SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
Parish Office, Swallowfield Street, SwallowfieldRG7 1QX
Clerk: Mrs. C. Adams
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A MEETING OF
SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2013 IN
THE ROSE ROOM, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH HALL,
SWALLOWFIELD STREET, SWALLOWFIELD AT 7.30PM
Mrs. C. Adams, Clerk
7/3/13
Members: Mrs. M. McDonald (Chairman), Mr. J. Anderson, Mrs. C. Clark, Mr. G.E. Collender,
Mr. E. Handley, Mrs. A. King, Mr. P. Sampson , Mrs. B. E. Stanley
Note: This meeting is open to the public and press who are welcome to attend.
There will be an OPEN FORUM for informal discussion at the start of the meeting.
A G E N D A
The meeting will be temporarily adjourned for the next item which will not be minuted
OPEN FORUM for informal discussion with members of the public
1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE and DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any apologies for absence; and
To receive any declarations of interest in any matters to be discussed by the Council at this meeting
2. CASUAL VACANCY
To note that the vacancy can be filled in accordance with Rule 8 of the Local Elections (Parish and Communities) Rules 1986; and to co-opt a new member.
3. CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
Councillor Handbooks – to note that further background information, including the business plan ‘The Way Ahead’ prepared in 2001 by RSF Tennis Club has been circulated to all members for inclusion in Members’ Handbooks.
Annual Parish Meeting – update and to consider including information on the Arborfield the Relief Road
4.MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
a) to approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 12th February 2013
b) matters arising and outstanding actions from last meeting
The meeting will be temporarily adjourned to the next item
5. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
6.PLANNING
6.1 Current applications
Comments on the following applications were previously sent to WBC on 1st March 2013
108/F/2012/1848 – Proposed erection of 4 x 6 metre floodlights for riding arena (retrospective application), Sheepbridge Court Farm, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield
Comments (as below) previously sent.
109/VAR/2012/2023 – Application for variation to condition 5 of planning consent F/2004/3409 to allow continue use of riding arena for commercial riding and training purposes (retrospective application), Sheepbridge Court Farm, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield
Comments (as below) previously sent.
110/F/2012/2024 – Continued use of 15 farm stables for livery purposes (retrospective application), Sheepbridge Court Farm, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield
Comments (as below) previously sent.
1/F/2013/0164 – Proposed erection of single storey rear extension to dwelling, Whiteways, Basingstoke Road, Riseley
Comments (as below) previously sent.
Comments at this meeting to be agreed for:
2/VAR/2013/0210 – application for variation of condition 2 of planning consent F/2011/0118 to allow amended drawing number A03, Kingsbridge Farm, Lambs Lane, Swallowfield + revised drawing
6.2 Results – to note
104/F/2012/2261 - Proposed removal of existing mobile home and construction of replacement 4 bed dwelling with associated external works, Lenette, Church Road, Swallowfield (PC objected due to site being outside village envelope and would set a precedent; also flooding and drainage issues)
PP refused Feb 2013 due to development in countryside being unacceptable in principle; inappropriate scale and massing; inadequate services and amenities provision; and TBH SPA
6.3Arborfield SDL Parish and Community Forum – report on meeting held on 20th February and to note next meeting on 11th March at 7pm
6.4WBC Planning training – to note event to be held on 13 March at 7.30pm
6.5Park and Ride Consultation (proposed sites at Mereoak and Winnersh Triangle) –to agree consultation comments below (required by 29 March)
6.6SDLs – to note meeting with WBC’s Partnership Development Officer for community sustainability on 19th March at 7.30pm (papers circulated separately)
6.7Farley Hill School – to note meeting to discuss school car park and access to some extra play space adjacent to the school and agree who will attend on behalf of SPC
6.8MDD DPD – notice that the Hearings for the Examination are expected to start on 14 May. (Those seeking changes to the Plan must demonstrate why it is unsound by reference to one or more of the tests of soundness).
