Meeting Minutes: 30th January 2020

KIMBOLTON & STONELY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES of the Council meeting held at 7 p.m. on Thursday 30 January 2020 at the Youth & Community Room, Mandeville Hall, Thrapston Rd., Kimbolton.

PRESENT  Councillors P Seabrook (in the Chair); K Hutchinson; Mrs D Hellett ; D Poole; Mrs R Lloyd; R Gooderham; Mrs J Stainer; Ms S Mugglestone & L Farrer..

IN ATTENDANCE  County Councillor I Gardener; C L Thatcher, Clerk to the Council and eight members of the public.

1/20  APOLOGIES were received from Councillors Mrs E Milne and District Councillor J Gray.

2/20  PUBLIC FORUM  A member of the public referred to the increasing problem of dog fouling. He had noted dog excrement at George corner and had publicised the fact that this was in front of our CCTV camera on Facebook.     The mess had subsequently been cleared up.

3/20  DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

Councillor Mrs Hellett declared her ongoing interest in the matter of Mulberry Cottage stables and in the planning application re 27 Park Lane Stonely..

4/20  COUNTY COUNCILLOR    Councillor Gardener said that the gullies in Easton Rd had not yet been cleared.  He has spoken with Highways Dept Assistant Director about the gullies in Hatchet Lane and Park Lane and he now has the funding to enable them to be cleared to see if this helps alleviate the flooding.

He has been informed that the feasibility study re the pedestrian crossing and costings for this should be available in mid March.

There have been problems with the A1 and A14 signage and the contractors are trying to set the signage to tell drivers how to get from the A14 east to the A1 south.

The junctions on the existing A14 between Ellington and Thrapston do not meet current standards and temporary improvements will be made.  It is unlikely that money will be available for permanent changes until 2030.

The County Council’s budget meeting will be held on 8 February.

Councillor Gardener left the meeting.

5/20  MINUTES  The minutes of the Council meeting of 19 December 2019 were read, approved and signed as a true record of that meeting.

6/20  MATTERS ARISING

• Neighbourhood Watch.   The Clerk reported that the Rural Watch team had been out yesterday, but there was nothing of significance to report.
• Hearse House repairs   Councillor Farrer has provided a quote from his company and further quotes will be sought.
• Churchyard Cobbles   Councillor Farrer has now provided a specification but, so far, it has not been possible to find contractors willing to undertake the work.   The Vicar has said that he hopes the work can be done before too long and he reminded Council of the need for a faculty.
• Flooding.  The Clerk has received an acknowledgment from the Environment Agency but a formal reply is still awaited.
• Pound Lane Working Party.   A meeting was held tonight and the Chairman thought it to have been a positive meeting and very encouraging.   The sports clubs came in with bigger ideas and costing will now be obtained.   The next meeting will be held in a month or so.
• Twinning   The Chairman said that he had not yet spoken with the Mayor of Fernie, but would do so after his holiday.

7/20   PLANNING MATTERS.

• Applications  

19/02454  Agricultural buildings, 27 Park Lane Stonely – outline approval for 8 dwellings.

Councillor Mrs Hellett declared an interest in this item, took no part in the discussion and left the room.

The developer was present and, at the invitation of the Chairman, spoke regarding the proposals.

The intention was that development would be in conjunction with Potton Homes and that it would be a ‘custom built’ site.

There was discussion on flooding of the site and that area and necessary flood relief and the comment was made that Hatchet Lane ditches had largely been filled in, hence the current problems.

Part of the plan was to pump excess water from the site into the drains on Park Lane, but the effectiveness of this was questioned.

Councillor Hutchinson questioned it being a ‘custom build’ scheme, as no mention of this is made in the application.

He was informed that by ‘custom build’ a number of self-build plots would be created but there would be a design code to ensure compatibility.

One effect of this scheme would be that it is exempt from CIL payments.

Councillor Hutchinson asked where is the provision for affordable housing and was told that there is no requirement for this.

He disputed this, saying that the plot sizes shown are between 2750 sq ft and 3500 sq ft resulting in a total development of over 1000 sq m.  The adopted Local Plan states that developments of over 1000 sq m – and this is double that – must have affordable housing included.

Furthermore, farmyards on the edge of settlements are specifically prohibited from being considered as a part of the built-up area in the Local Plan – and this is a development of agricultural land, not a brownfield site.

Councillor Hutchinson commented that he would not be averse to some development on the site but he did not think this acceptable.

Councillor Mrs Lloyd said that she was opposed to this as more very big houses are not needed.

Councillor Gooderham said that the site is an eyesore at present.  We have approved big houses in the past and he thought that people wanted big houses.

It was ultimately proposed by Councillor Hutchinson, seconded by Councillor Mrs Lloyd and agreed to recommend refusal of the application in its present form, but if the arguments can be overcome, then Council would not be averse to some development on this site.

Upon being put to the vote there were 3 in favour of the recommendation and 4 against. The Chairman however, voted and used his casting vote resulting in the refusal of the application being passed by 5 votes to 4.

Councillor Mrs Hellett rejoined the meeting.

Councillor Gooderham left the meeting.

