MINUTES OF THE MAULDEN PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 21ST DECEMBER 2020 IN ZOOM AT 7.30 P.M. PRESENT Cllrs P Allen, R Aston, S Browning, J Coyle(Chairman), P Jackson, M Paterson, S Summerfield, Clerk Alison Winskell and 2 members of the public. IN ATTENDANCE Ward Cllrs M Blair and M Smith 258. APOLOGIES Cllrs M Haywood, K Lawrence, M Richardson, H Wadsworth, B Woodward and Ward Cllr P Duckett 259. DECLARATION FROM MEMBERS IN RELATION TO A PERSONAL OR PREJUDICIAL INTEREST IN ANY AGENDA ITEM None 260. STANDING ORDERS WILL BE SUSPENDED TO ALLOW MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL IN RELATION TO AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA OR TO REQUEST MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY HAVE 3 MINUTES AND MUST CONTACT THE CLERK BY 10AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING WITH THEIR QUESTION WHICH THE CLERK WILL READ OUT TO THE COUNCIL. No one had registered to speak 261. TO RECEIVE A REPORT FROM CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES Cllr Smith – said he has chased the SIDs issue and was told they had been issued! He will chase again. He also spoke about the issues of safety along the A507 across the whole ward, Station Rd in Ampthill, the Clophill roundabout and the bypass near Maulden. He has submitted a letter to Marcel Coiffait to escalate the issues. He is hoping for support from the ward Councils following the recent fatality. RESOLVED – Cllr Coyle, in his Highways role, to write a letter of support to Tracy Harris mentioning problems Maulden has with the A507 Cllr Summerfield commented on the overgrown trees bordering the bypass and asked the Ward Cllrs to request that they are cut right back. He also said the pavement near Gas House lane is so overgrown the pavement is drastically reduced and it is dangerous for children walking to school. Cllr Smith said he would report it Cllr Blair – said the A507 has problems all along its length, including near Arlesey. He mentioned plans to reduce the speed limit to 50mph by Warren Lane and past the Gravenhurst turn. He also said the Tidy Tip is still open and the grant schemes are still ongoing. The Local Plan is going to schedule. There is no news on the Snowhill streetlights but there is a new head of service for Highways, Daryl Harvey, so hopefully he will push it along. Cllr Duckett sent his report as he was absent - Firstly, the grant for trees and hedges is now available and Maulden is well placed to harness this given relationships with the farming community looking after the saplings once they are in, could be a useful boost for the village. COVID stats show there has been a doubling in positive test results last week with six fatalities sadly. CBC is recording just over half the number of cases than MK and Luton though Bedford is surprisingly lower. Redborne school had a case this week. Now Christmas is cancelled let's hope we can see this disease off. Claims for the job retention scheme closed this week and the revenue team have been chasing up all those it knows of to encourage their applications. The flu jab is seeing a perhaps not surprising uplift year on year. The economic strategy is allied to the 2050 vision and is a very top line document that addresses future economic likelihoods and where to apply effort/funding to realise those aims. The likely impact/benefit for the ward is that it is a major service centre with Flitwick, it has a market town at its centre which is how CBC views the way forward for environmental, economic and social activity. It therefore could benefit from home working initiatives that may arise from sub-strategies that fall from this top line document, environmental schemes like green transport or urban forestry and so on. These sub strategies, which are likely to be numerous, are what will devolve from the top line Signed _________________ Page | 1874 document which you read about and ultimately, in principle, will deliver the 2050 vision of the region as a great place to be....early days yet. The local plan hearings concluded with no requests for more info!! This could be a good sign and keeping everything crossed! I have submitted a motion for January Council to force the A507 issue up the list, I shall present it as a combined ward motion. There is a grant for park homes to upgrade their green credentials which Pine View residents could benefit from. It is for insulation and the like to reduce carbon emissions. That's about it, other than the budget process is in full swing, more on that next time. 262. TO RECEIVE THE REPORTED CRIME STATISTICS/ SPEED/STREETWATCH REPORT – CLLR BROWNING 03/11/2020 Sandyacres 