UNAPPROVED MINUTES
Minutes of a Parish Council Meeting held on Monday, 23rd November at All Saints’ Community Hall at 7.15pm.
Present: Cllrs. D. Mowatt (Chairman), V. Barrett, I. Bloomfield, A. Brett, R. Gatward,
J. Hales, M. Linnette, M. Sherwen and C. Stead.
In attendance: The Clerk, C. Cllr. van de Ven, Kirstin Bicknell, Art Officer and 7 members of the public.
411/09 Apologies for absence: Cllrs. Hardingham, Purbrook, Robson, Townsend, Wakerley and D. Cllr Guest
412/09 Declarations of Interest: Cllr. Bloomfield declared a Personal Interest in Item 417/09(a)
413/09 Minutes of the meeting held on 26th October 2009:
It was proposed by Cllr. Stead and seconded by Cllr. Linnette that the minutes of 26th October 2009 be signed as a true record.
414/09 Matters arising:
There were no matters arising.
415/09 Minutes of the Planning Committee:
2nd November:
Item 378/09 (Parish Facilities) Cllr. Hales reported that he had heard that this had now been sold subject to contract.
Item 384/09(d) (Correspondence) D. Cllr. van de Ven had not been able to attend this meeting due to a family emergency. She will follow up on the Children’s Centre.
Item 384/09 (c) (Correspondence) Cllr. Barrett still had no news on who owned this piece of land.
416/09 Notifications or Planning Consultation documents:
(a) Appeal Decision made by Mr Mutty against SCDC. S/1096/05/F. Appeal Dismissed.
(b) Melbourn Scientific, Saxon Way – Removal of Condition 2 of Approval S/1872/06/F and Variation of Condition 2 of Approval S/0875/05/F to Allow Space for 60 Cars. Permission Granted.
(c) 13 New Road. Extension. S/1340/09/F. Permission Granted.
(d) SCDC – Certificate of Lawful Use of Development. Self-contained dwelling at 80a High Street. S/0980/09/LDC.
417/09 Planning Applications:
(a) Cambridgeshire Constabulary on land at Melbourn Village College – Erection of new police office. S/1564/09/F. Recommend Approval.
(b) Application to carry out Tree Works subject to a Tree Preservation Order or situated within a Conservation Area. 11 Drury Lane work to Leylandii cut to half height and remove branches obscuring road lights and vision to on-coming traffic. Approved.
(c) Grange Farm, Newmarket Road – Extension including Basement Area. S/1499/09/F. Recommend Approval
(d) White House Farm. Garage and Store. S/1555/09/F. Recommend Refusal.
The outline of the site area intrudes into what the committee understands to be designated for agricultural use. The site of the proposed store and garage is not dimensioned from the boundary so true location is not specified. There are existing “garages” that do not comply with previous conditions.
(e) White House Farm. Formation of New Access. S/1554/09/F. Recommend Refusal.
The boundaries of the site that border the area designated for agricultural use are not shown correctly, albeit this does not concern access onto Cambridge Road but the committee are concerned that this is not overlooked. Access into the Cambridge Road is considered inadvisable due to proximity of the Fowlmere Lane junction.
418/09 Draft Model copy of Financial Regulations:
It was agreed that the draft Model copy of Financial Regulation should be adopted by Melbourn Parish Council.
419/09 Financial Report as at 31st October: Noted
(a) Notice of change over to Business Direct Tariff on 14 December 2009 for the Current Account. Noted
(b) To sign authorisation for the opening of a new Current Account entitled “Village Plan”. The Clerk is to ask Cllr. Robson as Treasurer for the Village Plan to deal with this item.
420/09 Cheques to be signed Cheque list for Nov 09:
The Clerk recommended the transfer of £10,000 from the Business No Notice Account to the Current Account
The Clerk recommended the transfer of £1,803.24 from the Magazine Account to the No Notice Account.
It was proposed by Cllr. Sherwen that the cheques be approved and signed, seconded by Cllr. Linnette and carried.
[As the time was approaching 8.00pm the Chairman suspended Standing Orders to allow for Public Participation]
[The Chairman resumed Standing Orders at 8.33pm]
421/09 Trial Scheme of 20 miles per hour speed limit:
The Chairman read out a letter received from Mr Newman on this subject.
