Branston & Mere Parish Council s2

2366/12 Branston & Mere Parish Council Minutes of the Meeting held at the Pavilion, Moor Lane, Branston on Monday 6th February 2012 at 7.15 pm.

Present: Cllrs. Messrs Adams, Clarke, Cucksey, Ford, Lundgren, Newman & Wood and Cllr Mesdames Cannings & Price.

In Attendance: Clerk Mrs Stead.

Members of the Public: One.

Item 1 a) Apologies for absence. The Council noted the reason and approved the apologies of Cllrs Mumford, Ross and Willcox. Apologies had also been received from Cllr Mrs Overton and the police team. b) Declarations of interest. There were no declarations of interest.

Item 2 Public Forum A resident commented on some recent tree surgery and asked why an apple tree had been felled on Earlsfield but a similar tree, at the corner of Earlsfield and Fairleas, had been left; even though fruit dropped on the road and pavement causing a nuisance. The clerk was asked to contact the tree officer at LCC.

Item 3 To receive reports from representatives on outside bodies: a) County Council There was no councillor present. b) District Council. Work continued on the budget with several cost saving options being examined by scrutiny. c) Police During the period 03/01/12 – 06/02/12 2 crimes had been reported: 1 Theft from a motor vehicle 1 Theft of a pedal cycle (detected)

Item 4 a) To resolve that the minutes of meeting held on 9th January are signed as a correct record. Acceptance of the notes and the notes In Committee was proposed by Cllr Lundgren and seconded by Cllr Newman. b) Matters arising from the Minutes. Cllr Lundgren reported that there had been much opposition to the proposed closure of Leadenham and Whisby recycling centres and that Cllr Mrs Overton felt that there was a good chance that the plan could be reversed. The clerk confirmed that two letters of objection had been sent to the portfolio holder.

Item 5 Correspondence: a) Various Newsletters and Periodic Publications. 13678 Dog Warden Report December. b) Letters for information. 13679 LCC - New library opening hours from 1st April would maintain the total number of hours but change Mondays and Fridays from 10am – 7pm to 9am-6pm to reflect actual usage. Wednesdays would remain 10am – 7pm. 13680 NKDC – Responders to Warmth were offering help to people with chronic illness to insulate their homes. c) Community Lincs – Superfast Broadband Event. 13681 The details of the event to advise residents on how to get involved with the plan were noted. d) Dial a Ride – Request for funding. 13682 The parish was considered to be well served by the existing bus service and it was agreed to adhere to the Council’s policy to only give financial support to groups within the parish. 2367/12 Item 6 13683 Planning: a) Planning decisions received. Planning permission had been granted on the following applications: 11/1252 Single storey side extension & porch 42 Wisteria Avenue 11/1352 Open fronted garage The Stables, Thackers Lane 11/1417 Single storey extension to form granny annexe 16 Chartridge Planning permission had been refused on the following application: 11/1340 Single storey extension Wheelhouse, Waterwheel Lane. b) Applications for discussion. There were no new applications. c) Tree Issues. There were no tree issues.

