BROUGHTON PARISH COUNCIL
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BROUGHTON PARISH COUNCIL |
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| Present | Cllr. Mrs MC Rust (in the Chair). Cllrs. R Baxter, Mrs. HJ Bull, Mrs. PA Cope, Mrs. JL Farenden, Mrs. RA Gresham, LA Manning, Mrs. JR Page, R Shrive, and AJP Stamper PC Ian Cotterell of Northamptonshire Police. Two members of the public. |
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| 08/6047 |
APOLOGIES. Apologies were tendered by Cllr. P Chaplin. |
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| 08/6048 | MINUTES.
The minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 16 July 2008, copies having been circulated, were approved by members and signed by the Chairman after it was noted that the issue of the naming of the new road serving the Rectory development had first been discussed in advance of the Right to Speak item recorded at 08/6044. |
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| 08/6049 | MATTERS ARISING. Arising from 08/6041, Cllrs. Mrs. Farenden and Mrs. Page advised the meeting that, subject to approval of the Council and Playing Fields and Village Hall Association, they wished to transfer the appointment as Parish Council appointee to the Village Hall Committee from Cllr. Mrs. Farenden to Cllr. Mrs. Page with immediate effect. This was duly confirmed on the part of the Parish Council. Arising from 08/6033, the Chair reported that she had ascertained the Friends of Broughton Cemetery had not met at all recently and had no plans to do so. Regrettably, it seemed enthusiasm for the group had waned and it must be concluded the same had effectively disbanded. At the cemetery itself, the meeting heard that the gates were now left open but there appeared to have been no recent problems as a consequence. Arising from 08/6034, the Chair reported upon the attendance by County Cllr. Harker on 19 August as part of his annual tour of Kettering Rural Division villages. Members heard that the new County Head of Highways had been introduced, that there had been agreement to arrange re-painting of the missing white-lining, that the poor state of repair of certain pavements (especially at Northampton Road) would be looked into, that investigations continued into ownership of the bund at the Kettering Road/A43 junction, that ‘sleeping policemen’ could be considered for Cransley Hill, and that interactive signs (similar to those recently installed at Grafton Underwood) were a possibility for the Pytchley crossroads on the Wellingborough Road. Further, it was reported that the County Council were to canvass local councils for their ‘top ten’ priorities so far as highway issues were concerned, and that the Community Engineer also held a budget for other locally identified work. Arising from this report, members agreed that the various commitments or offers made should be recorded in a letter to the County Council and that this should also contain a request for future meetings of this nature to be held later in the day, when more councillors might be able to attend. Additionally, Cllr. Mrs. Bull suggested and it was agreed that similar occasional visits should be invited of Kettering Borough councillors for the Slade ward. Arising then from 08/6043, the Chair informed those present that the costs associated with maintaining the Broughton Village website seemed to comprise some £25 per month for electricity and £40 per annum for hosting. After discussion it was agreed that a donation of £50 be made to the website proprietor to assist in defraying these costs. Arising also from 08/6043, Cllr. Mrs. Bull reported that an additional bench had been identified as being in need of refurbishment, at Mile End Lane. The Clerk confirmed this had been notified to the Borough Council along with those otherwise noted. Arising from 0/5971, Cllr. Baxter enquired whether it had ever been confirmed that the name ‘Darlow Court’ was to be adopted in respect of any part of the Rathmine Farm development. The Clerk confirmed that this had been indicated verbally by Mr John Withpetersen of the Building Control section; who had also advised there was no difficulty with this from the perspective of the developer. Arising too from 08/6043, Cllr. Mrs. Bull confirmed that crown-lifting works had been done to the Horse Chestnut at the Recreation Ground. Members also heard that replacements had now been planted for those trees previously damaged/destroyed. Arising from 08/6028, it was confirmed that the Borough Council had indicated the Ivy growth on the Recreation Ground wall would be killed off over the winter. Arising from 08/6033, the meeting heard that in respect of the former Garden of Remembrance an approach had been received from the Borough Council, seeking approval for this to be the focus of an improvement project to be undertaken jointly with a gardening team from the Henley Centre. An offer had been made to provide further information on what was proposed and, after a sounding of members during the summer recess, the Borough Council had been advised this initiative was welcomed. Arising from 08/6033, and as had been observed and notified to the Clerk by various members, an initiative called ‘Adopt a Kiosk’ had been launched by BT over the summer. Details obtained for this indicated that certain categories of traditional red telephone kiosk would be made available on terms by BT, either for adoption by local councils (in which case ownership of the unit but not the land upon which it stands would pass) or for sponsorship at a cost of £500 annually; the actual pay telephone itself being decommissioned and withdrawn by the company. Perusal of the accompanying material and model agreements revealed that, for the High Street kiosk, the scheme would not apply however, as it did not contemplate those kiosks as were statutorily listed. Notwithstanding the listing was considered to offer some measure of reassurance as to retention, it was agreed that enquiries be made in order to try and ascertain the ownership of the kiosk site and the level of current usage. Arising from 08/6008, it was reported that there had been some email correspondence between the Clerk and various members arising from a pre-application approach to the Borough Council in respect of a potential housing exception site; it being wondered whether the minuted housing association contact was connected. In the event, it seemed this approach had been declined given the current policy presumption against development on the site. |
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| 08/6050 | CORRESPONDENCE.
