COMMUNITY TRUST
PARISH COUNCIL
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& Minutes
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CHURCHES
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Minutes
Thursday 21st May 2015
Craster Village Hall 7:30pm
Present
Vice-Chair & Acting Clerk
John Gallon
Parish Clerk
Geoff Newcombe
Parish Council Members Elizabeth Pearson, Joyce Shaw, Michael
Craster, Margaret Brooks, Martin Smith & Alan Punton.
Members of the public
In Attendance Sue
Chapman, Yvonne Durham, David Bonser &
Gill Starkey
Cllr Kate Cairns
Questions from the public.
Q1. Residents of Chapel Row asked if the PC is
concerned about the proposed vehicle access to the Chapel Site.
A. No information
available until formal planning application received.
Q2. Concern about status of “public footpath” beside
the former Methodist Chapel but not a “right of way” (on NCC maps).
A. The Clerk
will contact the NCC to comment on rights of way v. footpaths in the
village.
Q3. What input did the PC have to the conditons of
the Chapel sale?
A. None; purely a
private matter.
Q4. What is the status of allotments or green spaces
in the village regarding land use (e.g. Housing)?
A. There are no
allotments in the village. The land behind Dunstanburgh Road was
collectively owned by the North Side Owners Association and the various
plots are now privately owned.
Q5. Concern about the condition of the unmade road
from Dunstanburgh Road up toward the Chapel.
A. This is not an
adopted road so the upkeep is the responsibility of those using the
road. However, the Parish Council would look to conditions being
applied to any Planning Application which required use of the road to
ensure that the applicant made good any wear and tear during
construction.
Q6. It was requested that Parish Council notices be
posted in the former Methodist Chapel notice board at the foot of the
road down from the Chapel to Dunstanburgh Road.
A Jill Bonser
agreed to give her e-mail address to The Clerk so that she could
receive the notices electronically and post them.
The questioners were
offered the opportunity to make a formal presentation of their concerns
to the June Parish Council Meeting.
1802. Declaration of interests.
None.
1803. Apologies received.
Cllrs. Bryn Owen &
Pauline Baird.
1804. Minutes of the previous meeting.
Cllr. Margaret Brooks
commented that there was a minor error regarding the day and date of
the Parish Meeting. She accepted that this did not invalidate the
minutes as a true record of the meeting and were signed accordingly.
Proposer: Michael Craster
Seconder: John Gallon.
Action Point: Clerk to post minutes
1805. Matters arising from the minutes not covered
elsewhere on the agenda.
Defibrillator (1784) –
Cllrs. Alan Punton & Martin Smith have now identified a more robust
and suitable box in which to house the defibrillator.
Action Point: Alan Punton to liaise
with Clerk to order the box and tell Kevin to proceed with
defibrillator including plaque for Parish Council and Community Trust
with compliments and credits.
1806. County Councillor's update.
Cllr Cairns reported
that NCC had now held its AGM and there had been a re-allocation of
committees and their functions.
• The
outcome of the Alnwick partnerships consultation on changing schools
from three tier to two tier has been delayed due to the great number of
responses but a decision is expected in June.
• The
Planning Review has resulted in removal of the trigger of Parish
Councils objections resulting in automatic referral to planning
committee. The four area committees (Central, North, West & South
East) have been removed and planning issues will now be decided by
county wide committees. The Central Committees will cover three areas;
Strategic Planning, Planning & Performance and Planning &
Rights of Way; all sitting at 2pm. On two days a week planning officers
will be available at Alnwick and PC’s will be able to make a case to
have delegated matters put onto NCC committee agendas and PC’s will
then be able to speak at those meetings.
1807. Vote of Thanks to Sir Alan Beith MP.
A letter was received
from Sir Alan Beith thanking the PC for its vote of thanks.
Councillor Alan Punton
proposed that Cllr. Cairns pass on the thanks of the PC to the NCC
workers who carried out the car parking works at Heugh Wynd.
1808. Parish Council Vacancy.
No request had been
received to request an election for the vacancy.
A notice requesting
expressions of interest from candidates wishing to be co-opted onto the
PC will be posted on 22nd May 2015 allowing the required 21 days for
expressions of interest before the next meeting.
Action Point: Acting Clerk to post
notices.
1809. Planning Matters
a)
Bark Pots (9 West End-14/04120/OUT); Still pending as S106 agreement
has not been signed.
b) 19
Heugh Road (15/01297/FUL) No comments/objections raised by members.