Cllr. Stead was against this scheme as he thought that slow moving traffic would cause more problems then it solved.
Cllr. Linnette thought this was a central Government trial and CCC and Highways will have decided which areas to trail.
Cllr. Hales thought that CCC should have come to the Parish Council much earlier in the process so that residents could be consulted. He felt that a deferment was needed until next year and then to go through the consultation period. He said that one third of the village does not have access to the internet and there is no address on any publications for residents to write to.
C. Cllr van de Ven said there were a lot of people who could be affected by this move including the very young and old and it was a very emotive subject for people, whether for or against.
Cllr. Linnette said that Portsmouth had had this trail and thought it a good idea to ask if it have been helpful.
Cllr. Hales objected to the fact that people had had no chance to object.
Cllr. Sherwen thought there should have been a lot of posters in the village informing residents of the fact and how to object if they wished to.
[Cllr. Stead left the meeting at this point the time being 9.00pm]
Cllr. Mowatt though that 20mph was a step in the right direction.
Cllr. Brett said that it would not cost the Parish Council any money. Money for this project was already allocated by CCC and would not be available for anything else.
Cllr. Mowatt said the trial scheme was neither the Parish Council’s nor C. Cllr van de Ven’s project, it is a Highways project. He welcomed the consultation and wished the process well.
422/09 Correspondence:
(a) Letter from ICEI Homes – Police site in Melbourn. Noted
The Clerk is to contact the Monitoring Officer at SCDC and explain the situation and request advice with regard to this matter.
(b) E-mail from Richard Preston – seeking the Parish Council’s views on how it wishes to proceed with the implantation of yellow lines on Station Road.
The Clerk is to request that Richard submits a map of the proposed yellow lines placement and the Council then will look at it and make any changes it thinks necessary.
(c) Letter from Mr John Travis – Proposed 20mph Scheme, Melbourn. Noted
(d) E-mail from Antony Abrey, Secretary to the PCC – PCC all in agreement that the proposed restoration to All Saint’s churchyard gates go ahead. Noted.
The Clerk is to contact Matthew Lane Sanderson and ask how long this work will take. If it cannot be finished in time for Christmas she is to request Matthew not to start the work till after Christmas.
(e) Letter from Andy O’Hanlon Arts Development Officer for SCDC – Public Art Project – Camstead Homes, Melbourn. Noted
(f) Andrew Lansley CBE MP – Provision of facilities for the youth in South Cambridgeshire. Noted.
(g) E-mail from Simon Gascoyne – Club Secretary Melbourn FC. Several matters relating to playing facilities. This item was dealt when Standing Orders had been suspended. See Addendum
(h) E-mail from Gerry Squires – Rabbits on the Recreation Ground
The Clerk is to contact Environmental Health on this matter.
(i) Request from Keith Rudge – for two weeks leave from 4th Jan to 18th January. The Council agreed to this. It has to be taken either as part of Keith’s holiday entitlement or as unpaid leave.
(j) CCC – Parish Paths Partnership (P3) 2010/11. Cllr. Wakerley will meet with the Officer.
(k) No further correspondence was received.
424/09 Report from County Cllr. Susan van de Ven:
1. Little Lane and Meeting Lane: I have been to see the signage at both points and would be grateful if parish councillors could clarify exactly how they would like the signage at Little Lane altered, and if they have suggestions concerning the use of Little Lane as a shortcut when there is congestion in front of the Coop with delivery vans. Would you like me to see if we can get an ‘Access Only’ sign at the High Street end?
2. Melbourn Primary School and CCC planning meeting at Wisbech: I was not able to attend the meeting due to a family emergency however I was in touch with the officer beforehand and sent some comments in; unfortunately being away unexpectedly in the week leading up to the meeting I was unable to follow through as I would have liked to. Very sorry about this and happy to keep an eye on the children’s centre development, which in fact is on the radar at the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee of which I’m a member.
