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MINUTES OF A MEETING OF HILPERTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT THE VILLAGE HALL, WHADDON LANE, HILPERTON, at 7.30 pm on Tuesday, 20th July, 2010

There were three members of the public present

PRESENT Mr. E. Clark Mrs. S. Sawyer Mrs. K. Hayes Mr. K. Jackson Mr. R. House Mr. T. Carbin Ms. P. Turner Mrs. J. Waring

Also in attendance: PC Mark Hough

Before the start of the meeting, Mr. Peter Hayes voiced his concerns about the proposals under planning application 10/02029/FUL. Mr. Kendrick Jackson, as a member of the public, also made comments regarding planning application 10/01920/FUL and said he would be declaring a prejudicial interest when this application was discussed. The Chairman declared the meeting open at 7.38 p.m. .

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Mr. V. Bielecki, Mr. W. Jameson, Mr. J. Willis and Mr. D. Tucker.

2. DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL/PREJUDICIAL INTEREST Planning application 10/02029/FUL: Mrs. K. Hayes, prejudicial, being a neighbour of the applicant. Planning application 10/02115/FUL: Mrs. K. Hayes, personal, having been approached by a number of parishioners. Planning application 10/01920/FUL: Mr. K. Jackson, prejudicial, due to his residing opposite the site in question.

3. MINUTES The Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on the 15th June, 2010, were approved and signed.

4. MATTERS ARISING Minute 7 – Police: The information sheet on car parking, which the Clerk had received from PCSO Usborne, had been included in the parish magazine. Minute 8 – The Future of Library: The Chairman had chaired the meeting of the Area Board on the 1st July, when this matter had been discussed. He said that, unfortunately, the library would be moving into County Hall and assurances had been given by Council that there would be adequate parking and signage. It was generally agreed that there had been inadequate consultation on this issue.

5. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR The Chairman was pleased to announce that Hilperton had again won the large village category of the west Wiltshire round of the Best Kept Village Competition, beating Holt, Bratton and . He said he would prepare and send a press release to the Wiltshire Times. The judges had been particularly impressed with the allotments and said the village should be proud of them, as they were being immaculately kept. These comments would be passed on to the allotment association by the Chairman. The village would now go through to the County Round of the competition to be judged at the end of July.

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6. WILTSHIRE COUNCILLOR a) Mr. Clark said that, when the new public house was opened at the local centre on Paxcroft Mead, Attivo would be introducing parking restrictions. Some parking spaces would have a 20-minute restriction and the others three hours, although some permits would be granted to the community centre. b) Mr. Clark gave details of a number of consultations taking place between and other bodies. The consultation on waste would go on until the 20th August; the car parking consultation would be looking at an increase in fees; and the leisure review would most likely see the closure of the Trowbridge pool and a leisure campus built. c) Details had been received of major maintenance works on the A350, the first phase being at the crossroads in September. The works would start on the 10th and last for approximately three weeks under a temporary road closure which would be in place from Littleton roundabout to West Ashton crossroads. During the road closure, one of the diversion routes would include Hilperton, and Mr. Jackson expressed his concern that, instead of using Hilperton Drive, the volume of diverted traffic along Road would be unbearable. It was agreed that highways should be contacted and a request made for some sort of signage at the eastern and western by-pass roundabouts at the Devizes Road entrance to indicate a temporary road closure to co-incide with the A350 road closures, to stop Devizes Road being used as a ‘rat run’.

7. POLICE PC Mark Hough gave a report on crime over the past month in the Hilperton area. He said things had been fairly quiet, but there had been incidences of anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, IT fraud, theft and domestic violence. The police were dealing with some anti-social behaviour, both in Millards Close and other places, and there were incidences of young people ‘camping out’ in rural areas, with accompanying problems of litter, fires, drink, drugs, etc.

There was still a core of badly behaved young adults on Paxcroft Mead, two of whom were nearing the possibility of having ASBO’s served on them. Some signs had been smashed, paving slabs broken etc. There had also been thefts of lead from The Mead School and the Community Centre.

PC Hough said he was aware of the on-going speeding problems in various areas of the village and he referred to a number of un-taxed cars being parking at the Village Hall car park. This problem seemed to have now been resolved. There had recently been a large party at the Village Hall, with young people leaving litter around and breaking trees. Fridays and Saturdays were the big issue days for the police and PC Hough said there was still a concern about youngsters coming into the area from other places and causing problems.

8. ITEMS FOR REPORT AND DISCUSSION Allotments The Chairman said that the opening of the allotments would take place on Saturday, 31st July, from 2pm onwards, with a barbecue and raffle. He had been invited to formally open the allotments at 3 p.m. and his wife, Jacqui, had been asked to give a blessing. All parish councillors would be warmly welcomed on the day.

