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Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 12th January 2010 |
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Litton Cheney Parish Council
Present: F
Spicer (Chairman), Mrs S Dyke (Deputy Chairman), S. Kourik, W. Orchard,
J. Randall, Mrs A. Spurrier and Parish Clerk J. Firrell. Also in
attendance were the Chairman and Secretary of the Allotment Association
and two members of the public.
1. Apologies for absence: B. Prentice, Cllr R. Coatsworth and Cllr T. Bartlett.
2. Declarations of Interest: None.
3. Democratic Time: Mrs E. Kingston mentioned the new bus stop that had been constructed on the A35 at the top of Whiteway. Mrs S. Dyke expressed disappointment that in creating the bus stop they did not take the opportunity to provide extra space to allow two cars to pass each other at the entrance to Whiteway which WDDC had indicated they would do at some point. Mrs E. Kingston also mentioned the Dorchester Car Club which has proved to be a success and was now looking for a rural area in which to carry out a pilot scheme. She wondered if Litton Cheney might have an interest. It was decided to publish details of the club in the BVN and Litton web site.
4. Approval of Minutes of Meeting held on 19th November 2009: It was proposed by S. Kourik, seconded by F. Spicer and carried unanimously that the Minutes be approved.
5. Matters Arising: Lengthsman - James Williams was now employed as the village lengthsman. Together with his first invoice which would be dealt with under Financial Report, he has submitted a report indicating areas that need attention. In answer as to whether he should endeavour to cut back the overhanging greenery in Church Path, a task that the Parish Council had requested that owners/occupiers carry out, it was agreed this was now a matter for Highways to deal with directly with the occupants. The matter of blocked drains and surface water would be taken up with County Highways. Affordable Housing - Since the last meeting, the WDDC Affordable Housing Officer, Rob Aspray had contacted the Parish Council to inform them that Wessex Water had identified a piece of land which they owned that might be suitable for affordable housing. A discussion meeting had been held about a parcel of land off Watery Lane. The Parish Council had indicated that it felt the land in question may not be suitable for housing. Wessex Water would investigate the state of the land further and may come back to the Parish Council with a proposal at which time the council would deal with the matter on a more formal basis. Interested parties had been informed of the situation by word of mouth.
6. Financial Report: Parish funds stood at £6057.59p as of 31st December 2009. Over the last two months income received was £0.08p (interest) and expenditure £201.80 (Clerk's salary and hire of hall for PC meetings). Invoices requiring approval for payment were Stephen Randall - £386 (Grass cutting, ditch clearing and hedge trimming), James Willams - Lengthsman - £90 representing 6 weeks work, and Parish Clerk's expenses - £16.50. Proposed by Mrs S. Dyke, seconded by Mrs A. Spurrier and carried unanimously. It was proposed by Mrs S. Dyke, seconded by S. Kourik and carried unanimously that the following donations be made ;- CAB (Bridport) £75, Somerset & Dorset Air Ambulance £75, Bride Valley News £25 and Welmar HospiceCare £50, a total of £225.
7. Playing Fields/Allotment Report: In the absence of B. Prentice, F. Spicer stated that there was little to report on the Playing Fields, but that the Chairman and Secretary of the Allotments Association were present and could respond to earlier concerns about the state of the allotments. F. Spicer and B. Prentice had attended the Allotments Association's AGM in November. Mr D. Bowen (Chairman of the Allotments Association) appreciated the concern expressed by the council over a period of time but felt these issues were now being actively addressed. This was a young association and many of its members were taking on an allotment and "growing their own" for the first time so it would take a little time for things to settle down. Alison Dunbar, Secretary of the association, reiterated these points and itemized their plans for the first few months of 2010. Questioned about the need for some sort of grill to prevent debris flowing through to land owned by Mr C. Legg, it was agreed this would be attended to and effectiveness monitored. J, Randall expressed his dissatisfaction at the state of the allotments and seemingly the poor selection of crops grown dependent upon time of year. After a period of active debate, the majority of councillors agreed with the points made by the Allotment Association and looked forward to continued improvement in both condition of the allotments and production of produce. It was noted that moles had put in an appearance at the playing fields. Various suggestions were put forward as to how best to remove them.
8. Village Project/Initiatives/Schemes: At the last meeting S. Kourik had requested councillors to consider projects and schemes that could be implemented to enhance the appearance of the village or provide facilities for village visitors to learn more about Litton Cheney. S. Kourik proposed an information/interpretation board be sited at the triangle bus shelter, and possibly the acquisition of a defibrillator which could be situated locally and available for emergency use by paramedics. J. Randall suggested landscaping around the bus shelter and agreed to provide a sketch setting out his idea. F. Spicer suggested the signs in and around the triangle area made more in keeping with the village including additional signs for the community hall. It was agreed to find out costs relating to the various ideas tabled. The clerk was asked to chase DCC regarding the hall signs.
9. Traffic/Highways/Signs: Much of this had already been dealt with in other agenda items but Rights of Way would be asked to deal with the slippery surface on The Rocks footpath. S. Kourik also informed the meeting that a ford plus bridge would be created near the Chilcombe/Litton Cheney boundary.
10. Planning Applications: Ourganics - Approved with conditions; The Orchard - Withdrawn although a new planning application had recently been submitted but which had yet to reach the Parish Council in its official guise. CG Fry & Son had forwarded advance information on the new submission and this would be circulated to councilors in due course; Hope Cottage - Application supported (now approved); 8 Baglake - Application supported. S. Kourik declared a personal interest and took no part in the decision making process.
11. Correspondence: The Chairman had written to the CEO of DCC concerning the possible tarmacing of the drive to the community hall. A relatively positive reply had been received and a council official had visited the site.
12. AOB: It was suggested by Mrs S. Dyke that Ourganics be invited to make a presentation of the work that they do at the forthcoming Village Assembly. Ourganics had gained an international reputation for its work with perma-culture.
13. Date of Next Meeting: Tuesday 9th March, 7.30 pm, Community Hall.
14. There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.55 pm.
John Firrell
Parish Clerk - Litton Cheney
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Last Updated ( Friday, 22 January 2010 )
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