Cllr. M Pate proposed that no further action should be taken with regard to this particular complaint, that all correspondence should be brought to the attention of the council and Cllr. Hester should be invited to reflect on a possible amendment to the council’s practice in the future. The proposal was seconded by Cllr. Johnson and agreed by the council with one vote against the proposal. Members agreed that the item should be placed on the council’s July agenda.

 

5.      PLANNING:

 

Planning applications:

 

·         10/02337/FUL Erection of a detached double garage and store 2 Lyncroft, Albrighton.

 

Objections were raised to the application. Members felt that the proposed garage and store was out of proportion to the house and represented an over development of the site.

 

Permission granted:

 

·         10/00952/FUL Erection of a side extension to dwelling 25 Delaware Avenue, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted.

 

·         10/01677/TPO To remove low level branches to one Lime Tree protected by Bridgnorth District Council (Cross Road, Albrighton) TPO 1996 18 Cross Road, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted.

 

·         10/0814/TCA To top cypress tree to previous pruning point to maintain tree within Albrighton Conservation Area 44 High Street, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted.

 

·         10/0813/TCA Carry out a five percent overall reduction to a Yew Tree within Albrighton Conservation Area 20 High Street, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted.

 

·         10/0817/TCA Remove eight Leyland cypress trees within Albrighton Conservation Area 43 High Street, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted.

 

·         10/01464/FUL Erection of a part single, part two storey front and side extension 19 Church Road, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted

 

Report of appeal:

 

·         09/03263/FUL Erection of a single storey extension to building to dwelling Meere Barn, Newhouse Lane, Albrighton.

 

Received and noted.

 

A representative of the council had been invited to a meeting to discuss application 10/01236/TPO the felling of Lime tree in 13 Redford Drive but no councillor was available. The clerk was asked to contact Shropshire Council to confirm the parish council view that the tree should be removed.

 

6.      DCAE COSFORD REPORT:

 

Wing Commander Stanfield reported that the Cosford air show had been a success despite rain at the end of the programme which fortunately did not interfere with the main events. The feedback had been positive and there had been no road traffic problems which had caused such difficulty in the previous year. Attendance had been down by approximately 10,000 people. Cosford had decided to donate £1,000 to the Crime Prevention Panel for help with the updating of the CCTV equipment and Cllr. G Beechey thanked DCAE Cosford for their generous offer. Cllr. Lusk said that he had enjoyed the air show but wondered whether some rearrangements could have been made in view of the weather. Cllr. Illes said that there were no police at the top or the bottom of Bowling Green Lane but he was pleased that the train service seemed to cope much better with the demand and the service was a considerable improvement over that provided in 2009. Cllr. Pledger proposed that the council should write to Arriva trains and thank them for their much improved service and Cllr. Nelson seconded the proposal which was agreed by members.

 

Wing Commander Stanfield went on to report that any consideration of the future of Cosford would not take place before the defence review in the autumn of 2010. The station was still working to the assumption that it would move to south Wales in 2014/15 and the army would not take over the base before 2018. Cllr. D Beechey expressed concern over the future of businesses in Albrighton in the period 2015-18 when the facility would be effectively “mothballed”.

 

7.      POLICE REPORT:

 

No representative of the police was available but a report on crime statistics for the previous month was noted.

 

8.      UNITARY AUTHORITY REPORT:

 

Cllr. M Pate reported that the county was experiencing severe cuts to its budget which included £1.7m from education and £187,000 off road safety. Fortunately the county had a reserve of £2m to meet the cuts but this figure might not be sufficient to meet all of the demands. It was likely that the Connexions service would be badly hit and other units such as the school music service and the advisory service could experience cutbacks. Cllr. Pledger again reported that lights were left on for long periods when children were not present at Albrighton Primary School but Cllr. M Pate said that these costs would come from the school’s delegated budget. Cllr. Murray said that savings could be made by not providing bottled water at council meetings.

 

9.      FINANCE:

 

Bank reconciliation for May 2010:

 

The bank reconciliation for May 2010 showed a balance of £179,915.18 The Chairman drew members’ attention to a full copy of the accounts for the period up to 31st May 2010. Cllr. M Pate proposed that the accounts were a true and accurate record which was seconded by Cllr. Johnson and agreed by the council.

 

Annual governance statement for approval:

 

A copy of the annual governance statement which had to be agreed and forwarded to the external auditor had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting. Members reviewed each item and agreed that it represented council practice and Cllr. Lusk proposed that the statement be accepted as a true and accurate record of the council’s financial procedures which was seconded by Cllr. Murray and agreed by the council.

 

Cheques for approval:

 

A list of 18 cheques for payment was presented for approval. Cllr. M Pate proposed that the cheques should be approved which was seconded by Cllr. Lusk and agreed by members.

 

Date

Cheque No.

