Baydon Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 4th July 2016
News report by Barbara Furber
The Parish Council meeting held in the BYPA Hall on Monday 4th July 2016 was chaired by Cllr Tamsin Witt. All councillors were present and Wiltshire Council Cllr James Sheppard joined the meeting. There were also 20+ members of the public in attendance.
With a slight amendment the previous meeting’s minutes were agreed and signed.
There had been no report from the police however the chair outlined two recent incidents. Firstly the robbery at Baydon Post Office, fortunately no members of staff were hurt but money was taken. The police are seeking a man pictured on CCTV.
The second was a collision between a Baydon resident and a drunk driver from Aldbourne, who has now been charged.
During Public Question Time James Burco said he felt that the Green was still a mess and the contractors were expensive and not doing their job properly. Cllr Tony Prior replied that it would be difficult to find a contractor who was cheaper, and would agree to take the grass away. The hedge, he said, had been added to the contract. Trudi Forster asked if a concave mirror could be erected to improve vision for those travelling up from the Russley Park road, just beyond the Green. The road, she said, is very narrow there especially when cars park along one side.
It was agreed not to send a donation to Citizens Advice.
A request for a meeting with the Parish Council to discuss a potential development of houses beyond Russley Green was discussed briefly. I was agreed that the plot was outside of the Village boundary and that no decision could be made until formal planning is received.
Correspondence was received concerning Aldbourne becoming a Neighbourhood Area. County Cllr Sheppard explained that this was an update on the Village Plan idea and it was important to consider. It could give greater protection to the villages in the light of future development. It would be useful, he added, to talk to Aldbourne Parish Council.
A letter of thanks was received from the PCC to the Council for agreeing to pay for gravel on the church paths.
Lisa Bond wrote concerning the inaccessible path off of Manor Lane. The path has now been cut.
Planning:
An upgrade of existing Telecommunications Base Station at Gore Lane Farm received no objections from councillors.
A first floor extension and single storey rear extension at Becketts also received no objections.
The councillors however were concerned about conditions that had not been met during the building of the house between the shop and the pub. It was agreed to write to the planners and particularly to Highways to make them aware of the speeding problem in Baydon, due to comments that it would be safe to reverse into Ermin Street.
Developer Evoji Efenure stood to speak on his plans to build 2 wind turbines on the spare land near Baydon Hole Farm (Documents to be found on the Baydon Website). No formal planning had been received, so no decision could be made.
The matter of an additional pavement in Aldbourne Road, reported Cllr Witt, was brought up at the Community Area Transport Group (CATG), due to a pedestrian being hit by a car in February, resulting in life changing injuries.
Cllr Witt than gave a power point presentation concerning the Traffic Calming in Baydon. (This too can be found in detail on the Baydon Website). There was a lengthy discussion after the presentation. Cllr Prior wondered if the buildouts would really reduce speed. April Jukes repudiated the findings from the chicane survey and said she felt that the chicanes had made matters worse. Mike Whale said that the chicanes make pulling out of Manor Lane difficult. It was felt by some that the buildout on the Swindon side would cause parking problems for residents. Debbie Moxon from the Post Office said that traffic lights outside the shop last week caused real problems and she felt it would be the same with a buildout. A letter had been received from Mr & Mrs Norman explaining their concerns especially as their property would be adjacent to the buildouts. Ron Norman suggested that long humps like they have in Shrivenham High Street would be better. Pamela a resident of Newton’s Walk said she would like to thank the councillors for their hard work and that she would support anything that was put in. Nikki Davies said something was needed to calm traffic. A village with a successful school perhaps, she added, the councillors could work with the head to achieve a collective respect from those outside the village that visit and make them aware of the speeding issue. Cllr Prior said he had made several observations as to speed and volume of traffic during school times. Cllr Amy Bryan said that it was important for the good of all, not just for school children, that something was done to reduce speed. It was agreed to call an independent inspection of the proposed buildout sites before going forward with the project.
It was agreed that Cllr Bryan oversee the use of the Parish Steward, after attending a presentation on the subject. It was agreed that when the stewardship begins in October they be asked to keep the road signs visible, cut back overhanging branches in Aldbourne Road; keep the pavement in Ermin Street clear from Tucumcari to Manor Lane. Householder April Jukes said she was prepared to keep some of that pathway clear. She was thanked for her offer. The steward will visit one day per month and Cllr Bryan will be responsible for listing his duties.
The IT policy was approved.
Cllr Witt said that she had collected the SID (Speed Indicator Device) and it was agreed to pay £210 for 1 days training for her to administer the device.
The Risk Assessment policy was agreed.
Cllr John Cockcroft had received a quote of £17.17 per inspection of the play area. Cllr Cockcroft had completed the inspection himself every other month and was thanked for his efforts. It was agreed to accept the quote and keep the external annual inspection for this year.
There has been no progress on cutting the hedge in the Alleyway between Ermin Close and Manor Lane as yet.
The clerk agreed to put an advert in the Scene in Baydon for new councillors. Cllr Amy Bryan will write about the Parish Steward scheme and Cllr Witt will give a Traffic Calming update.
Finance:
The clerk is waiting for the final paperwork to complete the signatories for the bank.
Income: £0.48 interest; £2,357.33 VAT return; £20.00 Allotment rent:
Bank Accounts: Barclays Community a/c £32,096.21; General reserve £3,672.13;
Cricket Fund £1,204.40; Petty Cash £18.51; Total £36,988.25.
Payments approved were; S S Electricity £21.16; Raffle Tickets for Fete £78.00;
Clerks telephone bill £4.87; Cllr Witt expenses £56.50; Refreshments for Parish Assembly £48.00;
The Annual Return Audit went in on time, and is in order.
Thanks were extended to all those who attended and contributed to the Parish Assembly that took place the previous week.
The meeting closed at 9.58pm.
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