BURTON BRADSTOCK PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held on the 7^th October 2009 at 7.30pm in the Reading Room, Burton Bradstock.

Present: Cllrs: P.Dutton, S.Pett, P.Toms, D.Batten, K.Delves, D.Dixon, D.Venn, P.Middlemast, F.Moore (Clerk), J.Hill (RFO), DCC Cllr: R.Coatsworth, WDDC Cllr: M.Parsons, B.Gillis (Bridport Town Clerk), D.Wragg (Symondsbury Parish Clerk) and eight members of the public.

1. Apologies: Cllrs: A.Mackie, G.Moody, K.Broad.

The Chairman introduced J.Hill the newly appointed Responsible Finance Officer to fellow councillors and to parishioners.

2. Declarations of Interest: There were no Declarations of Interest.

3. Minutes of the Previous meeting, 2^nd September 2009.

The minutes of the above meeting were approved and signed by the Chairman as a true record.

4. Presentation by B.Gillis and D Wragg on ‘Parish Clustering’.

The Chairman introduced the two speakers and they gave a detailed presentation on the concept of Parish Clustering. This means that a group of Councils could deliver more efficient services at a local level for everyday small tasks that often take a long time through WDDC and DCC. In particular they were looking at a ‘Lengthsman’ scheme as they had been promised £10,000 for possibly four years from the County Council. This would allow the employment of a person to do routine maintenance type of work within the Town Council of Bridport and the eleven surrounding Parish Councils. Burton Bradstock could buy in some hours on a regular basis with a defined service level agreement. Staff would be employed by the Town Council, insured risk assessed and provided with tools to do the jobs demanded by the individual Councils. It was hoped that with support from other Councils the scheme could be underway in April 2010.

Future Clustering initiatives could be around administration, Clerk support, and the sharing of resources.

The Chairman opened up the meeting to parishioners to ask further questions.

The Chairman formally reopened the Parish Council meeting and thanked the speakers for their presentation. It was agreed to put the item on the November Parish Council agenda.

5. Parish Clerk’s Report & Matters Arising:

• Post Office: A meeting has been arranged by the Parish Council with the tenants of the Post Office and Trustee’s of the Village Society on 27^th October 2009.
• N.Trust: A letter has been sent to the N.Trust regarding a number of issues at the Hive Beach car park and in particular about the opening times of the toilet facilities. Cllr: G.Moody will represent the Parish Council on all matters relating to the N. Trust.
• Bus Route 45: A letter has been sent to ‘First’ Bus Company asking them to consider an extension of the above route to go to the Hive Beach café. As yet we have had no response.
• BLAP Update: The Clerk highlighted various points from A.Mackie’s Bridport Local Area Partnership report. In particular the perceived withdrawal of support from the Post office to local rural Post Offices. K.Delves would be pursuing this area at DAPTC meetings. Other issues were problems with planning applications for listed buildings, the increased number of complaints about bonfires and an offer of help with support to the local youth club. S.Pett has been given the email of the person concerned.
• Flu Clinic: There will be a Flu Clinic for normal Flu Vaccine’s in the Reading Room on Friday 9^th October between 10.00 – 11.30am. This is for patients registered with the Bridport Medical centre. It was agreed that the Clerk should contact the Portersham Centre to see if any of their patients would like the same facility in the future.
• Land Registration: P.Dutton reported that he had checked with the Land Registry that if we had deeds or documents relating to various pieces of land within the Parish, then that was positive proof that they belonged to the Parish and could go on the Asset Register. Evidence has been found that we own the Allotments, the Playing Field and the strip of land above Cliff Farm on the west side of Cliff Road. However there is no evidence to support the fact that the two village greens belong to the Council. S.Pett seemed to remember that some years ago the government decreed that all greens if not claimed would be the property of the local Parish Council. Cllr: Coatsworth agreed that this correct and if the Clerk sent him the details regarding the two greens he would pursue this matter with the solicitors of WDDC.

After discussion it was unanimously agreed that all land that belongs to the Parish Council should be formally registered.