The following items of correspondence were reported and action, as
detailed, was agreed to be taken, with other general items being placed on
circulation:-
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| 08/6051 | REPORTS OF MEMBERS ATTENDING MEETINGS OF OTHER
BODIES. Cllr. Mrs. Page reported upon her attendance at the last meeting of the Village Hall Committee where business had included a revision of cleaning arrangements, the recent testing of electrical fittings, repairs to rainwater goods, a forthcoming play scheme suitability assessment, a change in the charging policy for wedding parties using the hall, the addressing of unauthorised usage of the football pitch, the preparation of a new Village Hall calendar, the Village Show event for September 2009, the necessity to seek a second quotation for replacement of the foyer door, and a successful Environmental Health visit. The Chair then reported upon the attendance of herself and Cllr. Mrs. Gresham at the Emergency Planning Meeting held on 17 July. Councillors heard that this commenced with an exercise looking at Reception Centres and the uses they would be put to. There was also concentration on elements of a mapping process, identifying assets and vulnerable people. Whilst District Councils would generally have Emergency Planning Officers in post, it could be that certain areas might be cut off from Kettering if transport links were affected by any incident. The County Emergency Planning Officer was willing to visit interested local councils before any planning occurred and model plans were available as an additional resource. The 2012 Olympic Games had been identified as a particular potential risk. The Chair reported upon the meeting of the Kettering Rural Forum on 4 September, attended together with Cllr. Mrs. Bull. The Forum had considered the roll-out of the Police ‘SmartWater’ initiative (especially in respect of thefts from churches and the like), had been advised the ‘Street-a-Week’ programme had been suspended for the winter with that time being used instead for liaison with local schools. The meeting had also heard that the Community Panel focus process was being absorbed into the Rural Forum to try and improve participation rates (local councils being requested to suggest their three preferred priorities for police attention – Cllr. Shrive to co-ordinate for the Parish Council). The new Borough Head of Environment and Recycling had been introduced, and he had described an initial target to improve waste recycling percentages. There had also been discussion around village design statements and parish plans, the forum hearing that these were a useful evidence statement and were capable of adoption as informal local planning policy. The issue of precepting had been mentioned and the timetable described for the lead in to 2010, when the current arrangements were due to expire. Finally, attendees were encouraged to look at the Kettering town centre development proposals and the meeting was informed work was due to commence in 2009. The Chair had also attended the last A43 Stakeholders’ Meeting, held on 1 August. The remit of the meeting was to examine issues relating to the A43 running between Northampton and Kettering, following the recent de-trunking with associated transfer of responsibility to the County Council. Those present had been informed that most of the historic surveys relating to the road were now lost (mainly destroyed) but current thinking indicated there would likely be a bypass for Moulton, leaving the stretch of the road from Round Spinney roundabout and junction with the A14, at Kettering. Policy support for this existed in the form of the Transport Strategy for Growth, which had been adopted recently, and it was reported that the current A14 congestion problem should be largely alleviated by widening works and junction improvements to affected parts of that route. Major schemes of this nature had a typical lead-time of at least 7 years from initial consultation to final acceptance (without allowing for construction itself); a variety of options would need to come forward. Estimated costs of the likes of a dualling scheme were in the order of £100m and available funding for the Midlands region has already been committed to 2015. Consequently, any works to the A43 were unlikely to be programmed before the end of the next decade. Added complications were considered to be the A14 issues described previously, and any growth occurring in Northampton. A possibility existed in the initial consideration of a smaller scheme at a lesser cost, but this would need to be devised so as to avoid detracting from a more strategic scheme later on. There was acceptance the A43 was a spine for the County so was regarded as an important issue to address, hence the current focus which would result in ongoing workshops. Surveys were to occur during September and October and the results would be presented to the next meeting during the first week of December, with options likely to be considered during Spring 2009. The Vice-Chairman had handed in a press clipping from the 2 August edition of the Evening Telegraph, reporting the same meeting. |
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| 08/6052 | POLICE REPORT. No officer was in attendance at this meeting although the usual Monthly Crime Reports for June, July and August were to hand (copies appended).
