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DORMINGTON & MORDIFORD GROUP PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Group Parish Council held on Wednesday 20th November 2019 at 7.30pm at Priors Frome Chapel

Present Cllrs David Lloyd (Chair), Julia Cotton, Ray Dickson, Derek Hughes, Craig Preedy and Mel Preedy In attendance Chris Bucknell (Parish Clerk)

5 Members of the Public Item Minutes Action 1.0 To Receive Apologies for Absence – Cllr Willow Groeber-Shaw Ward Cllr John Hardwick,

2.0 Declarations of Interest a) To Receive Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest

b) To Approve any Written Requests for Dispensation

There were no requests for dispensations

To Accept Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Group Parish Council held on 3.0 16th October 2019

Resolved: The minutes were accepted and signed by the Chair

Climate Change 4.0 Presentation from Gareth Williams, Managing Director Caplor Energy

Gareth Williams introduced himself as the Chair of Fownhope Parish Council Environment

Working Group, and a member of Hereford Green Network. Fownhope Parish Council had

declared a Climate Emergency and had signed a Climate Declaration. A plan was currently

being developed which split actions into 3 sections, Businesses, Individuals and the Parish

Council and a copy was circulated at the meeting. Gareth gave an overview of what had already

been achieved which included

• 7,100 trees being purchased for distribution around the village

• A clothes recycling project

• The development of Car Clubs

• Discussions about buying Green Energy

Gareth outlined the Carbon Calculator project which would help identify emissions at a local level rather than at the national level, as is currently the case, saying a proposal had been put together for the calculator, materials and plans to work alongside it. Fownhope were currently looking for funding to take the project forward and had made an application to BAIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), asking them for funding to support the project.

Following discussion, it was agreed that:

• The Parish Council were supportive of working collaboratively on climate issues with Fownhope to share practice and resource and it was agreed that Gareth would discuss with the Fownhope Environment Working Group how best to do this. It was suggested that a

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Item Minutes Action routine meeting of relevant groups was arranged, and in addition, information could be shared between Clerks for distribution to the various Parish Councils as appropriate.

• The Parish Council would support, in writing, Fownhope’s climate calculation and Clerk engagement tool project. Gareth would liaise with the Clerk on the content of the letter.

It was also suggested that it would be beneficial if Parish Councils could share information on a wider range of topics and it was agreed that Gareth would approach Lynda Wilcox of HALC to

suggest a forum, where knowledge and expertise could be shared, was set up.

5.0 To Receive Brief Verbal Reports: a) Ward Member – Cllr Hardwick Cllr Hardwick was not present at the meeting and there was no report

6.0 Public Participation Session - There were no comments from the public

7.0 To Consider Planning Matters

a) To Consider any New Planning Applications

Reference Application

Dormington House, Dormington HR1 4ES Listed Building Consent

Alterations to building ground floor - construction of a small partition wall, first 193847 floor - new wall to hold existing door and second floor - replacement shower DL/ room. RD This application had only been received on the day of the meeting and details were not yet on

the website. Clerk Resolved: Cllrs Lloyd and Dickson would visit the property and submit comments to the Clerk

b) To Note any Decisions/Notifications Received Reference Application Decision Awaiting 192375 Wootton Barn, Checkley – Listed Building Consent Decision Wootton Barn, Checkley - Proposed variations to link and existing Awaiting 192375 outbuilding, proposed garage and the provision of solar pv panels Decision on outbuilding roof St Nicholas Mission Church, Checkley – proposed small extension to Awaiting 191199 existing church to provide kitchen and disabled toilet Decision Wootton Farm, Perton Lane, Dormington - application for variation Awaiting 191451 of Condition 15 of DCC083188/F Conversion of barns to residential Decision use Stables and Yard North of the Mews House, Mordiford - Variation of condition 2 of planning permission application 143272/F. Awaiting 192596 Proposed earth sheltered dwelling to replace an existing stable and Decision storage building on a previously developed site.

c) To Consider Other Planning Issues and Updates Cllr Craig Preedy asked if there would be a shortfall in new housing if the bypass did not progress. He also asked if Dormington and Mordiford would be expected to meet some of the shortfall. The Clerk outlined briefly the plans for developing the new Core Strategy and said that, as Dormington and Mordiford did not have an NDP, they would come under the auspices of the Hereford Area Plan which would be informed by the new Core Strategy. More information would become available as the new Core Strategy emerged.

