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Minutes
of a meeting of the Parish Council held on 26th May 2010 at
7.30pm There were present Roger Powell Chairman Jenny Becker, Jason Mann In attendance I.M. Andrews Parish Clerk
The following were elected to office for the year 2010/2011: 1. Chairman of the Parish Council Roger Powell Roger Powell signed the form of acceptance of office as Chairman of the Parish Council. 2/10 Apologies for absence Apologies for absence were received from David Wilkinson. 3/10 Declarations of interest Dawn Sharp declared an interest in agenda item 8.1; Chris Bell and Richard Walsh declared an interest in agenda item 8.2 and Philip Jackson declared an interest in agenda item16. 4/10 Fundraising Officer The Chairman introduced Mrs. Louise Treacher who had been appointed as the Fundraising Officer. Mrs. Treacher introduced herself and spoke on her background. 5/10 Parish Council vacancies The Parish Clerk reported the statutory notice regarding vacancies had been displayed. The Chairman asked members to help in finding new members to join the Parish Council. 6/10 Police matters Chris Bell reported on the meeting of the Local Action Group held on 20th May 2010 and that the local Fire and Rescue Service had reported people were sleeping rough in the chicken sheds on land in Stoke Road, where there was also a mains electricity supply. He further reported that the SSDC Environmental Officer was due to inspect the site. Philip Jackson reported the George Inn had been shut down due to certain activities. He reported he had been visited by a representative of Punch Taverns, the owners of the pub, who informed him that investment would be made in improvements to enable it to reopen in due course. 7/10 Parishioner participation There was none. 8/10 Planning Committee The Chairman of the Committee, David Parris, reported on the following planning applications: 10/01505/FUL: Mr. S. Chapman, 47 Birch Road, Martock. Erection
of a detached dwelling including demolition of existing garage.
Comments were received from a number of members of the public,
including the applicant and his architect. It was noted that County
Highways had objected to the plans as presented due to inadequate
parking arrangements. However, members were informed by the architect
that the plans has since been amended to deal with this objection.
It was noted that members could only make a recommendation of the
plans as presented to the meeting. On the basis of the County Highways
objection, members recommended refusal of the application. For observation only: 10/01458/FUL: Land west side of Foldhill Lane, Martock in the Parish of Ash. Retrospective application for change of use of land for siting one mobile home and one touring caravan for one traveller residential pitch, erection of toilet block and formation of hardstanding. Members declined to comment on the application. 9/10 Youth Development Officer Mrs. Claire Cruwys reported on the activities of the Youth Centre and answered various questions from members. Mrs. Cruwys introduced Miss Chelsea Norris, the Chairperson of the Youth Parish Council, and spoke on the activities planned for World Youth Day on 12th August 2010. 10/10 Minutes The Minutes of the meeting held on 28th April 2010 were approved as being a correct record. 11/10 Confirmation of actions from previous Minutes Action 100428/1: Cold Calling in Martock. The action had been
completed and the Police had agreed to provide more robust signs
at the entrances to Martock. Action 090930/5: David Wilkinson (ongoing) Action 091125/3: Tennis Club Lease. David Parris reported the matter was ongoing, but that it was now intended to draw up a letter of agreement. Action 091125/3: David Wilkinson (ongoing) Action 100224/5: Members’ Away Day. The Chairman of the Council reported the suggested date had to be changed and that he would announce a new date as soon as possible. Action 100224/5: Chairman of the Council (ongoing) Action 100331/3: Liability of householders who clear snow. Patrick Palmer reported the matter was ongoing. Action 100331/3: Patrick Palmer (ongoing) Action 100331/5: Metal seats in Precinct. Chris Bell reported
the matter had been considered and a metal seat would be placed
