Westbere Parish Council

WESTBERE PARISH COUNCIL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY 17 September 2013

Present: Parish Councillors Jeanette Dawson (Chairman), Sylvia Harlow, Georgina Glover, Karen Williams, Maria Morcom, and Kathy Wilson. KCC Cllr Alan Marsh * 2 x residents* Clerk to the Council, Amanda Sparkes

* (for part of the meeting).

67. Chairman’s Opening remarks and Apologies for absence Cllr Dawson welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Parish Cllr Mike Prince (unwell)

68. Declarations of Cllrs’ Interest and requests for Dispensations There were no declarations of interest or requests for a dispensation.

69. Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting dated 13 August 2013 Cllr Prince had sent apologies to the Clerk prior to the August meeting which had been acknowledged but these had not been recorded within the Minutes, although obviously should have been. With that amendment, Cllrs resolved that the Minutes were a true record of the meeting and the Chairman duly signed them.

70. Ashby Cottage proposal Residents Wayne Murray and Malindi Tucker attended to brief the Parish Council on a proposal they are working on for Ashby Cottage. Malindi has lived here for 30 years and is needing to downsize but does not want to leave the village. She is proposing a small two-bed cottage behind the garage in the grounds of Ashby Cottage. A simple structure, timber framed, with materials to make it look like a black barn with a tiled roof. Pre-application discussions with Canterbury City Council led to a requirement for more detailed drawings, and the advice received was to make the new building subservient to Ashby Cottage and give it an agricultural feel. Planning officers also suggested pantiles but Wayne felt Kent peg tiles would be better to match existing properties, as nowhere in the village has pantiles. Wayne explained they are waiting on technical reports and will then submit the planning application to Canterbury City Council. Malindi confirmed she had spoken to all her neighbours and all are supportive and there is minimal overlooking as the site is well screened. KCC Cllr Alan Marsh suggested that she consider adding up to 16 solar panels to the proposal. 71. Cllrs reports Cllr Dawson report Cllr Dawson had nothing to report.

Cllr Harlow Cllr Harlow explained she only had parish plan information to share later on the Agenda.

Cllr Williams report - Cllr Williams had nothing to report.

Cllr Morcom report Cllr Morcom explained she is finalising the newsletter. Cllr Dawson had printed and collated the special edition newsletter around the local plan response – she commented that it took a long time to print and collate. The Clerk suggested obtaining a quotation for this from Canterbury City Council and Cllrs agreed.

Cllr Glover report Cllr Glover commented that she had been busy with Canterbury City Council meetings. There had been difficult decisions to make, such as the application for the City Church to build at the Wincheap Industrial Estate, which was refused on highways implications. Cllr Glover has checked play group parking she said, which seems okay. There were no complaints at the last village hall meeting. She said there are some new parents and children and numbers remain high. Cllr Glover concluded that the village green looked lovely

Cllr Wilson report Cllr Wilson advised the next street monitors’ meeting at CCC was Tuesday, 24 th September and she hoped to attend.

Cllr Prince report Cllr Prince had kindly completed an inspection on the salt/grit bins in the village which had been circulated prior to the meeting. The Clerk will pass his report on salt/grit bins to highways and ask for the two bins in Walnut Tree Lane to be refilled.

Cllr Prince had also walked the village on 13 September and circulated a report on the condition of Public Rights of Way in Westbere. CB91 – this is the footpath from Sturry to Westbere coming into Westbere parish at the rear of Fairview Gardens and then through the Two Fields entering the village alongside no.4 Westbere Lane. The footpath is generally in good condition throughout the length of the two fields with the vegetation under control with the footpath now about 2 metres wide. After travelling through the two fields the pathway behind Fairview Gardens is currently nicely accessible.

CB90 and CB92 – these are the footpaths that run around Westbere lakes. CB92 travels in a southerly direction from the railway crossing in Walnut Tree Lane until it bisects CB90 at the banks of the Great Stour. CB90 travelling in a westerly direction heads towards Fordwich but in the easterly direction it heads towards Grove Ferry. CB90 to the east was only recently opened by clearing the path way but after about 400 yards it ends at the tidal lake and access to Grove Ferry by walking is denied. Cllr Prince report stated that all three paths were in excellent condition but with the current rain, growth could occur. The clearance work as reported in the April 2013 report is now obscured by new summer growth. Where CB92 & CB90 intersect approximately 30 metres west along CB90 there is a public seating bench approximately 200 metres further west from this there is a Goat willow which has fallen across the pathway which needs to be cut clear.

