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Parish Council

 Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 9th February 2004 at 7.30pm
In the Village Hall.

 

 

Present:

Julia Clewes (chairman), Robert Hembrow , David House, Ian Parker, Irene Browning, Chris Pitman, John Hembrow, Trevor Williams, Sue Hembrow.

In attendance: Justin Roxburgh, CEO Falcon Rural Housing ; Lesley Webb, Housing Enabling Officer TDBC, & partner; David Grieg, Parish Liaison Officer TDBC;

Dave Evans, Pam Merritt, David House ( Bull Place )

Liz Smith – Clerk

 

 

 

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c.

Public Question Time

PM asked if the “Griggs Hill” sign could be moved to the Chapel Wall as the Post Office and the Old Manse are in Lane End.  SH reported that Lane End is not on the Council’s map, the Chapel Wall is flaky and not suitable to fix signs on, a sign on legs is not desirable as it impedes maintenance of the verge. She would ask TDBC to move the sign, but it would not be done until there was other work to be done in the village.

 The Chairman introduced Mr Justin Roxburgh.  He talked about low cost housing (notes attached).  The Chairman thanked him and Mrs Webb for attending.  It was decided to include low cost housing as an agenda item for the next PC meeting.

The Chairman introduced Mr David Grieg.

 

 

 

Apologies – none.

Declarations of Interest – TW declared an interest in the letter from Wessex Water – the sewage pipe crosses his land.

 

 

1.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting – were agreed to be a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

 

 

2.

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b.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c.

Matters Arising

Footpaths – T25/16 -  Tamsyn Matthews, Assistant Rights of way officer, TDBC, wrote to the owners of Meare Gn. Farm on 14th Jan 04, requesting them to permit a stile to be installed on the path or apply for a diversion order.   The Clerk was asked to write asking if there had been any response to this letter.

T25/11 – A letter had been written to Mr Bateman apologising for the inaccuracy contained in the November minutes concerning steps and handrail on this path.

Highways – Village Signs – A phone call had been received from Kali Martin at Somerset Highways saying that the cost of supplying and erecting three signs, with “Stoke St Gregory” all on one line, would be £814.00. 

The Council decided to purchase three new signs.  (All in favour) The clerk was asked to write to the Highways authority.   The old ones are to be kept. 

Potholes – There is a deep pothole halfway down Slough Lane in the middle of the road.  The substrate was showing at the entrance to Windmill.  

SH reported that the fingersigns can be repainted, hopefully by the end of March.  The reverse of the Lane End sign is rusty and needs repainting.  Badgers are digging around the BT pole in Slough Lane .  The recent storm has revealed drainage problems; the drains at Woodhill Terrace are silted up and need clearing. 

Wessex Water had written to say that they would check the drainage system by Church Close and jet if necessary.  Regarding the flooding in Huntham Lane they thought the culvert was the responsibility of the riparian owner. DH offered to check with John Herrington at TDBC.

It is sometimes difficult to determine who is responsible for which ditches/drains.  Graham Werbenecke at Somerset Highways has a map; he will send a copy to the clerk for checking.

There has been a water leak at Churley for over three weeks.  Wessex Water has just attended to it.  

Closure of the road at Wick – Network Rail and Somerset Highways have responded to the Council’s letter.  The road is unlikely to be reopened before October. 

(IP left the meeting).

School Development

A reply has been received from Adrian Stables, Chairman of the Governors.  They support the idea of a new school building and hall all on one site but are not prepared to defer their own plans until a feasibility study has been completed. 

The School is considering changing its status from Voluntary Controlled to Voluntary Aided.  A public meeting has been arranged for 23rd March and the PC is invited to attend.   

A copy of the School Newsletter was enclosed.  Egg Shackling will take place on Tuesday 24th February, 9.00am in the Village Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

ES

3.

Planning

The Chairman reminded the Council that when looking at plans on site,  questions may be asked but no opinion should be passed.  All discussion should take place at the subsequent Council Meeting or Planning Meeting as appropriate.

36/2004/001    Change of use of agricultural land at Woodhill.  No objections to this proposal.

36/2004/002    Erection of second, rear two-story extension and installation of velux rooflights at 9 Willey Road .  Planning permission has already been granted for one extension and now permission is being sought for a second extension beside the first.  The proposed extension abuts the neighbour’s property and will block their light.   It was felt that the velux lights were not in keeping with the other properties in Willey Road , the site was being over-developed and would have an adverse visual impact on the area, being on the edge of the village envelope.  It was decided to reply objecting to this proposal.  (6 in favour, 2 against).

Three further planning applications have been received.  It was decided to hold a planning meeting on Saturday 21st February at 10.30am to consider these.

 

 

4.

