STINCHCOMBE PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PARISH MEETING HELD ON
11TH MAY 2004 AT 7 30PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL
Present
Mr G Brown (Chairman)
Mrs M Shaw (Vice Chairman) (after 7 55PM)
Mrs M Wannell (Parish Councillor)
Mr R Bartlam (Parish Councillor)
Mr J Larroucau (Clerk)
Mr D Wride (District Councillor)
Mr G Wheeler (County Councillor)
14 Parishioners (List appended to Minutes)
Apologies
Mr R Holloway
The Chairman welcomed the Parishioners who were attending the Assembly
and was pleased to note that numbers attending had gradually increased
during recent years.
He then introduced the Parish Councillors and was pleased to note that
there had been no change to the composition of the Parish Council
during the past year.
Chairman then welcomed Mr G Wheeler (County Councillor) and Mr D Wride (District Councillor)
Next Chairman reviewed the items discussed at the last Annual Assembly.
-Street Lighting in Wick Lane-Clerk had discussed the matter with GCC.
There were no statutory obligations for the provision of street
lighting on minor roads and any such provision would need to be
assessed against competing priorities .
-Village Appraisal-There has been little enthusiasm among Parishioners to support such an undertaking.
Other items are discussed under Matters arising from Minutes and the Annual reports of the Chairman and Councillors.
1-Approval of Minutes of Annual Assembly held on 14th May 2003
The Minutes were found to represent an accurate record of the Assembly and signed by the Chairman.
2-Matters arising from Minutes
-Provision of Skip at the Village Hall-SDC have informed the Parish
Council that the provision was being discontinued due to the abuse of
the facility in some Parishes where instances of the dumping of
controlled waste such as asbestos had occurred.
3-Annual Report of Chairman
The Parish Council has met regularly during the past twelve months at
approximately six weekly intervals and has complied with the rules for
Best Practice and the requirements of the Code of Conduct
The County and District Councillors have attended the Parish Council
Meetings regularly and made useful contributions to the discussions.
The Chairman then expressed the gratitude of the Council for their
efforts.
There has not been any change to the composition of the Parish Council during the past twelve months.
Mr Holloway remains Snow Warden. Mr Sheldon of New Clingre Farm has
assumed the role of Snow Plough Operator taking over from Mr Workman
who had performed the task for many years.
Mr J Connell remains Tree Warden with a watching brief over the condition of the trees along the Avenue and the Millennium Oak.
The Chairman then expressed the gratitude of the Parish Council to the Wardens.
The Council had made donations of £40 to each of four Charities with actual or potential benefit to residents.
Rural Grants for the improvement of the facilities in the Parish had
been received from Stroud District Council:-a grant for the provision
of a Safety Surface at the Children’s swings to improve its safety and
cost effectiveness and a grant for the provision of improved Amenities
at the Village Hall.
Chairman reminded Residents that new Applications need to be submitted by 30th June next. Application Forms are available from the Chairman and Clerk or can be downloaded from the Internet.
The Parish Precept for 2004/5 has been kept unchanged.
All Planning Applications have been reviewed and commented on. Chairman
then dealt with the Redevelopment of the Townsend Farm site. Mr and Mrs
Workman will be leaving the Farm in September next after which the farm
house and curtilage will be placed on the market. The Parish Council
has received assurances from GCC that they would be notified of any
intention to dispose of any of the farm lands and would be invited to
comment.There is no intention at the present to discontinue farming and
no decision has been reached in the matter of selling a small parcel to
Dursley Rugby Club for use either as a parking or play area.
The introduction of the 30MPH limit on village roads has had a
noticeable effect on the speed of traffic crossing the village. Traffic
calming measures are to be put in place this year on the Avenue and the
Street. One Resident asked whether regular speed checks were being
conducted. This is discussed later.
On the subject of Motorway noise the Chairman noted that Mr Jones of
Clingre Farm is actively preparing a Planning Application for the
construction of a Bund and tree planting along the M5 between the Echo
Lane and Taits Hill Road bridges. This will help mitigate noise in some
but not all parts of the village. Landowners in other parts of the
village are invited to consider the planting of trees with support from
the Highways Agency.
With regard to the construction of the bund one resident expressed
concern on the likely number of vehicle movements through the village.
Chairman pointed out that no formal Planning Application had yet been
received and that construction traffic would form part of the
consideration in decision making.