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Item Minutes Action 8.0 Finance a) To receive a Finance Report from the RFO Bank balances: Business Current Account £10,970.89. Business Reserve Account £74,471.91 Income since October meeting £12.65 interest on the Business Reserve Account and a £375 payment for plot and interment in the Burial Ground and a VAT Claim for £604.65 for the period 01/03/19 to 31/10/19 paid.

b) To Agree Payments made since October meeting

Chq/ Expenditure Amount BACS

Balfour Beatty invoice CSUK/OU/80565 for the SID Assessment £490 + BACS £588.00 VAT

Repayment to Wellington Parish Council for 44% of Clerks Conference BACS £35.20 Fees

Donation to Hampton House Residential Home in memory of Mrs Chq 942 £60.00 Judith Hereford Resolved: Payments Approved Clerk c) To Agree Payment of Outstanding Invoices Chq/ Expenditure Amount BACS BACS Enviroability invoice 3866. Monthly Grass Cutting £70.60 BACS Enviroability invoice 3878. Monthly grass cuts and repair of stiles £60.80 Priors Frome Chapel Invoice 33 Use of Room for GPC Meeting BACS £20.00 November D C Gardening invoice SI-573 Maintenance of Churchyard and Burial BACS Ground, Cutting tree from bridleway and clearance of tree from river at £396.00 Pentaloe £330 + VAT Cllr Preedy Claim for mileage related to delivering newsletters BACS £5.40 (reimbursed to Clerk) PIP Printing Invoice 69524. Printing 350 copies of Autumn Parish BACS £228.97 Newsletter Chq 943 Julian Fortey invoice dated 30/10/19. Topping of Checkley Common £200.00 Clerk Resolved: Payments Approved

9.0 Highways, Footpaths and Commons

a) Dormington and Mordiford Traffic/Pedestrian Safety Proposals

i. Update on Dormington SID Application

Cllr Lloyd confirmed that the SID application had been submitted the invoice paid. The

assessment would now be in a queue waiting for it to be done to see if a SID will meet the needs

of the Dormington/Mordiford road.

ii. To Consider Purchase of Bin Stickers for Sufton Rise, Shepherds Orchard, Sufton Lane

Cllr Craig Preedy asked that a set of ‘Slow Down on our Lane’ bin stickers be purchased as the

30mph ones could not be used in Sufton Rise, Sufton Lane and Shepherds Orchard. Clerk Resolved: To purchase 50 bin stickers as proposed by Cllr Craig Preedy

Chq/ Expenditure Amount BACS

BACS Wheelie Bin Stickers. Reimbursement to Clerk £59.99

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Item Minutes Action

b) Highways and Footpath Issues

i. Update on Footpath Maintenance

Cllr Lloyd gave a brief update on footpath maintenance saying there was a need to wait for better

weather before any further work could be undertaken. Cllr Lloyd and the Clerk had attended the

Balfour Beatty Footpath Meeting on 23rd October.

ii. Update on Volunteer Way Wardens Cllr Lloyd reported that since the instigation of the volunteer Way Wardens there had been a number of calls for maintenance work which had been passed onto Enviroabiltiy. Some footpath issues reported fell outside the Parish boundary and these have been passed onto the relevant Parish Footpath Officer for action. iii. Update on Bridleway from Sufton Lane As discussed at the October meeting, Manny Smith (Balfour Beatty Locality Steward) had been approached to ask what could be used to control the bridleway, allowing access to horses and pedestrians but stopping unauthorised vehicles using it. Manny had responded saying Balfour Beatty were very limited in what they could do regarding motor vehicles using a bridleway. Manny said if it was a bridleway there should be no vehicles using it and it would a Police matter for enforcement under the road traffic act and also for the Landowner who may want to place signage on the entrance. Cllr Cotton suggested installing a gate which would deny access to all vehicles except Western Power and the Fire Service but it was felt this would not work for Sufton Lane as the bridleway also provided access to properties. It was felt that nothing further could be done. iv. Update on Footpath from Claston Farm to Western Beggard Following on from the October meeting and the letter of complaint received from a resident, Cllrs Lloyd and Dickson had visited the footpath by Claston Farm and identified that the signpost needed to be stabilised by cementing in position. This would be arranged once the flooded area had subsided. In addition, two waymarks had been fixed in the area of the new poultry house. It was also noted that there was the potential for a 2 in 1 gate to be installed on the on the stretch which went into Western Beggard Parish.

