Parish Council Minutes: March 2018
Minutes of the Meeting of Oakford Parish Council, held Monday 12th March at 7.30 in the Village Hall
Members present
Chairman Cllr J Phillips Vice Chair Cllr J Mayer Cllr M Baylis Cllr I Fairchild Cllr D Mason
Cllr T Rich Cllr R Stevens
Apologies for Absence
none received
Declarations of Interest
Cllr Baylis declared a personal interest in the planning application 17/02014/FULL the retension of the log cabin at Castleland House
Cllr Rich declared a personal interest in the planning application 17/01962/FULL extensions to agricultural buildings at Manor Farm
The Public
there were 16 members of the public present. Gail Laurence gave reasons why the site for the log cabin 17/02014/FULL was chosen and the purpose for which it is intended. There have been issues between the conveyance when the property was purchased and the planning authority which should shortly be resolved.
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held January 8th
these were signed as a correct record
Reports
County Council, Polly Colthorpe– the Council Tax in Mid Devon will rise by 4.9%. There will be £10,000 made available in the Locality Budget. Home visits are to be introduced for special needs school children and DCC will take back in house the supervisory responsibility for 1-19 year olds.
The adverse recent weather had caused the postponement of identifying stretches of road most in need of repair. It is considered more economic to concentrate on stretches to repair rather than to tackle individual potholes.
District Council, Ray Stanley – the Cabinet will be including the market and market area in the long term regeneration plans for Tiverton. Building should start on the site behind the Town Hall on the 3rd April.
The Police – contact had been made with Paul Goodier PCSO who explained the problem in scheduling attendance at parish council meetings when the now limited staff may be needed on other duties. It is possible to use the website https:/www.police.uk/oakford to access local crime information.
Members of the Parish Council – these reports are covered elsewhere
Planning
a summary of recent applications and results are listed at the end.
The future of The Red Lion Hotel was added to the agenda as should there be an application for change of use to that of a private residence, it would save holding a special meeting at short notice. The property is on the market for sale as a commercial business but the offers to date have been
considered unrealistic. The general opinion is that the community would benefit if a new landlord could be found. The previous tenant believed it to be a viable business but that excessive rent and staff costs are major problems.
Risk Assessment
the clerk explained this had been updated. The website was now considered to comply with the current requirements. The introduction of the General Data Protection Requirement on May 25th is also to be taken into consideration. The assessment was signed by the Chairman.
Flooding
unfortunately Cllr Jobson was not in attendance to give a report on the sub-committee meeting. The Chairman agreed to thank all the volunteers who had helped in the tidy up operation. Water in Lower Oakford had caused a problem, especially in Andy Burton’s garden and the Environment Agency may need to be involved. If the sluice gate is fully opened in an attempt to regulate the level of water in Dick Spurway’s pond, the sudden increase in exit volume is understood to cause flooding lower down. This needs careful monitoring. Another problem identified is silt blocking the drain and then the water pools on the road. Polly Colthorpe plans to visit the area with a representative from Highways.
Work should commence 1st April to address problems from the bridge to the sewage works.
The Playing Field
the hedge has been cut back. The pavilion/summerhouse will be delivered in April once the site has been prepared. Donald Shere has volunteered to do the ground work but it was agreed that he should be given £100 towards his time etc.
3 lengths of timber also need to be acquired for the base.
Signposts
3 broken finger posts had been identified and County Cllr Polly Colthorpe was to see if there was sufficient funding in the Locality Budget to cover the cost of repair. The broken signpost at Hangman’s Hill may have to wait until the new financial year. There was little enthusiasm to restore the historical signposts because of cost and time.
The Telephone Kiosk
this now belongs to the Parish Council but as yet the actual apparatus has not been removed by BT.
Highways
the piece between Woodburn Cross and Swineham Hill has been identified as badly in need of repair. A written complaint had been made concerning a road hedge, the complainant appeared reluctant to approach those responsible himself. The Chairman was to attempt to resolve the matter.
Proposed dates for 2018/9
these were agreed as follows, except for the Annual Parish Meeting which Cllr Mayer is to tie in with a community event to be held in the next 2 months. Clerk to be advised of the actual date. May 14th 2018 Annual Parish Council Meeting and normal Parish Council Meeting July 10th 2018 Parish Council Meeting September 10th 2018 Parish Council Meeting November 12th 2018 Parish Council Meeting January 14th 2019 Parish Council Meeting March 11th 2019 Parish Council Meeting May 13th 2019 Annual Parish Council Meeting and normal Parish Council Meeting
GDPR
this comes into force on 25th May 2018. The Clerk is attending a training session on March 13th to have a better understanding of what is actually required. The cost of this is to be shared with Stoodleigh parish.
Finance
Current balance as at 31st January £7530.50.
Payments were approved Clerk’s expenses £122.19 for the year Clerk’s salary £840 + HMRC £210 period Sept – March Burnett (pavilion) £2700
The Clerk advised the meeting that the auction fund,( plus a little extra )would be exhausted with this latest purchase.
Planning
17/01299/FULL Erection of a car port, Hamslade Farm
17/01802/HOUSE Demolition & following this, erection of a single storey, The Old School House – permission granted
17/01962/FULL 2 extensions to agricultural buildings, Manor Farm – granted
17/02014/FULL Retension of a log cabin, Castleland House, Bampton.
In view of the correspondence, for and against that this application has generated it was decided to discuss further. Several councillors had visited the site and found no real problem .H & S considerations have been taken on board and it is possible for access by a 4x4 should there be a need. The Chairman recommended approval and the vote was carried, 4 in favour and 1 abstention. The application is going forward to the Planning Committee 21/3/18