COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Minutes of the Meeting of the PLANNING AND GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE held on 15 JUNE 2010

PRESENT: Chair: Councillor Derek Butler Vice-Chair: Councillor Sue Stevens

Councillors: As per the Council Meeting

Officers: R N Barnes, Clerk & Financial Officer

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Linda Butler, Tony Hughes and David McFarlane.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

There were no declarations of interest made by Members.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING:

IT WAS RESOLVED: that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 18 May 2010 be received as a true record and signed by the Chair.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES:

Link Footpath – Main Road – Lansdown Road

Correspondence had been received from County Council confirming that the footpath was constructed by the former Rural District Council during the construction of the adjacent garage site and the properties in Heron Close. It had been agreed at that time that the County Council would maintain the footpath as a public footpath.

Members noted the position and welcomed the protection this afforded for the continued use of this footpath by members of the public.

Advice and Counselling Services in Broughton & Bretton

The Clerk advised the Committee that Flintshire County Council’s Mobil Office service was being curtailed with effect from 30 June 2010. At the Committee’s request he undertook to write to the County Council to ascertain the reason for this decision.

- 14 - Chair’s Signature______Flintshire County Council Environmental Competition

Councillor Mullin confirmed that he had passed on the application form to residents of Bretton although he was not hopeful that they would submit an application to enter the competition.

POLICE MATTERS:

The Chair welcomed PC Phil Mather and PCSO Jason Knowles to the meeting and invited the Officers to address the Committee.

PCSO Knowles reported that 518 incidents had been reported to Police Station over the previous month of which 25 were crimes relating to Broughton & Bretton, 15 of those being at the Shopping Park.

PC Mather confirmed that the North Police had attended the Broughton & Bretton Community Centre Association’s Spring Fayre, where they had taken the opportunity to solicit the views of members of the public on the three priority areas to be tackled. Those identified were parking by the village schools, speeding through the village and antisocial behaviour.

PC Mather said that he had met the Operations Manager at Broughton Shopping Park in connection with an issue with boy racers who meet there. He said that the youngsters tended to congregate in the Mcdonalds car park, which was now being kept under surveillance by the Shopping Park security staff. Anyone observed acting in an inappropriate manner was now being issued with a joint Police/Broughton Shopping Park leaflet advising them about their behaviour.

The Chair thanked the Officers for their report and invited relevant comments or questions. The Clerk asked the Officers to monitor the Country Park as there was evidence of heavy drinking going on there despite the Alcohol Control Zone warning signs which had recently been erected.

In response to a local Member PC Mather confirmed that the Officers visited the Broughton Youth Club whenever shifts corresponded with Club meeting times. As a result antisocial behaviour relating to youngsters attending the Youth Club had diminished significantly.

The Chair thanked the Officers for their attendance at the meeting.

PROPOSED AMALGAMATION OF BROUGHTON JUNIOR & INFANT SCHOOLS:

The Chair welcomed Mr Tom Davies of Flintshire County Council’s Lifelong Learning Department to the meeting and invited him to outline the proposal to amalgamate the Broughton Junior and Infant Schools.

- 15 - Chair’s Signature______Mr Davies thanked the Council for inviting him to attend its meeting to explain the proposal to amalgamate the Schools. He said he would welcome the Council’s written view in order to include it within the report to be submitted to the County Council’s Executive Committee.

Mr Davies advised that it was now Flintshire County Council’s policy to amalgamate Infant and Junior Schools to form through Primary Schools. The Council had tasked Officers to consult with relevant groups on these proposals. He said that the proposal would see the new School being managed by one Head Teacher and one Governing Body utilising the existing accommodation with adaptations being made to the building to allow the use of the existing link. It was he said hoped that the amalgamation process would be in place by September 2011.

Mr Davies advised that there were a number of potential advantages to amalgamating infant and junior schools into a through primary school. He said that these were:

• A greater capacity for effective use of data and information

• One Head Teacher supported by on Governing Body providing a single vision and common ethos.

• A larger team of staff providing increased expertise and enhanced curricular opportunities

• Greater flexibility in the sharing of staff responsibilities and deployment of teaching and non teaching staff.

• Improved pastoral arrangements

• A consistent whole school approach to learning needs.

• Increased range of additional activities and extra curricular opportunities.

• The more efficient use of resources.

There were however some potential disadvantages such as:

• The loss of tradition and the consequent fear associated with change.

• The belief that the present schools were the best possible in terms of their environment ethos and focus.

Mr Davies said that following the likely decision of the County Council Executive Committee to approve the amalgamation a statutory notice would be published in September which would allow a period of two months for the receipt of any objections. In the event of there being even a single objection the decision would be referred to the Welsh Assembly which had a period of four months to determine the decision.

- 16 - Chair’s Signature______Mr Davies said that to date the responses received to the proposals had been very supportive.

The Chair thanked Mr Davies for outlining the proposal and invited any questions or comments from Members.

