Page 1 of 28 Minutes of the Meeting of the Rimpton Parish Council Tuesday 6 May 2008 Rimpton Village Hall Present R. Gibbs Chair
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Minutes of the Meeting of the Rimpton Parish Council Tuesday 6h May 2008 Rimpton Village Hall Present R. Gibbs Chairman C. Petheram Vice Chairman C. Ryall Councillor B. Hunter-Inglis Councillor P. Caruth Councillor A. Neill Clerk In Attendance M. Lewis District Councillor H. Hobhouse County Councillor S. Barnes SSDC Play and Youth Facilities Officer T. Mead PCSO Mrs Thelma Mead R. Stephens Tree Warden C. Kirkpatrick Leader of the Playground Refurbishment Project 5 Local Electors 1. Open forum for Electors to raise matters of concern Mr John Spencer raised the issue of the future of the Playing Field. He had been unable to attend the presentation by Fields in Trust and wanted assurance that any action being considered by the Parish Council would safeguard the field for the benefit of the Village and as an open recreation space. The Chairman advised that this subject was to be considered under item 8. a. on the agenda and he felt all of Mr Spencer’s concerns would be addressed at that time. Mr Richard Stephens commented that Rimpton was not unique and many Councils were probably considering similar action. The Clerk confirmed that he had been instructed by the Parish Council to investigate the current protection covering the Playing field and with the assistance of Mr Ken Marsh of the Somerset Playing Field Association had established that little to no protection currently exists. Mr Richard Stephens raised the issue of speeding in the Village which he considered was getting worse and it was only a matter of time before an accident occurred particularly where Back Lane joined Middle Street. Councillor Ryall observed that this was a frequently raised issue and the Parish Council need to get and take the advice of the District and County Councils as well as the Police. PCSO Mrs Thelma Mead noted that Sherborne had purchased an automatic speeding sign that they were prepared to rent out for £50 per week. It was acknowledge that there was no speed limit in the Village and as noted by Mr Ian Mackay 30 miles was probably inappropriate (too fast) in certain parts of the Village, at road junctions such as Back Lane, Home Farm Lane and Middle Street and on some of the bends going out of the Village to the White Post Inn junction. It was agreed that those people travelling at inappropriate speeds came from all age groups. It was further agreed that it came down to a question of educating Residents on the issue and finding a way of getting the message over. It was agreed to hold on any specific action until County Councillor Henry Hobhouse has had the opportunity to raise the issue with Mrs Bev Norman (Highways Engineer). Mr Ian Mackay raised a concern regarding the tree planted at the entrance to the Village Hall car park in that unless it was protected by a guard it was likely to be damaged by deer. Mr Mackay thought he may have some spare suitable plastic guards and it was agreed that the Tree Warden would liaise with Mr Mackay regarding this. Page 1 of 28 Mr Mackay questioned the work being undertaken with regard to the repositioning of the gate in the Paddock recently purchased by Mr John Townsend and whether putting the new gate on the junction of High Street and Back Plan was safe. The Clerk confirmed that the matter had been discussed and cleared by the Planning Department and the Highways Department. PCSO Mrs Thelma Mead reported that in the last 4 to 5 months the only incidents had related to road traffic issues at and around the White Post Inn junction and the Village itself has been very quiet. She also advise that there was to be a “Beat Surgery” at Marston Magna Village Hall on the 23rd May. There being no other questions the Chairman closed the Open Forum at 08:05 pm. 2. Playground Refurbishment Project Progress Report – Mrs Caroline Kirkpatrick Progress Report 2 – 6th May 2008 Since the last report to the Parish Council (5 th February 2008) the team has held a further 4 meetings and the notes of the meetings have been provided for the Parish Council so that they can be appended to the minutes of this Parish Council Meeting. The Team has also been active in visiting other local village playgrounds to observe possible equipment and to increase overall knowledge of the range and type of equipment available. Probably the single most significant event was the survey of all Rimpton Residents views. This was based on a form designed by the Team and included a specific section for young people. The number of returns whilst relatively low (37 out of approx 120 distributed) was informative as was