Meeting Minutes: 30th July 2020

KIMBOLTON & STONELY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES of the Council meeting held at 7 p.m. on Thursday 30 July 2020 by means of video conferencing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

PRESENT Councillors K Hutchinson; D Poole; Mrs R Lloyd; Mrs C Jessup; L Farrer ; Mrs J Stainer and Mrs D Hellett ..

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

106/20 APOLOGIES were received from Councillors P Seabrook; Mrs E Milne; Ms S Mugglestone.& District Councillor J Gray.

In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman Councillor K Hutchinson took the Chair.

107/20 PUBLIC FORUM was not used.

108/20 DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

Councillor Mrs Hellett declared her interest in the ongoing matter of Mulberry Cottage stables and Councillor Hutchinson in respect of the planning application relating to 9 Grass Yard.

109/20 COUNTY COUNCILLOR The new County Headquarters was progressing well, said Councillor Gardener, and it was hoped it would be finished by June next year.

The last date for LHI bids was now 27 September.

The bid for funding for the pedestrian crossing will be known by 3 September. He has been asked for additional information, which he has provided, but we should be aware that the bids are oversubscribed.

He is meeting with Joseph Hudson, Highways Maintenance Engineer at 2pm on the 11^th August.

The matter of excessive noise at weekends , primarily by motorbikes was raised and he said he had raised this with the Head of Highways. The police need to have more enforcement days at weekends. A recent check of Caterham and classic Porsche 911 cars was made and, though their exhausts were loud, they were within limits. Police hope to deploy unmarked motorbikes in order to catch offending motorcyclists.

Councillor Hutchinson commented that it was not just a question of them being loud, but whether they were legal. Modifications affect the insurance.

Councillor Mrs Lloyd said that the corner by Helletts had again flooded and both drains there were blocked solid.

Councillor Poole said that the drains on Station Rd were also blocked.

110/20 MINUTES The minutes of the Council meeting of 25 June 2020 were read, and approved as a true record of that meeting.

111/20 MATTERS ARISING

Neighbourhood Watch. Nothing to report.

Hearse House . The Clerk said that Messrs E Farrer & Son proposed starting the underpinning before winter.
Churchyard cobbles. Messrs E Farrer & Son will commence works in the week after next, prior to starting on the Hearse House.
Notice board. The Clerk has contacted a local carpenter and his quote is awaited.
Pound Lane Working Party No meeting has yet taken place.
Twinning with Fernie. Not progressed due to circumstances.
Pedestrian Crossing. As reported above, the County Council’s decision is awaited.
Coronavirus Update. The Clerk said that he was still collecting and distributing medicines to those unable to attend the surgery. He had also spoken with the café and pub owners in the village and acquainted them with the possibility of applying for permission to site tables and chairs on the road in front of their premises. He did not yet know whether any had made application, which is currently temporary until September 2021, but there is no charge.

112/20 PLANNING MATTERS.

Applications

20/01071/s73 9 Grass Yard, Kimbolton. – remove condition 4 re independent use.

Councillor Hutchinson, having declared an interest, left the meeting and took no part in the discussion or the vote.

Councillor Mrs Hellett took the Chair.

Objections from neighbours were received and a letter from Hutchinson Planning was read.

It was pointed out that planning permission was only granted for the use of the outbuilding as an annexe and the application now considered sets out no justification for removing the condition which ensures it remains ancillary.

Following discussion it was proposed by Councillor Farrer, seconded by Councillor Mrs Stainer and unanimously agreed to recommend refusal.

Councillor Hutchinson re-joined the meeting at took the Chair.

20/01125/OUT Land SE of 73 Main Rd Stonely – erect up to 3 self-build and custom-build dwelling houses & construct footpath.

The applicant was present and, with the permission of the Chairman, spoke in support of his application and outlined the advantages and reasons for it.

