Parish Council Minutes – July 2010
Draft minutes of the Parish Council meeting held in the Public Room on Tuesday 27th July 2010, to be ratified at the next meeting.
Present: Carolyn Cripps chaired the meeting. Guy Duxbury, Trevor Roberts, Roger Bragg, Donald Angus, Les Dalzell, Gillian Winter, Tim Foster.
Others present: Roy Fisher, Albert Richardson, Madeleine Singleton and Sheila Dalzell.
| 07/10-1 | Apologies of absence: PC Holliday sent his apologies. |
| 07/10-2 | Minutes: The minutes of the Annual Parish meeting held on the 25th May and the minutes of the meeting held on 29th June were signed and initialled as a true record. |
| 07/10-3 | Declarations of Interest: None. |
| 07/10-4 | Public Representations: Madeleine Singleton and Sheila Dalzell talked about the judging of Cumbria In Bloom: The judges were met at the Village Hall as usual. The judges were Mrs Jean Airey, who previously lived in Threlkeld, and a gentleman who was very particular. The War Memorial was complimented and a big thank you goes to John Pickering who has tended it for many years. The broken seat at Milliard’s Corner was noted, but it was observed that it was at a tidy end of the village as a whole. It was noted that grants can be obtained to paint old fashioned signs like those for Wescoe. Mrs Airey thought that Kiln How was great and the planted area very nice, though the Willow theatre was a mess. It was suggested that the school could have more involvement doing their own flowers, maybe with the Woodland Trust and that interpretation boards could be put up with information on what is planted. Cllr. Gillian Winter, a school governor, has already been involved with an ‘Ecoteam’ bronze award activity and it has been decided that litter-picking is too dangerous for children, due to the busy main road. The judges seemed very keen on compost heaps, although it was explained to them that a green skip was available in the village. One point made was that there were no posters around the village. However, Cumbria In Bloom had been publicised in the Parish Newsletter. It was also suggested that a ‘Best Garden’ competition could be run, just within the village. 2 representatives will be attending the Awards Ceremony on 2nd September. Cllr. Albert Richardson had noticed the lovely and impressive display around the Bus Shelter. Madeleine Singleton and Sheila Dalzell were thanked for their talk and their work for the Cumbria In Bloom entry. Thank you is also due to Les Dalzell and John Pickering. Resolved clerk will write to John Pickering thanking him for his work around the village, especially the War Memorial. Cllr. Gillian Winter will pursue the school for involvement in Kiln How. Steven Oldfield represented himself by letter: regarding the subject of the bench at Milliard’s Corner, given by the WI many years ago. Mr. Oldfield felt that it could not be repaired any more and asked if the Parish Council would like him to remove it. Resolved clerk will write to Steven Oldfield replying that it would be appreciated if he would remove the bench. Chairman Carolyn Cripps will ask John Knifton for a quote for a new bench. John Robinson represented himself by letter: regarding the grass-cutting of Kiln How. He noted that the area between the wall and the footpath had not been cut at all and thought it looked untidy. Resolved clerk will e-mail the contractor asking him to cut the area, and mentioning that this area was meant to be cut at the same time as the larger wildflower area. |
| 07/10-5 | Questionnaire for the Parish Council from Cumbria Rural Housing Trust: The questionnaire was completed. Resolved clerk will return the completed form to CRHT. |
| 07/10-6 | St. John’s Gate Houses: Eden District Council has an ‘Affordable Housing Officer’, Jeremy Hewitson, who deals with empty homes as well. He has stated that the Environmental Services checked the houses for being a hazard a few months ago. They found no environmental issues and therefore would not be proceeding with compulsory purchase orders on that basis. The Eden Housing Association would not be able to purchase the properties as they would not be able to recover their money from social renting, according to estimated valuations. Discussion brought up the Housing Act which dictates that EDC has a statutory duty to take action in this case. Also, EDC can serve a ‘Requisition for Information’, which if made available to the Parish Council may be of some help in making progress. Resolved clerk will contact the Housing Department at EDC again. Cllr. Roy Fisher will contact Richard Turner, from EDC, who may be able to help. |
