1283 Minutes of the meeting of Westwood Parish Council held in the Parish Rooms, Westwood at 7.30 pm on Monday 4 January 2010. Present Cllr. J Robertson Chairman Cllr. T Biles Cllr. J Bishop Cllr. Howard-Evans Cllr. J Johnston Cllr. A Parker Mr R Coleman Clerk Wiltshire Councillor Linda Conley attended the meeting (Part-time). PC Martin Barrett attended the meeting (Part-time). There were seven members of the public present initially. 1. Welcome and Introductions. The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. 2. Apologies. Apologies for non-attendance were received from Cllr. S Harding. Clerk’s Note. Cllr. Edwards advised the Clerk, subsequent to the meeting, that transport difficulties prevented him from attending this meeting. 3. Minutes of the Ordinary Parish Council Meeting held on 7 December 2009. The minutes of this meeting were signed as a true and accurate record. 4. Neighbourhood Policing. a. PC Barrett stated that there was nothing significant to report in respect of Westwood. He added that there had been two burglaries in Holt and one at Bradford Leigh. b. There were no matters that needed to be brought to the attention of the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT). 5. Bradford on Avon Community Area Board. a. Elly Townsend, Community Area Board Manager, gave a short presentation on the work of the Board and the challenges that it faces. She emphasized that the Area Board was very keen to work with Parish Councillors and with the Wiltshire Councillors in order to address the issues that directly affected the local communities. A Question and Answer session followed during which councillors questioned the power of the Area Boards to make decisions and commented on the absence of any powers delegated to the Area Board from Wiltshire Council. On this matter, Ms. Townsend replied that the Area Boards were still in their infancy and that their structure and authority were continually being reviewed to make them more effective. b. The Council highlight the absence of decision-making powers of the Area Boards as a major concern. 6. Adjournment.. The Meeting adjourned for members of the public present to raise any points of interest on any matter. The meeting then re-convened. 1284 7. Bradford on Avon Community Area/Area Board. The Council asked the Clerk to apply for a Community Area Grant to support the purchase and installation of a Bus Shelter in the village. The Council resolved to match funding of the Bus Shelter up to £1500. There were no other matters that needed to be referred to the Area Board at its next meeting (21 January 2010). 7. Sub-Committees. Sub-Committee Reports. a. The Clerk reported that the current financial position was as follows: Westwood Parish Council - Financial Statement - 4 January 2010 Lloyds TSB A/C 1643417 Bank Statement £ 5,601.83 01-Dec-09 Credits (1 Dec 2009 to 31 Dec 2009) : None 0 Total: £ - Debits (1 Dec 2009 to 31 Dec 2009): 07-Dec Clerk's Expenses (Nov) £ 30.52 S&J Grounds Ltd (November) £ 160.00 St Johns CC (Newsletter) £ 44.58 Total: £ 235.10 Balance at 31 December 2009: £ 5,366.73 Credits (1 Jan 2010 to 4 Jan 2010) : Monument Fees (J Long) £ 60.00 Total: £ 60.00 Debits (1 Jan 2010 to 4 Jan 2010): 01-Jan Clerk's Salary (Dec) £ 255.16 Total: £ 255.16 Balance at 4 January 2010: £ 5,171.57 Lloyds TSB A/C 7573321 Bank Statement £ 9,572.21 09-Oct-09 Credits: 10-Nov Interest £ 0.35 (Approx) 1285 10-Dec Interest £ 0.35 (Approx) Total: £ 0.70 (Approx) Debits: None Total: £ - Balance at 4 January 2010: £ 9,572.91 National Savings A/C 138409348 Balance at 5 January 2009 £ 7,514.88 Credits: Interest 1/1/08 to 31/12/08: £ 236.15 Debits: £ - Balance at 4 January 2010: £ 7,751.03 Balance in hand at 4 January 2010: £ 22,495.51 Payments to be authorised (4 January 2010). Clerk's Salary (Jan 2010) £ 255.16 Clerk's Expenses (Dec 2009) £ 26.76 Clerk's Office Allowance (Annual) £ 175.00 S&J Grounds Ltd (December) £ 160.00 V Cooke (Nov/Dec) £ 69.00 St Johns CC (Newsletter) £ 72.65 TOTAL: £ 758.57 Donations/Subscriptions to be considered (4 January 2010). £ - TOTAL: £ - b. The Clerk stated that he had not received a Quotation for pruning the Cherry Trees. The Council asked him to progress this matter. c. The Clerk stated that he had not received a Quotation for installing new gate/replace fence palings at Westwood Park Play Area. The Council asked him to progress this matter. d. The Council resolved unanimously to make the payments under ‘Payments to be authorised’ above. Planning. a. The Council noted the status of the following planning application and agreed to send the comments shown to Wiltshire Council: 09/03688/TPO 5 Chestnut Grove Tree Works No PC Objections. b. There were no planning applications received after 30 December 2009. Councillors noted that a significant number of Avoncliff residents had made