MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF BERINSFIELD PARISH COUNCIL held on Monday 2nd December 2013 at Abbey Woods Academy, Wimblestraw Road, Berinsfield
PRESENT : Councillor K. Hall Chairman
Councillor Mrs. P. Brenen
Councillor Mrs. P. Collins
Councillor E. Croft
Councillor G. Denslow
Councillor J. Eccles
Councillor B. Harris
Councillor L. Pomeroy
Councillor Mrs. Sutton
Councillor F. Workman
Councillor Ms. K. Lobb – with effect from Minute No. 5
1. Items raised by Members of the Public
a) Shops – Fane Drive, opposite Church. A resident informed the Parish Council that the fascia/ledge over the front of the shops required repairing. Water leaks from it on to people entering the shops and the area is slippery due to the leaves dropping at this time of the year. The Parish Council was also informed that the area is not being cleaned. It was agreed that the Parish Council would contact the owners of the premises with regard to the fascia/ledge and South Oxfordshire District Council with regard to cleaning the area.
b) Path – Fane Drive. It was reported that the footpath from Pritchard Close to the shops at the junction of Fane Drive and Wimblestraw Road was in a very poor condition and some of the dropped kerbs were very steep causing problems for people pushing prams or in mobility scooters. It was agreed that the Highways Department would be asked to inspect the area.
c) Drain, 21 Windrush Close. It was reported that the drain was still overflowing on to the path at the side of the property.
d) Pothole near to 15 Kennet Close. This matter will be reported to Oxfordshire County Council, Highways Department.
e) Closure of Berinsfield Arms. The Parish Council was informed that this matter was still being investigated.
f) Damaged gullies outside Co-operative Store, Fane Drive. The Parish Council was informed that the gullies had been repaired.
g) Shops located at the junction of Chiltern Close and Fane Drive. The Parish Council was informed that there had been no improvement with regard to the premises or the rubbish deposited at the rear of the shop premises. It was also reported that used cooking oil is being stored at the rear of the Indian Takeaway.
It was reported that the litter bins in front of the shops are always full and that the frontage is not being cleaned. It was agreed that South Oxfordshire District Council would be contacted about this matter again. Councillor Pomeroy and his wife do voluntary litter picking in this area, but he indicated that he was no longer prepared to clear the shop fronts. The Council thanked Councillor Pomeroy and his wife for carrying out the voluntary litter picking in the Windrush Close/Kennet Close area.
h) Garages, Glyme Drive. A resident attended the meeting to ask for some help with regard to damage being caused to a garage he owns in Glyme Drive by surface water not being able to soak away at the rear of the garage block. He pointed out that the area behind the garages had been cemented over and therefore the water was seeping into the garage buildings instead of soaking away into the ground. He owns his garage, but the forecourt and area behind the garages is possibly still in the ownership of SOHA housing. The Parish Council accepted the photographs that he had taken of the brickwork and the damage and informed him that investigations would be carried out to ascertain if anything could be done to prevent the water seeping into the brickwork.
i) Scrap Yard, Berinsfield. It was reported that vehicles are being advertised for sale outside the scrap yard and that no action has been taken with regard to the signs.
j) Caravan in front drive of property in Fane Drive. It was reported that people are congregating in the caravan located in the front drive of a property in Fane Drive and that the late night noise is causing problems to other residents. It was also reported that a 30 kg propane gas cylinder is attached to the caravan and is located quite close to the pavement.
2. Apologies for absence were received from District Councillor Marc Hiles and County Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale.
3. Declaration of Interests. There were no declarations of interests.
4. To approve and sign the Minutes and Confidential Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 4th November, 2013 The Minutes and Confidential Minutes of the meeting of Berinsfield Parish Council held on 4th November, 2013 were APPROVED by the Council and signed by the Chairman.
5. Casual Vacancies. An application for one of the casual vacancies on Berinsfield Parish Council was received from Ms. Kerry Lobb. The Parish Council considered the application and it was AGREED that Ms. Kerry Lobb should be co-opted as a Member of Berinsfield Parish Council. Ms. Lobb signed her declaration of acceptance of office and joined the Parish Council for the remainder of the meeting.
6. To approve the Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on 18th November, 2013. It was AGREED that
a) the Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on Monday 18th November, 2013 and the recommendations made therein, should be APPROVED
b) the budget, a copy of which had been circulated to Members and is filed in the Minute book, should be APPROVED and that South Oxfordshire District Council should be informed that the sum of £114,000 will be required as the total precept for the year 2014/15. The figure requested as the precept will be adjusted when confirmation of the grant available from South Oxfordshire District Council has been received.
7. To approve the Minutes of the Planning, Highways & Public Transport Committee meeting held on 18th November, 2013. The Minutes of the Planning, Highways & Public Transport Committee meeting held on 18th November, 2013 were APPROVED by the Council.
8. To receive the Notes from the Neighbourhood Development Plan meeting held on Tuesday 19th November. The notes from the Neighbourhood Development Plan meeting held on Tuesday 19th November were received by the Parish Council and confirmed as a true record of the meeting.
Councillor Denslow informed the meeting that Mr. Phil Moule, Senior Planning Policy Officer at South Oxfordshire District Council had informed him that he would like to meet with the Steering Group to discuss protocols with regard to land ownership etc.
9. County Councillor’s Report. County Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale had provided a report and copies were circulated to all Members of the Parish Council prior to the meeting. Members noted the contents of the report.