| 07/10-7 | Plastics Recycling: The clerk had received no response to the e-mail following last month’s meeting. It was decided that Smith Cottage could be painted without moving the plastics cage. Resolved clerk will e-mail Environmental Services again to ask for signs to dissuade people from leaving rubbish. This will be copied to Cllr. Tim Foster. The clerk will introduce herself to the owners of Smithy Cottage, who made the original complaint. |
| 07/10-8 | Kiln How Footpath: Quotes had been received from Tolson’s of Ireby, Joss Watson from Newbiggin, and Wilson’s of Keswick. Wilson’s quote was the best overall. Payment means were discussed. Resolved grants will be sought and the remainder made up with money from the honesty Box at Dickney Car Park. Cllr. Albert Richardson will query the reduced grant from the Communities Forum at the next committee meeting. |
| 07/10-9 | Statement by LDNPA about ‘Allocations of Land’: Paula Allen, a Planning Officer for the LDNPA has stated: “We have commissioned Judith to do this re-survey because the current HNS is almost 5 years old and as a consequence needs updating. The new HNS will not affect housing policies, but they do have a bearing on how we implement policy. When assessing a planning application for new housing development we require evidence of housing need to ensure the development does ‘contribute to the identified housing needs of the locality’ as stated in policy. Housing need surveys at Parish level are recognised across the county as being the most appropriate mechanism of providing this information.” Paula Allen also said that officials from LDNPA will be attending the Parish Council meeting on 28th September 2010. Resolved this will be put in Beneath Blencathra. |
| 07/10-10 | Dog Wardens: There had not been a meeting with the Community Wardens as planned. The issue of dog fouling on Kiln How was thought to be mainly due to visitors walking from the Horse & Farrier and letting their dogs off the lead on Kiln How. Also, the dog waste bin at the bus shelter had not been emptied for some time. Resolved clerk will write to the Community Wardens about bins not being emptied and the possibility of putting one on Kiln How, as it is a serious issue in that area. |
| 07/10-11 | Jubilee Croft Play Area: Annie Donnelly had replied thanking the Parish Council for dealing with the overgrown hedge, planted by the school years ago. Cumbria County Council is responsible for the grass-cutting, not EDC. The issue of cutting the hedge back, and disposal of the waste, was discussed. Resolved Cllr. Roger Bragg will deal with it. |
| 07/10-12a | Parish Tours: The two Parish Tours in September were discussed. Resolved Cllr. Donald Angus will attend on 16th September. Cllr. Trevor Roberts will attend the Tour which ties in with the Lake District Parishes meeting. Clerk will book places on the respective Tours. |
| 07/10-12b | Blencathra Centre – Low Carbon Vision: Replacement of the administration building has been planned for some time and will include changing the energy supply from oil to wood fuel biomass/hydro/photovoltaic supplies. A recent bid for funding has seen the Centre reaching the last 23 applicants stage and if successful (September 17th) a hydro would be re-installed into the building. Chances of success are ~40% and support is asked of Threlkeld Parish Council. The aim is to produce 80% the energy needs of the Blencathra Centre’s from renewable energy, with possibilities of extra energy available. It was also noted that the Blencathra Centre had got their usual water supply back last Tuesday. Resolved clerk will provide a letter of support for the Blencathra Centre’s proposals from Threlkeld Parish Council. |