representations during the public adjournment to register their firm opposition to the proposal to install two Archimedes screw turbines and that knowledge of this proposal had emerged following an application to the Environmental 1286 Agency by the applicant (SPE Developments Ltd) for permission to 'extract water' from the River Avon - a requirement if water turbines are to be installed. The objections had centered, largely, on their visual appearance (they will be extremely large and incongruous in the setting of the North Mill in the hamlet of Avoncliff), the noise impact (Archimedes's screw turbines are very noisy), the adverse effect on water flows and water 'back-up' both locally and downstream at Bradford on Avon and the disproportionate scale of the venture - the electrical power to be generated will greatly exceed the domestic requirements of North Mill and it has all the hallmarks of a commercial enterprise (selling power back to the National Grid). Westwood Parish Council discussed this matter and resolved unanimously to support the residents of Avoncliff in their opposition to the proposed installation of two Archimedes screw turbines at North Mill. The Parish Council confirmed that it fully supports the generation of 'green' energy but such schemes must be tailored to meet the likely demands of the property involved and to be sympathetic to the location of the property and the environmental impact such schemes will have on the locality. The Council observed that there are other types of turbines suited to such environmentally sensitive locations that would have minimal environmental impact and that would generate electricity far more efficiently than is possible with an Archimedes screw turbine. The Clerk was asked to write to the Environmental Agency, Wiltshire Council and the Wiltshire Council member for Westwood and Winsley expressing these sentiments. Cemetery. There were no matters raised relating to the state of the Cemetery. Cllrs. Bishop and Parker commented that it appeared to be in a good condition. Footpaths. Cllr. Johnston stated that there was nothing to report. Open Spaces. a. In the absence of a member of the Sub-Committee, no report was given. Cllr. Biles reported on behalf of the Open Spaces Sub-Committee, having received a brief from one of its members. He reported the following: • The bench nearest to the Nursery School in Westwood Park is missing a slat. • There is a lump of concrete under this bench that is protruding and it may present a trip hazard. • More gravel is required to be placed under this bench. Cllr. Bishop agreed to contact Mr Cooke and to request that he attends to these matters. Cllr. Biles added that a parishioner had requested that dog walkers using the park should be required to keep their dogs on a lead. The Council was unable to support this proposal. Cllr. Howard – Evans commented that there appears to be an increase in dog fouling in the park. The Clerk was asked to obtain appropriate notices from the Dog Warden to display in the park to encourage dog owners to use the dog fouling bins provided for disposing of dog waste. b. Councillors reported that the Play Equipment appeared in good order. Clerk’s note. Subsequent to the meeting, Playforce submitted a quotation of £390 for undertaking the work specified as necessary in the RoSPA Annual Safety Inspection Report. The Clerk gave Playforce the authority to proceed with this work. Environmental. Cllr. Johnson requested that the Parish Steward be asked to clear the two road drains located between The Malthouse and the New Inn. She asked that confirmation be obtained that weed killing had taken place in The Pastures. The Clerk stated that he had observed a weed killing machine being driven around the village shortly after the last Parish Council meeting. Cllr. Johnson was not convinced that any weed killing had taken place and asked the Clerk to ensure that prior to a visit by the Parish Steward to 1287 undertake weed killing she would wish to talk to the Parish Steward directly and point out the exact location of the weeds. Cllr. Biles stated that a parishioner had expressed concerns over heavy goods vehicles travelling through Upper Westwood and had furnished Cllr. Biles with examples of road signs that could be installed at the turn-off for Upper Westwood from the Lower Westwood Road (west of the village) in order to prevent such lorries traversing Upper Westwood. Councillors were not aware of a problem of heavy lorries in Upper Westwood and suspected that they were making deliveries to Downside Nurseries and travelling no further through Upper Westwood. The Clerk commented that the Parish Council had no authority to install the road signs proposed because they were prohibitive mandatory signs that were the responsibility of the Highways authority, namely Wiltshire Council.