BASILDON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the meeting of Basildon Parish Council held at the Village Hall, Upper Basildon on 8th November 2018
Present: Mr Ian Parsons (Chairman), Mr Geoff Couchman, Ms Natalie Weekes, Ms Halina Czajka, Mr Alan Law, and Robert Greasley (clerk),
Apologies were received from Councillors Barnes, Cox and Jones.
The following members of the public attended the meeting:
Mr John, Mrs Morgan, Mrs Toms, Mrs Canly, Mrs Foley-Steele, Mrs Elliott, Mrs Oakley, Mr and Mrs Boundey, Mr Adains, Mr Pierre - Traves
1 OPEN FORUM
Mrs Morgan attended the meeting to talk about speeding in the village and was accompanied by various members of the public. The Parish Council were informed that two school children had been hit by a passing car and sustained relatively minor injuries with the incident classed by the police as a ‘hit and run’. Mrs Morgan and others commented that there was a growing feeling that something needed to be done to reduce speeding motorists throughout the Aldworth / Pangbourne Road area of the village before a more serious incident occurs. The Chairman confirmed that the following has taken place or is in progress:
Village Gates have been formally requested through West Berkshire Council. Although these are cosmetic evidence suggests that they have an impact on drivers speed.
Two speed monitoring devices will be installed shortly, one in Upper Basildon, the other in Lower Basildon.
A traffic survey has been completed with results showing an average of 30mph on the Pangbourne Road but higher speeds recorded on a number of occasions. The police have been asked to patrol the area via the Neighbourhood Action Group meeting and parking issues have been raised to West Berkshire Council.
The Parish Council has confirmed it will pay for road gritting to continue on the main roads in the Parish in order to ensure they are safer for pedestrians and road users.
Councillor Law confirmed that traffic cameras would not be a viable option and the clerk confirmed that previous efforts to lower speed limits (Kiln Hill) and have the roads re-lined to show a paved area have been rejected by West Berkshire Council. Likewise traffic calming measures are not a common feature on a rural main road due to agricultural machinery who use it and are unlikely to be adopted in the Parish.
The Chairman asked if those present would be prepared to consider what options they believe would help and suggested a separate meeting between a small group of residents and members of the Parish Council. It was also suggested that the Police should erect a notice at the site of the recent incident in a bid to obtain witnesses and pursue a prosecution on the motorist in question.
2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of interest.
3 MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on the 11th October having been circulated to members were declared correct and signed by the Chairman.
4 PLANNING
No planning applications were presented to the meeting.
Confirmed decisions since the last meeting:
Number Location Request PC Decision WBC Decision 18/02406 Tanglewood, Extension Objection Approved Bethesda Street 18/01637 Site of Former Conditions No Objection Approved Barn House, Park Wall Lane 18/01652 Gatehampton Various works No Objection Approved Bridge
5 Review of Open Actions
Key points of note were as follows:
The Clerk has contacted highways regarding village gates and a survey will take place in the next 10 days.
The Chairman has written to landowners in Lower Basildon regarding hedge cutting.
The Chairman confirmed that Scofell will replace the wild flower beds at the Village Green. Additionally, a new tree will be planted and posts replaced with costs expected for both items.
The Wakemans play area re-paint is set to take place shortly. The work will take approximately 10 days and a local resident has agreed to perform a regular inspection of the park.
The written agreement is now ready between the Village Hall and the Parish Council for the management of the grounds at the Village Hall.
The Grotto and its associated planning applications were discussed. Councillor Law confirmed that there remain issues due to its status as a listed building and the desire of the applicants to build houses on the surrounding land to counter the costs of renovation. Further work by West Berkshire Council is required before a final decision by the planning committee.
Whitchurch FC have asked for the Parish Council to roll the football pitch. The Parish Council will follow this up and pay for the work to take place.
6 FOOTPATHS, HIGHWAYS AND OPEN SPACES
All paths were confirmed as good with no new issues raised over the last month.
7 DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORT
The District Councillor confirms that he has continued to work on local issues. He has also been asked to chair the overview and scrutiny committee and this will be confirmed next month.
8 FINANCE
The following cheques were presented to the meeting:
Ch No PAYEE PURPOSE NETT VAT TOTAL
AMNT
£ £ £
103218 R Greasley Salary 347.40 0.00 347.40
103219 HMRC Tax on salary 231.60 0.00 231.60
103220 Scofell Grass Cutting 366.50 73.30 439.80
103221 Royal British Legion Annual Donation 150.00 0.00 150.00
103222 R Greasley Stamps 8.04 0.00 8.04
The Council accepted cheque numbers 103218-103222 and the ongoing Standing Order to cover litter picking was confirmed.
The clerk updated the Parish Council on the current financial position and confirmed the following:
a) Bank Statements have been received and match the Parish Council records. b) West Berkshire Council have forwarded on the second precept payment and have also forwarded on the 2018 CIL funds raised from new builds in the Parish. The Council will consider how this additional funding can be spent.
10 CORRESPONDANCE
The Clerk confirmed that no correspondence has been received this month.
11 OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
The meeting concluded at 8:30pm
The next meeting will be held on the 13th December 2018 at the Village Hall from 7:30pm