KCC Cllr Alan Marsh report Cllr Marsh advised he had free tickets for Westbere residents for “Babes in the Woods” pantomime at the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs on Wednesday 18 December at 2.30pm and Saturday 21 December at 2.30pm. Cllr Morcom will add this information to the October newsletter and anyone wishing to book should apply for seats via the Clerk or Chairman who will then contact Cllr Marsh. Cllr Marsh asked about the village hall lease. Cllr Dawson explained she had talked to the Church Warden, and Solicitors. Girlings Solicitors were now acting for the Parish Council and an upfront payment of £900 had been paid. Cllr Dawson is waiting for the draft lease to come back. There is a charity involved with the Church which could cause a slight complication. Cllr Dawson also advised that the village hall committee are arranging a new fence for the outside space of the hall. Cllr Marsh advised he has set aside £950 for a project in Westbere which Cllrs may allocate to anything they like. This was discussed and Cllrs RESOLVED to put it towards repairs to the public phone box outside the convent. Two quotations had already been obtained, and the one provided by John Grubb was accepted. The Clerk will instruct him to go ahead with the repairs as soon as possible and she will also complete the Local Boards application form for the £950 grant. Cllr Marsh mentioned the options for traffic management at the Westgate Towers leaked to the press, and commented that it is important that parish councils have their say. The next JTB meeting is on 24 September 2013. The Clerk will make enquiries about the public consultation. Cllr Marsh also advised that Herne and Broomfield parish council had commissioned an independent senior highways consultant to do a report around the infrastructure requirements to meet the Canterbury district draft local plan. Roads, bridges, roundabouts and level crossings infrastructure would cost in the region of £93m. The developers would need to pay for the infrastructure – there would be no contribution from CCC or KCC and Cllr Marsh commented that he suspected most developers do not appreciate this. Cllr Marsh advised he had arranged for vegetation to be cleared around 4 Pennington Close and he had received a very appreciate thank you call from the resident. Cllr Marsh concluded with the news that the Boundary Commission had agreed the reduction of Cllrs at Canterbury City Council from 50 to 38, and proposals about boundary changes might see Westbere aligned with Sturry as one option.

71. Adjournment of the Meeting The two residents in attendance at the start of the meeting had left by now so there were no residents’ questions. The meeting continued.

72. Planning Matters - Planning items are recorded on appendix two, previously circulated to Cllrs, and attached to these minutes.

Proposal for a Solar Farm, Woodlands Farm, Calcott, Sturry The Clerk drew attention to a letter/invitation received from Lightsource Renewable Energy – and their proposal for a solar farm at Woodlands Farm, Calcott, Sturry. They are holding a public exhibition at Hoath Village Hall, Mill Road on 26 September from 5.30pm-8pm.

Canterbury District draft Local Plan response Congratulations on Westbere’s response had been received from CPRE. The Clerk also advised that Roger Gale MP had explained that he had sought confirmation from Adrian Verrell at Canterbury City Council that Westbere’s comments had been received – this had been acknowledged by Adrian Verrell.

73. FINANCIAL MATTERS RECEIVED bank statements for August 2013, and RESOLVED the Chairman’s signature thereon; NOTED that the Clerk received an Overpayment Notice from HMRC detailing an overpayment of £122.22 for the income tax year 2012/2013. It transpires that Douglas Tonks paid the whole amount of income tax due for that year despite only acting for the council from June 2012. The overpayment arises where the parish council paid the tax due for April and May by cheque to HMRC as well. Douglas Tonks have requested a refund by cheque to them – see below. NOTED that the Clerk has written to the Bradford tax office asking that the overpayment of £122.22 be refunded to the parish council. NOTED that the Chairman authorised 8 hours overtime for the Clerk to cover the additional meeting scheduled in August, preparation for, attending and Minute taking, and actions arising thereafter in particular composing the final response to the city council for the draft Local Plan. 74. AUTHORISATION OF ACCOUNTS The expenditure list previously circulated to Cllrs as Appendix 3 totalling £2,324.57 was authorised for payment.

SINGLE GRANT GATEWAY FOR VILLAGE HALL Following a string of emails and a meeting at CCC the Clerk has now submitted revised single grant gateway application figures amending the level of reserves. The result of the city council’s panel is awaited.

