Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
Held on Wednesday 8 June 2005 at 7.30pm
In the Meeting Point, High Bickington

Present:
Peter Tucker, David Brown, Stella Burrows, Jean Checksfield, Roger Keen, Mike Leatham, Myc Riggulsford

In attendance:
Councillor John Rawlinson - County Councillor, David Venner - HBCPT, 11 Members of the public & Mrs Di Carter - Clerk

1. Apologies for absence.
   Apologies were received from Stan Parker.
   

2. Election of Chairman
   
   Proposed by David Brown and seconded by Jean Checksfield, Myc Riggulsford was unanimously elected as Chairman by those Councillors present. There were no other nominations.

   Mike Leatham proposed a vote of thanks to Peter Tucker for all the hard work he has done on behalf of the Parish Council and High Bickington during his term of office. This was unanimously endorsed by all Councillors present.

   Myc Riggulsford accepted the post of Chairman; he endorsed the thanks to Peter Tucker and said it would be a hard act to follow, but he will serve the Council and High Bickington to the best of his ability. He will appreciate the help of Councillors to achieve this. He gave the meeting a brief outline of his background and connections with the village.

   The Chairman invited Councillor John Rawlinson to address the meeting.

   Councillor Rawlinson added his thanks to Peter Tucker and said he had been an excellent Chairman. He looked forward to working with the new Chairman.

   The Liberal Democrats now have the majority on Devon County Council and have taken control. There is an Executive of 7 members, Councillor Rawlinson is in charge of the Adult Services which includes Social Services and the Adult Education Service. One of his main interests and high on the list of priorities is the provision of the new school for High Bickington. He is hoping to arrange a meeting with school Governors to determine the siting of the school and other issues.

   Torridge District Council have appointed a new Chief Executive, the appointment to be announced shortly.

   With regard to the Biomass planning application on Winkleigh Airfield, Councillor Rawlinson said that it is likely to be at least another three months before a decision is reached. The Chairman raised the recent statement from the Department of Trade and Industry that they will be prepared to accept 20% of fuel sourced from Miscanthus, and 80% from incinerator waste. Councillor Rawlinson was unaware of this and promised to follow it up. It was felt that this was a matter for great concern.

   Councillor Rawlinson left the meeting.

3. Minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2005
   Subject to the following amendment the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 May 2005 were accepted and adopted by the Council: Item 9(b) - Decision to read: Following a show of hands there were 6 votes in favour, 1 abstention and 1 against. The Chairman signed the Minutes.

4. Matters arising from the meeting held on 11 May 2005
   

   1. Fire Brigade - the Chairman read a letter received from the Group Commander of the Barnstaple & South Molton Fire Service in response to the Parish Council's letter expressing concerns about the ability to locate addresses in rural areas. The recommendations will be reproduced in Ramblings, but one important suggestion is that households keep a grid reference by the telephone for use in emergency calls.

   2. Mail Box at Week Cross. Peter Tucker said there was nothing further to report on this, he was still awaiting a response to his letter.

5. Matters Raised by the Public
   

   1. The closure of the road between High Bickington and Atherington on the previous two Sundays was queried as no work appeared to have taken place during the closures. The Clerk was asked to follow this up with Highways to ascertain the position.

   2. The potholes at Atherington have yet to be repaired. The Chairman has spoken to the Clerk of Atherington Parish Council on this matter.

   3. Barton Meadow Recreation Area Committee gave a report on their proposals for the play area with regard to the £20,000 from the 106 Agreement being held by the Parish Council on their behalf. Their proposals are:
      To purchase and install a roundabout and seesaw with safety surfacing, estimated cost £6,000.
      To regrade and surface the entrance slope and provide a path through the area.
      Put cycle trail apparatus in place for junior cyclists.
      Proposed by David Brown and seconded by Stella Burrows, Councillors present agreed that the Finance Committee be allowed to approve and issue a cheque for the proposed equipment. Councillors agreed that the Parish Council would purchase the roundabout and seesaw, they would then retain ownership and as owners would be required to arrange insurance cover.
      A discussion followed on the need for some safety measures to be installed for the cyclists to ensure there is no danger from passing traffic. The Clerk was asked to make enquiries as to what might be permissible and to ascertain the situation regarding the planning approval.
      Concerns were raised about the speed of some motorists in the area and it was agreed that PC Hagan would be made aware of these concerns.

6. Parish Plans
   David Venner's update for June was circulated. There were no questions on the report. The venue for the AGM of the CPT on Thursday 7 July has been moved to Little Bickington Farm. Weather permitting it is hoped to have a barbecue.

   David Brown declared an interest in the following decision and withdrew from the voting:
   Councillors present and eligible to vote (6) unanimously accepted the following arrangements:
   Directors of the CPT are currently sourcing the most advantageous interest bearing accounts for the monies. As soon as the new account can be set up it is intended to place £275,000 on 3 months' notice leaving the remaining £25,000 more readily available to fund design and exploration works.
   David Brown reported that he hopes to sign a lease for the CPT to hold a short term lease for Little Bickington Farm. He outlined the plans for the farm, the CPT will share the income (50%) from the tenancies.

   The woodland will remain accessible via the quarry site.

   Mike Leatham reported a meeting to discuss the leaflet outlining the details of the affordable housing, how it will be implemented and prices etc. The first draft will be available shortly and a final version should be available before the AGM in July. Letters will be sent to all those who have registered an interest in the affordable housing.

