Wellow Parish Council
Clerk
Geoff White
Myrtle
Cottage, Wellow, BA2 8QS
Tel: 01225 830159
Minutes of a meeting of the Parish
Council held on Monday, March 11th2013 at 8pm in the Village Hall.
Present:
CllrsBetts, Caudle, Clarkson, Doman, Karthauser, Prentice, Wheeler and White
along with threemembers of the public.
Agenda:
13.030 To accept apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Cllr
Andrews and Dist Cllr Butters.
13.031 Declarations of interest in any
matters on the agenda or in February minutes
Cllr Doman declared an interest in
the item on landfill but the Chairman said that the issue was around possible
funding opportunity related to the landfill so he would not need to withdraw.
The Chairman declared an interest
under planning in view of his application to remove an apple tree. It was agreed that he should withdraw when
that item was discussed.
13.032 To confirm minutes of meeting
held on February 11th2013.
The minutes were approved
unanimously.
13.033 To report matters arising from
the minutes and not on the agenda.
Cllr White said that the works to
remove trees at Hillscroft had been carried out. She explained that, although Wellow Parish
Council had expressed a desire that one of the trees should be replaced, Jane
Brewer from B&NES said that the owners were not under any obligation to do
so as the trees in question were not subject to preservation orders. It was suggested that Cllr White should
approach the owners with a view to suggesting that they do so anyway. Cllr White agreed to do so. JW
Cllr Caudle raised the appointing of
a barrister in connection with the playing field deed but the Chairman said
that he would rather it was brought up under AOR.
Cllr Karthauser said that no real
progress had been made regarding broadband and that it was down to BT at the
moment. He promised a full update at the
April meeting and the Clerk said he would put it on the agenda. GW
Cllr Doman said that he had contacted
Bristol Water about leakage of water on Mill Hill. It does not appear to be a
broken water main. It seems more connected to the exceptionally heavy rains
over the winter. After the recent dry (ish) spell, the flow of water has now
stopped.
13.034 Neighbourhood
Plan
The Chairman said that the deadline
for accepting further questionnaires had now passed but he still had some data
to enter into the system, which he will do as soon as possible. Some data from
the 2011 Census has been released, and this will also be used
He suggested that the group who
originally designed the plan should be reconvened in order to carry out a full
analysis. He agreed to email Councillors
in order to identify a suitable date to meet. HP
The Chairman reported on the meeting
he attended with B&NES on their Placemaking Plan. The Core Strategy will
define housing needs for the whole of B&NES. The Placemaking Plan sits
under the Core Strategy, and defines in more detail the location of new
housing/development. The Neighbourhood Plan sits with the Placemaking Plan, and
defines exactly where development will be. The Core Strategy/Placemaking Plan
defines some Rural Areas where development is “sustainable” – these are called
RA1 areas – Wellow is NOT one of these, so planning permission is unlikelyfor new developments in Wellow. The Neighbourhood Plan can,
and should, include wider plans than just for housing development, and this is
what we will aim to do – a broader Community Plan.
13.035 West End Cottages
The Chairman read through the letter
which had been received from Crozier in the light of the decision to grant a
lease rather than an outright purchase of access rights.
He asked whether the lease could be
sold to the new owners rather than to the builders but Cllr Caudle said that it
had to be granted to the builders prior to selling.
The Chairman asked for confirmation
that cars would be able to turn round on the site so that the one entrance
would be sufficient. This was confirmed
by Crozier.
Part of the works being offered by
Crozier’s is to install a gate for vehicles part way up the drive. There was
discussion over the need for a pedestrian gate to the side of the gate for
vehicles, and agreement that there should be a pedestrian gate.
Richard Holland, from the floor,
suggested that the Parish Council check the obligations over the drive, notably
in the conveyancing document, to ensure none were being contravened. PC
Additional quotes would not be
needed as the work involved would be an integral part of the lease.
The proposal is for the Council to
grant a lease to the owners of the newly built property, granting access to an
entrance to the property part way up the village hall drive, and in return
Crozier’s would pay to the Council £14,000, made up of £12,500 in works, and
£1,500 payment. This was agreed
unanimously.
Cllr Caudle saidthat we need to ask
our solicitors to draw up the final lease including a contract for the
work.
The Chairman drew attention to the
fact that the wall on the left hand side of the driveway (looking up the drive)
near the road is crumbling. He suggested
that it be repaired but in such a way as to increase the width available for
pedestrians and to increase visibility and access for vehicles. Cllr White said that we would need to check
with Jane Brewer about this as there was a large tree root behind the wall
which would need to be removed. She
agreed to make contact with Jane Brewer accordingly. JW
The Parish Council will also ask
Crozier to remove the tree root and the wall subject to approval from
B&NES. Cllr Doman will approve the final plans prior to their being carried
out. PD
13.036 Planning
New applications
a/b:
Application Number:13/00312/FUL and 13/00313/LBA
Site
Location:Manor Barn, Farm Lane,Wellow
Description
of Proposal:Internal and external alterations for the
installation of spiral wine cellar under the existing ground floor with the
entrance hall and the installation of air vents.