Councillor Phil Griffiths spoke highly of the work done by the existing Head of Broughton Infants School and said that he would have every confidence should she become the Head of the newly amalgamated School. He said that he supported the amalgamation as in the past there had been a breakdown of communication between the two Schools.

Councillor Ros Griffiths said that she too supported the proposals and understood that the staff of both Schools were in favour of the proposed amalgamation.

Councillor Mullin said that he supported the proposal but cautioned that the necessary funding must be in place to ensure the necessary building works could be undertaken in advance of the actual amalgamation taking place. Councillor Derek Butler said that he too had concern about the availability of capital funding for both the School and the Library and questioned what guarantees had been received that the funding would be provided. Mr Davies said that the Authority had submitted a bid for funding under the Schools Improvement Grant and whilst it was impossible to predict its success he was hopeful that the decision in July would be a positive one. In the event of the funding not being secured he said that Flintshire County Council would have to fund the works from within its own resources.

The Chair thanked Mr Davies for his attendance at the meeting and apprising Members of the proposal.

IT WAS RESOLVED: to support the principle of the amalgamation of the Broughton Junior and Infant Schools dependant upon the securing of necessary funding for the remodelling of the School including the Library.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS:

IT WAS RESOLVED:-

(a) to formally note that the participation of those Councillors who were also Members of the County Council, in both the debate and subsequent vote, was on the basis that the views expressed were preliminary views taking account of the information presently made available to the Community Council. The County Councillors reserved their final views on the applications until they were in full possession of all relevant arguments for and against.

(b) that the County Planning Authority be advised that this Council’s observations on the planning applications submitted to it were as per the ` attached schedule.

- 17 - Chair’s Signature______PLANNING DECISIONS:

IT WAS RESOLVED: that the decisions taken by the County Planning Authority be noted.

A SHARED COMMUNITY/JOINT CHARTER BETWEEN FLINTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL AND TOWN & COMMUNITY COUNCILS:

The Chair referred Members to the draft version, a copy of which had been circulated with the agenda.

IT WAS RESOLVED: that the Draft Charter be noted.

IMPROVED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TOWN & COMMUNITY COUNCILS AND THE PLANNING ENFORCEMENT TEAM:

The Chair referred Members to the letter from the Head of Planning Team in connection with this matter.

IT WAS RESOLVED: to note receipt of the letter but that any issues concerning planning enforcement would be taken up with the Head of Planning and not the Enforcement Officer.

BROUGHTON BROOK FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT:

The Chair advised that the Council was invited to comment on this project which aimed to reduce the risk of flooding to properties in the vicinity of Broughton Brook.

The Clerk gave a brief explanation on the preferred scheme which would reduce the possibility of flooding to properties in the vicinity of the Brook particularly those in the Brook Lane area of Manor Lane.

IT WAS RESOLVED: that the Environment Agency be advised that Broughton & Bretton Community Council supported the preferred scheme.

BEST KEPT GARDEN COMPETITION:

The Chair invited Councillor Phil Griffiths to speak to this item which he had asked to be placed on the agenda. Councillor Griffiths said that he considered that the holding of a best kept garden competition would assist in raising a community spirit in Broughton, which he felt seemed to be diminishing. He said that the competition could be held at little expense to the Council and that individuals from groups such as the Allotment Holders Association, the Gardening Club and Flintshire County Council’s Tri Ffordd Centre at Bretton could be involved in the judging of the competition.

Members confirmed support for this proposal and:

IT WAS RESOLVED: to organise a competition in the summer of 2011.

- 18 - Chair’s Signature______COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS’ REPORT:

Councillor Mullin advised that he had no matters to report to the Council.

CLERK’S REPORT:

Council’s Office

The Clerk advised the Committee that the lease on the Council’s Office which was in the name of Hawarden Community Council had expired and consideration was now being given to the relocation of the Office to The Lodge at Gladstone Playing Fields, Hawarden in April 2011 when it became vacant. He summarised the advantages of having the Council Office located on the same site as the Council’s Maintenance Depot together with the savings which would occur in using a building already in the ownership of Hawarden Community Council. There would however need to be some minor improvements carried out to the building and it would be necessary to seek planning approval for change of use from residential. In response to the Committee Chair the Clerk confirmed that a meeting of the Joint Services Committee would be convened to discuss this proposal prior to its implementation.

IT WAS RESOLVED: that the report be received.

ITEMS FOR MEMBERS’ PERUSAL:

IT WAS RESOLVED: to note that the following items were available for Members’ perusal:

• Model Concerns and Complaints Policy for Public Service Providers in Wales.

• A Strategy for Flintshire Libraries.

MEMBERS’ INFORMATION ITEMS:

Councillor Stevens advised that the footpath link to Kinnerton via the occupational crossing had been closed off at Green End Farm and asked that this be reported to the Public Rights of Way Officer.

Councillor Mullin advised that the parking bays in the vicinity of the Broughton Surgery required re-lining and asked that this be brought to the attention of the County Council Community & Housing Department.

- 19 - Chair’s Signature______