BUBBENHALL PARISH COUNCIL Parish Clerk: Jane Fleming 3 Waggoners Close Telephone: 02476 301849 Bubbenhall Email: [email protected] CV8 3JE Bubbenhall Annual Parish Assembly TO ALL ELECTORS OF Bubbenhall, NOTICE is given that the Annual Bubbenhall Parish Assembly will be held in the Village Hall, Bubbenhall, on Tuesday, 12th May 2015 at 7.30 pm All Bubbenhall Parishioners Welcome AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence 2. Minutes of previous meeting on 13th May 2014 3. Report by the Chair of the Parish Council – Cllr Joanne Shattock 4. Report on the Recreation Ground / Youth Space – Cllr Sam Baker/Cllr Stephen Haynes 5. Report on Road Safety – Cllr Bob Powell 6. Report by the Village Hall Committee – Cllr Steve Haynes 7. County Council Report – Cllr Wallace Redford 8. Parish Matters (AOB) The next meeting of the Bubbenhall Parish Council will be the Annual Parish Council Meeting (AGM) which will take place on Tuesday, 12th May 2015 at the Village Hall immediately after the Annual Parish Assembly Meeting which is scheduled for 7.30pm AGENDA 1. Election of Chairman 2. Apologies 3. Declaration of Interest on Items on the Agenda 4. To receive the Chairman’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office 5. Election of Vice Chairman 6. Dates of Council Meetings for the Year 7. To appoint Representatives to Sit on Outside Bodies 8. To receive a report on statement of finances at 31st March and a list of the assets 9. To approve following Accounts for Payment: Insurance premium. The next Ordinary Meeting of Bubbenhall Parish Council will take place on Tuesday, 12th May 2015, 7.30pm immediately after the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council at the Village Hall, Bubbenhall. ORDINARY MEETING 1. Apologies for absence 2. Declarations of interest and dispensations 3. Minutes of previous meeting on 14th April 2015 4. Matters arising: i. Concerns regarding Golden Acres, Stoneleigh Road. ii. HGVs using “unsuitable for HGVs” roads. In-transit 5. Highways: Update 6. Local Plan: Update 7. Neighbourhood Plan – Grant Application 8. Business from members of the public 9. Finance i.Financial report (payments and summary schedule attached) ii.Internal Audit iii. Annual Report iv. E-ON update 10. Planning 11. Youth Space & recreation ground Playing field update 12. Reports from meetings attended 13. Parish matters (AOB) WALC training events. 14. Correspondence not dealt with in other items Jane Fleming – Clerk to the Parish Council Date of next meeting 23rd June 2015 Documents / Reports for Bubbenhall Parish Council meeting on 12th May 2015 1. Recreation Ground Report 2. Road Safety Report 3. Village Hall Committee report 4. Warwickshire County Council Report 5. HGV Update 1. Bubbenhall Recreation Ground report RoSPA Annual Inspection The Annual RoSPA inspection was carried out in September 2014. It declared that the playground equipment was in a good state of repair and safety. The following recommendations were made: Youthspace/Multiplay court 1) Fit sign to multiplay court: A warning notice should be fitted to all sports related equipment with the words “Do not climb on the framework or nets”, “Do not hang on the ring” (if provided), “Do not wear rings or other jewellery as these can get caught and cause injury”. SB to organise before September. 2) Ground disturbed by mole hills. Moles have now been removed from the area by professional contractor. General play area 1) Loose seat lat on picnic bench. CG tightened loose fitting. 2) Ground disturbed by mole hills. Moles have now been removed from the area by professional contractor. 3) Button seat damaged and must be monitored. Cost to replace seat is £300 so keep monitoring and if further damaged remove. 4) Surface under the swing has gaps/trip hazard and must be monitored/gaps filled. Currently assessing costs to replace surface. 5) Some wood damage/cracks on the trim trail which must be monitored. SB to ensure wood replaced on one damaged stepping log. Maintenance undertaken 1) The multiplay unit was painted by Wicksteed in Summer 2014 and is greatly improved (£1760). 2) Playbark delivered in April 2015 to keep surface to safe levels (£664) 3) Mole problem removed by professional contractor (£250 to date). Future maintenance 1) Wicksteed have quoted to refurbish/repaint the two swing sets, the slide and the aerial swing - £1280.00 2) Endurance Mats’ quote to replace swing surface: £2147.50 (replace 58.5 m2 with multipurpose grass mats). Wicksteed’s quote to replace swing surface: £46 per m2 with multipurpose grass mats). 3) Sign to alert multiplay surface users of risks. (approx. £30). Other 1) In October 2014 a member of the public alerted the PC to damage to the multiplay unit (a floor plank broken on the platform near the slide). This was repaired within 24 hours by Graham Johnson. SB put an article in the November edition of the village newsletter asking villagers to respect the equipment and to alert the PC to any damage immediately. 