Minutes September 2011
Minutes of the Annual Meeting of St Martha Parish Council held at Chilworth Church of England Infant School on Monday 12 September 2011
The meeting was opened at 7.15 pm
Present:
Chairman Mr David Bunting
Cllrs Mrs Cathy Browning
Mr Mike Lunnon
Mr Clive Seabrook
Rev Stephanie Sokolowski
Mr Richard Billington (GBC)
Parish Clerk Mr Chris Karney
48.1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Mr John Peake, Mr David Wright (GBC)
MEETING ADJOURNED
Meeting adjourned to allow Mona Johanson, Rural Housing Enabler, based at Surrey Community Action, to introduce herself and to stress the need for affordable local housing in rural areas. Ms Johanson stated that this was an issue where parish councils could take the initiative in development proposals. A booklet had been published by the Rural Housing Alliance and would be circulated to Cllrs together with copies of her slides.
Cllrs agreed that there was a great need for affordable housing in rural parish’s but also recognized that location of such developments can be a sensitive issue with local communities.
MEETING RESUMED
In a short statement the Clerk stated that he would be resigning as Parish Clerk after serving a two month notice period.
48.2 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS
The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 11July2011 having been circulated to Cllrs, were approved subject to the following amendments:
Meeting Adjourned item, paragraph 3 – Replace ‘formal request’ with ‘formal request for money’
Paragraph 5 after ‘broadband service’ add ‘via the telephone network,
Paragraph 6 – replace ‘broadband service’ with ‘improved broadband service’.
Item 47.6 – Replace Cllr Cathy Browning with Mrs Winnie Bann. After ‘Database Administrator.’ Mr Tom Brooks would be Website Developer. Winnie Bann would input information supplied by the Clerk.
‘Database Administrator followed’ by new sentence - Mr Tom Brooks would be the Website Developer.
After ‘Mr Western agreed’ add new sentence - Mr Western confirmed that a change in hosting the website would have no effect on the operation of the website.
Item 47.7 line 6 replace ‘recreational purposes‘ with ‘mainly recreational purposes (of the £34,194, £1000 would be allocated to the environment, £8,000 to trees’.
Paragraph 4 delete DB
Item 47.8.1 replace ‘approval’ with perusal
Item 47.8.2 after suggest add ‘what items’
Item 47.9 paragraph 2 add after ‘Parish Council opted out’ – ‘of the main event to allow Cllrs to make individual contributions to the Heritage Weekend’.
Paragraph 3 replace ‘2 August’ - with ‘in August’
Item 47.14.1 Delete second costal
Item 47.14.2 replace ‘intended to’ with ‘had’, replace ‘ara’ with ‘area’. Add Concern was expressed that the Parish Council had not been consulted on this work but no action was proposed.
48.3 DECLARATION OF PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTEREST
None
48.4 PARISH MATTERS
1. Parish Website
There was an urgent need to provide Ms Winnie Bann with the January 2011, March 2011 and July 2011 minutes.
ACTION Clerk
The Chairman would discuss the future of the website domain with Winnie Bann.
ACTION DB
2. War Memorial
The Chairman had obtained a quote for refurbishment of the memorial from Scanclad and this has been used to support the parish’s application for a Concurrent Function Grant. The Clerk had requested a quote from the Cathedral Works Organization but had not yet received it.
Mr Barry Wakeford would be asked to provide a quote for removal of the dead tree from the war memorial garden. The quote could be accepted without further Council approval if considered reasonable.
ACTION DB
3. Village Audit Questionnaire
Guildford Borough Council had a responsibility to produce a local plan (Local Development Framework) to ensure sustainable rural communities. With a view to producing a plan it had circulated a questionnaire to find out what services and facilities were needed and what was available.
The Clerk pointed out that in the mid 1990s a similar exercise was carried out called a Village Appraisal. Copies of the questionnaire were distributed and collected from every household in the village and the results collated. The exercise was time consuming and produced no discernable benefits. He pointed out that a recent similar exercise in Wonersh involved leaving supplies of questionnaire in the local shop along with a ‘post box’. Cllr Sokolowski had liased with a Shalford Councillor to complete the survey on behalf of the village.
4. Notice board list of PC Meetings
Following a complaint from a member of the public it was agreed that a list of future PC Meetings would be displayed on the notice boards. Cllr Seabrook asked that a spare key be available for the Lockner notice board.
ACTION Clerk
5. Village Millstone Portals
An application for a Concurrent Function Grant for the project had been made using an estimate supplied by Mr Andrew Norris. The Clerk had approached the Shalford Clerk on the subject who had stated that Shalford will not be applying for a grant. The Council AGREED that the grant application should stand but many details needed to be resolved before the Council could commit to providing financial support.
48.5 PARISH DOCUMENTS
1. Parish Diary Review
The Parish Diary was welcomed, however if was felt that large payment events should be recorded in the diary.