Chairman then thanked Mr Bartlam for his efforts in launching the
Parish Newsletter and Website. The first two issues of the Newsletter
had been excellent.
The Parish Council has made representations to the Dursley Rugby Club
regarding the parking of cars particularly at the Taits Hill Road
Oldhill Lane junction. An improvement had been noted towards the end of
the season.
Improvements to the Village Hall have been made with the help of grants
from SDC. The Hall is now selffinancing. Mr Bartlam will deal with this
subject in his report.
The turnout of residents for the Annual Spring Clean had been
disappointing. Consideration will be given to staggering the event by
area and to delegate the organisation to local residents.
An invitation has been received for the Chairman and Clerk to attend a
meeting with the Chief Executive of SDC on 15th June next. Chairman
asked Parishioners for any matters which in their view needed to be
raised.
Chairman closed his report by thanking fellow Councillors for their
support during the past year. He also thanked the Clerk for his work on
behalf of the Council.
Mr Jelfs then raised the matter of the possible purchase of a parcel of
land at the back of the Village Hall and Coombe Gardens by Dursley
Rugby Club. He noted that some twenty years ago this field had been
used as a backup for Stragglers Field for the playing of games. This
had caused much disturbance to the Residents of Coombe Gardens with
high noise levels and balls landing in backgardens.There had been many
complaints. The matter had finally been resolved by the acquisition of
the remote pitch at Taits Hill. Clearly there would be no merit in
reverting to this earlier unsatisfactory situation.
Chairman noted that negotiations were at an informal stage and that any
change to the use of the field would be the subject of a Planning
Application. There would be an opportunity to comment and lodge any
objections at that stage. Alternative sites could be considered.
One Resident noted that the method of delivery of new refuse bags
should be reviewed. The present method of throwing bags into gateways
resulted in many being blown away causing a litter problem.
One Resident raised the matter of the change of use of "Langside".
Clerk noted that SDC had received a new Application and were seeking
further clarification. The Parish Council have not yet received a copy.
One Resident raised the matter of overgrown footpaths. In some
instances this had led walkers along alternative routes through fields
and gates had been left open. Chairman noted that the responsibility
for the maintenance of paths rested with the landowner. Instances of
blocked paths should be referred to GCC Rights of Way Department or to
the Parish Council.
It was noted that access to the footpath through Piers Court had been retained.
One Resident noted the recent Fireworks Display at the Dursley Rugby Clubhouse. Local
Residents had not been notified with the result that the display had
caused much alarm and distress to domestic animals and horses. Chairman
undertook to make personal representations with the Club.
4-Parish Council Accounts for the Financial Year ended 31st March 2004
The provisional Accounts were presented by the Clerk and are appended to the Minutes.
One Resident queried the size of the closing balance. Clerk noted that
a balance of £3000 to £4000was necessary to cover unforeseen arisings
and future commitments on items such as tree surgery. A sizeable float
was necessary to cover payments for improvements such as the Safety
Surface at the Playground in advance of the receipt of any Support
Grants.
5-Accounts of Stinchcombe United Charities for Year ended 31st October 2003
In the absence of Mr Holloway, Parish Council representative Trustee,
the Accounts were presented by the Clerk. A copy is appended to these
Minutes.
6-Accounts of Dursley United Charities
No Accounts have been received. Mr Wheeler noted that Dursley United Charities were experiencing problems from loss of income.
7-Reports by County and District Councillors
Copies of these Reports are appended to the Minutes.
8-Reports by Parish Councillors
-Mrs Shaw
reported on her activities as Representative Trustee to the Stinchcombe
Hill Recreational Ground Trust. The footpaths and Rights of Way issues
were being progressed following a recent agreement between Dr Mowforth
and the Golf Club. Written confirmation is awaited. Once this has been
received Diversion Orders will be prepared and posted.
A cattle grazing experiment had been successful but was not being repeated this year as grants were not available.
Grants are available for scrub clearance. Volunteers are welcome.
-Mrs Wannell reported on her activities in support of the Village Hall Trust.
-Mr Bartlam wished to express his personal gratitude to the County and District Councillors for their unfailing support.
As Parish Council Representative Trustee to the Village Hall Trust he
reported on plans to upgrade the facilities and access. Support grants
had been approved.
The Meeting was closed at 9 36PM
j Larroucau
Clerk to the Council
min 169
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