BLACK NOTLEY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY THE 24TH MAY 2017 AT THE PAVILION MEETING ROOM, BLACK NOTLEY AT 7.30 PM.
IN THE CHAIR: CLLR. G. MORRIS.
PRESENT: CLLRS. T. MARTIN, I. MOORE, S. PEDDER,
D. SUTTON, J. SMITH.
APOLOGIES: CLLR. M. OSBORN.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE. - Received from District Cllr’s G Butland and T Cunningham.
565/17 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN FOR THE YEAR.
Cllr Sutton proposed Cllr Morris he is willing to stand as Chairman.
Proposed - Cllr Sutton Seconded - Cllr Moore Vote – Unanimous
Cllr Smith proposed Cllr Pedder as Vice, she was willing to stand as Vice Chairman.
Proposed - Cllr Smith Seconded - Cllr Sutton Vote – Unanimous
566/17 SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE.
Signed by Cllr Morris.
567/17 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS.
None.
568/17 PUBLIC QUESTION TIME.
Present District Cllr F Ricci and County Councillor James Abbott.
Concerns of peacock very loud near Bakers Lane had been reported. The Clerk to contact RSPCA.
569/17 REPORT FROM COUNTY COUNCILLOR AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS.
District Councilor J Abbott has been re-elected. He has requested a Speed survey on Bakers Lane due to the concern of possible increase in speeding traffic, and new development could add to this concern also the lack of signage. Cllr Abbott will pursue this issue with Police and Highways he has been in communication with the concerned residents about this. He has concerns that the village will become busier with new developments going ahead. The Clerk advised Cllr Abbott her reply from ECC regarding the lack of signage and white lines at the war memorial junction, Cllr Abbott to look at this on his way home this evening. The Local Plan was discussed regarding the increase of traffic volumes in and around the local villages.
District Cllr Ricci – Reported that the Local Plan consultation out next month he advised of the future dates.
570/17 MINUTES OF THE MEETING ON THE 26TH APRIL 2017.
Proposed - Cllr Martin Seconded - Cllr Moore Vote – Unanimous
571/17 CLERKS REPORT.
Concerns of flooding on Pickpockets Lane and the condition it is in, the clerk to email
Cllr Abbott regarding repairs on this byway.
572/17 CORRESPONDENCE.
* Box for Poppies to go into after the remembrance service. Cllr Pedder to go ahead and organize this.
573/17 PLAYING FIELD UPDATE –
A) Circulation of quotes regarding new wooden fencing.
The Clerk to contact D E Mills Fencing confirm the prices is to take away the concrete and ask to re-quote for 1.5 meters apart with posts. Agenda item June.
B) Reported - Emergency repair of £168.30 on a handle on the elephant play equipment. Cllr Moore to provide the Clerk with more information so that 3 quotes can be obtained for the new pathway.
574/17 HIGHWAY ISSUES.
ECC advised that they wish to put in a new Toucan Crossing on London Road. Near
Cut Hedge, site to be visited by Planning Representatives, comments by the 16th June.
575/17 A) FINANCE LIST.
E-on energy (lights supply) £228.96 Direct Debit
A & J Lighting Solutions Ltd £59.88 Direct Debit
EDF Energy £22.00 Direct Debit
CNG - £15.65 Direct Debit
BT for Pavilion Office £56.54 Direct Debit
3887 Helen Waterfield (salary) £685.44
3888 Helen Waterfield (mileage £5.85 + elec £30.00, BT
Broadband & calls £23.82, extra changing room door key
Cutting £9.00 ). £ 68.67
3889 Postage £ 8.47
3890 Barry Smith (salary) £315.26
3891 Hazel Ward (salary) £232.87
3892 Acumen Wages Service (£23.00+ VAT) £ 27.60
3893 R Cooper (cleaning of gutters, leaves) £ 45.00
3894 Lisa A West (internal Auditor) £180.00
3895 Mortimer Contracts Limited (1st strim, 3 war memorial & play
Area cuts, paths cut out and meadow cut Cokers Peace &
£50 cut of grass bank at Cokers Close) 1,068.00
3896 Communi Corp Clerks & Councils Direct Magazine
(Subscription) £ 12.00
3897 Essex Association of Local Councils (subscription) £ 490.76
3898 Braintree Association of Local Councils (subscription) £ 24.00
3899 Playquip (replacement handle on play equipment) £ 201.96
3900 Braintree District Council (Empty dog bins May – August) £ 46.98
3901 Zurich Municipal (annual insurance) £1,116.96
Amount paid in
£136.00 (2 x monthly payments) from Great Bradfords football club.
Proposed - Cllr Sutton Seconded - Cllr Smith Vote – Unanimous
AUTHORISATION AND SIGNING OF THE YEAR END ACCOUNTS MARCH 2017.
B) Annual Governance statement.
Annual return had been circulated and was agreed present and correct.
Proposed - Cllr Pedder Seconded - Cllr Smith Vote – Unanimous
C) Accounting Statements.
Annual return had been circulated and was agreed present and correct.
Proposed - Cllr Moore Seconded - Cllr Morris Vote – Unanimous
576/17 FIXED ASSET VALUATION POLICY TO BE AGREED – ‘At acquisition cost or
where the original cost is not known a proxy such as insurance value may be used.
Once valued at this amount it remains constant throughout the period of ownership’.