10. To consider planning applications and decisions.
a) Application No. P13/S3637/FUL Erection of 2.4 m high fence, 37m in length with 2.4m wide gate. Abbey Woods Academy, Wimblestraw Road, Berinsfield, OX10 7LZ. The Parish Council AGREED that South Oxfordshire District Council should be informed that the application should be approved.
11. Parishes Against Gravel Extraction (PAGE) A copy of the November 2013 report had been circulated to all Members of the Parish Council for information. Councillor Denslow informed the Parish Council that the next PAGE meeting would be held on Tuesday 3rd December and that he would be attending.
12. Proposed new Leisure Centre, Berinsfield Mr. Matt Prosser, Strategic Director and Ms. Caroline Ball, Leisure Development Officer, South Oxfordshire District Council attended the meeting to inform the Parish Council about the current situation with regard to the proposed new Leisure Centre.
a) The Memorandum of Understanding has now been signed with Oxfordshire County Council.
b) Matt Prosser is about to make a bid for more money from South Oxfordshire District Council to appoint a full design team for the Leisure Centre project. This should enable costings to be available and give some certainty to the District Council to move the project forward. It will also enable Oxfordshire County Council to know the actual costs and assess what its contribution will be. The District Council also want to know how much Oxfordshire County Council will contribute towards the scheme. If everything goes to plan, the design team should be appointed in the summer of 2014.
c) Location of proposed new Leisure Centre. If the Centre is built on the existing site it would have to be closed while being re-developed. Another site, between Abbey Woods Close and the school has been identified by South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council as being suitable for the proposed new Leisure Centre and would mean that the existing Leisure Centre could remain open while the new centre is being constructed. The Parish Council informed Matt Prosser that it would not want War Memorial moved, but Councillor Hall asked if the site was used, whether it could possibly incorporate the War Memorial at the entrance of the proposed new Leisure Centre. Matt Prosser hopes to go back to South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council with the design in October/November 2014. It is possible that the existing Leisure Centre site could be sold to enable the County Council to contribute towards the cost of the new Leisure Centre. Matt Prosser confirmed that he would keep the Parish Council and local community informed about progress. He also referred to the Berinsfield Neighbourhood Development Plan as being an important document and that South Oxfordshire District Council should take all views into account.
Councillor Croft asked how long it would take to construct a new building on a new site. He was informed that construction would take approximately eighteen months and that it would take approximately a year to get to the point of construction. Mr. Prosser informed the meeting that any repairs required at the Leisure Centre are currently being carried out to ensure that they have a lifespan of approximately four years in order that they do not have to be carried out again prior to re-development.
The following questions were put to Matt Prosser:-
i) if the centre was built on the new site by the War Memorial, would it be a one or two storey building? Mr. Prosser informed the meeting that it was not yet known, but it might have to be two storey.
ii) what would happen to the site of the existing Leisure Centre? Mr. Prosser stated that the County Council would probably look to get the most value from the site.
iii) what would happen to the woodland at the rear of the proposed new site? It is possible some of the woodland might have to be used, but landscaping would be carried out around the new centre.
iv) had any thought been given to the fact that Wimblestraw Road is very busy when children enter and leave the school premises? Matt Prosser said that they would look at the site from a traffic management angle.
v) would the proposed new Leisure Centre have space to accommodate other organisations based in the village? Matt Prosser indicated that some organisations wanted space but did not have any funds to put into the project. The Chairman, Councillor Hall, stated that he envisaged the centre being like that at Barton in Oxford.
vi) would the proposed Design Team specifically be appointed for the Berinsfield project. Mr. Prosser said that it would and the appoint of the Team would be through an open tender process.
vii) Councillor Denslow stated that it was his belief that if the Leisure Centre was moved from its current location that housing would be built on the site. He considered that housing should go on the outskirts of the village and that there should be no infilling. He also considered that the area between Abbey Woods Close and the school was an attractive entrance to the village. Councillor Denslow also stated that he did not think the Information Centre should be located close to the youth club facility in the proposed new Leisure Centre. Matt Prosser and Caroline Ball stated that this would be looked at by the Design Team.
viii) Funding. Matt Prosser stated that if the County Council has not got sufficient funds available to cover their commitment to the project, this would have to be discussed with the local community.
ix) Councillor Denslow referred to the possibility of the Centre being constructed on a proposed new site and therefore the project should now be included in the Berinsfield Neighbourhood Development Plan to enable consultation to take place.
x) Matt Prosser asked if the Parish Council would consider appointing a Liaison Committee who could meet with the District Council, if decisions were required between Parish Council meetings.
Councillor Hall thanked Matt Prosser and Caroline Ball for attending the meeting and asked if they would continue to attend Parish Council meetings to give updates on the project and to consult with the Council.
13. Correspondence and Items for Information.
a) Strategic Land Review. The Shared Strategic Property Team Leader at South Oxfordshire District Council had submitted plans showing proposed rights of way that the Church would need to Wimblestraw Road over land that it is proposed to transfer to Berinsfield Parish Council. He had also submitted a plan showing the area of land to be transferred to the Church. The Parish Council had concerns about the amount of land to be transferred to the Church and Mr. Matt Prosser agreed to speak to the Shared Strategic Property Team Leader about this prior to the matter of the rights of way being considered by the Parish Council.