Minutes of the Sibford Gower & Burdrop Parish Council Meeting – 1st Oct 2012
Present
Parish Cllrs Mrs Gilian Soden, Peter Abbott, Oswyn Murray (Chairman), and Alan Parkin.
District Councillor George Reynolds, nine Local Electors and the Clerk.
Minutes of the previous Meeting on 4th July 2012
Proposed by Cllr Alan Parkin and seconded by Cllr Peter Abbott, the Minutes of the previous Meeting were approved and signed by the Chairman.
Matters arising
There were no matters arising which were not discussed under the following agenda items.
Co-option of a Parish Councillor
Proposed by Cllr Peter Abbott and seconded by Cllr Gilian Soden, it was resolved that Mrs Susan Bannister be co-opted as a Member of Sibford Gower Parish Council. The Chairman expressed appreciation for the offering of her services.
Chairman’s Report
The Chairman regretted the lack of response from Sibford Ferris Parish Council in respect of matters raised with it. He suggested that in future Agendas and Minutes of all the Gower Parish Council Meetings should be sent to all the Members of the Ferris Parish Council so that they may be aware of matters discussed. The Clerk was instructed to arrange this.
Broadband: Mr Tony More is carrying out research into Cotswolds Broadband which is based in Chipping Norton. There is the possibility of a fibre optic cable being extended through Hook Norton and into the Sibfords with the use of a machine that creates a split into road and into which the cable is laid. Mr More will keep the Parish Council advised of developments. Obviously, if matters proceed expenditure will be incurred and consideration of this will be taken into account when next year’s Precept is discussed. Residents are encouraged to find out more by going to the website www.cotswoldsbroadband.co.uk and registering interest.
Bishop Blaize (Bishop’s End): The Appeal Decision is shortly expected and when it is known the Parish Council will enter into discussions with Sibford Ferris Parish Council and the other interested parties.
Sibfords Community Plan
Mrs Sue Mattinson brought the Meeting up to date with how matters currently stand and details are given at Appx A to these Minutes.
Discussion of Cherwell Local Plan
The Chairman referred to the Plan with particular reference to the categorization of the two Sibfords. It was agreed to respond as follows:
- Despite our requests the Cherwell District Council has never explained why this categorization of the two Sibfords together in category A ignores the independent CRAITLUS report, which put them firmly into the category of villages B or C. We request an explanation of this decision.
If Cherwell wishes to change the category of the Sibfords by regarding them as a single unit in Category A, then we think they should be treated as ‘service centre’ villages forming a cluster with the satellite villages of Epwell, Swalcliffe, Tadmarton, Shutford and Shenington, for which they provide essential services such as schools, shop and surgery.With this proviso, allowing for the sharing of developer contributions and infilling in surrounding villages to be counted towards any quota for the Sibfords, we note that the likely numbers for new housing are likely to be in line with the wishes of the villagers as expressed through their Community Plan.
- We would also urge that the allocation of housing between villages in Group 2 (C.234) should not be divided ‘broadly equally’ as you propose (C.236), but should be proportionate to their existing size. Otherwise the larger villages will be denied essential expansion, and the smaller villages will be swamped.
Clerk’s Report
Review of Assets Register: There had been no change in the assets of the Parish Council since the previous Review.
Review of Councillors’ Interests: There had been no change in Councillors’ Interests since the previous review.
Tree in Hawkes Lane: A report had been received from the Assistant Arboricultural Officer, Oxfordshire County Council that a tree in Hawkes lane is dead. The tree was planted by and is the property of the Parish Council. As such, the Parish Council is required to remove it in accordance with section 96 of the Highways Act. The Clerk was instructed to obtain two quotations for the work that will be involved.
