The August 2007 minutes of Slaley Parish Council. The Councillors look at the Wooley Bus Shelter- (see August walk-about report)
Minutes of Slaley Parish Council are not posted on the web site until the month they are agreed, therefore September minutes will not appear until late October.
August walk about ‘the Wooley Road’ 7.30 – 8.40 p.m.
Councillors I.C. Hancock, Mrs L. Norris, Mrs C. A. Brooks & S Davison. Clerk Mrs P. Wilson enjoyed a very clear, warm evening for their annual parish walk-about.
Starting at St. Lukes Cottage the Councillors were given the history of the 90-acre site purchased from Lord Allendale in 1915 which over the following sixty years was to become the Settlement of Wooley.
St. Lukes was specifically built for the hospital and the Priest in Charge was the Vicar of Slaley until its sale in 1972. During 1975 & 76 planning applications were received to convert the chapel into a dwelling house. The present owner has landscaped the gardens and they are a visual delight. Wooley House built for the Doctor in Charge has a planning application pending for substantial alterations. The bus shelter was looked at and its soundness of both roof and walls was commented upon. Cllr Hancock looked closely at the roof joists and timbers to assess how easily it could be moved because one suggestion was to move it to the village for youngsters to hang out in. The roof was bolted together in two parts and the walls are concreted into a floor channel. The area in front of the bus shelter underneath the grasses and brambles is flagged. Uses for the bus shelter were not agreed upon. Being opposite a Queen Victoria wall mounted letter box once suggestion was that it would make a lovely feature if cleared and kept maintained possibly with flowering tubs. It is part of the heritage of the Wooley road and decisions have to be made which could include ideas from the Wooley road residents.
Wooley Park was glimpsed through the roads shrubbery, The Lodge, Rose Cottage, Elm Cottage, Deneside, Atlasta Cottage were walked passed. The Councillors met Geoff Jackson who said he thought the bus shelter roof was rotten and a fist could be put through (that must have been a prior bus shelter). He felt that the shelter on the B6306 has been a good site and should never have been taken down. He also talked of a wind (recorder) which had been attached to The Lodge (his home) during the hospital era and winds of 115 mph had been recoded.
Wooley Grange has five street lights 33SF – 37SF and a well maintained cul-de-sac road.
The entrances into West Woodfoot and Eastwood Foot were passed and the converted farm buildings were only glimpsed from the road.
The Councillors then had a look at the dairy at Marley Cote Walls Farm. David Baynes kindly gave a brief history of why he, Richard & Paul had decided to embark on their Northumbria Pedigree milk and cream business. The workings of the dairy was interestingly described then with the final questions asked it was long passed time to return to Slaley Commemoration Hall for the meeting.
Minutes of Slaley Parish Council, Monday August 13th 2007, in Slaley Commemoration Hall from 8.50 p.m. after the August walk-about
1. Apologies. Councillors Mrs A. S. Robson, Ms M Palmer &. County Councillor Wm Purdue.
Present: Councillor I.C. Hancock in the Chair. Councillors Mrs L. Norris, Mrs C. A. Brooks, S Davison, District Councillor B.W. Massey & Clerk Mrs P. Wilson.
Public: None. Courant Reporter: None. Slaley Notes & Community Trust Executive Committee Member: Michael Elphick.
2. Declaration of Interests.
Cllr. Mrs L. Norris for agenda item 13
Cllr Mrs C.A. Brooks for planning application 20070626 Amended Plans, Trygill Farm Cottage.
3. Minutes of July Parish Council Meeting (un-circulated pages 329-333 + appendices 1 pg 334, 2 pg 335)
Due to the breakdown of the Clerk’s e-mail facilities the minutes had not been circulated therefore this agenda item deferred until the September meeting.
3a Due to the lateness of the hour District Councillor, Brian Massey, wished to bring forward for discussion the following.
a) Appeal against Glen Cottage planning application restricting the size of extension to 33%. Because the owners were forced to live in a caravan they decided to proceed with building work on the agreed application whilst appealing on the size limit. Planning department was requesting the opinion of the PC as to whether written evidence, rather than a public hearing, would be sufficient for the appeal. The Councillors expressed the view that written proceedings would be adequate. (see 7** below)
b) TC Review of Polling Districts & Polling Places. This would have an effect on parts of District Councillor Massey’s patch. (see 5q below)
c) Successful bid for a single unitary council in Northumberland. Councillor Massey thought that Tynedale District Council would not waste time appealing against the Government’s decision, an appeal would cause delays and staff moral would suffer. Instead the District would spend its remaining seventeen months deciding how best to retain its financial assets without being capped. How to retain its officers needed to carry schemes forward. Any scheme worth more than £1m must be accompanied by a paper trail and that obviously includes proposals for Hexham Abbey, Tyne Green etc. Going down the line of a legal challenge as Shropshire is doing is not being discussed at present. (see 5s below)
d) Request from TC’s Planning Department’s Enforcement Officer for a copy of the standard annual letter to residents of Slaley Hall Holiday Villas also the question asked if the 2006 survey had produced a satisfactory conclusion. Neither had received a reply during the last eight months. Clerk to forward copies of letters (15th March 2007 & 18th December 2006) to DC Brian Massey.
e) Further telephone calls regarding the Affordable Houses at Slaley being allocated to people outside the area. Clerk to contact Marion Rowe (see 4c 9/7/07, 6a 11/6/07) and ask when a discussion with Slaley PC regarding allocation of houses can take place.