   The High Bickington Community Directory requires updating. Councillors present agreed to consider funding this and asked David Venner to put a proposal with costings to the next Council meeting in July.

   Traffic calming - A decision is awaited from Highways on this.

7. Matters raised by the Chairman
   The Chairman had no matters to raise this being his first meeting, but he again wished to thank Peter Tucker for his successful term as Chairman.
   

8. Highways and Maintenance
   

   1. Stella Burrows reported that there are now no signs on the left hand side approaching the Fountain Fields site - the gullies represent a significant danger to motorists.

   2. The Stop sign at the entrance to North Road has been removed.

   3. The sign at Pound lane has been rotated.
      The Clerk was asked to report the above items to Highways.

   4. Jean Checksfield said she had no specific reports of work required but was pleased to see that a new litter bin at the bus shelter has been installed.

   5. The grass around the benches needs to be strimmed. The bench at Nethergrove has been cleared and Peter Tucker said thanks were due to the Holmes family for this work.

   6. Peter Tucker has repaired the guttering on the bus shelter.

   7. The gate at Old Park has been re-hung.

9. Finance
   

   1. The accounts as at 31 May 2005 were accepted and approved by Councillors together with the payment of 3 cheques as per the statement.

   2. The insurance policy has been received from Community First to take effect from 1 June 2005.

10. Planning

    1. Planning applications received before the meeting:

       1. 1/0934/2005/OUT
          Amended application - proposed dwelling
          Land adjacent 1 Cross Park, High Bickington.
          DECISION: By a show of hands Councillors present voted not to support the amended application due to concerns about the loss of a green space and mature apple trees.
          In favour of the proposal to reject the application - 5, with 1 abstention and 1 against.

          Councillors felt that if Torridge District Council were minded to approve the application the Parish Council would like to be consulted about the traffic calming proposals and would expect it to be included in the section 106 agreement.
          The Parish Council would also like clarification on any covenants on this land between Torridge District Council and the owners which would prevent development of the site.

       2. 1/9878/2005/FUL
          Proposed dwelling, Plot 3 Fairways, Libbaton, High Bickington
          DECISION: The Parish Council supports this application.

    2. Planning Decisions:

       1. 1/0276/2005.FUL
          Utility room extension
          Aylestone House, High Bickington
          DECISION: GRANTED

       2. 1/0293/2005/FUL
          Extension to existing farm bungalow
          Kolmar, Ebberley, Torrington
          DECISION: GRANTED

       3. 1/0338/2005/OUT
          New bungalow with garage
          Land adjoining Wardens Hill, North Road, High Bickington
          DECISION: REFUSED

       4. 1/0406/2005/FUL
          New conservatory
          11 Church Meadow, High Bickington
          DECISION: GRANTED

       5. 1/2400/2005/FUL
          Proposed stables and ménage
          Pt OS 7870 High Bickington
          DECISION: GRANTED

       Peter Tucker reported a discussion with the Enforcement Officer regarding reports that the owners are living on site. Following an investigation by Torridge District Council he had been informed that this did not appear to be the case and no further action would be taken. The Clerk was asked to write a letter to Mr Andy Seaman, Head of Development Services, to express the Council's concerns and asking that further investigations are made.

    3. Poltair site. Peter Tucker reported that the proposed rainwater harvesting features which formed part of the planning application have been replaced by the installation of two large water tanks on the site. The Clerk had been informed that South West Water had agreed to this amendment and Torridge were not in a position to oppose it. Councillors found this decision disappointing.

    4. Letter to Torridge District Council re planning delays. The Chairman read a response from Andy Seaman in which he asked for specific examples of cases where the service has fallen short of expectations. The Clerk was asked to respond giving details of delays with identified applications including the delays in reaching a decision with regard to the amended plans for houses at Fountain Fields, and also expressing concerns that the Parish Council were not informed of the amendments to the water harvesting features at Fountain Fields.

    5. Biomass Power Station - Councillor Rawlinson had updated on this. The situation will be kept under review.

11. Correspondence
    

    1. TDC - Customer Service questionnaires will be delivered to 3,000 households. The Chairman will complete the enclosed form.

    2. TDC - Council Tax - restrictions on voting - ruling that any District or Parish Councillor who is not up to date with their Council Tax payments is not eligible to vote on budgets. The Clerk was asked to ascertain if this applied to the Precept.

    3. TDC - Audit of open spaces, sport and recreation facilities. David Brown agreed to complete and return this.

    4. The Countryside Agency - Conclusive map of open country and registered common land. In circulation pack for checking by Councillors.

12. Outstanding Matters
    Police Matters - Stella Burrows reported her attendance at the North Devon Police Liaison Meeting on 6 June. Along with others present she had expressed concerns about the lack of police contact with the rural villages. This was not a criticism of PC Hagan, but a criticism of the system which did not provide contingency plans to cover absence on other duties, etc. The Detective Inspector present at the meeting agreed to take up this matter and a response is awaited. Stella Burrows has written to PC Hagan asking for a report to the Parish Council. There is still no appointment of a new Police Constable in Torrington.

13. Items for information
    Roger Keen reported that the footpath has been tidied up.
    Jean Checksfield reported her forthcoming move from the village. She expects to attend the July meeting.

14. Date of next meeting
    Wednesday 13 July 2005 at 7.30pm in the Meeting Point.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.22pm.