Deddington Parish Council
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Heyford Park Parish Council Minutes of the Meeting held in the Community Centre, Heyford Park on Wednesday 10th July 2019 at 7pm Present: Cllrs Dickie Bird (Chairman), Steve Cook, Sally Freeland, Alan Harris and Brian Moss. Also, in attendance: Lorraine Watling, Cherwell District Council (CDC), Cllr I Corkin CDC/OCC, Mark Thielke (Chairman of the Residents Association) and four others. Not Present: Cllrs Coggins and Livings and District Cllrs J Macnamara and B Wood. 48/19 Apologies: Cllrs Coggins and Livings 49/19 Minutes of the previous meeting: The draft minutes of the meeting held on 18th June were received and considered. Cllr Bird proposed, Cllr Cooke seconded the motion and the Council RESOLVED (unanimous by those in attendance) that the amended minutes were a true record. 50/19 10 Minute Open Forum. Residents addressed the council about the following issues: 1. Lack of footpath between the entrance of Heyford Leys and the East End of Camp Road: This area was considered to be dangerous for pedestrians as there is no footpath and it is almost impossible to walk along the verge. At least one mother with a child in a buggy has been seen walking along this dangerous stretch of road as she had no other option. Concerns were raised that pedestrians could slip and fall in front of one of the numerous lorries that use this road. 2. Mismatch of path along the 200 yards stretch of road to the entrance to the woods: Residents noted that there was usually a long line of cars parked by the burger van blocking sight lines and you then had to cross a very dangerous stretch of road in order to get to the entrance of the woods. A proper foot path needs installing along the 200 yards stretch of road to make it safer for dog walkers and others wishing to enjoy the woods. The Chairman of the Residents Association (RA) noted that he has already been lobbying about this and that after the nesting season the overgrown foliage will be cut back by 1.5 metres. The RA plans to plant wild flowers along the verge and to install a soft path. The aim is to enable a mobility scooter or pushchair to cross the footbridge. Cllr Corkin had walked this area with the RA Chairman and considered it an ideal project for support under the new important CDC ‘Healthy Place Making’ initiative. Action: Cllr Corkin will meet with the officer at CDC who is managing this initiative and also Dorchester Living. The Chairman noted that this was one of his top 5 projects that he would like to see completed and suggested that the required bridge work could be offered to the Royal Logistics as a community initiative that they could get involved with. 3. Bad Sewage Smells: There are often bad sewage smells around Heyford Ley. Residents were asked whether they thought this might be caused by the nearby biomass plant or by farmers working their fields but they did not think so. The felt sure that the smell was coming from the Thames Water sewage works. Action: Cllr Corkin will review the master plan for Heyford Park as it is likely that it contains a condition whereby the current sewage works should be upgraded by Thames Water when a certain number of properties are built or occupied. 4. Safety of Children walking along the main roads: Concerns were raised about the safety of children walking along the main roads in the parish due to the numbers of lorries using or parked along the main roads. Action: Cllr Corkin, the PC Chairman and the RA Chairman will meet with Dorchester Living to discuss. 51/19 Oxfordshire County and Cherwell District Council Update: County Cllr Ian Corkin is both a District and County Cllr for Heyford Park. He reported upon matters relating to both OCC and CDC and noted the following: OCC: 1. J10 highways issue: The whole junction has been redesigned again. Cllr Corkin is chasing Highways England again to try and get this project moving. The main problem appears to be caused by over-capacity at the roundabout at Maynard’s Green. Overcapacity at this roundabout means that there is a failure to keep the traffic flowing which results in vehicles having to queue on the hard shoulder of the M40 to leave the motorway at that junction. This is very dangerous. 2. Middleton Stoney Traffic Scheme: Cllr Corkin is meeting Dorchester Living next week to discuss the proposed traffic scheme which is currently being considered. It is possible that it may attract growth money from OCC and funding from Dorchester Living. 3. Smells from Agri Vert Plant: This plant is owned by Severn Trent Water. The Environment Agency has already taken enforcement action against them about the smells coming from the plant because this is a breach of the planning conditions. It was noted that the smell was horrendous on the day of the PC meeting. 