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Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council of Eynsford, held on

Thursday 19thFebruary 2015, at the Parish Office, Priory Lane, Eynsford, at 8pm.

7904PRESENT

Members Present

Mrs S Boyle (Chair)

Mrs A Cornwell

Mrs T Durrant

Mr M Richardson

Mr N Rodway

Mr C Stanyon

Other Officials Present

None

Clerk in Attendance

Mrs H Ivaldi

7905APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Dr J Harris

Mr P Ward

Mr R Gough, County Councillor

7906CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS

Mrs Boyle reminded councillors that those who wished to stand for election should ensure their nomination papers are submitted at the appropriate time.

Mrs Boyle also reminded councillors that the next surgery session would be on Saturday 28th February from 9am -11am.

7907CLERK’S COMMENTS

Mrs Ivaldi mentioned a couple of upcoming meetings and asked if any councillors would be available to attend. The next Consortium meeting will be held on 17th March in Horton Kirby: Mrs Cornwell and Mrs Boyle said they would attend, subject to availability. The next Lullingstone Liaison Group meeting will be held on 9th March: Dr Harris would be asked if he could attend.

Mrs Ivaldi noted that the April Committee meeting would co-incide with Easter Monday. Councillors agreed this should be changed to Tuesday 7th April. This would be ratified at the next main meeting.

7908GOVERNANCE

a) Declarations of Interest

Mrs Cornwell declared a pecuniary interest in item 7912 (f) as an allotment holder.

b) Minutes of Previous Meetings

The minutes of the last full council meeting, held on 15th January2015,were presented for approval.

RESOLVED: Thatthe minutes are accepted as a true and complete record, subject to a couple of minor grammatical amendments as marked on the minutes, and that the recommendations are approved.

c) Finance Notes

The clerk submitted a list of accounts, and a budget report, for January 2015, as per Appendix A.

RESOLVED: Thatthe accounts are approved and payments made.

d) Outstanding Actions

Councillors discussed items listed that had been outstanding for three months or more.

  • Tree Survey Work – Mr Richardson reported that a meeting had been set up and that a visual survey had been completed, but that recommendations from the surveyor were still outstanding. The Clerk agreed to chase to tree surgeon for his recommendations.
  • Works to the Changing Rooms – Mr Baker reported that the roof space had now dried up and there seemed to be no recurrence of the damp/leak problem. It was agreed that this item should be put on hold and reviewed as necessary.
  • Land adjacent to the Station – this item would be discussed later in the meeting.
  • Sevenoaks District Council Allocations and Development Plan – Mr Stanyon agreed to check whether any work on this was outstanding.
  • Harrow Meadow Playground – The Clerk had contacted Kent Highways about road signage, and they had said that they were unlikely to fund signs due to no accidents being recorded. The Clerk agreed to find out costs and permissions for installing signs.

RESOLVED: That all of the remaining outstandingactions are pursued.

e) Signatory for the Henry Cox Charity

Given Mr Stanyon’s departure from Eynsford, he had asked to be removed as a signatory from the account for the Eleemosynary Charity of Henry Cox and that a new signatory is agreed.

RESOLVED:That Mrs Durrant is added as signatory for the account of the Eleemosynary Charity of Henry Cox, and Mr Stanyon is removed, and that Rev Owen is informed of this and asked to make suitable arrangements.

f) Spring Newsletter

Councillors were asked to consider delaying the publication of the spring newsletter until after the election, to avoid any conflict with the rules on purdah, and to enable details of the newly elected councillors.

RESOLVED: That the newsletter is prepared before the election and that the list of councillors elected is included before it goes to print, aiming for a delivery mid-May.

g) Parish Office Cleaner

Councillors were informed that a new cleaner had been appointed on a weekly basis on an initial month’s trial, starting Monday 2nd February.

RESOLVED: That the information is noted.

7909PLANNING

a) Planning Committee 2nd February 2015

Minutes of the above meeting were circulated to all councillors for approval, as per Appendix B.

RESOLVED: Thatthe minutes are accepted as a true and complete record, and that the recommendations are approved.

b)Notifications of Planning Consents/Refusals Received from Sevenoaks District Council

SE/14/03211/LBCALT – 3 Elizabeth Cottages, High Street, Eynsford – GRANTED

SE/14/03925/HOUSE – San Gabriel, Priory Lane, Eynsford – GRANTED
SE/14/03494/HOUSE – Sparepenny Cottage, Sparepenny Lane, Eynsford – REFUSED

c) Appeal re: SHA/17871 Application for inclusion in the pharmaceutical list offering benefits in the vicinity of Eynsford Village Hall

Councillors were informed that the applicants were appealing against the refusal for their initial application for a pharmacy in Eynsford. Mr Richardson had drafted a letter of response reiterating the main areas of the council’s objection to this application.

RESOLVED:That a letter is sent to the NHS Litigation Authority setting out the council’s objections to this application.

d) Planning Application SE/15/00253/HOUSE - Aston Lea, Station Road, Eynsford

Councillors considered a plan for the erection of a single storey side extension with rooflight.

