Apologies

Minutes of last Meeting

Matters Arising

·     War Memorial

The Clerk has received two conflicting letters from the insurers regarding authorisation of the repairs but a telephone call has confirmed that the amended quote from Jack White has been accepted.  Jack White has been asked to carry out this work and has said that this will start in September.

·     Planning consent and s.106 agreement for Greenbury Close

District Councillor Howard Marshall will have a further word with John Welch of Howard Cottages regarding this.

·     Speeding

PC Paul Marina has recently carried out a speed check and has booked several drivers.  The Clerk said that PCSO Chris Brabrook would try to attend the next Parish Council meeting.

·     Highways

Bogmoor Road:  The Clerk reported that an amended closure notice covered the period from 8 August 2007 to 1 November 2008 but the road would not necessarily be closed for the whole of that period.  District Councillor Marshall was asked to lend his support to efforts to speed up the process.

Gullies:  These have apparently now been cleared.  Councillor Elliott was asked to check that this work had been carried out.

·     Public Footpaths

These are still being used by horses.  Councillor Turner will speak to the owner of the field that has a gate opening onto the footpath behind Crossways and where horses are kept.

·     Barley School and related matters

Councillor Carlisle welcomed Mrs Lynda Richmond (attending as representative of Barley School Governors) to the meeting and said that it would be helpful for her to attend Parish Council meetings at least every six months so that she could give feedback between the School Governors and the Parish Council.  It is hoped that this will help maintain a good relationship with the school, which the Parish Council see as an important part of the village and which they wish to support and also encourage the village to support.

It is understood that the school may face some problems due to a drop in the number of pupils.  Some parents apparently prefer their children to attend schools in Cambridgeshire, which operates a two-tier system rather than three-tier system operating in this part of Hertfordshire and pupils have been taken out of Barley School in favour of private schools.  Lynda Richmond will provide figures and reasons next time she attends a Parish Council meeting.  District Councillor Marshall said that he was aware that some parent’s were unhappy that the standards of the school were not high enough for the private schools’ Common Entrance examinations.  This did not used to be the case.

Councillor Carlisle said it would be helpful to know the school’s objectives.  The Parish Council was not, of course, asking for confidential information but would like to know if there were problems.  The interests of the Parish Council and the school should be the same and the Parish Council will help where it can.  Mrs Richmond reported that Mr David Phipps had now been appointed Chairman of the Governors.

The Club Room:  It was explained to Lynda Richmond that the lease on the Club Room used by the school has been brought to an end by Hertfordshire County Council.  As no repairs have been undertaken for many years, the County Council are therefore responsible for dilapidations to the property.  As far as the Parish Council is concerned, the County Council is accountable for putting the property into good repair or meeting the cost to the Parish Council.  A schedule of dilapidations has been served and Lambert Smith Hampton have been instructed to act on behalf of the County Council.  This is a failure of the County Council and the Parish Council does not know whether the school will be involved – the Parish Council’s tenant was Hertfordshire County Council and not Barley School.  However, the County Council may tell the school that this is to come out of their budget.  The Parish Council has a duty to the parishioners to put the property back into a state where it can be re-let as it has lost an income that needs to be replaced.

Councillor Turner pointed out that there should be a one-yard gap between the Club Room and the school playground.  The shed used by the school to the rear of the Club Room will be dealt with by the end of September.

Barley Charities

Planning Applications

2a High Street, Barley  07/01696/1HH and 07/01697/1LB

There had been no objection in principle to this application (demolition of garden wall and part rebuild of garden wall adjacent to Chapel).  However, there were some concerns (expressed by the Clerk to NHDC) that the original wall was older than claimed and should be rebuilt in original materials.

The Clerk reported that she had received a letter from NHDC stating that the Design and Access statement submitted with the application stated that the north face of the wall new wall would be faced in a lime render whilst the south face would comprise a mixture of field boulders and flints, both of which are traditional materials.  NHDC therefore proposed to determine the application.

It was agreed that the Clerk would respond by re-stating the concerns and commenting that the Parish Council is well aware of the materials proposed but does not feel that the letter of 22 August 2007 from NHDC addresses the issue.  The wall is not dated to the Chapel, being much older.  The Parish Council therefore feels that it may merit being rebuilt in traditional materials and the original manner.

Roly Poly Cottage, Pudding Lane  07/01758/1LB

Remove “modern” partition to shower room.  Erection of new partition to form new shower room with external extract grille

There were no objections to this application.

The Forge, Church End  07/01827/1HH

Erection of summerhouse in garden

There were no objections to this application.

Land opposite Farriers  07/00767/1

The Parish Council had not objected to the scale of the proposed development when this was considered at their meeting on 30 July 2007.  However, the Clerk was asked to write to NHDC advising that in arriving at this decision, it wished the District Council to take into account that not all of the conditions of the original development of the site that includes Farriers and the land opposite appeared to have been met, in particular, the sight lines onto Church End.  As intensification of the use of this site would make the issue of access and egress more critical, they wanted assurances that all the original conditions were fulfilled, or that they would be, if this further development was to take place

Town House

·     The bookings for August were £715 and £1,809 for September.

·     The Clerk reported that there would, after all, be hardstanding under the plastic recycling bin in the car park.

