CORBRIDGE PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON 23 SEPTEMBER 2015
6418. PRESENT Councillor J M Hodgson Chairman of the Council together with Councillors: D Walton, C G Curry, Mrs J B Fearon, D Burnett, Mrs G Dickinson and M Horn,
6419. Apologies for absence – Cllrs P H Kenny, Mrs P Proud, A Jenkins, M J Stone.
6420. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST. Cllr Mrs J B Fearon declared a personal and prejudicial interest in item 9 as a member of NCC Planning and Rights of Way Committee and Strategic Planning Committee.
6421. RESIDENTS present raised a number of matters and where relevant they are listed together with the actions that will be taken, if required. In due course if necessary, reports will be made back to Council.
a) STREET CLEANING. A resident of St Helen’s Street advised that the road sweeper only sweeps the north side of the street even when there are no cars parked. This will be pursued through the Highways and Neighbourhood Services liaison meetings which are held quarterly.
b) GLEBELANDS. Residents from Glebelands requested that the hedge at the bottom of Glebelands/Windsor Terrace is cut. This hedge is part of The Chains development which is currently in dispute between Persimmon Homes and Northumberland Estates. The Parish Council will pursue this.
6422. MINUTES. It was proposed by Cllr D Walton, seconded by Cllr D Burnett and AGREED the Minutes of the meeting held on the 26 August 2015, having been circulated, be signed as a true record.
6423. MATTERS ARISING.
a) DEFIBRILLATOR. Minute 6408a refers. Following the promise of further donations, it was noted that the target had been met.
b) LOVE NORTHUMBERLAND AWARDS. Minute 6408b refers. It was noted that Corbridge in Bloom had been unsuccessful.
c) DOG FOULING. Minute 6408f refers. A meeting is to be held with Paul Turnbull, NCC to discuss further.
6424. COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT. Cllr J B Fearon advised that she had submitted her priorities for the Local Transport Plan 2016-2017. These were the same as the Parish Council’s.
6425. ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT. It was proposed by Cllr J M Hodgson, seconded by Cllr D Burnett and AGREED accounts on the list as circulated be paid.
6426. ACCOUNTS UP TO 31 AUGUST 2015. It was proposed by Cllr J M Hodgson, seconded by Cllr Burnett and AGREED to accept the accounts and budget report for the period ended 31 August 2015.
6427. PLANNING DECISIONS. It was proposed by Cllr J M Hodgson, seconded by Cllr Mrs G Dickinson and AGREED that the Council receive the details of Planning Decisions made by Northumberland County Council, in accordance with the list circulated.
6428. PLANNING APPLICATIONS. It was proposed by Cllr J M Hodgson, seconded by Cllr Mrs G Dickinson and AGREED to accept the decisions of the Planning Advisory Group in accordance with the list circulated. It was noted that the planning advisory group had no objection to the application at Farnley Nursery however a letter of objection had been received from a neighbouring property. Part of this application was retrospective and councillors expressed concern over the number of retrospective applications being submitted. Cllr J M Hodgson is to bring this to the attention of NCC Planning Department. It was noted that the application for the Golden Lion signage had incorrect historic information listed. This would be brought to their attention.
a) Gladman Developments. It was noted that NCC had extended the determination period. Following discussions with Caroline Jones and Jo Holmes the current position is that Gladmans are currently redesigning the buffer zone on the eastern edge of the development and they are waiting for the amended plans. Once NCC receive these and updated highway work they will be reconsulting on the application. They do not anticipate the application going to committee before December. Gladman are still to provide further information on the drainage systems. With regard to the strip of land required from the School, the School are still not satisfied with how this is progressing they have had little communication with NCC Estates Dept and are insisting on a meeting with them and Gladmans to determine the current position.
b) Taylor Wimpey Sites. No issues had been reported from the Cragside site. Cllr D Burnett continues to monitor the situation at the Synclen site.