Cllrs Caudle and Clarkson said that
they had no problems with either of the above applications and it was
unanimously agreed to support them.
Cllrs Caudle and Clarkson agreed to contact B&NES accordingly. PC/DC
c: Application Number: 13/00653/TCA
Site location: Canteen Cottage, Canteen
Lane, Wellow
Description
of Proposal:Fell 1x Apple tree.
As the Chairman himself was the
owner of the property in question he withdrew from the meeting.
Cllr White said that she had
inspected the tree with Andy Elvin and said that it was restricting the growth
of adjacent trees and should be removed. The Parish Council agreed to support
the application and Cllr White said that she would respond accordingly. JW
The Chairman resumed his place on
the Council.
d. Application Number: 13/00628/LBA
Site location: Holly
Tree House, High Street, Wellow
Description of Proposal: External
alterations for replacement staircase window
Cllr Clarkson said that she had
looked at the detailed plans and had no objection. It was agreed to support the application and
Cllr Clarkson said that she would respond accordingly. DC
e.
Application Number: 13/00381/FUL
Site
Location: Hillscroft, Bull's Hill, Wellow
Description of proposal:
Provision of new vehicle entrance lower down Bull's Hill to replace the
existing entrance
Cllr Caudle said that she had
concerns over this application. It is
identical to the application which was turned down in 2010.
Cllr Clarkson said that she doesn’t
feel that the existing entrance is dangerous. The proposed entrance is even
more on the convex corner of the road. Concern was expressed over the fact that
there would be a lot of hard standing but no direct access to the house.
It was agreed that Cllrs
Caudle and Clarkson would respond accordingly.
PC/DC
Other planning matters
Cllr Clarkson reported on her
meeting with Martin Fahie, the owner of Chapel House, about the roof lights and
oriel windows which he is having installed.
As a result Phil Miller, Enforcement Officer at B&NES, will be
visiting him to advise on planning matters.
The Parish Council has been advised
that the Highways Dept have opposed the planning application at Bubblers
Dytche. Tessa Hampden, the Planning Officer, has yet to make a decision. Cllr
Clarkson agreed to contact both District Cllr Butters and Tessa Hampden for an
update. Should the application be
referred to committee, she will attend. DC
Cllrs Caudle and Clarkson were asked
to contact B&NES for clarification of the term “non-material amendments” (NMA)
as applied to planning applications, and to ask B&NES to put in place a
policy on NMAs, as other councils have.
PC/DC
Decisions received
The Parish Council noted that the
application for the removal of a tree at Summerfield had been approved.
13.037 Finance
Thefinancial statement for March was
approved. Cllr Betts asked why a number
of the payments were to the Clerk. The
Clerk explained that he had had to pay a number of bills in connection with the
Village Survey, eg printing and hire charges, and that he was being
re-imbursed.
The payments as listed on the agenda
were approved.
13.038 Station
Road Car Park
District Cllr Butters had emailed an
update regarding the possibility of the Parish Council taking ownership of the
Car Park. The question has been passed to Richard Long – who has asked “car parking”.
The informal response was that if the Parish Council wanted to keep the land as
a car park, B&NES would be willing to release it, possibly for some
payment. But a more formal answer is needed.
Cllr Karthauser said that we should
have a reason for buying the car park – if we wanted it to remain as a car
park, there didn’t seem to be any benefit in the Parish Council taking
ownership, and there would be some costs, so it should remain in B&NES’
ownership.
Councillors were asked to come to
the next meeting with a proposal for the use of the car park, or provide other
clear reason for purchasing it.
Richard Holland, from the floor,
said that he had been in touch with Sadie Cox at B&NES to get repairs made
to the lane leading to the car park. Sadie had referred the matter to Ian Dony
at B&NES. We are still waiting for
his response.
It was suggested that thebar which
restricts the height of vehicles able to enter the car park should be put back
in place, as there have been occasions when people have stayed in the car park
overnight and left rubbish behind. Until B&NES have a Gypsy and Travellers
policy in place, with suitable sites, there is still the fear that the car park
could become an illegal site. The Council agreed that the bar should be re-instated,
at least until the Gypsy and Travellers policy was formalized by a vote of 7 to
1. The Clerk said he would liaise with Mr Holland about it. GW
13.039 Community Speed Watch
Cllr Betts reported that the police
have advised us that they will not support the Wellow Community Speed Watch in
a 20mph zone, and have asked for all the equipment to be returned. They have
also advised us that they will not enforce speed limits below 30mph.