7.FINANCE
(Budgets/investments/sinking fund/grants/properties/risk assessments/insurance)
Mr. Collender/Mr. Anderson/Mrs. Clark/Mrs. King/Mr. Sampson
7.1Finance –
a) budget update
7.2Fieldfayre –note of meeting with Mr. Kumar and discussion/recommendation paper attached (Part II item); and to consider quote of £240 for repairs to front roof area
Rates appeal – to note correspondence
7.3SSE – notice of new street lighting charges from 1st April 2013 (painting and lamps for 5 columns £257.65 per annum)
7.4Tennis Court resurfacing – to note results of grant research (36 possible funding sources pursued – 6 currently closed; 12 available only to charities; 1 suspended; 1 only available to social enterprises; 8 were not applicable; 8 required further investigation with only 1 (Biffa) being realistic) Details previously circulated.
8. BILLS FOR PAYMENT – to approve [list to be provided at meeting]
9.PARISH VISION
(Parish plan/future of the parish/WDALC/BALC/AWE)
Mrs King/Mr. Anderson/Mrs. McDonald
9.1Parish Plan update – to note the Vision and Strategy working group meeting on 26th March at 7.30pm in the Rose Room
9.2AWE – to note press release on 28 Feb regarding a planned protest activity by Action Atomic Weapons Eradication (AAWE)
10. RECREATION
(Play areas/skateboard park/recreation grounds/football pitches/mpg court)
Mr. Handley
10.1 Upgrade to Riseley play area (following meeting with WBC re S.106 funds – note attached)
11. ENVIRONMENT
(The Marshes/Van Demans/Swallowfield Meadow/Community Orchard/biodiversity/footpaths/waste)
Mr. Sampson/Mrs King/Mrs. McDonald
11.1Orchard update
12. HUMAN RESOURCES
(Appraisals/recruitment/staff training)
Mrs. Stanley/Mrs. McDonald
12.1Report on Halls staff meeting held on 7th March
13. TRANSPORT
(Road issues/speeding/public transport/police liaison/NAG)
Mr. Handley/ Mrs. King; NAG – Mr. Sampson
13.1 Riseley Gateways – update(to be provided) and
i)to note the new Guide on Road Safety for Local Councillors (published January 2013);
ii)update (below) on ‘access only sign for Norton Road’
iii)update (below) on meeting to be arranged with Hants CC re congestion at Riseley roundabout onto A33; Odiham Road issues; and The Devil’s Highway (letter to Cllr David Simpson)
13.2GVO Licence application for a new authorisation at Lambs Farm Business Park – to note letter received from Mr. Winkworth providing an explanation regarding the proposed new buildings and parking and inviting members to visit the site if necessary
13.4Correspondence: Letter from West London Mental Health NHS Trust in connection with plans to redevelop Broadmoor Hospital, including creating a new haul road off the A3095. The letter was to inform residents that main roadworks are expected to start in the spring and last approx. 26 weeks. For more information people can call 0208 3548836 or visit
13.5NAG meeting 12 February – to receive notes of meeting (previously circulated); and to note next meeting on 16 April
14. COMMUNICATION
(Newsletter/website/Annual Report/media)
Mr. Collender/Mrs. Clark
14.1Newsletter – to note copy deadline for next edition 31st March 2013
14.2Computer assistance – to consider requesting names of local people to whom older people can turn to for help
15. RESILIENCE
(Flooding/ditches/rivers/ Flood Resilience Group ‘FRG’)
Mrs. McDonald/Mrs. King/Mr. Sampson
15.1Flooding – update
15.2Naylors Ditch – to agree RSJs to the end of The Naylors ditch (£420) to prevent flytipping and unlawful access
16.HALLS
(Maintenance/website/involvement with users/Marketing and Entertainment Groups)
Mrs. McDonald/Mrs. Clark/Mrs. King/Mr. Sampson
16.1Halls working group – report on meeting held on 18th February (notes previously circulated)
16.2Riseley Memorial Hall – tea room proposal update and to consider kitchen refurbishment (see below) and plans attached
16.3Parish Hall Floor – update (below)
16.4Parish Hall boiler and pipework – quote to be provided
16.5Pims Pumps – to note that the Pims Group has been acquired by Xylem Water Solutions UK Ltd but the legal trading name of Pims Group will not change
17. BUSINESS/FARMING
(Links with businesses in the parish/Business Forum/farming)
Mr. Sampson/Mrs. Clark; Farming – Mrs. King
17.1Business forum - update
17.2Local Farmers’ Forum – to note date of next meeting (20th March)
18. REPORTS/CORRESPONDENCE
18.1Riverdale Neighbourhood Partnership Committee – minutes of meeting held on 13th November and date of next meeting – 26th March (copies only to MM/AK/BS)
18.2 Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act – report on training event attended by Cllr Sampson and the Clerk on 27 February (previously circulated)
18.3Letter from The Mid and West Berkshire Local Access Forum asking the PC to publicise a notice inviting applicants to join the forum – to note that notices have been posted on noticeboards and on the website.