1810. Parking.
NCC have filled in the
Quarry Car Park potholes and will re-paint white lines (commencing 7th
June 2015) which will remove bus/coach spaces and increase number of
car parking spaces. Cllr Michael Craster will enquire if the overflow
car park can be opened during the quarry car park works. Dan Fraser NCC
had been asked if enforcement action could be taken regarding overnight
parking in the Car Park (1789); a response is awaited.
Cllr Michael Craster
reported that the turn field car park was opened over the Easter
Holiday period and the revenues generated for the farmer were donated
to the Church. It was reported that disabled people tried to access the
Lonnen pathway which is obstructed with a kissing gate. The footpath
officer could be contacted to see if the kissing gate could be replaced
with a hunting gate. The farmer Mr Scott will be in agreement with this
as long as the hunting gate is fitted with spring closers.
Action Point: Clerk to assess and
contact NCC footpaths officer.
1811. EJBC.
Awaiting response from
EJBC on ToR
1812. Craster Community Trust.
a. CCT
meet 28th May. Skiff Club have requested building in which to build a
skiff; Old Coastguard House suggested as a possible venue. Cllr Michael
Craster will follow this up with Smiths Gore (Agent) and/or possibility
of using Embleton Mill (as the Alnmouth skiff builders did). Michael
Gibb offered premises but there is no electricity supply.
b. A
new tranche of Leader Fund (NCC administered) is available. Bryn Owen
and John Gallon along with Michael Gibbs of the CCT will meet NCC later
in June to discuss the availability of these funds.
1813. AONB
Next meeting 10th June
2015; then update.
1814. Dunstan water leak.
No progress report;
Chair to report at next meeting.
1815. Fixed asset maintenance.
a.
Contractor has found alternative supplier of parts for bins and notice
boards; Clerk to ask for works to be progressed.
b.
Salt bins in the village were noted to have contents that had
solidified. This was felt to be caused by water penetration caused by
lack of maintenance, lack of drain holes to bins and lids flapping open
– all allowing rain in. Vice chair has a list/map of the bins.
Action Point: Acting Clerk to
instruct contractor to undertake works and contact NCC highways about
bin maintenance.
1816. Tower Bank and Whin Hill flooding.
The vice chairman
reported that Mitch Young (NCC) had arranged for the drain to be
jetted, the outflow repaired, east side cleared and for a retaining
wall to be built on the outflow. This has now alleviated the flooding.
Cllr Gallon has already sent a vote of thanks to Mitch and the NCC.
1817. Tourist Fingerpost
Cllr Alan Punton
recommended exploring the use of “composite” post as it less attractive
to thieves.
The finger posts signing
the right of way from the end of Whin Hill down to the Lifeboat Station
are not present. Cllr. Punton is to check if old posts are still
available and if necessary ask the Clerk to see if the matter needs to
be raised with the Footpaths Officer.
Action Point: Cllr Punton &
Clerk & Chairman to investigate issues.
1818. Financial matters.
a. Current Account
Balance £22,5116.97 Inc. b. (21st
May 2015)
b. High Interest
Account £18,126.91 Includes NWL
money
c. Spent (since
January) £444.00
£60.00
£356.99
£83.60
£440.00
Johnson Publishers
Xmas Tree
Clerks wages/Expenses
HMRC
Stableyard Landscapes
c. Received (since
January) £2500.00
£191.00
Precept
NCC refund
d. Clerks Wages/
Expenses
£ 1342.31
£
232.24 2014/15
e. Cheques
required £179.19
£33.40
Clerk Wages/expenses (April)
HMRC
1819. Correspondence received.
Parish Liaison meeting - NCC
meetings with groups of Parish Councillors; is taking place this
evening in Rennington. There is another date available at Hadston on
3rd June 2015; no members volunteered to attend.
Issue of obstructed line
of site by traffic signs at Craster Junction and Little Mill junction
causing potential accident risk; Clerk to raise matter of possible
re-location with Highways Officer.
Letter of Objection to Planning Consultation Response (9 west end-
14/04120/OUT). John Gallon proposed
the item be noted and was seconded by Joyce Shaw. (All in Favour).
1820. Annual Parish Meeting.
The meeting confirmed
the Chairman’s action to re-arrange the meeting for 27th may to comply
with legal requirement to hold it before 1st June (inclusive).
1821. Date and Time of Next Meeting
Meeting to be on 18th
June 2015 at 7:15pm in the Craster Memorial Hall.
Meeting closed 8:30pm
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