c) Planning Protocols. The Planning Protocols are a welcome move by NCC Planners and the recent training event demonstrated how Town and Parish Councils can be positively involved in the pre-application engagement for major, non major and S106 processes and Cllr J M Hodgson congratulated them on making this move which is not being carried out by many Local Authorities currently. The process is to begin on 5th October and NCC will make the Parish Council aware of any Pre App enquiries in the area, the case officer will then be contacted within 14 days to engage in the process. This will be done after consultation, if necessary, with Cllrs D Burnett and C G Curry or Cllrs M Horn and D Walton. The engagements option will be proportionate to the scale and significance of the development. The process will be reviewed in 6 months with annual reviews and training sessions, future changes and additional protocols (viability).
d) Neighbourhood Plan and Local Plan Core Strategy Pre Submission Draft. A meeting has been arranged with NCC Planning Staff on 22nd October at 2.00pm in the Parish Hall to discuss Neighbourhood Planning and the Core Strategy. Other Parishes in the East Tynedale Parish Councils Forum will attend and members of the Village Trust and Traders Association (Visit Corbridge) have been invited. This is a great opportunity to discuss both subjects in depth. A public consultation event is to be held in Corbridge Parish Hall on 12th November from 2.00pm – 7.00pm to allow residents to offer their views on the Core Strategy.
6429. CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence and information items received since the August meeting had been listed on the agenda and were noted.
6430. CORBRIDGE POST OFFICE. It was noted that the Post Office branch is to change to one of the new main style branches. This will mean longer opening hours and improved accessibility.
6431. CORBRIDGE POLICE STATION. Officers from Corbridge Police have relocated to premises within Corbridge Middle School. This relocation maintains a policing presence in Corbridge and provides office accommodation for officers to work from when policing the local area. The new permanent base offers the same police assistance by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.
6430. INFORMATION ITEMS.
· NALC – eNews – September 2015
· Clerks and Councils Direct – Issue 101 – September 2015
· Community Action Northumberland – eNews – August 2015
· Tyne Valley Rail Users Group – New Timetable with effect from 5 October 2015
6431. WORKING/LIAISON GROUPS.
a) FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES. An inspection of the allotments will take place in October. A meeting is to be held in early December to discuss the budget and setting the precept.
b) PARISH HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. Copies of the minutes of the meeting held on 28th August had been circulated and were noted. Cllr M Horn is to advise on the storage issues in the Parish Hall. A pre-planning application will need to be submitted. Cllr M Horn had contacted 2 builders for suggestions.
c) PLAY AREA IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE. Phase One of the Chains Play Area had started and will be complete within the next 2 weeks. It was noted that the clerk undertakes weekly inspections of all the play areas in Corbridge and is fully qualified to do so. A meeting of the Play Area Improvements Committee will be held at the beginning of November. Cllr J M Hodgson and Mrs Senior had met with Paul Maynard to discuss the hedge running along the east side of The Chains POS and anti social behaviour around the play area. A meeting is to be arranged with the police to discuss this further. It was noted that there is no lighting in this area.
d) COMMUNICATIONS GROUP. No meeting had been held this month. Articles need to be submitted to Cllr A Jenkins by 30th September for the next edition due mid October. More volunteers are required for certain areas.
e) NCC HIGHWAYS AND NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES LIAISON GROUP. Minutes of the meeting held on 18 September had been circulated and were noted. A review of public conveniences had been taking place across the County to assess their suitability, quality of service and value for money. The provision of public toilets is not a statutory function of local authorities although NCC recognises that they are an important service for visitors and residents. Corbridge public toilets have been considered for a winter closure however if the Parish Council wishes the toilets to remain open over the winter then a contribution of £2000 would be required. The winter period would run after October half term week until before the Easter holidays. The ‘Your Welcome Scheme’ was discussed. Local businesses are offered a financial incentive to make their toilet facilities available to the general public. This would not be pursued should the Parish Council agree to make a financial contribution. It was proposed by Cllr Mrs J B Fearon, seconded by Cllr C G Curry and AGREED to contribute £2000 to NCC in order for the toilets to remain open during the winter period.