3. Melbourn Village College Travel Plan: I’ve now met with Mrs Lawrence, the MVC member of staff coordinating the school’s Travel Plan. The Travel Plan is a prerequisite to ‘Safer Routes to School’ funding – not a lot of money but a modest amount carefully allocated to try and encourage more cycling and walking and to get traffic off the roads. The school needs to collect data about patterns of movement and has done a questionnaire to students, but would welcome more input. Though it is early days for the Village Plan, I have put Mrs Lawrence in touch with the Village Plan Steering Group coordinator; if anyone has other suggestions of useful sources of information please let me know.
4. Meeting with Sustrans and County Cycling Officer: I had a meeting today with the County Cycling Officer and a representative of ‘Sustrans’ – a govt.-funded project with money to spend on ‘School Links’ – same idea as Safer Routes to School but with more money in the pot. We met with the school site manager who is helping with the college’s Travel Plan, and poked around to get a sense of what we could aim to do – there is specific money to be spent this financial year. I will keep you posted.
5. Wheeling channel at Meldreth Station pedestrian bridge: County Council are going to try to put in a better cycling wheeling channel at Meldreth Station to accommodate all rail commuters including a large number travelling to and from work in Melbourn. Hopefully this would contribute in a small way to transport other than by car into Melbourn.
6. Education Transport problems reported before: I have continued to receive calls from Melbourn residents concerned about clarity of information on entitlement to CCC assistance with travel to college. I have a meeting with County Council on Dec 11 to discuss the information booklet, communication with parents, and to understand better what the subsidy arrangements are for this area. I’d like to know why the County is subsidizing bus travel not rail travel for students, when the base rail fare is cheaper and the timetable is so much better?
7. The meeting between CCC and FCC has been rescheduled for the third time on Dec 14 to discuss a range of rail issues local to us.
[As the time was approaching 10.00pm it was proposed by Cllr. Sherwen and seconded by Cllr. Gatwick that the meeting continue till 10.15pm]
425/09 Cemetery and Churchyard Inspection Record:
It was Cllr. Stead’s turn to carry out the inspection but as he had already left the meeting no report could be given.
426/09 New Road Cemetery:
Cllr. Sherwen reported that it was now part of the programme to replace/plant new trees and shrubs. Cllr. Sherwen and Cllr. Hales are looking into the preparation of the Mound for the reburial of the Saxon Remains.
427/09 Further Developments to Village Car Park:
The Clerk reported that she had received documentation from Mr. Larcombe which was for information only at the present time.
428/09 Update on BMX Trails:
(a) It was proposed by Cllr. Hales THAT THE QUOTATION RECEIVED FROM ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION STRATEGIES LIMITED FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ON THE PROPOSED BMX TRAILS LAND BE ACCEPTED AT A PRICE OF £1,775 + VAT. IF ANY MEETINGS ARE REQUIRED THESE WILL BE CHARGED AT A RATE OF £85 PER HOUR. Seconded by Cllr. Barrett and CARRIED.
(b) It was proposed by Cllr. Sherwen THAT A LAND SURVEY BE CARRIED OUT ON THE LAND KNOWN AS GRINNEL HILL POCKET PARK BY BRADLEY SURVEYORS AT A PRICE OF (a) CONSULTING ENGINEER FOR ONE DAY £500 + VAT (b) CHARTERED SURVEYOR/LINESMAN FOR ONE DAY £300 NO VAT. Seconded by Cllr. Hales and CARRIED.
[As the time was approaching 10.15pm it was proposed by Cllr. Sherwen and seconded by Cllr. Hales that the meeting continue till 10.30pm]
429/09 ASB High Street Panel:
C. Cllr van de Ven reported as follows –
We have met twice since the last parish council meeting; once for the formal meeting and another time to focus specifically on proposals for physical improvements to the car park.
The main meeting gave a good deal of attention to problems experienced by elderly residents at Vicarage Close. Two MVC based youth workers/arts development officers suggested creative ideas for bringing positive interaction between young people and elderly residents through creative arts and gardening schemes and will be reporting back.
The County Council is looking to access from the police more ‘detached youth worker funding’ and I hope this will result in more one-to-one work.
We are pleased that Terms of Reference and minutes of monthly meetings now appear on the village website. It is also useful to have Speakers Corner, the public forum on the website, as a discussion tool.
