The Minutes of the previous meeting October 2015)

MINUTES OF MEETING OF HARDINGTON MANDEVILLE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY 17th NOVEMBER 2015
IN THE VILLAGE HALL
Members are reminded that the Council has a general duty to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions - Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status & any disability); Crime & Disorder, Health & Safety and Human Rights.
Nancy Chapman, Parish Clerk

PRESENT

Robin Carpenter, Malcolm White, Paul Vallis, Andy Webb, Clare Middleton, Bill Turner, Ernest Kong, and Gina Seaton (District Councillor)

IN ATTENDANCE

Nancy Chapman (Parish Clerk) and 8 Members of the Public.

Before the meeting commenced there was an opportunity for the public to speak:

A parishioner stated that although the latest proposal from Halsall was not on the agenda for discussion, they would hope this would be discussed as the October minutes implied it would. The Chairman responded that as a new application had not yet been received, the PC felt there was not much to discuss, but the appeal receipt could be discussed at item 6d).

Mrs. Gearing spoke about her application for change of use of their existing annexe to a holiday let at Poachers Lodge, Moor Lane. The annexe had been rented out by the previous owners for the last 13 years and Mrs Gearing was keen to make this use legal.

Mr Dare asked the PC to minute that he would like people not to park alongside his property and in front of the doors at The Stables, next door to the Village Hall. He wanted to advise people that he may put notes on their vehicles if they do.

Mr Dare also asked if would be possible for the meeting minutes to be published on the website any sooner than they currently are. The Chairman responded that the standing orders only require the draft minutes to be published within 1 month following a meeting and that it may be difficult committing to do this any sooner.