40/59792/20 Other criminal damage to a vehicle (Under £5,000) 05/11/2020 Undisclosed 40/60202/20 Sending letters etc with intent to cause distress or anxiety 11/11/2020 Ampthill Road 40/61251/20 Sec 4a POA Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress 11/11/2020 Undisclosed 40/61226/20 Sexual 15/11/2020 Wingfield Avenue 40/61903/20 Assault without Injury - Common assault and battery 16/11/2020 Gardeners Close 40/62140/20 Other criminal damage to a vehicle (Under £5,000) 20/11/2020 New Road 40/62994/20 Burglary - Business And Community 20/11/2020 New Road 40/62959/20 Sec 4a POA Causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress 23/11/2020 A507 Maulden to Clophill 40/63571/20 Dangerous Driving 28/11/2020 Duck End Lane 40/64568/20 Other criminal damage, other (Under £5,000) Ampthill Community Safety Group There have been no meetings of the group since the last MPC meeting. Street Watch 3 patrols were carried out during November (prior to lockdown), totalling 5.0 hours. 1 in the morning, covering the main part off the village. 1 in the afternoon, covering the main part off the village. 1 in the afternoon, covering Hall End. All patrols were suspended until December 2nd; a full roster is now in place until 17th January 2021 Speed Watch No report currently Animal Cruelty and Trespass on Farmland Following up on a report from the last MPC meeting regarding the killing of deer by driving vehicles into them at night on New Road, I liaised with the police. The following is the response from the Rural Crime team. Unfortunately, this is getting more common over the last few years, as a night time activity there is less chance of being caught and no trained dogs or equipment is needed bar a 4x4 vehicle. More and more farmers are ditching and banking their boundaries with rural roads which is entirely effective, tractor blocks are being utilised in gateways to stop vehicle except tractors or blocked with concrete. Signed _________________ Page | 1875 This is probably the most awful type of poaching activity there is and has increased with the increase in deer numbers across Bedfordshire, the Chinese water deer being the ideal target as it is a middle of the field dweller. Prevention is better than the slight chance of detection and any farmers suffering from the crop damage and the loss of the deer should be encouraged to take preventative measures. Free earth is available from most housing developers and they will dump and shape earth mounds along perimeters for free to get rid of the soil, this is a good preventative measure. Road Safety Issues There continue to be issues on A507, sadly resulting in a fatality last month. This is on the agenda for further discussion. Trees and overhanging branches obscuring road signs and general road visibility continue to be a problem around the Parish and these need to be addressed by CBC. Safety Webinar There is a CBC Community Safety Webinar scheduled for January 3.30 – 5.00 with the focus on fire safety. All councillors are welcome to join the session. There is barbed wire hidden in the grass along the footpath known as The Jitty. It was suggested it should be reported to CBC Rights of Way officers to force the landowner to get it removed and make the path safe. 263. TO CONSIDER PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED SINCE THE LAST MEETING (INCLUDING THOSE RECEIVED AFTER THIS AGENDA WAS ISSUED) – CLLR P ALLEN CB/20/03921/FULL-Old Farm, Clophill Road, Maulden, Bedford, MK45 2AA Temporary access for construction vehicles in relation to a residential development. RESOLVED - no objection to this application provided the main road continues to be swept and cleaned every day in the interest of road safety and to reduce impact on local residents. CB/20/03800/FULL- Sandbourne, 24 Clophill Road, Maulden, Bedford, MK45 2AA New 3 Bed dwelling with demolition of existing outbuilding RESOLVED – object to this application on the following basis: Residential development forward of the existing build line not in keeping with the street character resulting in an inappropriate change to the street scene. The proposal fails to integrate or respect the pattern of development in the surrounding area to the detriment of the character, appearance and visual aspects of the street scene. Shared access with the existing dwelling is of inadequate width to provide suitable parking and manoeuvring for both the proposed dwelling and the existing dwelling on the site. CB/20/04260/LB - The Bothy Cottage, George Street, Maulden, Bedford, MK45 2DF Listed Building Consent: Amendments to previously approved CB/09/05886/LB - Amendments to detached garden store and single storey extension.