BLACK BOURTON PARISH COUNCIL

A Meeting of the Black Bourton Parish Council was held on Wednesday 28th February 2018 in St. Mary's Church, Black Bourton at 7.30pm.

1. Present: Cllr. Pete Miles (Chairman) (PM) Cllr. Terry Pope (Vice-Chairman) (TP) Cllr. Andrew Lanham (AL) Lisa Thorn (Clerk) (LT) Cllr. Ted Fenton (TF) (Joined at 8:00p.m.) Richard Betteridge (RB), Alec Jones (AJ), David Nixon (DN)

2. Apologies for absence: Cllr. Barry Williams (BW)

3. Declaration of Interest: None

4. Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting held by the Parish Council on Wednesday 24th January 2018 were agreed to be signed at the next meeting.

5. Public Questions: RB reported that the Black Bourton Environment Committee (BBEC) had a meeting with the Planning Team at W.O.D.C. responsible for enforcing the conditions of the Woodyard operations. TF was also present. BBEC agreed with the general consensus that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove alleged breaches in the conditions, but the Case Officers were made aware of their concerns relating to storage and distribution activities that may be taking place. BBEC are happy that there is no chipping and related noise at the Woodyard and have agreed to monitor the site and traffic for the time being. If anything changes then they will get in touch with the Case Officers.

TF gave a report on O.C.C. and W.O.D.C. matters and his report is attached with the minutes.

6. Matters Arising:

a) Playground equipment repair/replacement/funding and tennis court resurfacing: The need for a working party of residents was discussed and it was agreed that LT would put out an email and posters asking for volunteers from the village. Once we have a list of volunteers we can arrange some dates to begin tidying, weeding, clearing and other general maintenance jobs around the playpark and tennis courts. AL volunteered to assist LT with applying for grants/funds to support the project of replacing and developing the playground equipment and area. It was agreed that AL and LT should work together on this project and make it a priority for the coming year. AJ advised BBPC that the Black Bourton Village Association (BBVA) has funds that it would like to donate towards equipment for the playpark. The Councillors thanked the BBVA and said that they would be very grateful of financial assistance. AJ offered some ideas of items that the BBVA could fund and Councillors agreed to discuss further tonight if there was time or at a later date. LT advised that there may be permission to be sought from the owners of the land and possibly planning consent but that the BBPC would research what was required.

b) Transparency Grant planned expenditure and work: LT showed Councillors some examples of website host companies and their packages and prices and reported that she had looked at all the local Parish Council websites to compare who they used and get an idea of what looked most appropriate for BBPC. It was agreed by the

Councillors that LT would purchase a package that was a step up from a Basic package but not costing more than approximately £400.00. This is a one-off cost that will be met by part of the Transparency Grant funding already received. LT will bring the details of the company and plan purchased to the next meeting along with a plan of work to be carried out to set up the website over the next few weeks. c) Update on Church Toilet Facilities Plans and Funding: LT reported that she had not heard anything further from Mr. Ron Spurs at Carterton Town Council following the letter sent from BBPC earlier in February 2018 with more details on the project. LT advised that she would email Mr. Spurs again ASAP with a copy of the letter to check that he had received it. d) Speeding and speed enforcement: LT brought a draft email to the meeting which will be sent to the Clerks of the local area Parish Councils asking for their thoughts on the issue of speeding in our villages and whether their residents and Parish Councils would like to discuss any concerns with BBPC and ways that we could work together on this issue. TF said that he would be very happy to support any community plans to tackle speeding issues and speed enforcement and suggested including the Speedwatch website address in the email too in case anyone isn’t aware of it. LT will forward a copy of the email when sent to Councillors. e) Damaged conifer trees behind Model Cottages, Burford Road, Black Bourton: The boundaries of the area and the details of the lease still need to be investigated before we can advise residents which trees we are responsible for. LT to liaise with TP and communicate with residents on BBPC’s behalf. f) Damaged drystone wall around Recreation Ground, Burford Road, Black Bourton: Councillors agreed that we would need to get 2/3 quotes for the repairs and arrange the work from the most competitive quote. g) Village Information Leaflet: It was agreed by Councillors that LT will prepare a draft ASAP. h) RAF Brize Norton Consultation for Airspace Change Proposal: LT gave some background to the Councillors and public on the proposed changes to the Airspace and the reasons for the changes. LT advised that anyone who wished to read the proposal could do so at www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-brize-norton/flying- info Anyone who wished to comment on the proposal should do so by using the following email address: [email protected] The consultation period runs until Thursday 5th April 2018. BBPC agreed that there were no concerns from the Council as a whole but that individual concerns should be addressed direct to RAF Brize Norton as above. i) Oxfordshire County Council Consultation on Proposed Update to the Local List of Information Requirements for Planning Applications: LT advised Councillors of the following letter received from OCC:

“At the meeting of the County Council’s Planning and Regulation Committee on 16 October 2017, it was resolved that a consultation be carried out on a proposed update to the Local List of Information Requirements for validation of planning and related applications. It is a statutory requirement to update this list at least every two years. No major changes are proposed to the items which feature on the list. The only new item on the list is the requirement

for a surface water drainage strategy. There are also are minor modifications and updates to the supporting text. The draft updated Local List can be viewed on the County Council’s planning applications website www.myeplanning.oxfordshire.gov.uk using reference no: LL.0088/17. The consultation period formally commences on 09/02/18 and will run until 02/03/18. Your comments on the draft updated Local List can be made via the online facility on the planning applications website, or by e-mail to [email protected] “.

7. Treasurer's Report: Lisa Thorn

Cash book balance at 28th February 2018: £4275.90

8. Bills to Minutes:

C. Collett (Grass Cutting): £200.00 L. Thorn (Salary and Expenses): £180.00 West Oxfordshire District Council (Dog Bins): £14.21

Cheques were signed.

9. General: Cllr. Pete Miles Nothing to report.

10. Green Spaces: Cllr. Terry Pope TP reported that the mole problem in the village was becoming worse with a lot of molehills noted on the village green and playpark. PM agreed to look into borrowing equipment to deal with them humanely and will liaise with TP on the best time to act.

Correspondence: Lisa Thorn Equipment advertising leaflets shown to Councillors and TP took a copy of Clerks Direct magazine. LT forwarded emails as appropriate previous to the meeting. LT to arrange meeting with Mr. Robert Courts following her email correspondence with his secretary and will inform Councillors of the time and date.

11. Other Matters for Consideration: LT passed a Planning Application to TP to look at that had arrived in the post the day before the meeting. This application will be discussed at a future meeting.

12. Exclusion of the Public: None.

Meeting closed at 9:20pm.

Clerk to the Parish Council Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday 28th March 2018