2. Road safety Report Over the past year, the Parish Council has continued to press hard to make the village and surrounding roads and pathways safer. Last October, Councillors Powell and Baker accompanied County Councillor Redford and the County Road Safety Officer on a site visit around the village. The main areas of concern were: risks to pedestrians crossing the A445; speed of traffic along this road and through the village itself; poor signage on our roads and lanes; state of the pathways; lack of a pavement between Lower End and Church Road; frequent flooding at the end of Paget’s Lane; increase in HGVs using inappropriate routes. Financial constraints at County level have resulted in little or no action - until quite recently. We are pleased to note that money has now been set aside in the County Highways’ budget to address many of the concerns expressed over the past couple of years. Villagers will already have noted marked improvements in the pathways leading to Ryton Pools Country Park and towards Weston Lane. Other improvements will include new double white lines entering the village from the East up to and including the customary crossing at the end of Orchard Way; better drainage at the Paget’s Lane entrance; new junction warning signs on the A445 approaches; better ‘unsuitable for HGVs’ notices.There is no doubt that the campaign to record the number of HGVs driving through the village has added weight to the arguments for restricting heavy vehicles. The main problem is that none of the roads in and around the village has an official weight restriction which would debar HGVs legally, and which would be included as a forbidden route in Satnav software. The current signage is therefore purely advisory. All we can hope for is that clearer signs with international symbols as well as text will dissuade HGV drivers, including non-English speakers, from taking these routes. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of creating a pavement along the wall adjacent to the Manor House. The road is deemed to be too narrow even to mark a white-lined pavement space. The amount of mud on the A445 is a continuing cause for concern as it is not just a nuisance but a serious road safety issue. The Parish Council continues to press for more road sweeping and preventive measures through the Liaison Committee with Smith's Concrete and with the Warwick CC Highways Department. Finally, we are all aware of the increase in commuter traffic through the village at peak times. While we hope that traffic flow will decrease once the Toll Bar End road improvements are completed, a number of villagers have volunteered to join several Parish Councillors to receive training on the use of police ‘speed guns’. The intention is to monitor traffic speeds and, through this Community Speed Watch campaign, to remind drivers not to exceed the speed limits. On this point we would like to remind everyone that there is a 30mph limit which extends well beyond the Watery Lane/Bubbenhall Road/Stoneleigh Road crossroads. 3. BUBBENHALL VILLAGE HALL Over the past year the village hall has remained the focal point for many community based avctivities. It hosts a number of activities on a regular basis and you can enjoy a monthly sociable breakfast and then on another day take part in a relaxing yoga session. Also the Village Fete and the Christmas Carol Service all rely on the excellent facilities that are maintained by the management committee. The management committee are always looking for opportunities to improve the facilities on offer. They have been successful in attracting an £8,000 grant from WREN and August will see the start of a project to refurbish the accessible toilet, the former doctors room and the entrance lobby. Sadly, despite every effort being made by members of the committee, the doctors surgery ceased to operate in December last year. This decision will have an impact on those people who relied on the surgery and valued the local service it provided. This loss follows the closure of the weekly Post Office at the village hall and further underlines the fact that if local services are not used then they face the risk of being lost forever. The management committee continue to work hard to reduce the cost of running and maintaining the hall whilst trying to maximise its use. Following a review a small increase in hire charges will be introduced next September. A discounted rate will still be available for villagers wishing to hire the village hall. Everyone who works on the management committee do so on a voluntary basis and I'd like to express my thanks and appreciation for the work they do.