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STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET PARISH COUNCIL OPEN SPACES
MINUTES of a meeting of the OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE held at 7.45pm on Wednesday 17 February 2016 in the Council Offices, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
PRESENT:Cllr S Dunn (Chairman), M Capell-Helm, C Dean, J Hudson, J Kavanagh,
R Rands, F Richards and J Richards.Mrs V Trundle (co-opted)
ATTENDING:Mrs R Clifford (Clerk)
Mr T Lloyd (Assistant to the Clerk)
Cllrs J Hudson, J O’Brien and D Wallace-Jarvis
1 member of the public
376TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE -Cllr M Caton
377TO RECEIVE DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST - none
378TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 11 NOVEMBER 2015
The minutes had been approved at the Full Council Meeting on Wednesday 10 February.
379MATTERS ARISING
336 (276) – Reeve Road play areas- It has been agreed that the three taller items will not be replaced and these remain in storage with Croudace. The Parish Council has agreed to adopt the play areas once everything else has been replaced.
380CHAIRMAN’S REPORT-nothing to report
381TREE MATTERS
The Clerk reported that, following a request from a resident of Birchalls, she had applied to UDC for consent to fell a lime tree which is subject to a TPO. The application had been refused on amenity grounds and the adjacent house-holder has now asked the Council to appeal the decision as he was concerned that UDC had placed amenity before public safety.
Cllr Richards asked whether any of the contractors who had visited the site had declared that the tree showed any signs of ill-health. The Clerk replied that they had not, neither had the tree been flagged for concern in the full tree survey undertaken by Haydens in 2013. After further discussion members agreed that the four lime trees in Birchalls should be reduced in height by around 7m. This should alleviate the concerns of the house-holder. The TPO decision should not be appealed.
The Clerk informed members that three quotes had been received from contractors to fell two trees at the Tennis Club. All contractors had carried out work for the council in the past and there were no issues with any of them. Contractor A quoted £2,350, Contractor B £2,600 and Contractor C £2,200. After a brief discussion it was agreed that there was no reason not to accept the lowest quote and Cllr Capell-Helm proposed the following
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RESOLUTIONThat contractor C be awarded the contract to fell two trees at the tennis club subject to the receipt of satisfactory references, insurance etc.
This was seconded by Cllr Kavanagh and passed with 8 members in favour and one abstention.
The Clerk outlined a number of other areas where tree work had been quoted for and it was agreed that these should be consolidated into one contract. Relating to Birchalls, the Clerk had asked the contractors to quote for two options – either to fell one of the lime trees and reduce the others by 7m, or to reduce all four trees by 7m. The totals quoted by each contractor were £3,800 by Contractor A, £4,070 by Contractor B and £2,000 by Contractor C.
After a brief discussion it was agreed that there was no reason not to accept the lowest quote and Cllr Capell-Helm proposed the following
RESOLUTIONThat Contractor C be awarded the contract for the remaining tree work subject to the receipt of satisfactory references, insurances etc.
This was seconded by Cllr Dean and passed unanimously. The contractor would also be asked to look at some of the other trees on the boundary of Windmill Fields and Brook Road.
Cllr Dean raised concerns about the safety of trees on private land around Gypsy Lane/Silver Street. The Clerk agreed to contact the owner and seek reassurances about their safety.
382GARDENING & GRASS-CUTTING
Cllr O'Brien reported on issues with the grass on the Recreation Ground and suggested that it would benefit from reseeding. It was agreed to consult the grass cutting contractor and look at the situation again when the ground has dried out and the grass has had a chance to recover naturally.
The Clerk reported the Taylor Wimpey are ready to transfer open spaces on Foresthall Park to the Parish Council. The Clerk plans to "walk" the area with UDC Landscaping Officer Ben Smeeden and carry out a snagging survey to identify issues that need attention before the transfer takes place.
The Clerk highlighted issues about adopting the pond area which would require specialist environmental skills. If this area is transferred an organisation such as the Essex Wildlife Trust could be sub-contracted to manage it.
383LITTER
a] General
The Clerk reported that she had received three enquiries about the vacant litter picker position. She will be meeting with the chair of the personnel committee to agree the job description and start the recruitment process in the near future.
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b] Clean for the Queen
The Assistant to the Clerk reported that Churchill's had requested changes in the banner design and were talking to the supplier about this. He hoped the banners promoting the litter pick would be available for display early next week. The Air Cadets have agreed to offer their services and had been designated to clean the Knight signs and tidy surrounding areas. Mr Stiles’ Footpath report had identified areas that should be targeted and members were asked to report any other problematic areas they were aware of.
384FOOTPATHS
The report from Bill Stiles was circulated to members. Most paths were in a reasonable condition but concerns were expressed about litter (341b) and the surface of the path on Grove Hill.
Cllr O'Brien reported that footpath 18 needed to be reinstated. He also requested that owners of properties bordering the Burnells Way path be contacted and asked to cut back vegetation from their properties that was overhanging the footpath. The northern boundary of the path needs completely cut back and ivy removal. Cllr Dean stated that similar work was required on Platt’s Alley. Cllr Richards reported that the street-light at the St John’s Lane end of the Vicarage Twitchell was obscured by foliage.
385CEMETERY
The Clerk reported on three interments.
386STANSTED IN BLOOM
Mrs Trundle reported that the date of this year’s competition would depend on when the judges were available. Once the date had been agreed entry forms would be printed. It was agreed that the theme of the competition should be linked to the Queen's 90th Birthday. Cllr Hudson agreed to take photographs.
387BIRCHANGER WOOD
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 7 January had been circulated to members. Cllr Wallace-Jarvis explained that they may have to change their trust status and consider becoming a community interest company. This is a consequence of councils in Hertfordshire deciding not to provide indemnity insurance to councillors who act as trustees.
Meeting closed 8.35 pm