Financial
Proposed by Cllr Gilian Soden and seconded by Cllr Peter Abbott, sanction was approved for the following payments:-
Cheque No. 158 £40.00 dated 05.07.12 being the annual subscription to Open Spaces Society (Retrospectively)
Cheques No. 159 £100.00 dated 19.07.12 and £100.00 dated 03.08.12.12 both payable to Sibford Ferris PC being shares of the burial fees of the late Pat Doolan and John Simms (Retrospectively)
Planning Matters
Since the previous Meeting, consideration and approval were given to the following applications:-
| No.12/00175/TCA | Stonecutters Cottage, Bonds End Lane, Sibford Gower | M Spring |
| 8 x Leylandii – Fell | ||
| No. 12/01002/F | Five Corners Parson’s Barn, Shutford Road, Sibford Gower | S Tompkins |
| Change of use of land from Agricultural to joint use for Agriculture and Equestrian and construction of Menage | ||
| No. 12/01040/LB | Burdrop Cottage, Burdrop | H Warren |
| Replace six windows and the front door | ||
| The following decisions had been received from Cherwell District Council:- | ||
| No. 12/00145/TCA | Temple Close, Temple Mill Rd, Sibford Gower | V Pougatch |
| 1 x American Walnut – Lift by 5m, 10% thin and deadwood 2 x Spruce – Fell 3 x Group of Prunus, Tilia and Fagus – Lift by 3m Consent granted. | ||
| No. 12/00678/F | Bishops End, Burdrop | Mr & Mrs Noquet |
| Change of use of a vacant public house to C3 residential (as amended by site location plan received 18.07.12) Refusal of Permission for Development | ||
| No. 12/00637/F | Five Corners, Shutford Road, Sibford Gower | S Tompkins |
| Change of use of agricultural land to stables (part retrospective) Permission for development subject to conditions | ||
| No.12/01002/F | Five Corners, Shutford Road, Sibford Gower | S Tomkins |
| Change of use from Agricultural to joint use for Agriculture and Equestrian and construction of Menage Permission for development subject to conditions | ||
| No. 12/00175/TCA | Stonecutters Cottage, Bonds End Lane, Sibford Gower | M Spring |
| T1 to T8 x Leylaandi – Fell Consent granted | ||
| No. 12/01040/LB | Burdrop Cottage, Burdrop | H Warren |
| Replace six windows and the front door Listed building consent subject to conditions | ||
Highway Matters
Cllr Alan Parkin raised the ongoing problem of car parking on the roads creating difficulties in certain areas with particular reference to Bonds End Lane and Acre Ditch. Mrs Mollie Mulley, present at the Meeting, expressed her concern about cars parked in the road from the Crossroads to the Village Pond where, from time to time, farm and milk vehicles find difficulty in passing. Cllr Murray suggested that complaints be monitored by the Parish Council and where there are concerns local residents might be asked to consider solutions. The responsibility does not fall within the powers of the Parish Council in respect of cars that are legally parked and where they are not then the Police should be involved. The subject will be raised at the forthcoming Village Hall AGM to ascertain whether or not the car park may be used at certain times.
Public Participation
Mrs Glennis Hardman, present at the Meeting, referred to the Village Pond. Recently, weeds and surplus oxygenating plants have been removed and further efforts to clear the water are to be made. Very shortly some more plants will be introduced to enhance the appearance of the pond.
Any Other Business
There were no matters raised.
Date of Next Meeting
The next Meeting will be on Monday, 7th January 2013 in the Staff Room of Sibford Gower Endowed Primary School starting at 8pm.
There being no further business to discuss, the Chairman thanked all for attending and closed the Meeting at 9.36pm.
APPX A
Sibfords Community Plan
Progress Report
October 1st 2012
FINAL STAGES
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY PLAN REPORT
Community Consultation
The Consultation Draft of the Community Plan was available for review and comment for a six week period from late July to the end of August. A notice sent to all villagers informed them that it was available to view on the village website and also available in hard copy. It was also sent to ORCC, CDC and OCC for their comments. Very few comments were received from the community, however, and the comments received from the Councils were principally focused on guiding people to sources of information and contacts to help with future actions and initiatives.
Final Report
Following a review of the comments received, some minor changes have been made to the text. An additional section has also been added titled ‘Advice and Help’ incorporating the wide range of contacts and sources of information provided by the three Councils. The Steering Group is now working towards the production of a Final Report and has agreed to a refined version using a desk top publishing format.
Presentation to the Community and Adoption by the Parish Councils
It is anticipated that the document will be published in October 2012. The Community Plan includes a range of ‘Next Steps’, and ‘Actions and Initiatives’ linked to the principal topics that the Working Groups have been examining. These comprise a range of actions and initiatives for implementation by the Parish Councils, and a separate but complementary range of initiatives for implementation by volunteers and interest groups within the community.
A public meeting will be held in the Village Hall on the evening of 6th November to present the Final Community Plan. As well as formally endorsing and adopting the Plan, the Parish Councils will set out the actions and initiatives that they propose to undertake. In addition, the meeting will provide a venue to encourage interested members of the community to help take forward the various actions and initiatives identified for Volunteer Groups.
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