f) TOWN AND PARISH LIAISON GROUPS.
i. ANNUAL CONFERENCE. It was noted that the 2nd Annual Conference was to be held on Thursday 24th September. Cllrs J M Hodgson and C G Curry to attend.
ii. LOCAL LIAISON MEETING. Minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2015 were circulated and noted. .
g) CORBRIDGE IN BLOOM. Corbridge in Bloom had been awarded gold in the recent Northumbria in Bloom Awards and also Best Small Town in Northumberland. The Britain in Bloom results are expected 16th October and the local Corbridge in Bloom Awards are to be held on Friday 2nd October.
h) VILLAGE SHOW. The Village Show took place on 5th September and was very successful with a great attendance (500+). The next meeting is to be held next month and the committee are looking for new members.
i) CORBRIDGE HERITAGE TRAILS. A funding bid had been made to SITA to complete the Historic Dilston Trail and the decision is still awaited.
j) THE CHAINS POS. It was noted that the highways in The Chains development had, at last, been adopted. The planning application to resolve the drainage problems was progressing and the Section 106 Traffic Calming measures had been resurrected and a public consultation is to take place in due course..
k) CORBRIDGE YOUTH INITIATIVE. It was with sadness that Cllr J M Hodgson advised of the tragic death of one of the youth workers, Dane Curran at the weekend. Dane worked at both Corbridge and Hexham Youth Initiative. The AGM had been held and was very well attended. The Annual Report and Trustees report had been circulated to all councillors.
l) TRADERS ASSOCIATION. The group will be changing its name to Visit Corbridge. The minutes of the recent meeting had been circulated. The group were keen to have a marketing plan which has now been completed. Comments had been received regarding the positioning of A Boards on the pavements. NCC is to send a copy of their guidelines for information.
m) PARKING PLAN/TRAFFIC STUDY. Minutes of the meeting held in August with Richard McKenzie had been circulated and were noted. The one way system through the Market Place is due to be implemented and the supporting minor improvements are also being processed. Disabled parking bays are to be implemented in due course.
A pre-application meeting is to be held next week to discuss the proposed extension to the village car park. The stumbling block will be the Nursery/Café in the green belt. The car park extension and cemetery extension may have to be pursued on their own – a more difficult proposition with the Beaumonts. Cllr J M Hodgson advised that parking in the Wheatsheaf public house car park may be a possibility. The Regional Manager from Punch Taverns is to contact Cllr J M Hodgson.
20MPH limits are to be implemented around schools over the next 5 years.
A meeting had been held with Helen Lancaster to clarify the process involved with the deregistration of the Market Place. An application form is to be completed and proof required that no games or organised recreational activities took place on a regular basis prior to registration. The process will take approximately one year to complete, the application will be processed and decided by Northumberland County Council who are the Commons Registration Authority.
n) RIVER WATCH GROUP. The injection of the Japanese Knotweed had been carried out. It takes 3 consecutive years for it to be effective.
o) DEMENTIA FRIENDLY TOWN UPDATE. Cllr M J Stone was unable to attend the meeting therefore they is no report. The Community Activity Centre is being pursued. There is a meeting to be held on 4 November at 7.00pm in the Parish Hall to discuss further. Representatives of several community groups have been invited to attend. A quote had been obtained for providing a landline and wifi in the Parish Hall.
p) SCOUT HUT. All checks and insurance had now been sorted to rent out the building. A meeting is to be arranged to commence community bookings.
6432. SIGNS AND HIGHWAYS MATTERS. It was noted that the damaged St Helen’s Lane sign had been replaced however the sign now read St Helen’s. NCC Highways are aware of this and will replace.
6433. NEXT MEETING. The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Wednesday 28 October 2015 at 7.00pm in Room One of the Parish Hall.
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