TENDERS FOR GRASS CUTTING AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE FOR 2014 The Chairman explained that the finance subcommittee met on 19 August and considered three tenders for the grass cutting and grounds maintenance programme for 2014. A new contractor had tendered 20% less than the current contractor (The Potting Shed). Whilst the council has been more than happy with the service and standards of The Potting Shed’s work, Cllrs felt they could not justify the extra to the local tax payers at this time and Cllrs resolved to award the tender to the new contractor for a one year trial. They also felt that it would be inappropriate to give them an opportunity to re-quote. The professional relationship and work they undertake for the WVPS is unaffected by this decision. The Clerk has let the tendering companies know the outcome.

CONCURRENT GRANT APPLICATION The Clerk received application forms for the year 2014-15 for Concurrent function funding. The budget for CFF is £113,476. Closing date is 7 October 2013. The Reports will go to: Management team on 29 October; HBAMP on 5 November; RAMP on 11 November, and for approval and decision to The Executive on 14 November 2013.

The finance subcommittee meeting on 19 August also saw Cllrs consider draft Concurrent Functio n Grant figures for 2014-2015. The Clerk had also evidenced the spend on concurrent items for th e appraisal year of 2012-2013, which saw a small overspend of £570. RESOLVED that the sub co mmittee’s recommendation / calculation that an application of £6,645 be applied for. This is a small uplift on last year’s application of £6,550.

CAPITAL GRANT The Clerk has received an application form for 2014-15 for CCC’s CIFT capital grant. The Clerk forwarded this to the Chairman of the village hall. The available budget is £30,000. The timescal e is the same as concurrent above. Cllrs discussed at the August parish council meeting whethe r any capital application be made to CCC’s CIFT grant, but mindful of the need for match-fundin g and that applications must be linked to concurrent items resolved that no application would be made this year.

However, after the meeting, the Clerk was sent the quotation for Phase I of the Outdoor space i mprovement project by the Chairman of the village hall committee. This will see a new fence an d associated tree works along a new agreed boundary line and reclaim an area of unused spac e, for a cost of £1,828. The Clerk wrote a CIFT application to try and get a grant for 50% of thes e costs on 4 September 2013.

PRECEPT BUDGET 2014-2015 A date of 7 November was set for the finance subcommittee to meet to set a draft precept for 20 14-2015. The Clerk will draft figures for discussion.

RESOLVED to grant delegated authority to this subcommittee to input the request to Canterbury City Council in time for their deadline and as the parish council does not meet in December. 75. CLERK’S REPORT CORRESPONDENCE (a) NOTED confirmation of the yellow line request for the entrance to Pennington Close on the Thanet side only – to be considered in the next annual round of parking restrictions review. (b) News in Kent, a publication from Kent Police to parish councils across the county (c) Action with Communities in Rural Kent “Rural News” electronic newsletter

Review of Canterbury District Open Space Strategy – Canterbury City workshop Invite to a workshop to discuss public open space in the Canterbury city area on 22 October 2013, at the Guildhall Canterbury from 7pm – 9pm. The aim is to consult community groups on issues regarding the open space strategy within Canterbury City. Information gained from the workshop will feed into the Local Plan stage two consultation process. The Clerk will attend and report back.

Kent Fire & Rescue Service newsletter Viewable at http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=35461a2a8ad772e1f11f9b8ed&id=d7ba7fa6be This newsletter covers: Keeping your area safe this summer; How KFRS can work with you to help prevent anti-social behaviour; How new equipment is helping deal with hard-to-reach fires; and the latest on incidents

DCLG Guidance on Illegal and unauthorised traveller sites On 9 August 2013 DCLG issued new guidance about using powers against illegal and unauthorised traveller sites. The DCLG announcement says “A new guide will give more power and a stronger voice to local residents and councillors to challenge council officers if they claim ‘nothing can be done’ about this problem. It follows on from the recently scrapped diversity and equality guidance which discouraged councils from taking enforcement action”. The attached link has the Government announcement and further information https://www.gov.uk/government/news/councils-can-quickly-stop-illegal-encampments .

76. Newsletter RESOLVED to run a “special edition” of the newsletter in August to include information on C anterbury City Council’s strategic sites, and to publish to residents the parish council’s respo nses to these and other aspects of the city council’s draft Local Plan. Then to make Cllr Morc om’s usual version a September newsletter – which will also include text and photos of the C oronation celebration event.

