Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting Held in Tibberton Village Hall

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held in Tibberton Village Hall

at 7:00pm on Thursday, 16th March 2017

Present:Cllr: J Berry (Chairman)

Cllrs: R Belcher,S Burrell, N Eyles, M Fawcett, C Hames, L Hiltonand K Rowson

Clerk:John Major

Also in attendance, S & C Jaggs, D Westcott, Cllr S Bentley, R Telford and N Carter

16/64Apologies, for anticipated late arrival,were received from Cllrs Burrell and Eyles. The Chairman said that we would therefore defer discussing item 16/66 until later in the meeting.

16/65Minutes of previous meeting

a)Cllr Rowson proposed the adoption of the draft Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting, Thursday, 16 February 2017, seconded by Cllr Berry and agreed.

b)There were no matters arising.

16/67Finance

1. Item for payment: The Clerk attending TWC presentation on Social media, 26 miles @ 40 pence per mile: £10.40. Payment was proposed by Cllr Rowson, seconded by Cllr Hames and approved.

1. Parish Council bank reconciliation: – Cllr Rowson confirmed reconciliation of the Council’s accounts as at 1st February, the date of the latest statement received.

16/68Local issues for discussion and consideration

1. Litter Bins:Cllr Hilton spoke on TWC’s recently announced review of bins in the Borough. In short we are being asked if we have sufficient bins in the Parish; are they in the right locations, or do we have too many or need any more. Following discussion it was agreed we would ask for more bins in Tibberton, but also in our neighboring Parish, covering Ercall Heath, where many Tibberton residents walk their dogs. Cllr Hilton will progress this with TWC’s Neighbourhood and Environmental Services.

Cllr Burrell joined the meeting at 19:38.

Related to this, Cllr Berry promoted the idea of the spring litter-pick in Tibberton. Cllr Fawcett confirmed she would organise this to take place on Saturday,

8th April.

1. Tree Warden Scheme:TWC have announced review which is part of a national initiative toraise awareness of the importance of trees.Cllr Fawcett spoke on this and the Council agreed to support this initiative. Cllr Fawcett will progress this with TWC’s Neighbourhood and Environmental Services.

1. Community Resilience Plan:Councillors discussed the Community Resilience template provided byTWC’s Emergency Planning Officer. It was not considered to have much relevance to a Parish of our size and location and there was no real benefit from taking this proposal further.

1. Bridges over Mill Lane and Caynton Mill:The Clerk advised there was nothing new to report on the state/repair of these bridgesfrom TWC, who say they are still considering options. Councillors were not satisfied at this lack of progress and inadequate information. Cllr Burrell advised he has scheduled a meeting with Steve Hollins, Group Manager Engineering Services in TWC next week He will seek some clarity on the issues and ensure appropriate and timely action is being taken.

1. Broadband:There was general and positive discussion on the introduction and availability of fibre broadband in the Parish. There was some debate over whether Open Reach had made 100 or 200 potential lines available, but there was little doubt that a large number of residents have already been connected. The Clerk said he had been approached by TWC’s Superfast Broadband Team asking for feedback on the service. An appropriate link will be put on the Parish website to facilitate this.

16/66Planning

a)The Council considered the following application

TWC/2016/1127:Reserved matters application for the erection of 25 dwellings to include appearance, landscaping, layout and scale on land on the corner of Back Lane/Plantation Road, Tibberton.

This application had been considered at the previous two meetings (items 16/61 and 16/52). The Parish Council’s objections (submitted to TWC on 12 January) remain.

This item was again before the Council to consider the Ecology report which the applicant had failed to submit previously. Although we had been assured the report would be available, first in late February and then early March, it was not submitted to TWC until 13 March – and it needed to be cleared by TWC’s Ecology Department before it could be published. This had not been done by the time of this meeting.

Further consideration was therefore deferred until the report has been published. Mr Jaggs commented from the floor that TWC’s Ecology Department had indicated they too would be commenting on this report. The Clerk was instructed to try and obtain a copy of their comments so these could be reviewed by the Parish Council when it comes to consider the report.