The Clerk had received a copy of the Hilperton Allotments Newsletter for July, and a copy of the new Allotments Constitution.

Parish Steward The Clerk said that the Parish Steward had been in Hilperton on the 23rd June for one day only. He had since been asked to cut back the hedges opposite the entrance to Marsh Farm and hopefully this would 39/2010 be done on his visit on the 20th and 21st July. In August the stewards would be responding to ragwort problems, and the next visit to Hilperton would be on the 22nd September.

Trowbridge Community Area Parish Councils’ Liaison Group Mr. Jackson reported on the meeting he had attended on the 8th July. The group was still pressing the case for improvements to Trowbridge railway station. The issue of cycleways had been discussed, with the group arguing that priority for cycleways should be given to villages to enable safe and easy journeys to be undertaken by the public, especially school children. PC Hough had said that all new estates should be built incorporating integrated cycleways. Discussion had taken place on the future of Trowbridge library and the lack of proper consultation. As far as funding of the PCLG was concerned, the Area Board would be approached for a grant to support future meetings of the group.

Mr. Jackson reminded members that the next meting would be on Wednesday, 29th September, at 7pm at Southwick Village Hall.

Kissing Gates The Clerk said that two people had come forward, willing to sponsor a gate each. She had also received a communication from Paul Millard to say that there was a grant available from Wiltshire Council, called a ‘Parish Improvement Grant’ scheme (PIGS) which could provide match funding on a 50/50 split, which would be a useful way of splitting some of the cost. If the Parish Council and Trowbridge Town Council were to put in a joint bid for funding, then each Council would have to come up with less money, in the region of £700 each. In his original letter, however, he had asked the Parish Council for financial assistance in the region of £1,000, and, with the two sponsorships costing £100 each, all the Parish Council needed to find was £800, so there would be no point in applying for a grant. The Clerk was asked to contact Mr. Millard so that he could clarify the situation, and it was agreed that another bid to attract sponsors should be included in the parish magazine and the matter discussed further at the September PC meeting.

Discussion then took place on whether or not the proposed galvanised kissing gates should be painted and it was agreed, by a vote of five in favour and three against, that Mr. Millard should be asked to arrange for them all to be painted a dark, forest green.

Dropped Kerb Requets – Trowbridge Area Board Two requests had been received from people in the village who used motability scooters, and both the Chairman and Clerk had made site visits to each area concerned. It was agreed that separate requests should be made to the Area Board for funding, as there was clearly a need for dropped kerbs.

New Planter – Signage Following a visit by the Chairman and Clerk to Citaglen in , a design and quote had been received from them, which the Clerk passed around. After a short discussion, it was agreed that:- a) the crest on the ‘Welcome to Hilperton’ sign should be on the road side rather than the kerb side. b) both the main sign and the sponsorship sign should be coloured a very dark green, with silver edging and white lettering. c) The Clerk and the Chairman should get another quote and it would be left to them to decide which company should be asked to do the work, so that the signs could be up before the September PC meeting and whilst the summer bedding plants were still in bloom.

Village Hall Playground – Consideration of Condition of existing Playground Equipment The Chairman reminded members that, at the last meeting, the possibility of celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, by replacing play equipment at the Village Hall, had been 40/2010 discussed. The Village Hall committee had received a quotation for £500 to replace the steps to the main slide in the play area, but it had been decided that, at the present time, just the two rotten ones should be replaced. A quote had been received, in the sum of £75, which it was agreed would be paid for by the Parish Council, once a formal request had been received from the Village Hall.

Possible Closure of Trowbridge County Court The Chairman reported that there was a possibility of the County Court being transferred to , and it was agreed that the Parish Council should add its weight to back the Area Board in its resistance to this proposal, by writing to voice the Parish Council’s displeasure at the suggestion.

Wiltshire Council – Local Transport Plan – Draft Parking Strategy The Chairman said that Wiltshire Council felt that its current car parking strategy needed to be reviewed to reflect the move to the unitary authority and to ensure that parking charges and standards were broadly consistent across the whole of the county. This would inevitably result in an increase in car parking charges. The consultation would run to the 3rd September and details of the plan could be accessed for viewing at http://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/portal and comments could be made either by e- mail or by post.