4. Matters Arising.
a) 11 9/7/07 Quote from Holly Bush Nursery for a monthly cut of grass at Millennium
Feature estimate £40 per month ( 5.96 Vat +£34.04 ex vat ) This estimate was considered very high. After discussion it was agreed that the Clerk ask for estimates from Chris Rider Landscapes at Wooley, Stuart Bell at Oaklea, as well as Hollybush, for a weekly cut of all four areas: Townhead entrance presently undertaken by Hollybush Landscaping at £35.00, area around the Millennium Seat (estimate as above), the area immediately in front of the roadside seat on the B6306 and the south side of the village from the Affordable Houses entrance to Townfoot corner, stopping opposite the north footpath.
a) Acknowledgment from Lucy Greenfield (7b&c 9/7/07) that Slaley does not need to call a meeting on the LDP Site Allocations Document.
b) Philip Hindmarsh asked David Hunt to confirm if cleansing the Wooley bus shelter was possible. Certainly appears to have been done.
c) Bottle Bank site reply from Kevin Ferrol indicating suggested sites likely to cause Fly Tipping (4a 11/6/07, 4a 14/5/07, 4a 16/4/07, 4a 12/3/07, 18 12/2/07) e-mail circulated. Question asked informally to Travellers Rest Inn – the reply was negative. Question also asked to Commemoration Hall Management Committee the response was a unanimous NO. The latter suggested that the PC propose to TC that glass collection boxes be part of the household recycling package. It was agreed that the Clerk write to TC stating that the residents of Slaley parish have offered to be the pilot area for a glass collection on the condition that this offer does not cause an increase in community charges for parishioners. Copy the letter to NCC and the Hexham Courant.
d) NCC Local Transport Integrated Programme 08/09 (14 9/7/07): Alan Bawn informed the Clerk that help towards the cost of proposed mobile speed unit was not eligible on the LTIP where there is no history of speed related injury accidents. The 2005 request to extend the 30 mph speed limit from Lawn Cottage to Townhead Farmhouse entrance (given the highway remarks of insufficient length and density of frontage development to justify an extension) was re submitted replacing 30 mph signs with No footway signs of an adult and child walking on the highway. These will be considered in the programme. A mirror for Burnside Bridge garden wall to assist traffic at the Glen crossroads (requested to NCC Highways on June 15th) was also included in our transport priorities. Mirrors such as the highly effective once on the B6306 for traffic exiting Colpitts Grange are not approved by the Department for Transport are in fact illegal if sited on the highway. The Government considers that mirrors distract drivers because drivers concentrate on the mirror and not on the road. See 12 a below
5. Correspondence.
a) Letter from Tynedale Council re PCF feedback + Parish Council Contact Sheet (6j 11/6/07 Cllr S. Davison completed the feedback sheet.
e) Tynedale Community Partnership – Tynedale Sustainable Community Plan 2007
f) ADAPT News Summer 2007 – placed on Notice Board.
g) TC BT Courtesy Notification of Change to Public Payphone service Not Slaley
h) TC Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme for 07/08
i) Northumberland Rural Services Survey – completed by Clerk & Chairman
j) NCC Development of Parish Transport Representatives – Clerk to reply that the PC are happy to continue receiving information as usual but with only route 870, 6 days each week 4 times daily and route 869 second Tuesday of each Month once between 9.00 and 15.00 hours an individual as suggested in correspondence, is un-necessary and Slaley have no designated bus stops to keep clear of graffiti etc.
k) NCC Local Government re-organisation letter from Cllr P Hillman. No action.
l) Local Works – Sustainable Communities – Bill progresses to Lords
m) NCC Proposed Diversion of Byway 41 and extinguishment of F/path 20. It was agreed to support this proposed diversion and closure whilst requesting clarification on several matters (maintenance responsibilities, width 60 ft or present width, transfer costs from FC to ratepayer & legality etc.).
n) TC Garry Pointer Adoption of Revised Code of Conduct Confirmation that Slaley will appear on joint advert.
o) TC Tynedale Planning Forum meeting 1/8/07 10 a.m. Council Chamber, Hexham it was felt Slaley did not need attend.
p) TC The Licensing Act 2003 – TC must every 3 years determine its policy – draft revised policy at www.tynedale.gov.uk comments by 5th October 2007.
q) TC Review of Polling Districts & Polling Places – TC must review on a four-yearly cycle comments by September 14th 2007 Information at www.tynedale.gov.uk Councillor Hancock volunteered to check that no alterations have been made to the present arrangements at Slaley.
r) E-mail copy of Blanchland B6306 road closure received from DC Brian Massey – Slaley Notes carried notices during August.
s) E-mail from DC Brian Massey that the bid for a single unitary council in Northumberland has been successful.
t) E-mail report to TC, Margaret Sanderson saying dog bin overflowing 2/8/07. E-mail reply dated 3/8/07 saying bin would be emptied that day. IT WAS.