Payee

Amount

01.06.10

2699

Flyer contractor, bus pass refund

299.00

01.06.10

2700

Keith Gibson, Flyer fuel, service for March

326.97

01.06.10

2701

St. Mary’s Church, grant for churchyard maintenance

1500.00

01.06.10

2702

E.On, repair to lighting column Ashgrove

40.26

01.06.10

2703

Flyer contractor, bus pass refund

250.00

01.06.10

2704

Flyer contractor, bus pass refund

361.00

07.06.10

2705

ALS Ltd., sand slitting of football pitch

176.25

07.06.10

2706

Keith Gibson Cars, Flyer fuel service for April

484.24

 

2707

Cheque destroyed

 

10.06.10

2708

BT, Internet services

123.30

21.06.10

2709

Flyer contractor, bus pass refund

265.00

28.06.10

2710

Flyer contractor, bus pass refund

285.00

14.06.10

2711

Clerk, June salary

1036.99

14.06.10

2712

Village Warden, June salary

166.97

14.06.10

2713

Litter Warden, June salary

78.80

14.06.10

2714

Post Office, 1st quarter tax and N.I.

1295.36

17.06.10

2715

Tradex Insurance, Flyer insurance cover

2074.67

17.06.10

2716

BT, office telephone bill

121.57

17.06.10

2717

Wellings Ltd, compaction skip for June 2010

1027,04

 

 

Total

9912.42

 

Flyer operations in May 2010:

 

A new breakdown of Flyer activity and finance for the month of May had been prepared by the clerk and distributed to members based on a design by Cllr. Murray who was thanked for his work. There was some discussion on the absence of cash journeys and Cllr. Lusk had followed up a complaint about the service from one user. The funding for the Flyer from the county still appeared to be secure and it was clear that the service it was providing was much appreciated.

 

10.  SHROPSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK SITE ALLOCATIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOP0MENT DOCUMENT: CONSULTATION ON “ISSUES AND OPTIONS”:

 

The Chairman listed the documents that had been copied to councillors from a variety of sources. He was concerned that any housing allocation for the MoD at Cosford would be divorced from allocations to Albrighton when it would clearly have a major effect on the village. He was pleased to hear that the green belt would not be built on except under the most special circumstances which could include a new medical centre for Albrighton. He felt that the main area of development in Albrighton should be the white land at Kingswood Road and the A41.

 

At the LJC meeting on 16th June three options were put to participants that brought responses as follows:

 

·         No development except for low cost housing – 40 for 20 against;

·         Mixed development of up to 200 houses – 12 for 13 against;

·         Mixed development of up to 400 houses – 3 for 6 against.

 

It was clear from the discussion at the LJC meeting that those who attended wanted to retain the village feel and atmosphere and have the minimum of development.

 

Cllr. M Pate pointed out the similarities between Cllr. D Beechey’s paper and the one produced by the Civic Society and Cllr. Pledger made the distinction between affordable and low cost housing and social housing. Cllr. Lusk said that the financing of affordable housing is dependent on larger house sales and he did not want a concentration of low cost housing in any one area of the village. He wanted a strategic view of the whole of the white land that included a balanced development of mixed housing with low cost housing forming approximately 30% of the total. The Housing Associations could still provide some additional rented accommodation.

 

Cllr. M Pate proposed that the council should adopt option A as outlined in “Planning for a Flourishing Shropshire”  for 200 homes with minimal extra land for employment, with the caveat that if an option for 0-150 homes was developed the council should reconsider. Cllr. Murray proposed an amendment to the proposal that the council should support the moderate plus option of local employment and 400 homes but no councillor seconded the amendment. Cllr. Lusk proposed a second amendment to the proposal of option B on the basis that option A only partly developed the available white land. Cllr Nelson seconded the amendment. Cllr. M Pate opposed the amendment and said the majority of the village would not want this level of development. Cllr. Murray spoke in support of Option B but the amendment was defeated by 7 votes against and four in support. Cllr. M Pate’s original proposal of Option A was then put to the meeting and received 7 votes in support and none against.

 

The chairman reminded members that they could submit their own responses to the county document and the council would want to see the overall strategy when it was developed and ensure that it took account of any new housing in Cosford when Albrighton was under consideration.

 

11.  THE SITING OF LARGE STOP SIGNS AT THE ALBERT ROAD/CROSS ROAD MINI ROUNDABOUT:

 

Cllr. Holden voiced her concerns that the lack of signage at the mini roundabout at the Albert Road/Cross Road junction was going to lead to an accident and that some kind of stop sign was needed to regulate the traffic flow. Cllr. Johnson agreed but said a give way sign was probably sufficient.

 

Cllr. M Pate noted the concerns of council members and promised to follow this up with the county and report back to the council.

 

12.  CONSENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 96 OF THE HIGHWAYS ACT 1980:

 

The Chair presented a paper to council prepared by Mr Ron Kidson in which he outlined a draft improvement and maintenance programme for the land at the junction of Patshull Road and Cross Road. The parish council had obtained a licence to plant from the county for this area. Members fully supported the programme outlined in Mr Kidson’s paper with the exception of the use of barbed wire and the clerk was asked to contact him and ask him to lead this project in accordance with the agreed procedures and produce costings for further consideration. The chair indicated that new funding from the National Lottery could be used for this purpose and the Footpaths Group was also eager to get involved with this project. Councillors agreed to follow up an application for funding as suggested.