Grant Requests: a) Hilperton Brownies/Rainbows Following the June meeting, the Clerk had received a letter from Eileen Taylor, saying that the County had planned a day out at Longleat to celebrate Guiding Centenary Year. Her two units were planning to attend and the Parish Council was asked if a grant could be made to help to pay for the cost of the coach, which would be £275. The Clerk had replied, asking which Brownie/Rainbow pack was going to Longleat, when the day out was planned, and whether or not there had been any fund-raising by the group to try to raise some money for the coach. No reply had been received, so no grant could be considered, and it was agreed that the Clerk should write again to Mrs. Taylor. b) Transport Costs to Sunday Club A request had been made, on behalf of two elderly lady residents of the village, for help with transport costs when they attended a monthly Sunday Club in Trowbridge (ten times a year). At the present time the ladies had to pay £5.50 each way for a taxi to the Civic Hall. The Sunday Club would be moving to Longfield Community Centre in August, resulting in a fare increase of £1 each way. There used to be transport laid on but the bus which picked up other pensioners did not now go as far as Hilperton. Discussion took place on this and on a letter which had appeared recently in the Wiltshire Times, resulting in a proposal by Mr. Carbin that further discussion should be deferred until the next budget setting, when the Parish Council could consider setting up some kind of fund to assist with requests such as this. His proposal was seconded by Mr. House, with four in favour, three against and one abstention. In the meantime, it was also agreed that the Parish Council should contact Trowbridge Town Council to see if the bus could come to Hilperton, as it used to, because it might be more cost effective to pay the Town Council to bring the bus to the village.

Culverts in Whaddon Lane The Clerk had received a response to her e-mail, from Paul Snook, saying that the culvert in question had been jetted several times over the last few years, without success, as there was a blockage which could not be cleared. He had located the blockage point and would arrange for excavation to dig down, investigate and repair. The Clerk was asked to pass this information on to Mr. Tucker.

41/2010 Reduced Street Lighting – Consideration of possible new sites The Chairman reminded members that the Parish Council had responded to Wiltshire Council’s Trowbridge Area Board by suggesting that lights could be extinguished between midnight and 5.30 am along the Hilperton Drive (A361), and the lights along the Trowbridge Road (B3105) could be suitable for dimming between midnight and 5.30 am. It appeared, however, that Trowbridge Town Council and other parish councils in the area were not very supportive of this scheme and had not come forward with any suggestions.

After a short discussion, the Chairman proposed that lights along Church Street, Hill Street, Marsh Road and Horse Road should be considered suitable for dimming between midnight and 5.30 am. This was seconded by Ms. Turner. In the discussion that followed, Mr. Carbin stressed the need for residents along these roads to be consulted regarding the possibility of reducing their street lighting, and this was added as an amendment to the proposal, with eight in favour of this amendment.

9. PLANNING MATTERS Applications Mr. Jackson left the room before discussion took place on the following application 10/01920/FUL: Mr. Ken Wilkins, land at 202a Devizes Road Partial demolition of existing building and the erection of a four-bedroomed house and part refurbishment of existing building for the retention of employment use as office/studio space. It was agreed that the Parish Council should support this application, welcoming the latest design. However, the planning authority should be asked to impose a condition, stating that the office/studio should remain as a ‘home office’ and not be used for residential accommodation. Mr. Jackson returned to the meeting.

Mrs. Hayes left the room before discussion took place on the following application 10/02029/FUL: Mr. James Huntley, 18b Horse Road Erection of both a two storey extension and a single storey extension to west elevation It was agreed that the Paris Council should object to this application on the following grounds:- a) The proposed extensions would be overbearing b) The scope and extent of the proposed extensions would be out of keeping with the proportions of the original dwelling c) The proposed extensions would dominate and have a poor relationship with neighbouring properties, in particular No.18a Horse Road. It was agreed that a request should be made to the local Wiltshire Councillor to call this application in for determination by the area planning committee, should the case officer in question be minded to grant permission. When voting took place, the Chairman abstained. Mrs. Hayes then returned to the meeting.

10/02091/TCA: Mrs. M. Moss, Third Acre, Church Street Felling of Yew tree It was agreed that the Parish Council should concur with any decision made by the local Landscape Officer relating to this application.

10/02139/TCA: Mr. and Mrs. Duggan, The Old Rectory, Church Street Felling of a Beech tree It was agreed that the Parish Council should concur with any decision made by the local Landscape Officer relating to this application.

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10/02115/FUL: Mr. David Morgan-Richards, 16a Horse Road Subdivision of existing plot, construction of a separate single detached dwelling with attached single garage, parking spaces, including formation of a new vehicular access. The Chairman reminded members that the Parish Council had objected to a previous application, which had now been withdrawn. This application appeared to try to address some of the issues raised, but not all. It was agreed that the Parish Council should object to this application on the following grounds:- a) Overdevelopment of the site b) The proposal would have a poor relationship with the other two bungalows c) The plans relating to the upper windows of the proposed dwelling did not show obscure glazing and this would affect the privacy of No. 16b Horse Road. d) Under new government ruling, gardens could not now be considered brown-fill sites in planning terms. In addition, the planning authority should be informed that there could be a problem with the ditch and verge on the boundary to the land, and the applicant should clarify responsibility for this. It was agreed that a request should be made to the local Wiltshire Councillor to call this application in for determination by the planning authority, should the case officer in question be minded to grant permission. When voting took place, the Chairman abstained.

