Apologies

Minutes of last Meeting

Matters Arising

·     War Memorial

The Clerk reported that the repairs to the War Memorial had now been completed.  However, the bench was still to be replaced and it was agreed that the Clerk should contact the insurers regarding this.

·     Barley School

Following a questionnaire to parents from David Phipps, the Chairman of Barley School Governors, a request has been made by the headmistress to Hertfordshire County Council for a fence to be erected on the pavement outside the school to prevent the children running into the road.  The Parish Council felt that this was a sensible idea and the County Council has apparently agreed to this.

·     Planning consent and s.106 agreement for Greenbury Close

Councillor Carlisle is still intending to write to North Hertfordshire District Council and/or Howard Cottages for an explanation of the position. 

·       Bogmoor Road

No further information has been received regarding the work needed to re-open Bogmoor Road. The Clerk will write to Hertfordshire Highways to advise that the gullies down to Putty Hall Cottages have still not been cleared. 

·        Letters regarding gates onto the Plaistow

Councillor Turner reported that only one property on Bankside has a gate opening onto the Plaistow.  Other properties where concern has been expressed have gates which, in fact, back onto the footpath rather than the Plaistow.  The Clerk will let Councillor Carlisle have letters for distribution.  A letter also needs to be sent to Barley School.

·        The Club Room

Councillor Carlisle reported that a letter has been received from Hertfordshire County Council regarding the settlement of the dilapidations claim against the County Council, which will be met as follows:

Settlement               39,950

Fees                                        5,940

VAT on fees               1,039.50

Total                                      £46,929.50

Bidwells have been asked to advise on the possible use of the Club Room going forward, having regard to the current market conditions, and the Parish Council is awaiting a response.

·     Site including Farriers and land opposite

Planning Applications

Land to north of Broadmere Pond, Royston Road  07/01709/1

Part change of use of agricultural storage building to commercial storage (Class B8) involving the conversion of existing workshop and provision of 12 shipping containers within open bays.

Councillor Carlisle has spoken to NHDC planning department and it appears that, at this stage (they have not yet looked at this in detail), there is no objection under their rural policy and neither have any objections been raised by the highways department.  However, the Parish Council had a number of concerns regarding the application:-

1.       The site is in a very secluded but very accessible location off the highway and hidden by a hedgerow with minimal site security.  The proposed use for commercial storage purposes, facilitated by metal containers in an effectively open area, is inappropriate for the location and may become a target for professional thieves.  This could lead to the possibility of substantially increased risks of break-ins and burglaries etc to other parts of the village.

2.       The planning application refers to security lighting. It was felt that this could be problematic for the village as the location was in a sensitive spot, being on the edge of the escarpment of the Chilterns on the rise into the village and could cause considerable light pollution. 

3.       The current use of the site for agricultural purposes is intermittent and irregular, largely based on seasonal requirements. The Parish Council do not wish to see a significant intensification of the use of this site with the resultant increased traffic movements onto and off the highway which is on a bend in the road, which, although a minor ‘B’ road, is nevertheless a busy principal route into the village from Royston. The Councillors noted the applicant’s assessment of likely vehicle movements but the reality is that they are unknown and would be uncontrollable.

4.       Whilst it was acknowledged that alternative uses for redundant, or increasingly redundant, agricultural buildings were often appropriate, Councillor Slater felt that this particular application was inappropriate for this particular location.  Councillor Smith said that, while he did not entirely agree with Councillor Slater, he felt that issuing consent for a limited period would be a sensible move.  Councillor Turner agreed with Councillor Smith and said that he could not object on grounds of change of use.

It was agreed that the Clerk would pass on the objections to NHDC and suggest that, if despite the Parish Council’s concerns they were nevertheless minded to approve the application, that such approval be conditional, to include the following:-

a)       consent limited in time to, say, 3 years so that the continued use, on any application for renewal, may be fully reviewed with the benefit of hindsight and if appropriate refused.

b)       use limited to that applied for and for that part of the property which is the subject of the application.

c)       an hours of use restriction of 7am – 7 pm.

Town House

Carole Turner, the chairperson of the Town House Management Committee was in attendance and Councillor Carlisle asked her to present her report on the Town House activities.

·     The bookings for November are £598.

·     The new fire alarm has been activated twice (once by the Cricket Club and also at a Children’s Halloween party) since it was installed but the causes are not known.

Only telephone instructions have been received for the alarm so far.  It was agreed that written instructions were required and that these should be studied carefully to determine the action to be taken when the alarm was set off accidentally and there was no fire.

Carole Turner has received the invoice for the work.  She will pass this to the Clerk for payment once the system has been de-bugged and all the work has been approved.

The Certificate for the system will be passed to the Clerk when this is received.

·     Securitystuff have checked the safety of the fuse boxes.  They are satisfied with the box located in the hall but have suggested that Busy Bee be asked to look at the box in the Undercroft.

·     The bar on the fire doors in the hall has been installed upside-down and this is preventing the doors from working correctly. (One opens inwards and the other outwards.)  Securitystuff estimate that it will cost in the region of £150 to change the bar system and will provide a written quote.

·     The noise limiters have apparently been by-passed on more than one occasion recently.  There are two separate noise limiters as sound travelling through the walls downstairs is more of a problem than it is upstairs.  It appears that the instructions for the permanent speaker system for use by hirers for their disc sound system have been mislaid.   Councillor Turner offered to produce a guide, which he will endeavour to complete over the next two to three weeks.  Councillor Carlisle suggested that he contact the person who installed the system for his help.

·     Councillor Turner has produced a draft Fire Plan for the Town House, indicating exits, extinguishers etc.  This was discussed and it was suggested that different types of extinguisher be identified on the final plan.