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08/6053
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DEVELOPMENT CONTROL. Planning Applications submitted for the Parish Council’s observations:- The following application was considered and it was RESOLVED that an objection be made on the basis that the site is in open countryside and the proposal would be contrary to policy in the absence of any established agricultural justification:-
The following application was considered and it was RESOLVED that although an objection was not warranted, the Local Planning Authority should be informed the proposal will impact upon the character of this locality where there is some existing uniformity of layout and built form to the current housing that will be disrupted:-
The following application was considered with no observation being considered necessary:-
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| 08/6038 | FINANCE The following items of income and expenditure were agreed:-
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| 08/6055 | PARISH NEWSLETTER.
Cllr. Manning reported that a draft of a newsletter had been prepared but a printing difficulty had prevented this being available for the meeting. The layout and content was described, however, and it was agreed this would be circulated for councillors’ information with the regular ‘bundle’
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| 08/6056 | VILLAGE MAP PROJECT. The Chair advised the meeting that estimates had duly been obtained from George James & Sons, and from KenSigns Limited for the production of sign ‘structures’ in accordance with the copies now appended. Additionally, a further estimate had been obtained by the Clerk, from Pryorsign Limited; copy also appended. Although the individual specifications were a little different from firm to firm, it was clear that the estimate from James &Sons was likely to be the most economic and it was RESOLVED to pursue this by asking that company to produce some design suggestions for approval. A price had also been obtained from Ken Signs Limited for production of the necessary artwork, with James & Sons being able to arrange this by negotiation. It was consequently agreed to progress the collation of suitable digital images of local scenery for possible inclusion in the finished display |
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| 08/6057 | CRANSLEY HILL TRAFFIC CALMING. The Clerk reported that the history of this had been researched and this exercise revealed a summary of the Council’s various ideas for improving highway safety in this location had been provided to the County Council’s Community Engineer in October 2007. However this had not resulted in any response despite a request for guidance on the best way forward and it had now been conformed that there had been a change of officer responsibilities in the intervening period. Consequently, the issue had now been referred on to the appropriate officer and it was agreed to carry forward the agenda item for the October meeting. Cllr. Mrs. Page confirmed the ongoing difficulties in this location had been separately referred by her to County Cllr. Harker.
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| 08/6058 | COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH SCHEME. Information taken from the Northamptonshire Police website concerning this initiative was reported and members heard specifically that participation in the scheme would be contingent upon a significant proportion of the local community signing up to the underlying principles
by:
Cllr. Mrs. Bull mentioned it could be that sufficient commitment to satisfy this requirement might be demonstrable through the parish planning work already done and it was agreed to seek more information from ACRE as advised in the material accessed. |
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| 08/6059 | GENERAL INTEREST ITEMS..
On behalf of Cllr. Chaplin, it was asked whether the recording on the war Memorial of names of those fallen in conflicts had been accompanied by any historical information concerning those individuals. It was confirmed this was not the case and was not thought to be a matter for the Council although there was no reason why any interested person should not conduct his or her own study. The Vice-Chairman suggested and it was agreed that a further group photograph of the Council was about due. The Clerk agreed to take this after the conclusion of the October meeting. Cllr. Mrs Bull re-raised the issue of the untidy hedge at the end of Donaldson Avenue and it was reported there was a potential misapprehension on the part of the proprietor of the address concerned as to their ownership of the problem. In response to a query, the Clerk confirmed that it had been established the pocket park tools were at Brixworth Country Park and awaiting collection. In the meantime, it was agreed to ask for an inventory of these. Cllr. Mrs. Bull asked that the draft minutes of Council meetings be circulated earlier if possible, to ensure business was not overlooked. Cllr. Mrs. Farenden raised the issue of the St Andrews Church Christmas Tree Festival, which was to run again this year. Cllr. Mrs. Cope agreed to prepare an entry on behalf of the Parish Council. |
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| 08/6060 | DATE OF NEXT MEETING. It was reported that the next meeting of the Parish Council would be on Wednesday
15 October 2008, at 7:00pm in the Village Hall. |
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| 08/6060 |
URGENT ITEMS ADMITTED BY THE CHAIR. The following items were admitted for discussion by the Chair:- None were raised. |
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| The meeting was closed at approximately 10.05pm.. |
15
October 2008
Chair |