The meeting will be temporarily adjourned for the next item
19. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
To receive questions or comments from the public
20. URGENT MATTERS AND/OR ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA
Outstanding: stage sound and lights
21. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday 9th April 2013 at 7.30 p.m. in the Rose Room, Swallowfield Parish Hall, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield
AGENDA ITEM 13.1
‘No access’ sign for Norton Road
WBC is investigating this, but has warned that it does not like to issue implement such signage without police support
Meeting with HCC
The matter has been deferred due to local elections in May and will be pursued once the new council has been formed
AGENDA ITEM 6.5
Park & Ride, Mereoak PROPOSED comments:
The J11 improvements have been specifically designed and built with bus lanes in readiness for the Park & Ride at Mereoak. Since the scheme was first mooted, the case for it has become stronger as a result of the identification of the South of M4 and Arborfield SDLs in the approved WBC Core Strategy and the housing development currently under way at Three Mile Cross. Having a Park & Ride south of the M4 will be more convenient for residents in Swallowfield Parish than the existing facility at Madejski. In view of this, the Parish Council supports the Mereoak scheme and welcomes the fact that funding has been secured to enable implementation to proceed.
However, Swallowfield Parish Council has two concerns that it would like WBC to address as follows:
1. This scheme will attract traffic from the Arborfield SDL when that is developed and the Parish Council is concerned that the lanes through Farley Hill and Swallowfield would be used to drive to the park and ride instead of more suitable alternative routes. These lanes are not well suited to taking additional traffic due to parked cars at Farley Hill Primary School at the start and end of the school day, the sharp bend and hump back bridge by All Saints Church, the mini-roundabout in Swallowfield and the dangerous junction between the Basingstoke Road and Swallowfield Street.
2. Traffic from the Hook and Hartley Wintney direction needs to be encouraged to access the Park & Ride via the A33 bypass and not using the B3349. The B3349 is regularly used instead of the bypass at peak times when traffic backs up from the roundabout junction at the southern end of the bypass. Measures should include signage on the roundabout by the entrance to Wellington Country Park and speed reduction measures for southbound vehicles on the bypass as they approach the roundabout at the southern end to slow vehicles down so that vehicles have more opportunity to enter the roundabout from the Riseley direction.
AGENDA ITEM 16.1
Riseley Tea Room – update (MM/AK)
Lights – need some attention and the electrician will be asked to quote
Emergency doors and windows – emergency doors have dropped from frequent opening and closing and need refitting. Windows also need adjusting. Quotes requested.
Outside fence – has been removed. Some remedial work still needed – Mrs. Carter has confirmed this will be done.
Noticeboards, pictures and hangers – to be removed by caretaker
Meeting with SSE on 7th March – report to be provided
Open event on 9th March – report to be provided
Riseley Memorial Hall kitchen – allowance from sinking fund.
The following quote has been received, based on tea room needs. Two further quotes have been requested.
1) The price of the kitchen as per the plan andbased onmid range priced units and work surface supply only is £3505.95. It doesn't include a hand sink or boiler in that cost.This could be lowered if the oven tower was taken out and just a normal oven unit put in, no units or worksurface behind the door, have normal height wall units rather than the taller ones for extra storageand a cheaper range of style we could probably bring it down £1000.
So to:-
- Rip out existing kitchen and dispose of
- Move consumer units and provide electrics in kitchen
- Make good walls
- Re route plumbing to accommodate new plan
- Supply and fit Lincat hot water boiler
- Supply and install new kitchen
- Tile around the top of work surface and behind sink
- Cut down the length of the bar
- Put on new worksurface to bar
- Put in new cupboards under bar with sliding doors
- Supply and fit shelving down the back wall of bar area.
