Betley, Balterley & Wrinehill Parish Council

 

Minutes of the Meeting held on 26 March 2002

 

PRESENT            Steven K Ball

                        Rita Chisnall

                        Ken Eaton

                        Ronald C Howarth

                        Reg E Jenks

                        Frank A Speed

Anne Mountford

                        John Price                                                                                 (Chair)

                        Roland P Seymour

                        G Roger Gleave                                                                               (Clerk)

                        Four members of the public

 

APOLOGIES            Ian M Ashbolt                                                                              

Jennifer J Walton

CC Ted Holland

 

ABSENT            Bob E Lindblom

 

PART 1 (open to the Public)

 

43/02    The Council was informed that the following planning application was deferred until there had been a site meeting with representatives of the Regeneration and Planning Department.

02.00183/OUT: Demolition of retail premises and erection of two dwellings; Former Butchers Shop and Art Dealer; Main Road, Betley

 

 

44/02    The Council received the result of the following planning applications.

From Borough of Crewe & Nantwich: 15 metre Telecommunications Mast; Lower Den Farm, Den Lane, Wrinehill.

REFUSED

(An unduly prominent and extrusive feature)

45/02            RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting (copy in minute book) held on 27 February 2002 be approved.

 

46/02            RESOLVED that the following reports/actions consequent upon a consideration of matters arising be approved.

(a)    34/02 (a) Den Lane: Ted Holland was still awaiting a reply.

(b)    34/02 (b) Provision of notice board at Balterley: It had been ascertained that it was not possible to locate the proposed notice board in the Church grounds.  Reg Jenks and John Price would liasse and place the notice board on Reg Jenks’s land nearby.

(c)    34/02 (c) BT Telephone Box:  Members wished that further discussion should take place to and they wished the box to be retained in the village.

(d)    34/02 (d) Sign at Balterley: The Clerk was awaiting a diagram showing the type and cost of signs available.

(e)    34/02 (e) Road and pavement sweeping: The Chairman had not been able to contact Newcastle about this matter.

(f)     34/02 (f) Commonwealth Games and Gambia: There had been no response from the High Commission and thus the matter should not be pursued.

 

(g)    34/02 (i) Notice board in the centre of the village: It was agreed that a notice board on the Village Green under the street light by the pavement at the northern would an appropriate location.  Cost of the provision of a notice board should be obtained.

(h)    34/02 (j) Flooding by Horse Trough, Main Road: Work to be undertaken to prevent further flooding had not yet started.

(i)      40/02 (a) Code of Conduct:  Discussion deferred to item7 of the agenda.

(j)      40/02 (b) Management Group for the sports ground at Lady Croft: Two member of the football had been co-opted and a meeting would take place in the near future.

 

47/02            RESOLVED that the financial statement as at 18 March be received.

 

48/02            RESOLVED: that the formal report (copy in minute book) from District Audit for the year ended 31 March 2001 be received noting that there were no issues to be brought to the attention of the Council and the Agenda had advertised the closure of the audit.

 

49/02            RESOLVED that the payment of invoices (copy in minute book) be approved, noting that the payment of the largest item would be delayed until sufficient funds had been transferred.

 

50/02            Consideration was given to the response from Newcastle BC concerning the Council’s representations to the ‘Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Plan 2001 – Deposit Draft’.  Both if the Council’s representations had been not accepted and Newcastle had made changes to the Village envelope.

            RESOLVED: that

(a)    The Council does not withdraw its representations to (i) alter the green belt boundary on the western side of the Village in the area of the former Black Horse and (ii) alter the conservation area boundary where it passes through a private house in Ladygates. 

(b)   The Council would wish to understand the reasoning behind changing the village envelope on the west and not taking on board the requested change in Ladygates.

(c)    The Council would wish to know what planning procedures will apply to the area created by the amendment to the village envelope (policy H1) which has become ‘no-man’s land’, being neither in the green belt or in the village conservation area.

(d)   The Council can see no objections to the Areas N18 and N20 being removed from the Village Envelope

 

51/00    The Council considered correspondence concerning the ‘Model Code of Conduct’

            RESOLVED: that

(a)    The Council would adopt it’s the code at its next meeting on 24 April thus allowing 28 days after this date for councillors to complete the ‘Register of Member’s interests’ and to sign within two months the ‘Undertaking to Observe the Code of Conduct’.

(b)   Councillors who had queries on this matter should inform the Clerk in writing so that advice can be obtained before 24 April.

 

52/02    A paper (copy in minute book) that was to be published in the April Parish Magazine and distributed to all households was circulated.  It was agreed that Jennifer Walton should be asked to undertake with help from other councillors the arrangements for refreshments at the APM to be held on 17 April.

 

 

53/02    A report was given on the meeting held on 28 February to make preliminary arrangements for the Golden Jubilee Celebrations. Various ideas and projects had been suggested and a meeting in the near future would finalise the plans.

 

54/02    There was a brief discussion on the production of the Village Plan.

            RESOLVED that at the next meeting consideration should be given to the formation of a action sub-group to push forward the detail of the areas to be included and the necessary persons to be consulted; attention was drawn to the section entitled ‘What’s involved in the development of a Parish or Town Plan’ in the leaflet ‘Vital Villages’.

 

55/02    The Clerk reported that he had heard from CC Ted Holland that £1000 for the development of Lady Croft had been granted under the ‘County Council Local Membership Initiative Scheme’.         

 

56/02            RESOLVED that the following correspondence be received and appropriate action taken.

(a)    Agenda Items 14(a), 14 (b), 14 (c) & 14 (d) were tabled and placed in the Reading Room where appropriate.

(b)    Agenda Item 14 (e) Copy letter from David Beckett: There was discussion about excessive speed of vehicles in the village and this would be brought to the attention of the Police yet again.

(c)    Agenda Items 14 (f) to 14 (h)

RESOLVED that the following grants/subscriptions be made and paid out at the next meeting.

(i)                 Staffordshire Playing Fields Association            £11

(ii)               Council for the Protection of Rural England            £10

(iii)             Betley Cricket Club (for heaters)                        £120

(iv)             St Margaret’s Church                                                 £250

             (for churchyard and cemetery maintenance)                       

 

 

57/02            Councillors wished to know:

(a)                whether any action was to be undertaken to improve the road surface of ‘The Butts’;

(b)                if a bin could be replaced on the bus stop in the ‘Wilderness’.

 

 

PART 2 (closed to members of the public)

 

58/02            RESERVED

 

Signed…………………………….

 

Date………………………………