The Council reaffirmed its further objection/comments which are to be conveyed together with its response to the Ecology report:

• While the Parish Council welcomes the modest changes made to the application, we note, with concern, the proposal to use bright red roof tiles. We suggest more mellow materials should be used, in keeping with the rural location. Similarly, all brickwork should be “aged” in appearance.

• Conditions should be added in the event the application is approved that:

1. Access to the site should be restricted to vehicles approaching the village from the B5062; and using only Back Lane.
2. Work on the site should be restricted to Monday to Friday; and should not commence before 08:00 or continue beyond 18:00.

a)

b)The Council noted that the following applications have been decided since the previous meeting:

1. TWC/2017/0037 54 Tibberton, has had a decision made:‘Full Refused’
2. TWC/2016/0891 Land adjacent The Hollies, 46 Cherrington Road, Tibberton, has had a decision made: ‘Outline Refused’.

c)Clllr Hilton proposed the Council confirm it had no objection to the following applications considered by Councillors by email. This was seconded by Cllr Hames and approved.

1. TWC/2017/0055. Erection of a summerhouse, 1.7m high fence, gate and sleepers (Retrospective) at 7 Cherrington Manor Court, Cherrington.
2. TWC/2017/0070. Application for the removal of condition 3 of planning permission 72/70/2927 to remove the agricultural occupancy condition at Sutherland Farm, Back Lane, Tibberton.

d)Local Development Plans.

1. Cllr Burrell and, from the floor,Borough Councillor Bentley, provided an update on Telford & Wrekin Council’s Plan. They advised that the Planning Examiner has questioned a number of the rural aspects/assumptions contained in the plan. This was not a particularly positive development from the Parish’s point of view. The Examiner’s final determination is not expected until May/June, with formal adoption of the plan unlikely before the end of the year.

Cllr Eyles joined the meeting at 20:30.

1. In light of this information, Councillors agreed we should hold a public meeting to consult with residents as to whether there is a desire to produce a Tibberton & Cherrington Neighbourhood Plan. Over the next two weeks and in consultation with others, Cllrs Burrell and Eyles would design an A5 size flyer, to be distributed to every house in the Parish. The notices should be professionally produced and costs in the region of £100 to cover this were considered appropriate.

16/69Any other business

1. Neighbourhood Watch: Roger Telford addressed the meeting and updated Councillors on the two reported incidents in the Parish this year. He also reminded Councillors that he will be retiring as Neighbourhood Watch Secretary in July but has, as yet been unsuccessful in finding a replacement.

1. Mill Lane flower beds: Cllr Berry said that over the coming weeks he would co-ordinate a small party to tend to the beds by and across the road from the bus stop.

1. Proposed closure of Horton lane

The Clerk advised he had been made aware, that afternoon, of moves by Hadley and Leegomery Parish Councilto close Horton Lane to general through traffic while retaining access for residents and the emergency services.

Councillors agreed this is a well-used route for our residents and its closure would have an adverse effect. The Parish Council would therefore strongly oppose the proposal and support any efforts to block this plan.

Since the meeting the following summary of the situation was received from the Clerk to Hadley and Leegomery Parish Council.

• “The [Hadley and Leegomery] Parish Council has received complaints from residents regarding volume and speed of traffic on Horton Lane since Hortonwood 60 was extended to connect with Hortonwood 40 and 45. Further development of Hortonwood has resulted in increased traffic volumes associated with access to and from units on Hortonwood, and Highways have looked at options for dealing with this.

This Council has resisted previous moves to close Horton Lane because of the potential impact on response times for the emergency services. However, traffic surveys show an ever-increasing volume of traffic on the road, and that traffic speeds are also increasing.

The only effective option proposed for dealing with this issue is to close the road to general through traffic while retaining access for residents and the emergency services, and consequently this is the Parish Council’s preferred option. However, no decision on works to be carried out on Horton Lane has yet been made.

Should Telford and Wrekin Council intend to proceed with works affecting access to Horton Lane a full consultation process will be required before any changes are made and, as you are aware, residents of Horton and the surrounding areas will have the opportunity to participate in that process.”.

16/70Date of next meeting, Thursday, 25 May 2017 at 7pm in the Village Hall

The meeting closed at 8:55.

John Major Parish Clerk

16/1