Recreation Ground

·     The pathway around the Tennis Courts is now being laid.  Councillor Smith asked whether there was wheelchair access and Councillor Carlisle suggested that the Tennis Club should consider this.

·     Councillor Turner said that the Tennis Club was likely to request floodlights for the courts so that members would be able to play for longer in the evenings.  Councillor Carlisle said that this would have to be supported by the village.

·     The school are apparently not using the Tennis Courts.

·     The report from RoSPA following their inspection stated that the five-a-side goalposts should be secured to the ground.  Councillor Turner is investigating ways in which they can be anchored safely.  The footballers want to move the eleven-a-side goalposts and Councillor Turner has agreed that there would be no objection to this.

Health & Safety

·     Drew & Barltrop have asked whether the Parish Council have the original certificate for the play equipment, which would have been issued when the equipment was installed.  Councillor Turner will look for this.

·     Councillors Elliott and Martin had a meeting with Janine Drew from Drew & Barltrop on 28 August 2007 where she examined the Town House for asbestos with a torch designed for this purpose.  A further (intrusive) inspection is necessary and Janine Drew has said that, specifically, the floor in the kitchen should be checked.  Councillor Smith is certain that this does not contain asbestos.  No action can be taken until all likely sources have been checked and tested.  The Parish Council will then need to make a record of where any asbestos can be found in the building.  They will also have to make good any holes made during the course of the investigation.

·     A “fire floor plan” indicating the fire exits and fire extinguishers in the Town House should be displayed on a noticeboard inside the Town House.  Tim Ashcroft apparently has a floor plan on his computer and Councillor Turner will ask him for a copy of this.

·     Another noticeboard is needed inside the Town House and both noticeboards need to be covered with glass or Perspex.

·     Malcolm George needs to be provided with a copy of the Parish Council’s lone working arrangements.

·     Dog fouling signs are needed on the Plaistow.

Land on Picknage Road

Correspondence

·     NHDC letters:         Funding for Rural Play

·     2007/08 Parish Challenge/Parish Playground Enhancement &     Cleansing Fund & PACIF       

·        Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places

·        Sustainable Community Strategy Conference

·        HAPTC Computer Grant Fund Year 2 Application

·        Letter:  Three Valleys Water -  Invitation to Stakeholders Discussion Forum

·        Letter:  CDA for Herts –  21^st Century Village

·        HAPTC Annual Report 2006/07

·        HAPTC Newsletters: June and July 2007

·        Saltex letter and brochure

·        Letter:  Cambridgeshire County Council/Peterborough City Council re Minerals & Waste Plan

·        Furnitubes leaflet

·        SCOOTS letter and leaflet

·        Letter: Vitalise requesting support for disabled person’s charity

·        Hertfordshire County Council:  Letter regarding Corporate Plan updates

·        Essex County Council: Statement of Community Involvement Summary

·        NHDC Outlook Autumn 2007

·        CDA for Herts Newsletter June 2007

·        EEAPTC News June 2007

·        NHDC Arts, Museums & Heritage Strategy

·        LCR September 2007

·        NHDC What the Media Say July 26 - Aug 3 2007

·        Hertfordshire Highways Information Bulletin: July 2007

·        Royston & District Committee 18/07/2007

·     NHDC Members’ Information: w/e 29/06; 06/07; 13/07; 20/07; 27/07; 03/08; 10/08; 17/08; 24/08; 31/08

The Lock-Up

Payments

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

P Isle                       Caretaking (Town House)   

C Robinson             Cleaning (Town House)   

V Martin                 Expenses and Fees (Town House)   

A Stacey                 Fees (Town House)     

Miss L E Tizzard      Wedding deposit refund (Town House)      

Barley Horticultural SocietyAdvert in Show Brochure (Town House)

*Bidwells                Club Room dilapidations report  

*Allianz Insurance  Club Room insurance premium          

*Arena Maintenance Boarding for Club Room windows    

M D Landscapes     Grass Cutting (July 2007)    

Lubbock Fine         Audit fee  

Barley Town House Transfer of VAT refund

Barley Tennis Club Transfer of VAT refund

M R George            Grass cutting etc (May and June)   

Other Business

·     District Councillor Marshall advised the meeting that he has resigned from the Board of North Hertfordshire Homes due to a conflict of interests and asked that this should be included in the minutes of the meeting.

·     It was noted that there is to be a further change of landlord at the Fox & Hounds public house.

·     It is likely that the Church will be asking that the grass in the Churchyard is cut less frequently in the future.

·     The hedge of Homestall Cottage is still overhanging London Road.  It was agreed that the Clerk would write again to the occupier and also to the owner of the property.

·     The Clerk has received details of further HAPTC Computer Grant Funding and suggested that a combined printer/copier that could be linked to the laptop would be useful.  It was agreed that the Clerk would liaise with Ian Turner.

·     The Clerk had invited members of NHDC (at their request) to give a briefing to the meeting on North Hertfordshire’s new waste and recycling services.  However, at the last minute, they were unable to attend.  They have asked that this be re-arranged and have said that they would prefer this to be on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  The Councillors agreed that the briefing would need to be given at a regular Parish Council meeting and so the Clerk will invite them to attend on 1 October.