This policy was discussed and agreed.
Proposed - Cllr Pedder Seconded - Cllr Morris Vote – Unanimous
577/17 ELECTION OF SUB COMMITTEES AND REPRESENTATIVES.
It was proposed by Cllr Morris and seconded by Cllr Moore to amalgamate some of the
representative positions as 1 group re-naming them The ‘Green Spaces’. This would
include the Playing Field Landscape/Footpaths, Millennium Green, Land at Cokers Close/Wildlife area, Allotments representative – Jacky, Dave, Gary, Trevor, Ian, Susan.
Planning Representative’s 5 Jacky, Mike, Susan, Dave, Ian
Newsletter 2 Susan
Tree Warden 1 Andrew Adair
Emergency Planning 1 Trevor
Black Notley Community Association 1 Dave
Village Hall Management 1 Trevor
Braintree Association Local Councils 1 Gary
Website Representative 1 Clerk
Personnel Committee 6 Trevor, Susan, Mike, Ian, Gary, Dave
Proposed - Cllr Morris Seconded - Cllr Smith Vote – Unanimous
The Clerk suggested that the Personnel committee hold a meeting on the 28th June at 7pm before the next Parish meeting.
578/17 PLANNING.
* Local District Plan – meeting 16th May. Report Cllr Smith.
* Meeting on 5th June Black Notley / Great Notley extension. Will request to speak at
this next meeting.
* Chelmsford Local Plan – response letter.
The Parish Council strongly objects to the Chelmsford City Plan and endorse our previous comments put forward at the Chelmsford Draft Plan.
Gt Leighs was put forward in the hierarchy of sites alongside South Woodham Ferrers and the City of Chelmsford and as a Key Service Site with Danbury and Broomfield which have multiple existing facilities and proximity to Chelmsford.
The outcome of the City Plan has been that Gt Leighs, a village which has already seen substantial development, has been allocated a disproportionate amount of housing which will attempt to exit onto an already overburdened road system. It will put hundreds of extra vehicles on Bakers Lane every day.
Gt Leighs lies only 2 miles from Braintree Town Centre and Chelmsford City Council are working with Braintree District Council who themselves have a plan for 2000 homes in the Parish of Black Notley as an extension of Gt Notley approximately one mile from the Gt Leighs development plan. The Plan being that Gt Leighs development will use Braintree facilities shops schools (Notley High School) Freeport (the most direct route is down Bakers Lane).. etc.
The only access to Braintree town centre is along a recently narrowed B Road London Road and it is planned that students from Gt Leighs attend Notley High School, the only access being down Bakers Lane Black Notley, an unclassified narrow bendy country lane, It narrows to single file traffic with a recommended speed of 30mph at the Duck Pond and on single file down Buck Hill. Numerous people have lost their wing mirrors at these points. This pinch point is fronted by 4 Listed Buildings, (one Historic bearing a Blue Disc) close to the road, and several other attractive cottages only a few feet from the road and some several feet below the road level, Bakers Lane is already an overburdened rat-run and the only route to the Industrial Estates at Duggers Lane and Skitts Hill.
We have been informed that transport would be by School Bus but if it isn't free people will use their own cars as do people from Gt Notley to access the school, and the parking situation at Notley School is already causing disruption to through traffic, a dangerous situation for pedestrians, and inconvenience for residents. it would put hundreds of extra car journeys on this unsuitable country lane every day. Students should be allocated school places in Chelmsford.
Before anymore houses are actually built at Gt Leighs and Black Notley the transport infrastructure must be addressed as a matter of importance. Priority must be for a Link Road between London Road and Notley Road which would alleviate this problem. This to be in place before any more vehicles attempt to access the already overburdened 'rat-run' at Bakers Lane.
Because of the existing traffic congestion attempting to exit Gt Leighs to the A12 traffic is utilising local back roads including Bakers Lane, through Black Notley Village and onto the A12 at Witham. Building at Gt Leighs will exacerbate this problem further.
There are better options available at the other Key Sites Broomfield needs Key Workers and is within cycling distance of Chelmsford City Centre. Building at Gt Leighs must be scaled down.. BDC are still working on their Local District Plan, should BDC's plan for 2000 houses in the Parish of Black Notley (as the extension of Gt Notley) go ahead it would put additional pressure onto the local road system. Add to this the traffic from Gt Leighs and funnelling all this traffic down the part single width country lane Bakers Lane is untenable, and very bad planning, making local lives a misery,it's impossible to exit driveways as it is because of the constant convoy of cars speeding down the road.
New Road Systems must be put in place with a Link Road between London Road and Notley Road Black Notley before any development in Gt Leighs and Black Notley takes place.
579/17 NEWSLETTER.
Draft newsletter has been drawn up by Cllr Pedder and has passed onto Chairman to
read Cllr Pedder will then arrange for this to be printed all Councillors to assist in
delivery of it.
580/17 STREET LIGHTING UPGRADE TO LED’S - QUOTATION
2 quotations had been received and circulated. The Clerk to check if the VAT is
included, also to ask W & H Romac what the energy saving will be. A 3rd quote to be
obtained, agenda item for June.
581/17 DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING – WEDNESDAY 28TH JUNE 2017.
Meeting closed at 9.25 pm.
CHAIRMAN………………………………………….. DATE ……………………….