·     The Town House insurance certificate was given to Carole Turner for display on a noticeboard inside the Town House.  The certificate for Barley Parish Council was also requested.

·     The wall outside the Town House is in need of repair.

Recreation Ground

Councillor Turner reported that:

·      “No Dogs” signs have now been purchased and will be displayed in the Play Area.

·     The logs in the arc of logs in the Play Area  may need some attention as they can be very slippery in damp/wet weather.  Councillor Turner will try to solve this but would appreciate some suggestions.  It was agreed that he should talk to FIT.  If nothing can be done, the logs may have to be removed.

Health & Safety

Councillor Elliott reported that:

·     The fence between the school and the Scout Hut needs some attention.

·     Hertfordshire County Council needs to be contacted regarding whether any asbestos survey has been carried out on the Club Room.  If not, the Parish Council will need to procure one.

Land on Picknage Road

Correspondence

·              Letter from Brian Haughey re footpaths:

Mr Haughey had written to express his concerns over the quality of the new surface that has been laid over footpaths in Barley.  He wanted to know who was responsible, why it was done and how long it is intended to last.  The Parish Council had not been notified that this work was to take place and it was agreed that the Clerk would write to Hertfordshire Highways.

·      Letter from NHDC regarding the Small Society Lottery:

It was agreed that the Clerk should write to NHDC regarding this.

·      Letter from NHDC regarding Consultation on Service & Financial Planning Process 2008/09 and Precept Requirement for 2008/09:

It was agreed that the Clerk would arrange a finance sub-committee meeting to be held prior to the next Parish Council meeting in order to discuss precept requirements.  This will then be included as a separate item on the agenda for the Parish Council meeting on 3 December 2007.

·      Letter from Stop Stansted Expansion: Request for Financial Support

·      Letter re Sports and Play Surfaces  - given to Cllr Turner

·     NALC Briefing:       Legal Briefing L18- 07 – Parish Polls – given to Cllr Carlisle

·     NHDC letter:  Opportunity to Influence the Future

·     DEFRA pamphlet: Ways to tackle climate change

·        HAPTC Newsletter October 2007

·        E-mail: Funding from Hitchin Youth Trust

·        Town and Parish Standard: Newsletter from Standards Board Sept. 2007

·        CDA for Herts:      Headlines

                              Annual Review 2006/07

                              Newsletter October 2007

·        NALC: LCR November 2007

·     NHDC:  Members Information Note – “Historic Buildings Liberation Front”

·        NHDC Members’ Information

w/e 28/09; 12/10; 19/10; 26/10; 02/11

Signing of Payments

It was resolved that the following payments should be made (proposed: Councillor Elliott; seconded Councillor Smith)

P Isle                       Caretaking (Town House)

C Robinson             Cleaning (Town House)

V Martin                 Expenses (Town House)

A Stacey                 Fees (Town House)

Mrs S Underhill       Wedding deposit refund (Town House)

                               (replacement for cheque originally issued

                               to Miss S Croxton)

Ms M Webster        Wedding deposit refund (Town House)

Tony Noad             Return of deposit 

I Turner                  Expenses 

M D Landscapes     Grass Cutting (Sept 2007) 

Southern Electric    Club House electricity

Other Business

·     Local Development Framework: Core Strategy and Development Policies Preferred Options Consultation

Because correspondence on this matter had been sent to the previous Clerk, the Clerk was not aware of the deadline for the Parish Council’s response in time to arrange a meeting to discuss this.  On the basis that it was important for the Parish Council to comment, Councillor Carlisle asked the Clerk to respond as follows:

“Core Strategy: Preferred Options - Core policy C: Settlement hierarchy (Chapter 5)

Barley Parish Council would wish to see no change to the current status of Barley and in particular, wish to see no expansion to the existing development boundary.

Core Strategy: Preferred Options - Core policy F: Provision and distribution of new housing (Chapter 5)

It is noted that it is suggested in the table at 5.29 that 31 additional dwellings are anticipated for Barley on brownfield land within the village boundary, or on greenfield land that already has planning permission. It would be helpful to learn which these sites are so that the Parish Council is able to comment and answer questions raised by individual parishioners.”

Because of the difficulties caused by sending material to the previous Clerk (NHDC should have picked up the correct details from their database), NHDC agreed that they would accept further comments from Barley Parish Council following this meeting.  The matter was therefore discussed at some length and it was agreed that the Clerk would write further to NHDC, commenting that, in principal, the views expressed above were confirmed and stating that while it is accepted that Barley is a Selected Village in planning policy terms under the existing Local Plan, the Parish Council will, at the next stage of consultation, wish to look at any proposed changes to the village boundary.  The Parish Council is looking to maintain limited growth in line with that of previous years and without damaging the character of the village.

·     Identification of areas to accommodate Gypsy and Traveller pitches:  Scott Wilson Gypsy and Traveller Study

The report identifies two areas in Barkway out of nine in North Hertfordshire, as potentially suitable for pitches and although it indicates that Barley meets certain suitable criteria, no pitches are as yet identified in or near the village.  The Study is apparently very much a discussion tool and does not represent NHDC policy on this subject.  It was agreed that the Parish Council should monitor the position very carefully and ensure that appropriate comments are made if/when these are invited.

·     Councillor Smith attended the NHDC meeting “Introduction to Emergency Planning for District, Town and Parish Councils” on 4 October 2007 but had not found this to be particularly helpful.

·     It has been suggested that someone is employed to tidy round the village.  Mrs Vi Moxey will be asked if she would prepare a specification of the work required.