4. Community Garden Grant: The Community Garden has been awarded a grant for a new shed. 5. Bus Company Consultation: The current service will continue for at least the next six months. It has recently had a change of operator and is now being run by a sister company. Cllr Corkin suggested that now might be a good time to start asking residents what they want from the bus service and how it might be improved upon and gather evidence as there will be a formal consultation in due course. Any evidence collected now e.g. via a resident’s survey, can be submitted when the time comes. He suggested that it could link in with the Bicester transport hubs as this may make it more viable. 6. Camp Road Damage: The damage caused to the new soft verges, swales and associated drains by workmen working at the Bovis end of the site have been reported and Dorchester/OCC are engaged with this. CDC: 1. Proposed Water Park at Chesterton: There is currently a proposal for a water park at Chesterton which could attract 0/5million visitors. This would have effect traffic in the area. It was suggested that the Mid-Cherwell NP forum should get involved. 2. Planning: CDC has almost separated completely from the joint arrangement with South Northants but this has left some staff shortages in the planning department at present. Action: When submitting planning responses to CDC we will always copy Cllr Corkin in at present. 3. Military Covenant: CDC and OCC are now discussing the military covenant which aims to look after those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families. It was discussed how the local hospitals could help noting that the John Radcliffe Hospital was not helping at present. 4. Complaint about lack of enforcement over planning breaches at Heyford Leys: CDC has acknowledged that there have been some failings and are going to do a full review. 5. Assets for the parish council: Cllr Wood is still pursuing this matter as part of the master plan for the site. 52/19 Heyford Leys Issues: The council agreed to bring this item forward and take it next as Cllr Corkin also had to attend the meeting of another parish council that evening. Various matters were discussed and it was also noted that the site owner had closed and locked the recreation area. 53/19 Update from the Residents Association (RA): Most of the matters which the Chairman wished to raise had already been covered during the public participation session, but he also reported the following: a) Mobility Scooters access to the centre of the village: it was noted that around three years ago measures were introduced to improve mobility scooter access to the centre of the village. However, they didn’t put in any dropped kerbs. b) Calendar Events: 7th August – next RA meeting; 24th August – Theatre on the Green; 2nd October – community meeting with Dorchester Living; 2nd October - Bicester Rural Police meeting in Bicester c) Speed Watch: there will be another speed watch next week. It was noted that the current equipment is getting old and so may be updated. They would like to change the speed gun to a tri- pod mounted one. The speed limits in the parish were discussed. Action: The PC Chairman will discuss speed limits with Paul Silva from Dorchester Living. d) Daffodil Planting: this is currently being planned and co-ordinated with Upper Heyford PC. The RA will send in a proposal, including costings, for bulbs before the next PC meeting – this is expected to be approximately £150. Action: The Clerk will include this as an agenda item for the next meeting e) Heyford Leys residents invited to join the RA: The RA has invited the Heyford Leys residents to join the RA. f) The Chairman of the RA will resend the Clerk a request about a verge that needs to be cut back as there was confusion as to who the request should be sent to. Action: The Clerk will action the request. 54/19 Possible Traffic Calming Measures: This matter was discussed and various suggestions were put forwards including: 1. Flowers to indicate that vehicles are entering a village. 2. Gates at the entrances to the village. 55/19 Parish Council laptop: Cllr Coggins had undertaken some research into a suitable lap top for the Parish Council. The Chairman proposed that a budget of £600 be agreed for eth laptop and accessories. This motion was seconded by Cllr Freeland and RESOLVED (unanimously). Action: The Clerk will send details of the laptop and accessories that the PC requires to CDC and ask them to buy the lap top for the PC out of PC funds.