6. Correspondence:

• DAPTC: The up to date circular from Dorset Association of parish and Town Councils.
• WDDC: Planning Obligations for Community Infrastucture: Details of a meeting to be held at WDDC Chambers, Dorchester on Monday 9^th November 2009 starting at 5.15pm. It was agreed that P.Toms and K.Delves would attend on behalf of the Parish Council.
• DCC: Dorset Waste Forum. A meeting on Thursday 26^th November 2009 at 9.30am at Bournemouth Sports Club. It was agreed to ask Cllr: G.Moody to attend if possible.
• West Dorset Partnership: Details of the Annual Assembly and the Launch of the West Dorset Climate Change Strategy to be held on Friday 16^th October 2009 at the United Church, South St. Dorchester.
• WDDC Christmas Refuse Collection Arrangements 2009. The Clerk would advertise the details on the notice boards nearer the dates.

7. Planning Committee Report:

P.Toms reported on the meeting held on the 14^th September 2009.

The following applications were approved by WDDC. (Details are in the Planning Committee minutes).

1/D/09/001085 & 1/D/09/001086 - Graston Farm

1/D/09/000950 - The Old Coach House, Shipton Lane.

1/D/09/001034 – Granary Cottage, 21 Shadrach.

1/D/09/001299 – Burton Lodge, Barr Lane.

1/D/09/001001 – Pomegranates, Shipton Lane.

1/D/09/000894 – Burton Cliff Hotel.

Consultation:

1/D/09/001299 – Hive Beach Café. Erect awning to external dining area (1^st June – 30^th September inclusive). The Parish council have no objections but would assume that the original planning reasons for refusal would still be valid. A letter has been received from C.Hulbert (Planning Enforcement officer) stating that no further enforcement will be taken pending the decision of the recent application. Should the application be refused the notice still stands and the owners will still be required to comply with the terms of the original planning condition. Should the application be approved, the notice will cease to take effect.

1/D/09/001424 – Green Chalet, Hive Beach.. Replace windows and doors. Re-cladding of exterior. There were no objections.

1/D/09/001195 – Land at Shadrach. Approval of all reserved matters (except landscaping) of Outline permission 1/D/07/001406 ( proposed erection of a dwelling house, and 1/D/09/001271 – Land North West of Shadrach Farm. Certificate of Lawfulness for existing use as house and garage. There was a great deal of confusion regarding the above two documents. It was agreed that the Clerk as a matter of urgency seek clarification on the two items. Upon receipt of clarification a further planning meeting will be called to resolve the situation.

Amendments:

Amendments of a minor nature were detailed on 1/D/07/002004 Barrowfield, Barr Lane and 1/D/08/001046 Burton Cove, Shadrach.

Refusal:

1/D/09/000562 – Manor Farm. 12 dwellings, convert 2 buildings into 2 dwellings and 2 business units. Alter vehicular access.

Development Committee Control Meeting:

1/D/09/000799 – Season’s Watch, Shipton Lane. Raise roof height, install new UPVC windows, extend sun roof and use as balcony. Rebuild garage & demolish utility room. This will be discussed in Dorchester on the 17^th September at 2.15pm.

Tree Reports:

There were two tree reports, CA/09/00283 – Cornflower Cottage and CA/09/00239 The Leet, 7 Flax Mill. (Details are located in the Planning Committee Minutes).

P.Toms has agreed to continue as Chairman for the rest of the year. The Parish Plan would be a regular item on the agenda. It was agreed that a regular planning meeting should take place on a Monday evening at 7.00pm two weeks prior to the formal Parish council meeting. This would start in October 2009.

Special meeting 17^th September.

This meeting was held to clarify certain points about land to the north of Shadrach Farm. Details had only just been received and were confusing. Unfortunately due to the late notification details of the applications were not displayed on the notice boards.

Certificate of Lawfulness:

1/D/09/001271 – Land North West of Shadrach Farm, Shadrach. Certificate of Lawfulness for existing use as house and garage.