Home truths Milecastle Housing Summer 2007, Glasdon advertising leaflet, Wicksteed Playscapes, Local Councils Update, Give your Operation the Push it needs. NCC Committee Papers Tynedale Area Committee, North Pennines AONB Annual Report 06/07
6. Financial report. Cheques to be signed and confirmation of interim payments.
a) Cheques to be signed.
No 311 Hollybush Landscaping July 19th roadside cut at Townhead. £35.00
b) Interim payments. None.
Proposed by Cllr L. Norris and seconded by Cllr. I.C. Hancock.
7 Current Planning Applications.
20070626 Amended plans – Two storey extension to east and porch to south – Trygill Farm Cottage. As previous application less a reduction in overall extension % and changes of detail. The PC’s previous comments still stand..
20070749 Two storey rear extension & ground floor WC & porch extension – The Coach House, East Woodfoot. Very little change from previous permission.
20070783 Extensions to dwelling, car-port, two storey garage, access gates and driveway. Wooley House. Suggest a site visit very prominent site.
20070626 Two storey extension to east and porch to south – Trygill Farm Cottage concerns.
20070626 Reconsultation – Two storey extension to west and porch to south.
20070669 Construction of timber Pergola and fence Rose & Crown. concerns
20070730 Construction of two storey extension – Overdale. concerns
Decisions from Planning Authority
20070600 Advertisement consent to display two internally illuminated signs at Slaley Hall. Granted
* Affordable Houses – complaints from the public about the Yorkshire boarding wooden porches. Cllr IC Hancock sent an e-mail to Vicky Law.
** Telephone message from Brian Massey stating that the owners of Glen Cottage are appealing against the condition imposed upon them in either 20061498 or 20070265 planning applications.
8.NALC Code of Conduct and Standards Framework report by Cllr C A Brooks & Clerk P. Wilson (attached as appendix 1/130807)
Cllr Hancock asked for clarification on when a declared interest may be personal & prejudicial and when it is in the interests of most within the parish. Cllr Brooks answered that the trainers conceded that it could be a very grey area.
9. Northumberland Minerals & Waste Development Framework Report by Cllr Hancock. (see 7l 9/7/07)
Report as appendix 2/130807. There was identified sand and gravel deposits on Palm Strothers land which may or may not be quarried in the future. A second site is immediately opposite the above in White House field.
10. Suggested sites for village speed unit.
(4a 9/7/07, 4e 11/6/07; 4l 14/4/07) Corsenside Parish Council is the fifth PC to join in the grouping interested in purchasing a mobile speed camera. Councillor Brooks will represent Slaley PC at the meeting on Wednesday September 19th at 9.30 a.m. Positions for the camera were discussed and suggestion will need to be looked at and agreed at September meeting.
11. Standing Orders (see agenda 12 9th July 2007 minutes)
The draft standing orders from NALC had been circulated. Councillors Norris & Hanock to meet and draft standing orders relevant to Slaley Parish Council for discussion and possible adoption at the September meeting.
12 A.O.B.
a) Accident at Glen crossroads (see 4 d above) Councillor Hancock produced information on commercially available mirror styles. Owner of Burnside wall spoken to and he has no objections in principle. A letter sent to NCC highways with a copy to planning department and asking if planning permission is needed. September meeting.
b) Fly tipping, August 11th, (Slaley Show day) just off the B6306 at the lane into a field at Trygill. A portable TV and hi-fi system. Clerk to report to M Sanderson.
c) Cycle park for older boys should we be looking at part of Reaston land which was put forward by the owners of the land as part of the initial affordable houses site investigation. Tynedale Council recently won £200,00 for four play projects in Tynedale this will be split between three schemes at Stocksfield, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle + funding for a worker to support the schemes.
d) Was everyone aware that Corbridge Police Station had lost its front desk for enquiries. Although the front desk has closed officers and staff will still be working at the station and people will be able to get assistance by the direct phone line from outside the police station.
e) Unsubstantiated rumors about the letting of the Affordable House continue to be reported to the PC. The PC requested the Clerk to press TC and Two Castles again for assurances that the terms of the lettering agreement are being strictly observed and for speedy information on the Two Castles shortlist.
13 BOATs Update.
a) Attendance of the JLAF meeting on Thursday July 19th where a presentation was made by Margaret Keyte and Alan Kind. The 4 Parishes question was not answered that evening or by hard copy since.
b) NCC letter re public byways 38 & 39 Slaley and 25 & 80 Hexhamshire NCC has decided to place a temporary TRO on these two routes for a period of 6 months.
c) September meeting date to be confirmed.
The meeting closed at 10.40 p.m.
Date of September meeting will be Monday September 10th.