ACTION Clerk
2. Parish Emergency Plan Review
Cllr Browning and Cllr Sokolowski agreed to review the plan and report to the November parish meeting.
ACTION CB SS
48.6 GUNPOWDER MILLS
1. Gunpowder Mills Conservation Management Report
The report had been promised for August but was still outstanding. The Clerk had tried to contact Mr Adam Owen (GBC Parks Manager) but he had been on leave. His deputy declined to comment on when the report would be available.
2. Gunpowder Mills Working Group Report
Cllr Lunnon reported that the Gunpowder Mils Group Committee had been meeting in the Percy Arms. Due to the recent fire in the Percy Arms hat would not be possible in the near future and an alternative venue needed to be found. The Clerk pointed out that the Group used to meet in the GBC Millmead Offices.
48.7 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
1. Surrey Broadband Speed meeting.
Meeting to be held at Haslemere Hall on 30 September 2011 between 2pm and 4pm
The Chairman will ask Mr James Stitwell-Stage who addressed the Council at its July meeting if he wished to attend.
2. Percy Arms Fire
A recent serious fire at the Percy Arms had meant the closure of the Pub for major repairs. The Chairman had delivered a card to the landlord on behalf of the Parish Council.
3. Chairman’s Business Cards and printing costs.
Cllrs APPROVED the proposed purchase of business cards by the Chairman along with a claim for printing costs.
4. St Thomas’s Newsletter
St Thomas’s Newsletter recently circulated a copy of the Chairman’s report to the May Annual Parish Meeting. Cllrs APPROVED a payment to cover the church’s costs, at present unknown.
48.8 HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS
1. Fly tipping of garden waste on the pavement of Dorking Road East of Lockner Farm
Cllr Billington advised the Council that the dumping of garden vegetation constituted fly tipping and could be reported to GBC Environmental Services.
2. Notice to households regarding a standard letter to be sent to householders when their hedge was believed to obstruct the pavement.
A number of sites were identified. It was agreed that a polite note would appear in the St Thomas newsletter requesting cooperation from householders. This policy was preferred to a detailed letter targeted to individual properties.
ACTION JP
48.9 CORRESPONDENCE
None
48.10 PLANNING
48.10.1 Planning Committee’s Chairman’s Report
A. 11/P/00226 Rowley Cottage, White Lane, Guildford
Proposed replacement dwelling (part retrospective application)
The Parish Council submitted comments on this application
APPROVED
B. 11/P/00456 and 11/P/00457 Powdermill Cottage, Blacksmith Lane, Chilworth.
Full Planning Application and Conservation Area Consent for the demolition of existing outbuildings and single storey extension to provide kitchen/dining room, storage and garages.
The Parish Council submitted comments and opposed this application if Quince Cottage was indeed a separate small dwelling.
REFUSED
C. 11/P/00939 – Albury Sand Quarry, Shere road, Albury
Erection of detached single storey workshop building to be used by GASP Motor Project for a temporary period of three years.
The Parish Council submitted comments, indicating support for this application.
APPROVED
D. 11/P/01214 – The Coach House, Brantyngeshay Lodge, Sample Oak Lane
Installation of air source heat pump in suitable block adjacent to new house (retrospective application)
The Parish Council made no comments on this application
APPROVED
E. 11/P/01374 – Sample Oak Farm, Sample Oak Lane
Change of Use of outbuildings from Agricultural to B1 Office Use
The Parish Council made no comments on this application
PENDING
F. 11/P/01447 Rowley Cottage, White Lane, Guildford
Variation of condition 4 of planning application 11/P/ 00226 approved 13 July 11
to extend the time limit of this submission to within 3 months from the date of this decision (13 October 11) in line with conditions 2,3 and 7.
48.11COMMUNITY IDEAS DATABASE
AGREED to submit the proposal to equip the West Lodge on Blacksmith Lane as a visitor centre for the Gunpowder Mils to the Community Ideas Database.
Action Clerk
48.12 FINANCE
48.12.1 Bank Reconciliation
The August bank reconciliation had not been prepared. The Clerk was instructed to prepare one.
ACTION Clerk
48.12.2 Invoices paid out of committee
SO Mr C Karney (Clerk’s July salary) £459.39
SO Mr C Karney (Clerk’s August salary) £459.39
940 SCA PTC £198.02
48.12.3 Invoices for payment
Shalford Parish Council (Hire of Meeting Room 7/9/11) £29.00
48.12.4 Clerks Allowances and Expenses
Postage £0
Photocopying £.50
Stationery £3.95
Use of home as office (2 mths @ £12.00 pm) £24.00
Clerk’s IT Allowance £16.65
Total expenses £43.10
Total Expenditure £1188.90
48.12.5 September Forecast
The September forecast had not been prepared. The Clerk was
instructed to prepare it.
ACTION Clerk
48.13 DATE OF NEXT MEETING Monday 15 November 2011