The Clerk had spoken to L.Flanagan, from WDDC Legal and Development Services. The Certificate of Lawfulness is for the top half of the site and it is to confirm that the planning permission granted in 1993 and 2007 is still lawful and legal. However it is an incorrect document and the Parish Council should ignore the notification as we should not have received it. The applicant will have to complete a new form called a CLOTUD (Certificate of Lawfulness for Proposed Use or Development). This is a legal document and is not part of the planning consultation process. The approval in 2007 by WDDC had been confirmed by letter but now needs a CLOTUD certificate, completed by the applicant. The approval was confirmed by virtue of the fact that the roadway had been started on the land.

Consultation:

1/D/09/001195 – Land at Shadrach. Approval of all reserved matters (except landscaping) of outline permission 1/D/07/001406 (proposed erection of a dwelling house). Whilst we have no objections to an application for development of a dwelling on this site the Parish Council wishes WDDC Planning Committee to consider the following issues.

1) It would have been helpful to have if possible a detailed projection of the total site where the current application is located. There appears the potential to develop to the North and the South of the designated site.

2) The style and scale of the development is out of context with the village as a whole and its proximity to the designated conservation area.

3) Drainage areas in Gages Lane need to be protected when building work is commenced.

4) There does not appear to be any details regarding the incorporation of sustainability features

On a separate point the Parish Council have been asked to point out that a caravan has been located on the North side of the site.

8. Finance Committee Report

S.Pett reported that the Finance Committee had met earlier this evening. K.Delves had purchased a memory stick to record all financial matters, and he had also concluded a Risk Assessment.

After receiving details regarding National Pay Scales back dated to April 1^st 2009 the Finance Committee would recommend the following Salary reviews to take immediate effect. The Clerk to receive a 1% increase back dated to April 1^st 2009 and to be paid on LC2 Point 30. In addition the Clerk would also receive 4 extra days paid holiday in respect of long term service. The Clerks hours had been reviewed and agreed at 10 hours per week. The RFO is to be paid on LC1 Point 22. Mrs Stevens should receive a 1% increase rounded up. These were all unanimously agreed.

The external audit has been completed and thanks should be recorded to the RFO for all of the work undertaken.

There would be a better rate of interest if we transferred funds into a 3 Month Bond. This was unanimously agreed.

Another recommendation was to pay off the Public Loan Debt for the Allotments subject to there being no levy placed on the Council for an early settlement. This was unanimously agreed.

The Asset Register has now been completed.

It was also agreed to suggest to the Council to investigate other insurance companies. If there were no other better deals it would advise the Council to take out a 5 year option rather than a 3 year one to get a better financial discount. This was also unanimously agreed.

9. Working Party Reports:

Youth Activities:

D.Dixon reported that the Youth Club Group had decided not to proceed at the present moment for a number of reasons, lack of leadership, insurance, CRB completion storage and appropriate space to meet. There were opportunities for young people to link into the Litton Cheney and the Loders Youth Clubs. There was a group still active in providing Youth events primarily on the Playing Field and it was hoped that there would be an activity some time in November. It was agreed that D.Dixon investigate further the provision and costs of erecting a storage provision for Youth activities in the Playing Field area. It was also felt that current clubs in the village should be encouraged to promote and run youth sections. It was felt by all the Councillors that some sort of regular Youth provision was vital for the village with committed and dedicated leadership.

Coastal Access Bill:

D.Dixon had circulated to all Councillors a detailed response on behalf of the Council. It was agreed to adopt this response and the Clerk would place a paper copy in the Library.

Website:

D.Venn stated that the website was now operational and that he would welcome further contributions from Councillors on issues that they are responsible for.

10. Finance:

J.Hill reported that after going through the Council’s books she was happy to confirm that we were on track to meet the budget set for 2009/2010.

The external auditors had approved the accounts and a notice confirming this with an option to see the accounts would be displayed on the Council notice boards. There were a few recommendations from the Auditors to look at Risk assessments, Insurance cover and interaction with the Internal Auditor.

The end of year accounts for March 2009 were formally accepted, proposed by S.Pett, seconded by D.Batten, and unanimously agreed by the Council.