the input from the young people – the results of the survey can be seen in the notes of the meeting held on 19 th March 2008. The Team have used the results to shape their thinking on the possible equipment to be selected as part of the project. The Team has also obtained sample pricing for the potential equipment identified as a result of the survey and a matrix of these costs can be seen in the notes of the meeting held on 3 rd April 2008. Recently we have been gathering information about the sources of potential funding and have in our possession many application forms that will need to be completed. The Team have reached the point that they are able to give an indication of the likely size of the budget that will be required (this will be further refined over the coming months) and the major milestones planned for the next 4 to 5 months. These are :- 1. Outline Budget –likely to be in the order of £30 000 to £40 000 2. We would like the Parish Council to start to consider its own contribution. We are not expecting an amount to be committed at this meeting but if possible we would like to be advised by the end of May. Page 2 of 28 3. The Team plans to begin applying for funding in early June and by that time we will be close to finalising the range of potential equipment and our strategy of purchase. 4. The Team plans to hold a meeting early in June to which all Rimpton residents will be invited. This will take the form of a presentation covering the projects progress, the points and factors considered, the equipment being selected and why, funding and procurement strategy. 5. The Team hopes to start to enter the procurement phase in late July/August when the funding position will be clearer. Mrs Caroline Kirkpatrick Team Leader Comments from Mr Stephen Barnes SSDC Play and Youth Facilities Officer The Clerk reminded the Parish Council that Mr Barnes has been working closely with the Team acting as an advisor bringing his considerable experience of these types of projects. Mr Barnes stated :- He had first got involved when meeting Councillors last November to discuss options. He has also been working closely with the team He feels that it is a strong Project group which includes two Councillors and 3 Residents and that the Team have very good terms of reference. The consultation in the village was very important as it is vital to ensure the views of the community are fully taken into account and to be seen to shaping the views of the Team and the direction of the Project. The Team has been considering what type of equipment might be selected and has been taking the time to visit other playing fields to gather ideas and to learn about aspects such as what type of surfaces will be required. He stated that the team has been very busy and has been pushing very hard which is extremely encouraging. He believes the Project will take at least 12 months and the coming phases of applying for funding and consideration of which suppliers to select will be key. Councillors Ryall and Caruth felt that Mr Barnes summary was very good and confirmed that there was a lot of enthusiasm in the Team. They also felt that whist the budget might be ambitious it was felt it was achievable. Mr Barnes stated that he was aware of many projects where the spend was between £20,000 and £30,000 and he thought the Rimpton budget was realistic but could also be cut back if sufficient funding was not forthcoming. The question of the Parish Councils contribution was briefly discussed. The Clerk suggested that the Parish Council needed to take the time to remind themselves of the contribution of other Parish Councils (e.g. West Camel) and the state of the Parish Councils funds. It was agreed that this would be discussed amongst the Councillors with a decision being made and communicated to the Team by the end of the month. Page 3 of 28 3. Minutes of the Meetings of Tuesday 5th February 2008 It was confirmed that the minutes of the quarterly meeting held on Tuesday 5th Febuary 2008 had been circulated to the Councillors. The Chairman confirmed on behalf of the Council that they were a true and accurate account of the previous meeting. The Chairman duly signed the minutes at the end of the meeting. 4. Matters arising The Clerk advised that a report on matters arising had been circulated to the Parish Council Prior to the meeting. The Clerk summarised these as follows :- Point Raised at Meeting 5th February Topic Action Since Last Meeting 2008 The Clerk was instructed to contact the Signs have been posted in 5 locations Dog Dog Warden regarding the signs and to and a reminder was publish in the Fouling seek further advice as well as draft a March issue of the Parish Magazine reminder for the Parish Magazine.