Notes from the Parish Council July Meeting
John Covill chaired the meeting with 7 Parish Councillors and 2 members of the
Public.
Approval of Minutes - Meeting 11th June 2009: These were agreed.
Reports:
CCC: Cllr David Brown reported to the meeting.
ECDC: Cllr Allen Alderson reported to the meeting.
Correspondence Received:
CCC
Karen Whymark -Rights of Way & PC Officer- P3 Grants 2009/10
ECDC
Neighbourhood Panel Newsletter/details of next meetings.
Rachel Doyle -Community Litter Picking Live
General
RoSPA -Play Area Inspection Report
Carillion WSP -A14 Junction (Newmarket) to Junction 36 (Six Mile Bottom): Repair Works
COPE -Newsletter No 56
School Summer Newsletter
Cambridgeshire ACRE -News Digest
Approval of Application for Jointly Funded Minor Highways Improvements -2010/11 Bidding Round: An application was to be submitted for the following:
"Ongoing Pedestrian Safety/Speeding Issues -B1102, Mill Hill, Swaffham Prior -enhancement of traffic calming measures already in place plus the lowering of the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph."
As part of the application, the contribution of £1 per elector towards the cost of the work was agreed.
Village Bonfires: The lighting of bonfires at inappropriate times and without taking neighbouring properties into consideration had been raised with the Parish Council. Although there is no strict regulation about bonfires, it was agreed that there are a number of ways to recycle garden waste and that the use of bonfires should be strongly discouraged particularly where there are nearby properties. The use of Bird Scarers: As with the above, this was raised with the Parish Council. This was considered to be a seasonal issue and although it was agreed that bird scarers can sometimes go off at the wrong time, this was often an error with the timer and once made aware local Farmers were usually very helpful in rectifying any problem.
Maintenance work to Village Hall Driveway: Eric Day was to meet with a Team Leader from the Richmond Fellowship (a registered charity -for further info, please see www.richmondfellowship.org.uk) to agree the cutting back work on the driveway and possibly the outside edges of the car park.
Problem of Dog Fouling and Purchase of Dog Bins: As reported in last month's report, the purchase of dog bins was considered but it had been brought to the PC's attention that at a recent Neighbourhood Panel Meeting the high cost of purchasing dog bins was discussed with a view to looking at ways of reducing the cost to smaller parishes. In light of this it was agreed to delay any purchase until the outcome of the foregoing was known.
Maintenance for The Pound, Cage Hill: As advised by Rosie Burton, ECDC's Conservation Officer, a Structural Engineer was asked to visit the site and report on the condition of the surrounding wall. A copy of the report was to be sent to Rosie Burton for her consideration. An application for grant funding towards the remedial work was also to be submitted.
Planning Applications Received including:
Land adjacent to Water Tower, Mill Hill - revisions to planning consent 07/01226/RMA, changes of dwelling types and minor alterations to site layout -Ref: 09/00449/RMA). There were no objections but the Clerk was asked to confirm with ECDC Planning that closeboard fencing would be erected on boundaries as originally agreed to allow privacy for neighbouring properties.
Accounts for Payment: These were agreed.
Clerk's Report:
Village seats are in need of refurbishment.
Noticeboard in the bus shelter was looking very untidy with graffiti on the back board. Steve Kent-Phillips agreed to look at this to see what could be done.
The Pound: In addition to the work discussed above, general items were noted - the sign on the side of the Pound had come loose and needed refixing and the inner area needed weeding and tidying.
Parish Councillors' Reports:
Steve Kent-Phillips told meeting he had repaired 'anti-poop'strips on the swings in play area.
Open Question Time:
It was suggested that the refurbishment of the village seats be carried out by a working party and helpers.
There will be no August meeting unless called.
The next meeting will take place on Thursday, 10th September 2009 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
All are welcome to attend.