77. GUEST SPEAKER FOR ELECTORS’ MEETING 2014 Cllrs resolved to ask Cllr John Gilbey, Leader of Canterbury City Council to be the guest speaker for the Annual Electors’ Meeting for 2014. The Clerk will invite him.

78. MEETING DATES 2014 RECEIVED Westbere parish council meeting dates for 2014 (previously circulated as Appendix 5). These set the parish council meetings as the third Tuesday of each month. Dates agreed.

79. PARISH PLAN Cllr Harlow explained that the results of Kent Wildlife database searches had been received free of charge. There is a species list including insects, moths and mammals and a bird report also. This would be the basis to forward one of the parish plan actions. Cllr Harlow has also spoken to Sarah Wakefield who has ideas for residents to help build on this data. Cllr Harlow will write something for the newsletter.

80. ENVIRONMENT New dog bin - Cllrs RESOLVED to purchase a dog bin for public footpath CB91. This would be subject to CCC adding the bin to the schedule for emptying – the Clerk will make enquiries and speak to Cllr Prince about the best location for the bin.

Walnut Tree Lane It was previously reported that the Conservation Volunteers are looking to improve green spaces, and asked for practical tasks to get local communities and their volunteers involved in. The parish council had suggested that they help to tidy the ground around the railway on the left of Walnut Tree Lane. However they have now confirmed they are unable to help with this. The Clerk has also been contacted from a regular user of the new path that was put in place wh en the old railway crossing at the end of Westbere village was closed – with a request to deal wi th the overgrown vegetation etc that is growing across the path.

The parish council agreed to ask the new contractor to add this area to the grounds maintenance schedule for 2014 and the Clerk will also meet on site with him to arrange a one- off piece of work as soon as possible.

81. WESTBERE CHURCH Cllr Glover explained that the Church does not have a weekly service anymore but she battled to get 3 out of 4 weekly services – these will consist of one as a Holy Communion with an organist and two said services. An estimate has been requested for repairs to the door to the Vestry. The front door has been restored and painted, and the new vestry roof is lovely she commented.

The meeting closed at 9.20pm

Dates of next meetings - 15 October, 12 November 2013 (No meeting in December). For 2014: 21 January, 18 February, 18 March, 25 March – the elector’s meeting / Annual Parish Meeting, (date and guest speaker tbc), 15 April, 20 May, 17 June, 15 July, (No meeting in August), 16 September, 21 October, 18 November 2014 (No meeting in December) Other dates: Carols on the Green is Saturday 21 December and Remembrance Sunday - also on the Village G reen is Sunday 10 November

Signed: ...... Chairman

Date: ...... WESTBERE PARISH COUNCIL PLANNING REPORT, 17 SEPTEMBER 2013 APPENDIX 2 Changes to commenting on planning applications Canterbury City Council have advised that they will not take notice of any comments made after deadlines, and if the parish council objects and that view is not supported by CCC the parish council must be willing to send a speaker to development management committee. The comments in future must also only be submitted via the planning portal – the Clerk will need to register to use this.

New DCLG Consultation - Greater Flexibilities for change of use The DCLG (Department for Communities and Local Government) has proposals intended to support the Government’s priorities for making better use of existing buildings, supporting the high street and rural communities, providing new housing, developing more free schools and contributing to the provision of child care for working families. The consultation seeks views on 5 proposals for permitted development rights to allow:  shops and financial and professional services to change use to a dwelling house;  existing buildings used for agricultural purposes of up to 150 square metres to change to residential use;  retail uses to change to banks and building societies only;  premises used as offices, hotels, residential and non-residential institutions, and leisure and assembly to be able to change use to nurseries providing childcare;  a building used for agricultural purposes of up to 500 square metres to be used as a new state funded school or a nursery providing childcare. All proposals also include permission to carry out building work connected with the change of use. More detail on the DCLG consultation and the specific proposals at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/greater-flexibilities-for-change-of-use

New Applications CA/13/01678/FUL 19 Westbere Lane This proposal is for a white uPVC tiled porch. The Proposed porch to house cannot be seen from the road and nor will front elevation this added porch. The parish council has no objection.

Notifications CA//13/01152/FUL 8 Westbere Lane Granted by CCC Erection of single-storey timber outbuilding

Trees None