Total cost of Labour and Materials including Supply of kitchen £9707.00
*Also Angela asked about changing the door from the hallway into the hall for a wider single door with side panels for easier disabled access. Dan suggest it might benefit having it in upvc because it is an odd open size and will be more resistant to damage rather than wood, either way it would be be approximately £800.
AGENDA ITEM 16.3
Parish Hall floor
Background
The hall floor was sanded and repolished in 2010 at a cost of £3785. Several months later we asked the contractor (who lives in the village) to come back because there was a problem. He thought it must be the seal he had used and so came back and again sanded and resealed the floor this time with a different product. However, the problem returned and we asked him to come back again. We also met with a representative from the product manufacturer (Bona) and it was felt that the problems were likely to be due (possibly combined with other factors such as less polish being used) to too much water being used to wash the floor.
The Council now needs to agree how to proceed. A test patch has been done on a small area of the floor to re-seal it again. This will protect it from now provided we don’t use water as before. The cost for this will be provided.
Alternatively the Council could ask for a consultant’s opinion from the British Wood Floor Association (cost to be provided).
AGENDA ITEM 6.1
Comments previously sent to WBC on 1st March
For the attention of Hannah Wilson, Case Officer
F/2012/2024, F/2012/1848 and VAR/2012/2023 - Sheepbridge Court Farm, Swallowfield
Since these are three related applications, they need to be considered together and the Parish Council has therefore produced a single response covering all three.
F/2012/2024 – Proposed continued use of 15 farm stables for livery purposes (retrospective) Sheepbridge Court Farm, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield
and
VAR/2012/2023 – Variation to condition 5 of planning consent F/2004/3409 to allow continued use of riding area for commercial riding and training purposes (retrospective) Sheepbridge Court Farm, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield
The Parish Council considers that it is appropriate to have commercial equestrian facilities in the countryside subject to appropriate constraints. This appears to be an appropriate location for such use and provided that measures are taken to address the concerns expressed in this letter, the Parish Council has no fundamental objection to these applications in principle.
However, the Parish Council is concerned that these are retrospective applications to regularise activities and developments that have taken place contrary to existing permissions and consequently has no confidence that the landowner would comply with any new conditions that might be applied if these applications are approved.
The council is mindful that a commercial operation does imply an intensification of activity, the impact of which raises issues, as follow, that must be resolved if the applications are to be acceptable:
(a)These are retrospective applications that appear to have been prompted by the enforcement team. This is likely to have been in response to one or more objections by local residents. The Parish Council is unfortunately unaware of whether any such objections have been raised and so is unable to make specific comments on this aspect other than to say this could be an important consideration.
(b)There would appear to be several dwellings on the farm complex with separate address points which indicates separate occupation and so there are nearby residents who may well have legitimate objections and concerns which must be taken into account. If there has been no objection in recent years as the applicant claims, one might conclude that the impact on their living conditions is slight. However, given previous failures to comply with planning conditions, the Parish Council would be inclined to give added credence and weight to any justifiable objections that may have been raised either in response to the applications or previously in relation to enforcement.
(c)There will be an intensification of vehicle movements accessing and leaving the site from the Basingstoke Road and some vehicles will have horseboxes in tow. Some widening of the access may well be appropriate to ensure that vehicles can enter and leave safely without being held up on the main road.
(d)Parking for cars and horseboxes is essential for both the stables (application F/2012/2024) and the riding arena (application VAR/2012/2023). Although parking is shown on the plans submitted for the arena, it is not clear if the parking already exists or is to be created or whether it is suitable in nature or indeed whether it forms part of the application at all. Adequate on-site parking consistent with the commercial equestrian use needs to form part of the proposal.
(e)Footpath Swallowfield 18 passes through the site, sharing the access track. There is potential for conflict between vehicles, horses and pedestrians and hence adequate provision needs to be made to accommodate shared use of the entrance track and to keep horses off the line of the footpath where it ceases to be a hard surfaced track.