| 07/10-13 | Clerk’s Hours: This topic was discussed. Resolved clerk will e-mail the Chairman and Vice-chairman with the diary details. To be placed on the next agenda. |
| 07/10-14 | Finance: |
| 01/07/10 | £173.04 | June Dickney Car Park | ||
| 22/07/10 | £2.00 | BB Advert | ||
| 26/07/10 | £105.69 | July Dickney Car Park |
| 30/06/10 | £50.00 | Derwent 7 | ||
| 30/06/10 | £21.12 | Helen O’Brien – website | ||
| 30/06/10 | £100.00 | Roger Bragg – grass-cutting | ||
| 30/06/10 | £15.00 | Threlkeld Quarry – wood | ||
| 02/07/10 | £400.00 | St. Mary’s PCC – annual grant | ||
| 25/07/10 | £10.56 | Heart Internet – website |
| Transfer from Parish Council | £2,222.50 | Threlkeld Study funds | ||
| 18/07/10 | £46.12 | Donation Buckets |
| Bank Balance: £24,172.52 External Audit update: BDO would like the annual return figures for the year 2008-2009 adjusted to remove Village Hall monies. This will be done by Chairman and Clerk. Architect’s fee of £5434.40 + VAT has come through and transfer of funds is in progress. |
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| 07/10-15 | Planning Applications: Application No: 7/2010/3063 Location: 2 The Barns, Guardhouse, Threlkeld, Keswick, CA12 4SZ Proposal: Proposed platform and steps to provide access Resolved no objections Application No: 7/2010/3066 Location: Old Chapel, Threlkeld, Keswick, CA12 4SY Proposal: Extension to dwelling Resolved no objections Notices of grant of planning permission: Mr & Mrs JT & JS Roberts, Garden Cottage, Threlkeld, CA12 4SQ Replacement of existing timber garage by a blockwork and slate roofed garage Mr & Mrs A & S Judge, The Hollies, Threlkeld, CA12 4RX Erection of a single storey, timber framed, glazed orangery and insertion of window in north east elevation and porch extension Mr A Graham, Threlkeld Hall, Threlkeld, CA12 4SX Building to cover existing yard Mr & Mrs R Pleasant, re: Derwent Folds, Threlkeld, CA12 4TB Internal and external alterations to existing dwelling house and attached barn |
| 07/10-16 | Correspondence: Local authority magazines had been received and a freedom of information article was discussed. Resolved clerk will find out if Threlkeld Parish Council is exempt from the subscription payment to the Information Commissioner’s Office. |
| 07/10-17 | Reps. Reports: ♦The Derwent 7 group confirmed that other parishes were consulted at the same time as Threlkeld Parish regarding the Allocations of Land document. Only Keswick Town Council, out of the group, had engaged in an earlier, informal consultation about promoting smaller sites as Threlkeld Parish Council had done. ♦The garden waste skip situation was discussed. Resolved clerk will contact the providers of the skip to ask if it could be collected weekly, or if a larger skip could be provided. ♦The repair to the parapet footpath (Station Road) had been completed today (27th July). ♦The neighbourhood watch signs in the village are in disrepair. However, a neighbourhood watch team needs to be set up for the signs to be replaced. Resolved clerk will contact Stuart Cresswell regarding the neighbourhood watch forms which were passed on to him earlier in the year. ♦A number of lambs had been spotted at the road end of St. John’s in the Vale. They are thought to have escaped from under the parapet footpath after repair work was done there. A general concern for the safety of lambs was raised as the first gate along the railway footpath has been frequently left open, presumably by cyclists. ♦It had been noticed that the verges along the road through the village have not been cuts whereas across in the Quarry, in Allerdale, the verges have been kept well trimmed. It is thought that this is due to a strict wildflower conservation policy. Resolved no action will be taken at present. ♦Storage of the strimmer belonging to the Parish Council was discussed. Resolved Cllr. Donald Angus will keep the strimmer. |
| 07/10-18 | Matters for the next agenda: Lake District National Park Planning Authority St. John’s Gate Empty Houses Clerk’s Hours Blencathra Centre – Low Carbon Vision |
There being nothing further to discuss the meeting was closed at 8:50pm. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 28th September 2010.