RESOLVED:That no objection is made.

7910HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION

a)Highways & Transportation Committee 2nd February 2015

Minutes of the above meeting were circulated to all councillors for approval, as per Appendix C.

RESOLVED: Thatthe minutes are accepted as a true and complete record, and that the recommendations are approved.

b) Footpath on Bower Lane

Councillors were informed that a resident had asked about the possibility of having a footpath/pavement along Bower Lane up to Knights Field.

RESOLVED: That this query is passed on to Kent Highways in terms of assessing feasibility for such a project.

c) Use of Land at Eynsford Station

The council had contacted the landowners of the old railway compound off Upper Austin Lodge Road about renting it for possible parking. The owners had been in touch and were open to suggestions for a way forward.

RESOLVED: That the clerk contacts Sevenoaks District Council to find out what would be permitted on that land, given that it is in the Green Belt.

7911COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT

a) Police Report

No police report was available.

b) Donation to Eynsford in Bloom

Councillors were asked to consider making a donation to Eynsford in Bloom who had submitted receipts totalling £1194.93 including VAT. Councillors were informed that the budget for donations to Eynsford in Bloom was £1200.

RESOLVED: That £1194.93 is donated to Eynsford in Bloom, for the Eynsford in Bloom budget, using Section 137.

c) Stallholders at the Annual Parish Meeting

Eynsford Village Society had asked if they could have a stall at the Annual Parish Meeting.

RESOLVED: Thatpermission is given to Eynsford Village Society, but that no other village groups would be allowed a table. Mr Stanyon and Mr Rodway asked that their votes against this decision be recorded.

d) Eynsford Twinning

Mrs Boyle informed Councillors that she had met with representatives from the twinning committee to discuss the implications of twinning to the parish council. She had looked at wording from sample agreements and was content that the parish council would not be legally bound by signing an agreement.

RESOLVED: That, subject to agreement of the wording, that Mrs Boyle or another parish representative signs the twinning agreement.

e) Annual Parish Meeting Leaflets

Councillors were informed that the leaflets would be printed shortly and that they would be allocated to councillors and clerks for delivery around the village.

RESOLVED:That the information is noted.

f) South and South East in Bloom Entry

Councillors were asked to agree to paying the entry fee of £45 for Eynsford’s entry into this competition.

RESOLVED:That the fee is paid from Regular Donations, using Section 137.

At 9pm, the meeting paused for questions from the public. The meeting resumed at 9.04pm.

7912RECREATION

a) Recreation Committee 2nd February 2015

Minutes of the above meeting were circulated to all councillors for approval, as per Appendix D.

RESOLVED: Thatthe minutes are accepted as a true and complete record, and that the recommendations are approved.

b)Use of Common Meadow for a Duck Race

Councillors were asked to consider giving permission for a duck race to be held by the Brownies, Guides and Rainbows on Sunday 29th March at Common Meadow.

RESOLVED: Thatpermission is granted, and that Eynsford Cricket Club is informed.

c) Grass Cutting Contracts

Councillors were asked to consider tenders for grass cutting for 2015.

RESOLVED: That the following contracts are offered to Mr Bint: Contract A (A225 Layby and verges), Contract B (Common Meadow) and Contract C (Harrow Meadow). That details as to the number of cuts are agreed at the next Recreation committee meeting.

d) Use of Common Meadow for a Wedding Marquee

Councillors were asked to consider a request to use Common Meadow to erect a marquee to host a wedding reception. The planned reception would go on until 1am and would include live and recorded music.

RESOLVED: That permission is not granted due to likely disturbance to neighbouring residents.

e) ‘No Dogs’ signs at Riverside

Councillors were asked to consider purchasing new ‘No Dogs’ signs for Riverside. 200mm x 300mm signs are £4.59 each or £3.67 each when buying 10.

RESOLVED: That 10 new signs are purchased from the Recreation General budget. That the clerk checks that they can be attached with security screws.

f) Allotment Agreement and Rent

Councillors were asked to agree changes to the allotment agreement and an increase in rent, both to be valid from April 2016. There was a discussion about the amount of the deposit and how it should cover the cost of making good a plot.

RESOLVED: That the new allotment tenancy is agreed, subject to the inclusion of a sentence about the deposit being £30 for new tenants. That the rent from April 2016 is increased to £20 for a full plot and £10 for a half plot. That letters are sent to all allotment holders before 1 April 2015 to give notice on the existing agreements and to inform them of these changes.

g) Use of Riverside for a Sponsored Walk

Councillors were informed that Orpington Volunteer Youth Project had asked permission to use Riverside Green as a checkpoint and refreshment stop for their annual sponsored walk on Saturday 9th May.

RESOLVED: That permission is granted subject to litter etc being cleared away after use.

h) Family Fun Days – Easter and Summer

Councillors were informed that dates had been agreed for the family fun days in the village. These would be Friday 10th April, Eynsford Village Hall and Fridays 7th and 21st August at Anthony Roper Primary School.

RESOLVED: That the information is noted.

The meeting of the council closed at 9.26pm

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Chairman: 19thMarch 2015