alongside the wall of Moorlands House. Action 100331/6: Chairman of the Council (ongoing) Action 100428/1: Rent paid by the sports clubs for use of the Recreation Ground. The matter would be considered under agenda item 16. 12/10 Other matters arising from the Minutes There were none. 13/10 County & District Councillors’ Reports John Bailey reminded members he had already sent a copy of his report to all members. Ann Campbell reported on her attendance at the opening of the new CAB offices in Yeovil. She further reported the work on Bracey Road recreation ground for refurbishment of the play area should start in July and that repairs to the play equipment in Hills Orchard were expected to start within six weeks. Mrs. Campbell congratulated the organisers of the successful Victorian Evening. Patrick Palmer reported that he had been re-elected as Chairman of the SSDC Area North Committee and that Ann Campbell had been re-elected as his Vice-Chairman. After discussion about the improvement work conducted by SSDC at Hills Lane and agreement that residents and the Parish Council would not press for replacing the hedge alongside the recreation ground with a metal fence, Patrick Palmer agreed to ascertain whether further work could be carried out to complete the Hills Lane improvements, including filling potholes, resurfacing and further enhancements to the borders. Action 100526/1: Patrick Palmer 14/10 Finance Committee The Chairman of the Finance Committee, Richard Walsh, presented: 1. The accounts for April 2010 which he had checked and proposed
for acceptance. Members approved the accounts which are appended
to these Minutes. 15/10 Hire charges for the Parish Hall, Pavilion and the Market House It was agreed to increase the cost of hiring the Parish Council’s premises by 4% and such increases would be rounded up to the nearest 50p. It was further agreed that Chris Bell and David Wilkinson would meet with the Parish Clerk to agree the finalised amounts before publishing the new rates for hire and that the Martock Charity Shop would be able to use the Market House for their meetings without charge. It was further agreed that in future hire costs would be increased annually by the rate of inflation. Action 100526/2: Chris Bell, David Wilkinson & the Parish Clerk 16/10 Rental costs for football and rugby pitches on the Recreation Ground It was agreed the matter should be considered at the next meeting of the Parish Council, to enable David Wilkinson and David Parris to meet with the sports clubs and to discuss a proposal for consideration. Action 100428/1: David Wilkinson & David Parris (ongoing) 17/10 Village Committee The Chairman of the Committee, Chris Bell, reported on the following matters: 1. Parish Hall: Theft of lead from the roof for which the Parish Clerk had made a claim from the Parish Council’s insurers. Patrick Palmer agreed to contact the Conservation Planning Officer for advice on use of non lead material on the Parish Hall and other non-listed buildings. Action 100526/3: Patrick Palmer 2. Village Gateways: The Committee Chairman reported the plinths were in situ and that the hamstone blocks would be erected within the next few weeks. It was agreed the Parish Clerk should agree with K.M. Dike Nurseries Ltd on an amendment to their grounds maintenance contract for the regular mowing and weeding of the areas around all the Village gateways. Action 100526/4: Parish Clerk 3. Village Signage Project: The Committee
Chairman reported the Market Towns Investment Group had awarded
the Parish Council a
grant of £7,500 for improved signage in Martock. 18/10 M3 Community Partnership The Chairman reported that Christopher Price had been elected Chairman of the Steering Group and on the meetings held to date. The Steering Group had agreed to update the 2007 Community Plan and a public meeting would be held on 16th September 2010 to commence the public consultation process, which would include a full household survey. The Chairman reported the Steering Group had requested £250 towards the cost of producing the survey leaflets. Members agreed to make a donation of £250. After further discussion, the Parish Clerk was asked to circulate the Minutes of Steering Group meetings to members. Action 100526/5: Parish Clerk 19/10 Parishioner participation There was none. 20/10 Correspondence The Parish Clerk reported receipt of a letter from SSDC East Area concerning South Somerset Together’s Annual Meeting to be held on 16th June 2010. A copy of the letter had been sent to all members and the Chairman of the Council expressed an interest in attending the meeting. The Parish Clerk reported receipt of a letter from Philip Jackson concerning the need for additional bins for dog excreta. The Parish Clerk reported any additional bins would cost in excess of £150 each. Philip Jackson agreed to carry out further investigations into the need for additional bins, including gaining agreement from SSDC on proposed locations. Action 100526/6: Philip Jackson The Chairman reported receipt of a letter from Playdale concerning the outstanding account from the Parish Council in connection with the new play equipment on the main recreation ground. Payment had been held on the advice of SSDC pending correction of a fault in the spiral slide. It was agreed that the Chairman and David Wilkinson should meet on site to decide whether the installation was now acceptable and hence that the final payment should be made to Playdale. Action 100526/7: Chairman of the Council & David Wilkinson There being no further business the chairman declared the meeting
closed at 10.12pm.
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