MINUTES OF THE ORDINARY MEETING OF NORTH NIBLEY PARISH COUNCIL, HELD ON MONDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2012, IN THE VILLAGE HALL, NORTH NIBLEY AT 7.30PM.

Present: Mr. D Purnell (Chairman).

Mrs K Glancy; Mr S Hale; Mr K Larkin; Mr D Palmer; & Mr L Smitherman.

District Councillor: Mr P Smith.

County Councillor: Dr. J Cordwell.

The Clerk: Mr R Symons.

One member of the public (for Agenda Item 6).

At the start of the Meeting the Chairman read out a letter of thanks from Mrs Ann James, the previous Chairman.

1. To Receive and Accept Apologies for absence.

Apologies were received and accepted from Mr K Brown; and District Councillor Mrs J Cordwell.

2. Declaration of Interests.

The Chairman invited members to declare any interests. There were none.

3. To Approve and Sign the Minutes of the Meeting held on 9 January 2012, as a true and accurate record. The Minutes of the January Meeting had previously been distributed to all members and displayed on the public notice boards and the website. All members agreed the Minutes should be signed, as a true and accurate record. The Minutes were duly signed.

4. The Council noted Matters arising from the Minutes that were not covered by agenda items.

The Clerk referred to his Update Note, which had been issued prior to the Meeting and provided additional verbal information. He had:

• been advised by Mr Ken Brown that Mr Geoff Crew has provided a verbal quote to carry out the work to connect a water trough and do some additional clearance work on the Council land at Breakheart Hill. The cost was estimated at £750. The Clerk will await the written quotation.

• been advised that Mr Ken Brown has supplied and installed a grit bin, which has been located inside the main gate of the Cemetery;

• been able to report that Mr Colin Grimes had completed the repairs to the main path of the Cemetery;

• invited several local organisations to a meeting in the Village Hall on 8 February to discuss how the village should support the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in June 2012. Parish Councillors were also invited to attend;

• received a letter advising the Council that Stroud District Council has agreed to accept an application from the Pre-School Group for permission to create an outside free flow play area;

• secured agreement from “On The Edge” to include a one-page Parish Council Annual Report in the May Edition;

• received an approach to rent the Parish Council field at Breakheart Hill;

• made progress towards setting up a Parish Council website.

5. The Chairman closed the Meeting for public discussion and invited questions.

There were no questions. The Chairman re-opened the Meeting.

5. The Council considered and commented upon the following Planning Application:

1. S.12/0055/FUL. Planning Application for the “conversion and extension to stable block to create one dwelling at Katharines Farm, Swinhay Lane, Swinhay, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7PH.”   

The Chairman closed the Meeting and invited the applicant Mr R Meyer to address the Council. Mr Meyer explained that discussions about this development, which is to enable his daughter and family to move nearer to him, had started 3 years ago. His daughter has suffered from cancer over the last 6 years and now needs regular care and support from Mr Meyer and his other daughter, who lives in an adjoining property. Mr Meyer explained that he had held discussions with Mr Skill and one of the Planning Officers. As a result modifications to the plans had been made. Mr Meyer said that he recognised the difficulties in creating precedence. However there had been widespread support from people living in that part of the parish.

In response to questions from Councillors Mr Meyer said that he had considered other opportunities such as creating an Annex to the main house and extending that property. He added that his daughter wanted to be able to maintain her independence and these options would not allow this. He also accepted that the plans expanded the footprint of the existing building, but it was not possible to determine by exactly how much.

The Chairman re-opened the Meeting.

Following further discussion and consideration of the relevant Local & National Policies the Council agreed to Object to the Application on the following policy grounds:

Stroud District Local Policy HN10. This proposed four bedroom dwelling is outside the defined settlement boundaries for North Nibley and is not linked to the essential efficient operation of agriculture or forestry.

Stroud District Local Policies BE 16 & BE17. Whilst this development is an adaptation of a current building in a rural area, (and therefore in part meets BE16 & BE17), the application as it stands relies upon a significant new build extension. This will significantly increase the footprint of the proposed property and produce part of a building which is not covered under these Policies.

Planning Policy Strategy 7. The requirements of paras. 9(ii) & 10 are not met under this application.

7. The Council were advised that they had been invited to send representatives to a meeting at Cam Town Council Offices on 29 February, at which the proposed “Consultation Arrangement” with Stroud DC, would be discussed. Following discussion the Council agreed that Mr Larkin and Mr Palmer would represent them. The Clerk will advise the organisers of the decision.

7. The Council considered ideas for the Agenda for the Parish Meeting on Monday 2 April 2012. Following discussions the Council agreed that:

• Representatives from village organisations should be invited to attend and asked to put forward their ideas for the year ahead;

• Organisations who have been given a grant from the Parish Council in 2011/12 should be invited to say how they have used the money;

• There should be a report on the Plans to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee;

• Reports from Councillors should be kept brief and posted around the Hall in advance of the Meeting. We should avoid lengthy speeches;

• The Clerk should provide a report back on Parish Council Finances;

• The Chairman should present a one-page Annual Report on work of the Council;

• The Council should provide an update on Parish Council property. (The Cemetery; Breakheart Hill; Recreation Field; & the Knoll.) . Wherever possible, we should display photographs showing the “before” and “after” situations.

7. District Councillor Mrs J Cordwell had previously submitted a written District Council Report. (See attached). The Council noted the contents of the Report. The Chairman recorded his thanks.

7. County Councillor Dr J Cordwell provided a written report. (See attached). The Council noted the contents of the Report. The Chairman thanked Cllr. Dr. Cordwell.

7. The Chairman invited Councillors & the Clerk to report on Committees and Meetings which they had attended.

Mr Palmer reported he had attended, in his personal capacity, the Appeal at Stroud into the refusal of planning permission for wind turbines at Berkeley Vale.

Mrs Glancy reported that she had attended the School Governors’ Meeting. The After School Club, which started in January, is operating well; there continues to be concern about pupil numbers. It is anticipated that there will be a build up of numbers in the early years. The School has obtained helpful publicity through the Gazette, which should aid the situation.

The Clerk reported that he and Mr Brown had attended the police Key Individual Network (KIN) in Wotton under Edge. As a result of the meeting the police have adopted two new priorities. One, looking at improving the operation of the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme; and another to examine how they can increase effectiveness of responding to local intelligence about drug dealing in Wotton under Edge.

7. The Council approved the wording for a plaque in the Memorial Garden of the Cemetery.

7. The Council received and signed-off the Draft Cemetery Maintenance Plan. The Clerk will load the Plan onto the website and ensure that future actions are undertaken by regularly reviewing the timetable.

7. The Council agreed the date and arrangements for “The Parish Spring Clean”. The event will be on Saturday 31 March starting at 9.00am at the Village Hall. The Clerk will make arrangements for borrowing equipment from Stroud DC; and ensure that full publicity is given to the event.

7. Finances.

1. The Council received a Quarterly Report of the Finances of North Nibley Parish Council.

2. The Council approved the Invoice and drew up a cheque for the item on the enclosed Payment Schedule.

3. The Council received details of two quotes to purchase a laptop, projector & screen for use by the Council in conjunction with planning applications. Following discussion the Council agreed to progress with the purchase through Audio Visual Direct.

4. The Council approved the cost of printing an Annual Report insert in the May edition of “On The Edge” at a cost of £39.39.

7. The Council received a written report on Correspondence received by the Council.

There being no further business the Meeting ended at 9.10 pm.

The next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held in the Village Hall on Monday 5 March 2012 at 7.30 pm.