 

13.  MAINTENANCE OF LOAK SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB PITCHES:

 

Cllr. Lusk reminded members of the agreement dating from July 2009 in which the council undertook to fund pitch improvements and provide an additional grant of £1,000 for further improvements to the facilities. The work on the pitches was now complete and no further invoices should be received. The clerk was asked to supply the grant cheque for £1,000 at the earliest opportunity.

 

14.  UPDATE ON THE PARISH OFFICE AND WORKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CLERK:

 

Cllr. Nelson hoped that work could begin on the refurbishment of the parish office in a week’s time but he had had to apply for building regulations and this could delay the start. The furnishings and equipment would be stored locally. No approach had been received from the Red House regarding alternative office space during the period of the works and the clerk was asked to contact Cllr. S Pate to ask for some office space while the refurbishment was undertaken.

 

15.  REPORT ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SUMMER PLAYSCHEME 26TH JULY – 29TH AUGUST:

 

The Chair reported that the playscheme committee had met several times and that the arrangements for the summer playscheme were well in hand. The staffing was complete and the insurance was in place. Some problems had occurred with Ofsted who wanted the scheme re-registered to reflect the dual management of the two parish councils but the clerk was dealing with this matter which would hopefully be resolved quickly.

 

16.  REPORT ON THE CASUAL VACANCY RESULTING FROM THE RESIGNATION OF CLLR. RON KIDSON:

 

The vacancy on the parish council caused by the resignation of Cllr. Kidson had been advertised in accordance with Shropshire Council regulations. So far three people had expressed an interest and Cllr. Lusk hoped that representation from a councillor living west of Church Road could be obtained. It was agreed to place this item on the agenda for 15th July.

 

17.  MAINTENANCE OF KINGSWOOD ROAD /HIGH STREET:

 

Cllr. Pledger reported that the road surface in Kingswood Road was now very poor and represented a danger to users, particularly cyclists. The chair agreed and said he had received several complaints. Cllr. M Pate promised to look into the matter and contact Mr Brian Bennett who had promised to initiate repairs at the Annual Parish Meeting.

 

18.  BIG LOTTERY FUNDING FOR WILDLIFE PROJECTS:

 

This item had been dealt with under agenda item 12.

 

19.  SUGGESTION THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD WRITE TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE REGARDING THE FUTURE OF COSFORD:

 

Cllr. Murray suggested that now was the ideal time to write to the Secretary of State for Defence, copied to Mr. Mark Pritchard MP, asking for the postponement of the move of DCAE Cosford to south Wales in order to save money and preserve a well regarded institution in the area. Cllr. M Pate agreed and the council supported the proposal to write as suggested.

 

20.  REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS:

 

Abney Avenue multi agency meeting:

 

The chair thanked Cllr. MacLachlan for representing the parish council at this multi agency meeting. Cllr. MacLachlan said that the meeting had been useful and she was happy to continue to represent the council.  There had been a suspicion that a local shop had been selling alcohol to underage drinkers. Cllr. Holden who lived close to the playground reported that she had not noticed anything alarming at the facility.

 

              Other council reports:

 

Cllr. Pledger asked about the bin at the skatepark where rubbish in the area was a problem and also about the lack of support for Jackie Fletcher at the Friday evening youth drop-in centre. The clerk agreed to contact Shropshire Council about the regular emptying of the bin at the site.

 

Cllr. Lusk reported on the recent Joint Liaison Committee meeting. The committee had agreed that the Leisure Committee was defunct and  Donington Parish Council had put aside £5,000 for leisure projects to include Patshull Green and the refurbishment of the play equipment for small children at Abney Avenue and the provision of disabled play equipment. The proposals will be developed and put to the Joint Liaison Committee.  Cllr. M Pate declared an interest in relation to the costs of the CCTV equipment at the Red House and left the meeting. Cllr. Lusk went on to report that it was reckoned that the extra electricity costs of the equipment amounted to at least £400 p.a. and the Joint Liaison Committee was recommending that the figure of £600 should be split between the councils to cover these extra costs. Members approved this suggestion in principle but asked the clerk to place it on the next agenda of the planning meeting for further discussion. Cllr. M Pate then returned to the meeting.

 

21.  CORRESPONDENCE:

 

Cllr. D Beechey agreed to attend as the parish council representative at the Armed Forces celebration at Shifnal on 20th June 2010.

 

The other correspondence was received and noted.

 

22.  DATES AND TIMES OF FUTURE MEETINGS:

 

·         Parish Council planning meeting Thursday 1st July 2010 at 7.15 pm in the Red House.

·         Finance committee meeting Thursday 15th July 2010 at 3.00 pm in the Parish Office.

·         Parish Council meeting Thursday 15th July 2010 at 7.15 pm in the Red House.

 

Members agreed that the use of the access road to the Red House and the adjoining bungalows by a taxi company should be placed on the agenda of the planning meeting on 1st July.

 

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.25 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signed.......................................................................Date...........................................................Chairman