There was considerable discussion regarding this application, which seeks to build outside the built area of the village and is not included in the recent Local Plan. It seems that owners of parcels of land may apply for permission to build self-built homes on their land. ‘Self-built’ does not necessarily mean that the owner of the land has him- or her-self to physically build the property. It is sufficient that they oversee the work which may be performed by the builder of their choice. Homes built in this way do not attract tax or VAT, nor is there a requirement to pay CIL.

It was proposed by Councillor Mrs Lloyd, seconded by Councillor Hutchinson and agreed to recommend refusal as being contrary to the 2019 Local Plan.

Upon being put to the vote, there was one vote against, that of Councillor Poole, whilst 4 others abstained. The proposal was therefore carried.

Ongoing Matters. Mulberry Cottage stables. No sign of activity is reported and the windows remain boarded.

113/20 REPORTS

Allotments Councillor Mrs Lloyd referred to the possible thefts from allotment plots.

She said that the areas of the plots taken out of use had now mostly been cleared, but other areas had not been touched and were covered in weeds. The bonfire area was a particular mess and she thought the Groundskeepers should collect the scrap metal from there and place it in the skip and that area weedkilled before Councillor Farrer spreads the remaining material around.

Letters need to go to two tenants whose plots are a mess.

Village Maintenance. The following were mentioned as needing attention-

The slabs in the playpark which are cracked require repair.
A truck has gone off the road in Park Lane & into the ditch. Warning posts removed.
Pound Lane name sign is broken
Benches in various places need refurbishment
Bench in the churchyard covered in bird droppings.
The Ginnell needs sweeping
The Jubilee notice in the High St needs varnishing
Heap of dead branches in bushes near 42 Constables Leys
B660 sign on Causeway covered in foliage

Outside Bodies.

Kimbolton Trust. The Chairman said that the next meeting will be in October.

Kimbolton School. Councillor Mrs Hellett said that the school is currently on holiday but planning is taking place for the whole school to return in September.

Mandeville Hall. Councillor Mrs Jessup said that there is no possibility of the Lunch Club re-opening soon. Slimming World is re-commencing their sessions.

She asked that our Groundskeeper undertake one-off weeding of the block paving alongside the Hall. This was agreed.

114/20 CHRISTMAS TREES AND LIGHTING Councillor Farrer said he was looking at ways to improve the lighting. He thought that it might be necessary to run a power cable the length of each side of the road and to suspend this from a catenary wire. He will investigate costs and report back.

115/20 VEHICLE SPEEDS AND NOISE Many complaints have been received about vehicle noise and speeds – mainly motorcycles – both from residents of this village and those along the B645 into Northants. The police have been carrying out operations to prevent this and it is noticeable that on those days when there is a police presence, there is little problem. The difficulty is in finding a permanent solution. Northants County Council and a Northants MP are involved and we await the result of their deliberations.

116/20 CORRESPONDENCE

A letter of thanks from MAGPAS for the donation was received.

County Highways wish to make contact regarding the Stattie Fair, so that a TMO can be agreed before the date. They have been told that this Council has no involvement in the organisation of the Fair and that they should contact Councillor Gooderham. It was, however, agreed to place this on the agenda for the next meeting and to monitor the situation.

117/20 ACCOUNTS

The following were proposed and approved for payment –

MAGPAS Donation 100.00

K & M Lighting Maintenance 125.48

Electrodell Supply & fit water heater Cemetery Cottage 463.20

JD Garden & Landscaping Grass cutting 2799.60

Mick George Ltd Skip hire 415.20

Anglian Water Allotment water 16.43

D Eades July work 385.56

Payroll costs Pay, PAYE & NIC 2182.77

C L Thatcher Postage stamps 19.26

118/20 HIGH STREET CAR PARKING Nothing to report.

119/20 MEMBERS’ POINTS OF INFORMATION.

Nothing other than that raised under Village Maintenance above

120/20 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next normal meeting of Council will be held on Thursday 27 August 2020, commencing at 7pm in the Youth and Community Room at the Mandeville Hall, if permitted, otherwise by means of video conferencing.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 2145 hours.

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