The Chairman proposed that we
continue with informal speed checks in order to obtain further evidence of
speeding and that we should write to District Cllr Butters, Jacob Rees-Mogg
(our MP) and the Police Commissioner about the inability of the police to
enforce the 20mph limit, particularly as B&NES are introducing a number of
20mph speed limits. DC/HP
13.040 Shop next to the Fox and Badger
Cllr White has contacted the agent for the
owners of the shop, to suggest getting the shop back into operation, and
possibly as a location for a library in Wellow, but there has been no response
the owners yet.Cllr White will follow up. JW
The Chairman said that he had been to the
opening of Combe Hay’s library in the Church at Combe Hay, and suggested that
Wellow could do the same thing in the village hall. Cllr Betts suggested that
the community centre in Manor Close could be a better location as it is
available from Tuesday to Thursday.
If the shop next to the Fox and badger is not
to be used as the library, Cllr Karthauser said he would like to see it used
for something, as it is derelict at the moment.Councilors were asked to come up
with a use.
13.041 Village Hall Trustees
Cllr Betts reported that there were
4 Trustees on the Village Hall Committee. Some of these are likely to retire soon,
and either replacements need to be found, or some other way found to manage the
hall. A representative from each organisation that uses the Village Hall should
provide a trustee. It was not clear what
the responsibilities or liabilities of the trustees were – Cllr Prentice to
clarify for the next meeting. HP
The Chair asked what action the
Village Hall Committee was taking to meet the Equality Act 2010 (which replaced
the Disability Discrimination Act 1995). There was discussion over some historic
funding, now held by The Magic Box that was for building improvements. Cllr
Betts agreed to contact Vicky Hammerton re: the plans and planning application
for a hall extension. SB
13.042 Landfill Sites
Correspondence had been received
from Gitte Dawson about the Landfill Communities Fund, and whether Wellow could
benefit from this. Because of the length of the meeting so far, it was agreed
to defer this item until the April meeting. GW
13.043 Trees at Village Hall
Cllr White mentioned that the trees
in the play area had been inspected some years ago to ensure the safety of
people using the facilities. As one of
the trees in the driveway did come down some time ago she suggested that an
inspection of all the trees that the parish council is responsible for should
be inspected every 5 years. Cllr White has asked Scott of Wildwood to do this –
he has agreed to do this for a fee of around £25. It was agreed that we should go ahead with
this but Cllr Karthauser asked whether he could survey the car park trees as
well. Cllr White said she would ask
Scott to do this as well although she pointed out that the car park is not
actually owned by the Parish Council. JW
13.044 Any Other Reports
Cllr Clarkson asked whether anything
could be done about the flooding on the road just beyond Ford Farm. Cllr Doman agreed to approach B&NES about
it. PD
Cllr Caudle reported that
the various muddy footpaths had been cleared.
Cllr Wheeler reported on his meeting
in connection with flooding at Wellow Brook and in Chew Stoke and agreed to
give a full update at the next meeting after he had been fully briefed himself.
Because there had been a death at Chew Stoke, when a driver tried to cross the
flooded ford, it is likely that B&NES will put further measures in place to
prevent people attempting to use flooded fords. TW/GW
Cllr White said that we had been
offered an apple tree by the local charity “More Trees for B&NES” and that
she would arrange collection and look after it until such time as the Parish
Council were able to find a permanent site for it. JW
Cllr Doman said that the
installation of new bollards at the Village Hall was nearly complete.
The Chairman reported that B&NES
had completed their quarterly check of the playground equipment, and had issued
their report. B&NES will replace a faulty brake buffer on the Gyrospiral
free of charge. The report had two medium risk items that need looking into. TW/HP
The Chair reported a parishioner was
concerned about the development of land on the Dunkerton Road – apparently
without any planning permission, and concern that the Peasedown Community Farm
was leaving debris on the land as it closed down. Both issues to be looked
into. HP
The Chair wanted to discuss the
“General Power of Competence” at the next meeting. The Localism Act gave Parish
Councils the General Power of Competence to act, if it had the required number
of Councillors (Wellow Parish Council does) and a clerk with the Certificate in Local
Council Administration. The Clerk does not have this qualification.
The Chair reported on his
discussions with the solicitorfrom Stone King. Her estimate of her fees was a
minimum of £500, and fees for the barrister in addition. Cllr Caudle believes
the Council can instruct a barrister directly if it goes through NALC – she
will follow up. PC
The Chair reported that he had
received correspondence from the Jacksons, expressing concern about the pedestrianaccess
on Bulls Hill – the lack of signage and inadequate/narrow/absent footpaths.
After some discussion about the desire to keep signage to the minimum required,
and the lack of space to expand/create footpaths, agreement to take the issues
to B&NES and to discuss further with the Jacksons.
The Chair reported that he had
received correspondence from Vernon Hitchman from Legal and Democratic Service,
B&NES, asking if Wellow Parish Council wanted to change the number of
Councillors. There was consensus that 9 Councillors was the correct number.
This will need ratifying at the next meeting.
13.045 Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting was confirmed as
8pm on Monday, April 8th 2013 at 8pm in the Village Hall. The meeting closed at 10.50pm.
Geoffrey White
Parish Clerk
March 18th 2013