Cheques

000430                        E Smith                      404.30            Clerk’s salary

000431                        SSG Appraisal Gp    1,407.35          Balance remaining

It was decided to approve these cheques for payment.

 

 

5.

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c.

Correspondence

Speeding – CP said that he had spent a day with the police.  They had carried out a speed check in Meare Green and observed several motorists breaking the 40mph limit – all local. 

Item 10 – Police Community Support Officers – The clerk to write requesting further information; to be an agenda item for the next meeting.

Youth Theatre – Request for support; to be an agenda item for the next meeting.

 

 

6.

Matters for discussion

Burial Ground – It was reported that the sunken grave had now been filled.  But the Ground looks untidy – there are corrugated sheets behind the seat.  What action could be taken about dead flowers on graves? John Attwood to be asked to seed the new bank by the Churchyard gate.  Relatives have reported that there is a white gravestone in the burial ground. Regulations stipulate that stones shall be grey.  The clerk was asked to write to the masons and ask if there had been a mistake.  It was suggested that in future a sample be requested. 

Trees – David Lake has asked that areas to plant trees be identified.  The entrance to the Churchyard Car Park was suggested – agenda item for next meeting.

New Village Hall – The Council is invited to a meeting of the Village Hall Management Committee on Monday 16th February to hear Roz George and Garry talk about the projected costs of the new hall.  There will be an opportunity to ask questions.

 

 

STOKE ST GREGORY PARISH COUNCIL

 

 

Notes of the presentation by Justin Roxburgh – Monday 9th February 2004

 

Falcon Rural Housing Trust is a small Housing Association that started on Exmoor; they now have houses in 33 villages.  They work with local authorities and JR introduced Lesley Webb, the housing enabling officer from Taunton Deane Borough Council. They work with local people to respond to the local situation and identify present and future need:

  • Need & want – central government policy is to locate young people in urban areas where there are facilities for them:  shops, schools, etc.  However, many would prefer to live in their home villages.  A leaflet is delivered to every household in the village to survey their needs.
  • Site / buildings – the village is surveyed to see if there is a suitable site or buildings for building or renovation/conversion.
  • Money – if the houses are to be rented then a grant has to be obtained.  Where houses are to be sold they are done so ‘at cost’ which will usually equate to about 50% of the potential value, FRH then retains about 50% of the equity.  When the house comes up for resale – it is sold again at 50% of the new value.  There is no need for grant funding.

FRH tries to get the design right to fit in with the village.

Because FRH is a small, local association, they are able to offer a service that is friendly but professional, they know all their tenants. 

The housing survey that was done as part of the village appraisal is not sufficiently detailed, another one would have to be carried out.  The leaflets do not need to be collected; they are posted direct to the Community Council, an organisation independent of Falcon Housing and the Parish Council.

Unusually, Stoke offers employment to 60 – 70 people.  Many of these people now come from outside the village; some cannot find housing here. While these employees would be eligible for housing it is not permitted to build more houses in order to attract further employment into the village.

A building site immediately outside the village envelope can be acceptable but consent is subject to the houses being for local housing in perpetuity. Planning agreement would enforce local occupation.  Succession in tenure is only to a surviving spouse or a child who has lived in the property for more than 12 months.  Sub-letting is not permitted without consent.

FRH aims to pay about £10k for half an acre of agricultural land, well under the price a developer would pay but a lot more than agricultural value.  This helps to keep the price of the houses down. There is scope in this village for a small development.  The properties cannot be repossessed if FRH goes into liquidation. 

For allocation of properties there is a points system based on need, local connections, etc.  Prospective tenants need not necessarily be young.  FRH is prepared to leave the property empty for a few weeks if necessary, in order to get the right tenant.  Applicants are interviewed, there is then a confidential interview with the Parish Council to ensure that no one has been missed or has misled Falcon.  There is not a high turnover of tenants as there is little incentive for them to move on.  Weekly rental is currently £67 for a 2-bed property and £73 for a 3-bed property. (Higher than TDBC rents)

Troublesome tenants – FRH have not had many problems as they try to weed them out at interview stage.  However, FRH has limited powers to deal with problems where they do arise.  An Anti-social Behaviour Order costs £5,500 to obtain and takes 18 months.  They are working with our MP to ask parliament to grant greater powers to Housing Associations.

To get the process started – the PC can help by making sure that people know what is happening, delivering the survey forms and asking as many people as possible to complete them.  There is a standard survey form, which FRH can supply but it needs to be tailored to the local situation.  The survey takes 4 – 6 weeks.  If a local need is identified, the PC and FRH spend a day walking round the village to look for possible suitable sites.  Then there is a public meeting to discuss proposals.

There should not be increased pressure on local roads as the houses are for people who already live here.  Sewage and drainage is taken into account, a new treatment works would be built if necessary – a recycling filtration system. 

 

 

 

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