c) Work to be carried out and any Other Issues and Updates Grit Bins – Balfour Beatty had offered all parishes 1 ton of salt free of charge on the proviso that they stored it on hardstanding in a dry environment. It was felt D&M did not have access to anywhere dry enough for the salt. It was also noted that all the salt bins were already full. The Clerk Clerk was asked to ascertain whether the offer of free salt meant that Balfour Beatty would no longer fill the ones that were Herefordshire Council assets. Prevention of run-off from fields onto the roads, ditches, waterways and rivers – It was noted that during the recent bad weather a considerable amount of water had come down Chapel Lane and it was felt that there needed to be a letter to landowners pointing out their responsibility in terms of ditch clearance. Following the October meeting the Sufton Estate had been contacted and they had visited the area by Swarden Quarry, saying that the water appeared to be coming from the bank on the right when facing uphill by Ann's Cottage. They suspected this was a spring and said that part of the wood did not belong to the Sufton Estate. The Clerk was asked to Clerk contact Balfour Beatty to ask if anything could be done.

Update on Checkley Common – as agreed at the October meeting the Clerk had received a copy of the public liability from Julian Fortey and a letter from the Stoke Edith Estate agreeing to the work suggested. The work was commissioned by the resident who had attended the October meeting but, following it having been completed, a letter of complaint had been received from the resident of Yew Tree Cottage who had common grazing rights to Checkley Common saying that she and other residents had not been consulted about the extent of the mowing and was not given notice of the date and time of the mowing. This had resulted in what she considered to be

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Item Minutes Action a welfare issue in terms of her pony who was tethered on the common with mown grass being left within their tethered space. The resident admitted that the topping of weeds and scrub was needed but complained about the low mowing of good grazing grass which she said had now made it impossible for her to graze on the common. She also complained that the contractor had also removed a large amount of dead and living foliage, scrub and branches, including felling of entire living trees. She felt the work had been undertaken with little consideration for wildlife habitat or reducing the available shelter and natural barriers between the road and the common. She said there was no consultation with residents and commoners.

The resident who had originally requested the Common to be mowed was at the meeting and

said the complainant had been consulted about the mowing and was fully aware of what was

being planned.

Cllr Lloyd arranged to meet with the resident to clarify how the work was commissioned and what the contractor was asked to do in terms of the grass, foliage, trees etc. He would then meet DL with the complainant to discuss her issues. This would then be brought back to the Parish Council for further discussion. Update on Damage to Mordiford Bridge – Cllr Hardwick had contacted Highways and Transport about a resident’s concerns; their response is below:

The vertical crack has already been recorded in a recent BBLP inspection. The crack is in line with the upstream widening of the flood arch section of the bridge. The location is in an expected position for differential movement between the original flood arches and the widened section, it is believed to be the construction joint which would allow for the expected movement with the structure. There is no further movement form the previous inspection, we will continue to monitor. The damage from the vehicle strike is recorded and a works order has been raised, this is being programmed with the construction team which will be completed shortly.

The observations around the lean of the upstream parapet are noted, the section was rebuilt in 2006 following a road accident. There was a specific requirement of English Heritage (Historic England) and the council’s Conservation Officer for the existing lean towards the road to be maintained. To undertake the work a template was used to meet the requirements from the statutory bodies. There has been no movement since the section was rebuilt, the majority of coping stones are joined to the neighbouring stone with grouted steel staples. BBLP have inspected and are content that there is no risk of the coping stones falling Inspections are undertaken every 2 years and ad hoc if there are report of bridge strikes or concerns relating to the asset. The use of the bridge by overweight vehicles is a concern which has previously been and will continue to be discussed with the police to establish if enforcement can be undertaken.

10.0 Allotments a) To Consider Adding a Hedge to the Lower Boundaries of Plots 1 and 2 Cllr Mel Preedy reported that she had added enough trees to the free tree giveaway list to facilitate the installation of a hedge on the lower boundary of the allotment, saying that the tenant of Plot 2 had agreed to do the planting for both plots.

b) To Consider and Agree 2020 Allotment Fees

Resolved: That the fees would remain at £50 as in 2019

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Item Minutes Action Mordiford Dragon Project 11.0 a) Update from the Working Group

Marjorie Shakleton gave an update on the project saying there had been some exciting and

creative ideas over the last 2 years but unfortunately as the project had grown, the group of

people able to be involved had reduced to the point where proceeding further was unsustainable

unless more committee members were recruited or expectations were reduced. She said that

the group had perhaps been overambitious in the planning which was a result of the richness of

the heritage. Marjorie envisaged that a scaled down project might involve the Dragon Trail and

the children’s Picture Book Maud and the Dragon which dovetailed with each other. The

Hereford Art College were interested in both and a meeting has been planned to further explore

a collaboration. Marjorie added that because of additional responsibilities she was no longer in a

position to hold a leadership role, although she would still like to be involved in a less demanding

role. Cllr Lloyd asked what type of people would be needed to take the project forward and

Marjorie said those with focus, vision, energy and project management skills. Cllr Mel Preedy said

she was still willing to be involved in putting together the funding bids. Someone would be

required to liaise and collaborate with the Art College and Herefordshire BID.

b) To Consider any Expenditure and Actions

There was no expenditure and no actions at the current time.