19/02498 & 19/02603LBC   41-43 High St Kimbolton – convert outbuilding as dwelling etc

The Clerk read one letter of objection sent to the Planning Authority.

Following discussion it was proposed by Councillor Mrs Lloyd, seconded by Councillor Hutchinson to recommend refusal as overdevelopment of the site and lack of new parking provision.

• Ongoing Matters.     Mulberry Cottage stables.  No report.

8/20    REPORTS

Allotments.  Councillor Mrs Hellett provided the allotment report, which showed little change.  The Clerk had obtained a quote from a contractor for cutting the allotment hedges, clearing the vacant plots and removing the rubbish in the sum of £2330.  Councillor Mrs Hellett thought this was excessive and said that her husband would cut the hedges for £250 and Council staff could clear up and burn rubbish and clear vacant plots.

It was agreed to accept Councillor Mrs Hellett’s offer.

Dog Fouling.   It was agreed to ask the District Council for help in patrolling by their Dog Wardens.

Playpark.  The Clerk reported receipt of a quote for the replacement of the pedestrian gate and gateposts at the Tollfield end of the playpark; for repairs to the bench and for new gates & fitting thereof for Station Rd and the cemetery in the sum of £1380.00.  It was agreed to accept this quotation.

Outside Bodies.

Kimbolton School Governors.   Councillor Mrs Hellett said that she had mentioned the parking problems and asked that parents use the school grounds for parking when attending school events.  A meeting is being held next week regarding replacing the damaged gates.

Mandeville Hall.  Councillor Mrs Lloyd said that she had missed the last meeting of the committee.  However, she understood that the Christmas party was successful ; the hall is making money;  they have the batteries for the solar power and their AGM is in April.

Kimbolton Trust.  The Chairman said that Christmas gifts of money had been distributed and the next meeting of Trustees will be in May.

9/20  CORRESPONDENCE

• A complaint has been received about poor and dangerous parking in the High St, particularly by people who park between the White House and Grass Yard, as by doing so they force traffic into the path of vehicles coming the other way around the bend.  It was agreed to make the police aware.
• A request for an additional inscription on the headstone of Maud Staff was approved.
• Highways staff have suggested that our LHI request for a ‘buffer zone’ would not be approved and recommend that we change our bid to that of more repeater signs and road marked reminders.   It was agreed to change our bid but to also include a request for a 20 mph limit from Hellett’s corner to Budgen’s.
• A resident complained about dog fouling at George corner, as reported earlier,  and in the churchyard.  The problem appears to be increasing.
• Cambridgeshire Constabulary consultation on changes to service.
• A complaint received regarding a lack of white lining on the Causeway.  This problem is not confined to that area, with Stow Road in particular being without lines for part of its length.  The Clerk has asked the Highways maintenance Engineer for lines to be reinstated.
• Huntingdonshire DC have reported that Kimbolton parish is the 5^th worst in Huntingdonshire for sorting rubbish correctly for recycling.     Leaflets have been received and will be distributed and Councillor Hellett will advertise the problem on social media.
• Letter received from the Mandeville Hall Committee requiring the removal of the hedge adjacent to the car park because it serves no useful purpose and reduces visibility for drivers exiting the car park.     The letter also urged traffic calming measures on Thrapston Rd.         The Clerk provided a photograph illustrating that the hedge did not cause any obstruction to drivers’ view of the road when departing from the car park.    The hedge was planted to shield the APC then situated there from property opposite and it still performs the function of helping to hide parked cars from the property.    It was greed to take no action on this and to advise the Committee of the measures we are investigating in an effort to slow traffic.

10/20  ACCOUNTS

a)The following were proposed and approved for payment –

Fishers                                     Groundsman sundries                        14.48

JD Trees & Landscaping Ltd       Tree felling                                    270.00

Seabrook Farms                       Weedkiller                                          67.68

K & M Lighting                           Streetlight maintenance                  125.48

Vision ICT                                Website hosting & .gov fee               276.00

D Eades                                     January work                                  534.74

Grafton Projects                        Stationery & cartridges                    212.49

Payroll costs                              Pay, PAYE & NIC                         2226.20

11/20  HIGH STREET CAR PARKING  Nothing to report.

12/20 RESOLVED to exclude the Press and public from the following item in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960.

13/20  CO-OPTION TO COUNCIL

The two candidates for co-option were invited to speak to Council and then both left the meeting.

After some discussion and a close vote, it was agreed to invite Mrs Catherine Jessup to be co-opted as a member of this Council.

14/20  MEMBERS’ POINTS OF INFORMATION.

Councillor Mrs Stainer reported the ‘lake’ which formed after heavy rain at the junction of Newtown and Stow Road.

Councillor Mrs Hellett said she was planning a ‘Spring Clean’ litter pick for March or April.

Councillor Mrs Lloyd wondered if there was any news regarding improvements to the former Barclays Bank.

Councillor Farrer asked that the question of 20 mph speed limits be placed on the next agenda.

14/21  DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next normal meeting of Council will be held on Thursday 27 February 2020, commencing at 7pm in the Youth and Community Room at the Mandeville Hall.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 2200 hours.