July 2006
MINUTES OF MEETING
Held on 14th July 2006 at the Village Hall, Uplowman, starting at 8.30pm
Minutes taken by Mr R Hodgson, Clerk. Action points in bold.
Seven members of the public plus DCC Cllr D Hannon and MDDC Cllr R. Radford
- MEMBERS PRESENT
1.1 Present: Mr J White (Chair), Mr R Branton, Mr R Burman & Mr D Aggett.
- APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2.1 Mrs L Veen and Mrs S Brown had tendered apologies for family reasons.
- MINUTES OF LAST MEETING (19th May 2006)
3.1 Minutes of the 2006 Parish Council Annual Meeting had been previously circulated. They were signed as a true record of the meeting without amendment.
3.2 Two amendments were made to the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting, held consecutively with the Parish AGM: Cllr Hannon had clarified that work on the school would start in the school holiday but not be completed and PC Dodd had clarified that the theft of a classic tractor previously reported had not been accorded low priority; he had reported that enquiries were complete and the file remained open.
- MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
4.1 All matters would be covered under the Agenda
- FINANCES
5.1 Current Balance: £ 8224.97
Income since last meeting (Precept, less DAPC sub) £ Nil
It was noted that a cheque for £4.83 remained unpresented from the previous meeting.
5.2 The following payment was approved and a cheque signed to effect the disbursement:
R J Tancock, for grass-cutting (£72.00)
5.3 The Clerk informed the meeting that the Annual Audit process had been completed and the Statements had been sent to the District Audit on 3rd July. Thanks were expressed to Mr Clark for his services as Internal Auditor.
- PLANNING/LICENSING APPLICATIONS
6.1 05/02458/F: Hr Reed Farm: siting of Mobile Home:MDDC had given conditional approval
6.2 06/0632/F North Leat extension. MDDC approved
6.3 06/0723/F Tamarin Erection of new conservatory: MDDC approved
6.4 06/0690 F Locks Fm conversion of barn: MDDC Approved.
6.5 06/01151/F: Broadview Hse extension UPC had inspected and had no objection
6.6 Use of ‘The Stables’, Tiverton Rd: Reply received stated that use was outside planning approvals for the site and further communications from the occupier were awaited.
6.7 Reply from Mr Guscott re: ext of Curtilage, circulated. It was decidsed to take no further action at this time.
6.8 06/01344/F: The Meadow: Garage extension. After discussion, it was agreed that the council should raise no objection to this application.
6.9 Licensing Act: MDDC had informed that the Parish Council is now ‘interested party’ and will be consulted over licensing applications.
- CORRESPONDENCE
A list of correspondence received and sent had been circulated. Attention was drawn to the following items of interest that were not covered elsewhere:
7.1 The SW Regional Asasembly had sent out its Regional Spatial Strategy for consultation. Mr White would comment.
7.2 DCC Local Services were being redeployed to Exeter in the Autumn.
7.3 A Litter picking campaign was being organised by MDDC on 28 October. After discussion, it was agreed that the minor amounts of litter in the Parish did not warrant a day of litter picking.
- HALL AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION
8.1 Mrs Veen was not present to report. UPC had written to UHRA to advise of the funding presently available and the need for a transparent procurement procedure and an answer was awaited.
8.2 Gravel was still spilling onto the road. Mr White would contact DCC Local Services to arrange for resurfacing the highway up to the new Hall entrance.
- EMERGENCY PLANNING AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
9.1 A letter had been drafted to the Chief Constable and had been modified to incorporate the contents of a recent letter outlining changes to Community Policing arrangements. After discussion, it was agreed that the letter should clarify that, while few, there had been crimes in the parish and it had not been clear that feed-back from the police had been aware of local incidents.
9.2 It was decided to save the reissue of the emergency plan until after the election due next May.
- VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
10.1 It was agreed to pursue the replacement of the main church gates. It appeared that pillars would be needed as well as replacement wrought iron-work. Alternatively, oak gates might be provided. Cllr Aggett would discuss with the PCC and report to the next UPC meeting on their preferences.
10.2 Plans for the proposed bridge at the Hall had been drafted and UHRA were determining whether planning approval was needed, since this had been part of the original planning application.
10.3 Work was about to start at the school. UPC would push for a meeting between local residents and the contractors to discuss how the impacts could be minimised.
- CONDITION OF ROAD/TRANSPORT IN THE PARISH
11.1 Some holes had been patched recently.
11.2 The trees at the exit from Uplowman Road obscure the vision of emerging drivers. The Clerk would write to DCC Local Services.
11.3 UPC would push for a resolution of the parking issues at the school within the present window of opportunity provided by construction works. A meeting would be held with all concerned to discuss options.
11.4 UPC had written to DCC Local Services to request improvements to the footpath between the church and school. Surfacing was needed plus styles/gate improvements and some tree clearing. Mr Howells of DCC Local Services had agreed to visit soon. The Locks Farm work was noted as obstructing the nearby footpath and Mr White would investigate.
- DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting would be at 7.30pm on Friday 8th September. Future meetings had now been arranged for 3rd Nov 2006, 12th January 2007, 9th March 2007 and 11th May 2007.
The meeting closed at 9.30pm
Public discussion before meeting
Discussion centred around traffic management at the school. Queries from the floor were generally answered by Cllr Hannon.
- Rok had checked access earlier in the week and would be able to minimise lorry movements.
- Traffic around the school had been particularly bad this week. Cllr Hannon said that further consultation was needed to persuade parents of the dangers of waiting outside. It should be possible to minimise waits. A meeting would be held soon with DCC planners.
- Hedge might be trimmed to make more room and replacement of kerb on main road would reduce congestion.
- Walking bus had been successful and was good for children. It should be extended.
Cllr Hannon’s view was that the school was essential to village life and it was imperative to find workable solutions. It might not be possible to solve all problems, but any improvement would help. He was determined to set up a meeting with DCC and suggested that two neighbours be mandated to attend to ensure that all local concerns and suggestions were tabled. Mrs Green and Mrs Aggett were available. Mr White would report back to all after the meeting.