12.0 Declaring a Climate Change Emergency

a) To Consider Funding for a Carbon Calculator - This had been covered under item 4.

b) Tree Planting Project, Update and Next Steps

Cllr Mel Preedy updated the meeting about the number of trees currently requested. These

would come to around £900 with the tree protectors. Gareth Williams said that the Parish

Council may get trees at a lower cost from Wyevale or other local wholesaler, rather than the

Woodland Trust. Not all of those who had applied lived within the parish as it had been agreed

that eligibility would extend to those attending Mordiford School as well as residents.

The newsletters had not yet gone out to Checkley (60 copies) and Sufton Lane (20 copies) so it th was agreed to extend the deadline until 28 November in order to give everyone the opportunity

to request trees.

Resolved: To increase the amount of funding to £1,500

c) To Agree Process and Timescale for development of a Sustainable Planning Policy

Templates had been obtained and these would be considered by the Climate Emergency Working th Group which was due to meet on 5 December. Depending on that meeting they would be

revised and presented to the January GPC meeting for approval. Gareth Williams noted that Clerk

there was currently a consultation out asking Parishes to comment on Building Standards with a th deadline of 10 January. Gareth would send the link to the Clerk for circulation

d) Feedback from Herefordshire Green Network Meeting (Great Collaboration) th The Clerk had attended the Hereford session on 18 November and reported that it had been

extremely useful with some informative presentations and an opportunity for those present to

discuss their ideas with others. Those running the meeting had been extremely pleasant,

knowledgeable and approachable and it was felt that this would go a long way to encouraging

parishes to join in with the proposed activities and actions. Further events were taking place in

Bromyard and Ledbury.

e) To Consider Expenditure on Competition Prize

It was proposed to encourage the community to recognise and discuss environmental issues by a

competition on the best way to reduce plastic in the home/business/farm. A prize of a

Sodastream for the best entry was suggested.

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Item Minutes Action

f) To Consider any Other Expenditure

Clerking input would be required for production of the Business Plan and a costed proposal for

this would be brought to the January meeting.

13.0 We Don’t Buy Crime Initiative This item was deferred until the January meeting when more was known about the requirements of the offer and how this would be disseminated locally

14.0 Social Media and Other Parish Council Communications a) To Consider Quotation for Parish Noticeboards (Priors Frome and Pentaloe Green) Following the October meeting the Clerk checked with Herefordshire Council regarding ownership of the noticeboard by The Spout which required new glass. Although it had at one time been a Herefordshire Council asset it was no longer maintained. Cllr Lloyd had obtained a quotation for £92 to provide and fit new toughened glass in the noticeboard. This was agreed.

A discussion took place about the noticeboard at Priors Frome and it was agreed to purchase the

noticeboard which was made of recycled plastic as sourced by Cllr Lloyd from JACS, price

£1,254.95 plus VAT. Cllr Lloyd would make enquires as to whether Enviroability could fit it. DL

b) To Consider Website Accessibility and Legislation Compliance The Clerk updated the meeting about the Website Accessibility Law which stated that websites should be accessible to all, including those with a range of disabilities. Websites published before September 2018 had to be accessible by September 2019 and those published after by September 2020. The Clerk had contacted Eyelid Productions, who had developed the DMGPC website, and had received confirmation that it was compliant. However, the law also required websites to display a statement of accessibility and to date no response had been received from Mark Millmore about when the website would be updated to include this statement.

c) To Consider Quotation and Terms and Conditions for Group Parish Council Logo

It was agreed to put this on hold until more information was known.

d) Dormington Proposal for Parish Council Logo e) To Approve any Expenditure There was no further expenditure

15.0 To Note the Information Sheet (November 2019) and any other Updates The Information Sheet was noted.

16.0 To Raise Items for the next Scheduled Parish Council Meeting (No discussion)

17.0 To Note Date and Time of the Regular Meeting of the Group Parish Council Wednesday 15th January 2020 at 7.30pm at Priors Frome Chapel. Note there will be no meeting in December The meeting closed at 9.30 pm

Signed ……………………………………… Date 15th January 2020 Chairman of Dormington and Mordiford Group Parish Council

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