  1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE .
    Apologies were received from Cathy Bakewell (District Councillor) and Marcus Fysh (County Councillor).
  2. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 20th October 2015 (Already Circulated)
    The minutes for October were approved and signed by the Chairman as correct records of the meeting.
  3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.
    Robin Carpenter declared an interest in item 6d.
  4. MATTERS OF REPORT ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MINUTES.
    The Chairman gave a brief report from his recent attendance at the Chairman meeting with Marcus Fysh on 14th November. Marcus confirmed that he would continue to be the County Council representative although would not be able to attend the monthly meetings. The Chairman was interested by the suggestion of devolution of duties, such as clearing drains, to the Parish Council. This could be included in the precept. It was agreed to agenda this for discussion in January.
  5. DISTRICT AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS' REPORTS (BY INVITATION)
    Gina Seaton gave a summary of recent Full Council and Area South meetings. She gave details of an appeal against the decision to build houses on land behind Yeovil Court. This was not in the Local Plan, but the developer is aiming to use the fact that SSDC is not able to meet its 5-year land supply to their advantage.
    The Chairman then read highlights from Marcus Fysh's report that had been previously circulated.
  6. PLANNING AND PLANNING APPLICATIONS
    1. App no: 15/04761/COU The change of use of existing annexe to holiday let. Poachers Lodge, Moor Lane. Applicant: Mrs Giselle Gearing. It was viewed that as the annexe has been previously let for 13 years with no problems, there are unlikely to be any in the future. There were no objections.
    2. There were no planning applications received after publication of the agenda.
    3. There were no planning results received after publication of the agenda.
    4. Advice of Appeal Receipt - App no: 14/05063/FUL demolition of existing bungalow, erection of 14 dwellings together with associated landscaping, access and infrastructure. Moor End Nursery, Moor Lane. Appellant: David Matthews. The Parish Council were informed that their views given at the application stage would be sent to the Planning Inspectorate. They had 5 weeks from the appeal date (19th October) to make any additional comments. It was agreed the clerk would write a further letter to the Planning Inspectorate re-iterating that the PC feel the application is for too may houses, the design was not in-keeping with the rest of the village and that the houses proposed do not meet the identified needs of the village.
    5. There were no other planning issues.
  7. HIGHWAYS
    1. Neil gave details of several blocked drains included in his monthly report including those on Pig Hill and Primrose Hill.
    2. Having received an email from SCC highways requesting details of which grit bins within the Hardington Parish may need re-filling, the Chairman agreed to check the bins and report back to the clerk.
  8. PARISH PLAN
    1. Peter Bysouth presented details of the possible options for licensing events within the village. Unfortunately it is not an option to add additional premises to the existing Hardington & Pendomer Community Licence. For a new premise to have its own annual licence, it costs £100 per application, plus the cost of placing a Western Gazette Advert, plus a £70 annual fee. A temporary licence for a specific event costs just £21. It was viewed that as the Village Hall was included in the Community Licence, the only other premise where the cost of an annual licence might be justified, could be the community field. It was agreed to monitor the number of temporary licences required over the next year in order to determine if the cost of an annual licence makes any savings. Peter agreed to complete the application to make two address and contact detail changes to the existing community licence, to be approved at January's meeting.
    2. The chairman advised the PC that details of two consultations regarding SCC Subsidised Local Bus Services and Discretionary Concessionary Fares Policy have been received. For further information visit www.somerset.gov.uk/concessionaryfareconsultation.
    3. The possible use of the disused Phone Box opposite Mandeville Arms as a notice board was discussed, but it was felt that people may not think to look inside for notices. It was agreed to not carry out any further action at this time.
  9. COMMUNITY FIELD
    1. Bill Turner confirmed that he would arrange the hedge-cutting at the Community Field as soon as it was dry enough.
    2. It was reported that the last minute change of venue for the village fireworks display, from East Field to the Community Field due to waterlogged ground, had in fact been a very successful and popular move!
  10. RISK MANAGEMENT
    1. A resolution was passed to approve the Village Hall Committee Insurance renewal of £1193.46 and to enter a new 3-year Long Term Agreement (LTA). The clerk agreed to notify the insurance company of the Solar Photo Voltaic installation costs.
    2. The Clerk reported that Mrs Hall of Honeysuckle Cottage was in the process of obtaining a quote for drainage work, so that an application can be made to the SCC flood alleviation fund.
  11. FINANCE
    1. The first draft of the precept for 2016-17 was discussed. The precept was proposed to remain at £15,500 (the same amount as the last 2 years). There were some concerns that the PC reserves were quite high. Further comments if any, were invited prior to the final approval at January's meeting.
    2. The Clerk's hours for October (21 hours) were confirmed.
    3. The clerk informed the PC that, having reviewed the application form guidelines, the only funding the PC is currently eligible for is that for a PC/laptop (£333). A resolution was passed to approve the Transparency Fund application.
    4. A resolution was passed to pay the following invoices:
      - SSDC Annual Premises Licence - Hardington & Pendomer Community Licence - £70.00
      - SSDC Parish Ranger Scheme Qtr 2 (Jul-Sept 2015) (£377.40+ VAT 75.48) - £452.88
  12. FOOTPATHS
    1. The Chairman reported that notice of a temporary closure of footpath Y10/39 and part of Y 11/20 had been received due to an unsafe bridge. The closure will take effect from 2nd November and will remain in place for 21 days.
    2. A letter has been received from the Rights of Way Definitive Map Team asking for the Parish Council's view on the suitability of the Coker Hill Lane to Moor Lane path as a Bridleway. The letter asked the Council if they felt the narrow section at the Moor Lane end of the route was a safety hazard for pedestrians having to pass those on horseback. Concern was raised that responsibility for safety should not rest with the PC. The clerk agreed to respond to the letter stating that the PC do not think this is a significant safety hazard, for this relatively short section of narrow path.
  13. PARISH RANGER SCHEME
    1. A new ranger has been found and he has begun work on the list of village hall external maintenance jobs. Other tasks added to his list include:
      • Repairing broken Stile on Y9/3,
      • Digging out the ditch between Moor Lane and the village shop,
      • Unblocking a drain on Penn Lane, about 100m west of Pen Cottage, on the south side of the road.
  14. CORRESPONDENCE
    1. Ernest Kong agreed to attend the SSDC Parish Environmental Warden Meeting on 13th January 2016.
  15. MATTERS OF REPORT & ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING
    1. Chairman. Nothing to report.
    2. Councillors: Nothing to report.
    3. Clerk: Nothing to report.
  16. DATE AND TIME OF NEST MEETING & CLOSURE
    The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 19th January 2015 at 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall. The meeting closed at 9.15pm.
    Peter Bysouth reported that work on installing the Village Hall's 24 SolarPhoto Voltaic Panels was underway, but had been delayed due to bad weather. Thepreviously discussed electrical work had been completed, although further workis required to replace several emergency lights that are not working. Concernshave been raised that the store room smells of damp and this may need to beinvestigated further.
  17. CLERK APPRAISAL AND SALARY REVIEW
    The meeting was closed to the public and the clerk left the room so that the salary review c ould be discussed following completion of the Clerk appraisal.