Decisions 10/01375/FUL: Mr. J. Andrews and Miss T. Newman, 12 Foxglove Drive Side extension – permission with conditions

10/01612/ADV: Marstons plc – land adjacent to Hackett Plce, Paxcroft Mead Freestanding signage and signage attached to building, including illuminated signage – consent

10/00954/FUL: Mr. David Morgan-Richards, land adjoining 16a Horse Road Subdivision of existing plot, construction of separate single detached dwelling with attached single garage, parking spaces and new vehicular access – application withdrawn

10/01527/TCA: The Old Rectory, Church Street, works to various trees – application withdrawn

10/01742/DEM: Cadfan Developments, Durlston, Hilperton Road Prior notification in respect of demolition – submission of details not required

10/01621/CLE: Mr. Alper Kapan, Paxcroft Café, Paxcroft Certificate of lawfulness for a roadside café – the use lawful and permission granted

10/01735/HRN: Wessex Water Services Ltd., land west of Outmarsh Farm, Outmarsh Hedge removal – no hedgerow retention notice made

10/01714/FUL: Mr. and Mrs. J. Shipton, 190 Devizes Road Proposed single storey rear extension and alterations – permission with conditions

10. CORRESPONDENCE None received.

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11. PUBLICATIONS a) War Memorials Trust bulletin – May, 2010 b) Your Wiltshire Magazine – June/July, 2010 c) Society of Local Council Clerks, Wiltshire Branch Newsletter – June, 2010 d) Paxcroft Mead Community Centre Management Committee – Minutes of meeting held on the 2nd June, 2010, and agenda for meeting on the 7th July, 2010 e) Trowbridge Rural Neighbourhood Policing Newsletter – 3rd quarter, 2010 f) WALC Newsletter – June, 2010 g) Wiltshire Music Centre – Autumn and Winter programme, 2010/2011 h) Clerks and Councils Direct – July, 2010 i) Trowbridge Living – Summer, 2010 j) Wiltshire Council Parish Newsletter – July, 2010 k) The Clerk – July, 2010 l) WALC Newsletter – July, 2010

12. ACCOUNTS Payments authorised Clerk’s salary and expenses for July, 2010 £620.57

Mrs. L. House, plants for War Memorial £42.05

Trowbridge Town Council – New planter, including delivery £484.63 (including £72.18 VAT)

A further invoice had been received from the Town Council, in the sum of £897.51 (including £133.67 VAT) for bedding plants and maintenance. £467.34 (ex VAT) of this related to the Grangeside Business Centre’s plants, for which they had been invoiced by the Parish Council. It was agreed that the Parish Council should pay its share of the Town Council invoice and wait until receipt of a cheque from Grangeside Business Centre before paying the rest.

13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS AND VILLAGE MAINTENANCE a) Mr. Jackson said that the state of the traffic calming ramps along the Devizes Road to the junction of Ashton Road was deteriorating. b) Mrs. Sawyer said that the elder bush outside 99 and 100 Church Street badly needed cutting back and there were also lots of weeds in the gutters in The Knap. c) Mrs. Waring said that the litter bin she had ‘rescued’ had still not been put back. d) Mrs. Waring encouraged members to have their say about Wiltshire Council’s waste collection and recycling proposals. Leaflets could be picked up from libraries, leisure centres, Wiltshire Council’s main receptions, Town Council offices or on-line at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/waste. Mr. Jackson added that the PCLG had already sought clarification concerning the collection of plastic, and Mr. Carbin said that Wiltshire Council was not planning at the present time to provide a separate food waste collection. e) Mr. House had been asked by a resident if there had been any progress regarding the ‘Gap’ road. The Chairman said no progress had been made and it was intertwined with the east of Trowbridge development. f) Mr. House had also been asked by the same resident whether it was necessary for fire engines, ambulances and police cars to use sirens in built-up areas. PC Hough said that sirens were only ever used in emergencies. g) Both Mr. Carbin and Ms. Turner confirmed that the burnt-out waste bin in Stourton Park had not yet been replaced.

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14. ITEMS FOR PARISH NEWS/LOCAL PRESS a) Results of the Best Kept Village competition b) Sponsorship of proposed kissing gates, Hilperton Marsh c) Consultation regarding possible reduced street lighting d) A350 road works e) Upcoming parking restrictions at the centre, Paxcroft Mead

15. DATE OF NEXT MEETING Tuesday, 21st September, 2010, with possible planning committee meetings before this date.

The meeting ended at 9.17 p.m.

Signed …………………………………………………………. Date ……………………….