It was agreed to change the Bank Mandate to include J.Hill as a signatory.

The following cheques were ratified for payment:

Mrs Stevens £27.00 Cleaning, Fel Moore £997.32 Salary for Aug & Sept plus Back Pay, BT £61.80 Landline, Nildram £33.36 Broadband Aug & Sept, HSBC Pension £331.33 Pension for F.Moore & C.Hughes, S.Pett £7.99 Gift for Auditor, HMRC £678.66 Paye and NI Q” plus correction, BDO £506.00 External Audit, Atticus £3222,50 Post office Maintenance, M&J Garden services £375.00 Grass Cutting.

11. B3157 Update.

S.Pett reported that the two Road shows had been very successful, with 100 people attending the one at Burton Bradstock. The three main items that residents wanted were,

1) The reduction of the speed limit in the village

2) The provision of footpaths for pedestrians

3) The provision of safe crossing areas for people crossing the road.

Unfortunately the B3157 Board meeting scheduled for the 8^th October has been cancelled but there should be another one in late October.

The Council agreed that white lines at the edges of the road should be retained. White lines at danger points should be in the centre of the road. Cat’s eyes should be retained. White lines within the village should not be replaced. Footpaths should be raised higher than the road surface, and entrance points to the village should not be reduced to allow singular access by vehicles. S.Pett would report this to the next B3157 Board meeting.

12. Library Update:

P.Middlemast reported that she had met with B.Hynds recently and that the Lease between DCC and the Parish Council was now with Nantes our solicitors. In addition the solicitors also had the Community Use Agreement between the Parish Council and the Friends of Burton Bradstock Library.

13. Post Office Update:

P.Dutton reported on the work that had been completed at the Post Office. He and the Clerk had inspected the work earlier in the day and were satisfied that the work was done well. In addition we have letters stating that in particular if there was any ingress of water under the lead work the contractors would put this right at no cost. The invoice of £3,222 was unanimously agreed to be paid. The RFO to contact the Village Society as they had agreed to pay a set figure of £1,500 towards the costs.

The Post Office had also received a grant of £500 from WDDC to improve internal displays etc.

D.Venn stated that he had heard about some rumours regarding the quality of the work, P.Dutton stated that he had resolved that issue.

14. A.O.B.

• Shipton Lane Hedges: P.Toms reported that this was still a problem. Clerk to pursue.
• Barrowfield Signs: D.Batten reported that a new sign had been put in place, but this really showed how bad the other one was. Clerk to pursue to see if another new sign can be obtained.
• Dog Fouling: S Pett reported on a lot of dog fouling in ‘The Drain’. The Clerk to check out with WDDC about whether or not they would empty another bin and what would the cost be to install one. The Clerk also to write an article in the BVN about the problem of Dog Fouling.
• D.Venn: Reported that the church lights were on at 2.00am. It was thought that this was due to a problem with the timer. D.Venn and P.Dutton would be meeting with candidates for the School headship at an event at Norburton Hall.

15. Date of Next meeting: 4^th November 2009.

Democratic half Hour:

• Bus 45 Route: J Harding reported that the extension to the bus route had been on the WATAG agenda for the last 5 years.
• Youth Leaders: Possible Youth leaders might be found in Abbotsbury according to B.James.
• Play area Repairs: It was noted that some seats and pailings in the playground needed repair. Also the swings could do with a coat of paint. The Clerk to contact R.Brown.
• BT Box in High St: This still needed painting and the area around it needed tidying up. The Clerk to contact BT regarding the painting and R.Brown regarding tidying the area.
• S.Pett: White centre lines should be on the road from Burton Lodge down to the 30mph sign. In general the road signs were in a poor condition throughout the village. The Clerk to pursue.
• R.Coatsworth: Extra funding was now available for people to have a choice in services they receive, e.g. extra funds for home help, or to go to a day centre, or a specific course. Publicity will soon be available for householders to have a free fire check on their property. In principle entrance to villages was a good idea as long as it did not become one way traffic.

The meeting closed at 9.38pm.