The second meeting, focussing on the car park, was attended by the police architectural liaison officer, Ted Hawkins. He is reviewing the Simon Marriott report on the car park, as well as PSG members’ input on possible physical alterations to the car park, and will come back to us soon with reactions and ideas. We are still at the discussion stage and this meeting with the police architectural liaison officer was a pivotal point in our programme. We hope that eventually our work will be beneficial to the parish council, looking to its taking on of the management of the car park. Noting that there is no parish council meeting in December, I would imagine that we are looking at January to bring you some formal proposals on the car park but would rather get the proposals right than rushed.
We next meet on December 15th.
430/09 Village Plan:
There was a meeting held on 4th November when work was carried out by the 8 members on the village profile and questionnaire.
431/09 Neighbourhood Panel:
There has been no meeting since the last Parish Council meeting and future meeting dates are being reviewed.
432/09 Committees:
(a) Highways and Rural Footpaths: Item 395/09 (Urgent Matters) Cllr. Barrett reported that she had not heard back from Mike Cooper with regard to the potholes on Portway.
The Clerk reported that Mike Cooper was going to look into the potholes on the corner of Beechwood Avenue but could do nothing with regard to the burnt surface of the road due to car being set fire to outside No 69.
(b) Conservation: Cllr. Gatward reported that she had met with the Ranger and a discussion had taken place with regard to the siting of the benches in Stockbridge Meadows Riverside Park. One base had already been laid.
A shortened version of the original plan for the path made by Cllr Sherwen had been accepted and was now waiting for Cllr. Sherwen to do a new plan and specification for the Clerk to send out to two companies requesting a quotation.
Item 405/09 The Clerk is to check who made this proposal and who seconded this proposal. At the present time Cllr. Hales is recorded as doing both.
(c) Urgent reports from Committee Chairmen: There were no urgent reports.
433/09 Future Meetings.
The Chairman’s reception which was scheduled to be held on the 7th of December is now deferred until the Summer.
(a) 7th December – Play Areas, Recreation and Youth + Cemetery
(b) 14th December – Parish Council + Planning if necessary
(c) 21st December – No meeting
(d) 28th December – Bank Holiday
434/09 Urgent Matters.
Cllr. Gatward would like both Gerry and Peter to be thanked for their work in tidying up The Cross for Remembrance Day.
Cllr. Sherwen asked about arrangements for the village Christmas Tree. Cllr. Gatward said the Mr. Colin Charter has offered his help with the erection and lights for the tree.
The Clerk is to contact Justin Wilmott and ask if he would be willing to help erect the tree.
Cllr. Gatward is to speak to Phillimore with regard to supplying a tree.
There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 10.30pm
Addendum to the Parish Council Meeting of 23rd November 2009
A resident of the village addressed the meeting. Whilst he thought the 20mph speed limit was a good idea in principle, he thought that traffic crawling through the village would use Meeting Lane as a bolt hole.
A resident of the village said there was the question of enforcement. He also thought that too slow a speed limit would make drivers lose concentration. There could also be an issue with the lowering of awareness of other road users, which could be a problem outside the village when speeds were faster.
A member of Melbourn Football Club addressed the meeting. He said that the Pavilion had been locked on a match day and the players could not gain access, which could result in a fine for the club. The question was asked if the club could be supplied with keys to the pavilion.
The member also reported that Melbourn Play School were encroaching even more into the space for the players. He also asked the Council to think about allowing young players to use the pitch without charge. Rabbit holes are causing a problem due to safety issues. The member was asked to write to the Clerk with suggestions on a way forward for the club.
Kirstin Bicknell addressed the meeting and said there had been a meeting of the sub-committee on Tuesday 17th November in connection with the Art Project funded by Camstead Homes. The appraisal for Stockbridge Meadow Wildlife Park was to propose a very open brief for artists to respond to. This would involve the start of recruitment of the artists in January and the launch of the Art Project at May Bank Holiday. The theme would be the discovery of secret places with work done in natural materials. These would not need any maintenance so there would be no cost to the Parish Council. Artists chosen would be asked to bring in 3 other artists to work in the wider community. The next meeting of the sub committee is to be held in January 2010 when a short list of artists would be drawn up and these would then be invited for a site visit.
Cllr. Mowatt wished to know, what, if anything would stay in peoples minds long after the exhibition was gone.