Item 7 Other Reports: a) History & Mosaic Group. 13684 Cllr Wood reported that the group was in discussion with the owner of the Wheelhouse about information boards around the waterwheel. b) Youth Council. 13685 The Chairman and clerk had met with three students on 26th January, discussing the Jubilee celebrations, Jungle, play area, Astro court and Parish Plan. They had also reviewed the Pod, finding it amazing, different and well designed but suggested that the publicity had been poor. Members were impressed by the thought that had been given to the topics and were keen to encourage the council. c) Youth Club provision. 13686 The second stakeholder meeting had been poorly attended. The notes suggested that the church members were keen to develop youth activities. Grants were available to help with set up and training costs. The academy was willing to allow activities to take place in the youth wing at no cost in the short term. d) Provision of a bus shelter on Station Road. 13687 Meetings had been held with the local residents to discuss the proposal and give the opportunity to raise their concerns. The need for a shelter at this stop had been identified in the Parish Plan. The concerns raised would be monitored. Cllr Adams proposed and Cllr Wood seconded the installation; All in favour. e) Proposals to improve the Garden of Rest. 13688 A meeting had taken place with Groundwork UK to discuss how to develop the Garden of Rest into a more user friendly space. A curved path with seating and a shrubbery had been suggested at an approximate cost of £23k. Repairs were also needed to the pillars and railings and the whole project could be in the region of £50k and beyond reach without considerable funding. Responsibility for the site remained that of the Church and the PCC would be asked to consult the DAC on the plan and funding. 13689 The clerk said that an item had been included in the Newsletter about the refurbishment of the Church clock and invited donations. f) Sleaford Road lay-by consultation. 13690 There had been four objections to the request for bollards to block off the unofficial lay-by on Sleaford Road. The responses had been forwarded to Highways for consideration. Members considered that the points raised were valid and said that they would support the suggestion to make the lay-by official. g) Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 13691 The clerk gave an update on the list of events planned and circulated pictures of suitable benches to mark the occasion. The possibility of commissioning one of the designs by Branston Academy students would be considered. h) Core Strategy Consultation feedback. 13692 The Chairman gave some feedback and recommended that members attend the next consultation event on 24 February. He said that it was important for members to be aware of the proposed position of 2368/12 10k new homes between Bracebridge Heath and Canwick and land identified for development in the village, which could greatly affect life in Branston. i) Future of Waste Recycling Centres. 13693 Following the second letter objecting to the loss of the Leadenham and Whisby sites, Cllr Strange had responded to say that the infrastructure had been paid for by the Waste Recycling Group and not LCC. j) Localism Act & Neighbourhood Plans. 13694 Cllr Lundgren suggested that the Council should consider producing a Neighbourhood Plan to give an input into future development plans in the parish. It was accepted that some development was inevitable but thought that a Neighbourhood Plan would allow the type and additional infrastructure to be influenced. Some concern was expressed about the amount and scale of work required to produce a Plan and the Chairman stated that the Plan would still need to comply with the local plan and the National Policy Framework due to be published in April. Further guidance was expected from LALC. k) Parish Plan Review. 13695 The clerk gave a resume of achievements during the last year and issues to be considered during the next year. A report would be given at the Annual Parish Meeting in April.

Item 8 Recreation Space: a) Astro Court update. 13696 The majority of the snags had been attended to. The cricket weave would be addressed when the weather improved. The account had been paid apart from the final 2 ½% 13697 A request had been made by Branston Ltd to have netball markings with the intention of forming a new team. Enquiries would be made about goals. 13698 The bank account set up for the Astro Court would be merged with the Recreation Ground account from April. b) Byelaw for Recreation Ground. 13699 The advice given by the LCC solicitor was considered. It was agreed that signage prohibiting the use of model aircraft should be put up in the first instance.

Item 9 Governance Review – a) Risk Assessment. 13700 Cllr Clarke had suggested that the risks relating to the play equipment should be split in two to cover business and safety. The changes relating to the handyman would be deferred until his return to work.

Item 10 13701 Finance: a) Accounts for payment. Mrs S Stead Wages & Expenses 953.75 Mr R Williamson Wages & SSP 645.53 Revenue & Customs Tax & NI 37.47 Mr S Vinter Litter picking 45.00 Mrs C Kirk Cleaning 50.00 Matthew Vigurs Pitchmarking 195.00 NKDC Dog Bin Service 1980.00 Ian Green Electrical Amenity & loft lights 806.40 ESPO Mop bucket 34.18 Grundy Agricultural Mower Repair 39.78 E-on Christmas Tree Decoration 420.00

Item 11 Cooption Vacancy. 13702 An application had been received from Mr Andy Marchant. It was proposed by Cllr Wood and seconded by Cllr Lundgren to invite Mr Marchant to join the Council at the next meeting. It was noted that although the only application received, it had been a strong application. 2369/12 Item 12 Urgent items for information. 13703 Cllr Wood had been made aware of a dog fouling problem at the infant school. It appeared that someone was exercising their dog in the school grounds after hours. The clerk said that a feature article was planned for the front page of the next Newsletter.

Item 13 To resolve on whether the Council will move into closed session. Cllr Lundgren proposed and Cllr Newman seconded the resolution.

The meeting closed at 10.15pm.