News Report on the

Baydon Parish Council Meeting of Monday 28th June 2010

 

At the start of the Parish Council meeting was Parish Councillors Tony Prior, Tamsin Witt and Michael Edmonds with Parish Clerk Rowan Cockcroft and Wiltshire Councillor Chris Humphries and 6 members of the public

 

Tony Prior opened the meeting at 8pm and there were no apologies, nor were there any declarations of interest. Parish Councillor Alison Tomkins arrived at the meeting as the Minutes for the previous meeting of 1st June were being discussed and approved

 

The meeting was then suspended for Public Question Time and Mark Austen raised a point on behalf of Barbara Furber who was unable to make the meeting herself, and referred to an e-mail that had been sent to the Councillors the previous week re a missing right of way sign half way down Manor Lane and also Barbara’s comments re footpath stiles. It was confirmed this would be covered at Agenda item 8.3. Mark Austen also asked for parish financial documents for the year ended 31st March 2010 once approved to publish on the Baydon village website

 

The Clerk then referred the Councillors to her Clerk Report and details of correspondence received

 

There were no planning applications required to be discussed in the meeting

 

Councillor Tamsin Witt then gave an update on behalf of the Traffic Calming Working Group (TCWG) including the fact that Martin Cook (Wiltshire Highways) had gone on paternity leave and so there would be a delay with the installation of the white gates at the entrances to the village. Wiltshire Councillor Chris Humphries advised the meeting that the white gates on Aldbourne Road could be positioned closer to the start of the village and not necessarily where the 30mph sign was and this could possibly be moved to the first street light as you enter the village if this was beneficial

 

Councillor Tamsin Witt continued her TCWG report with details of having plants at the foot of the white gates to make them more attractive and the recent police road speed surveys (ie metrocount) on both Ermin Street and Aldbourne Road which gave shocking results in terms of the vast amount of vehicles speeding through Baydon.  Wiltshire Councillor Chris Humphries advised the meeting as to who best to write to regarding a proposed roundabout at the junction of Ermin Street and Aldbourne Road and to consider islands / chicanes at the entrances to the village, being Dick Tonge and Mark Boden, plus he also agreed to chase the work to recalibrate the fixed 30mph flashing signs in Baydon in Martin Cook’s absence on leave with this being something originally agreed with Wiltshire Highways in June 2009.  The TCWG report was concluded with details of a proposed ‘Park and Stride’ sign at the entrance to the Red Lion pub car park, where the Red Lion management have given parents the right to use the pub car park at school drop-off and pick-up times to help with general parking. An example sign was shown to the Councillors and would cost the Parish Council around £80. Further discussions are going to take place with Sam and Clair at the Red Lion

 

Councillor Tony Prior then gave an update on the PlayBuilder play area project. He had been trying for a while to get Wiltshire Council planning to agree the best way forward re change of use of the Parish Field but was finding it difficult to get any responses despite chasing a couple of times. A Community First fund was possibly available towards the project but a condition was that the project had to have an income stream. Further research is needed to see if the allotments on the Parish Field would count as this income stream or if the BYPA could make use of the fund instead. Discussions re obtaining s106 funds from Redcliffe Homes appear to have fallen down as Redcliffe have not been able to obtain an agreement from Wiltshire Council planning and so Redcliffe are going to build their own play area within the Newton’s Walk development and state that despite previous agreement during the planning application stage that the play area will no longer be available to the Baydon community but will be a private facility. Councillor Tony Prior advised that a meeting is taking place on Saturday 10th July in BYPA Hall to update the village on this important local PlayBuilder project and everyone was very welcome to come along at 10.30am

 

The Councillors then considered the replacement of the footpath stiles with more accessible gates at the entrances to path Baydon 29 that runs from just beyond the cricket field round the top of the field to one exit in Aldbourne Road. There are three stiles along this path which itself is rough and difficult to walk. Wiltshire Councillor Chris Humphries advised the meeting that the cost of any such new stiles would be that of the Parish Council and the Councillors agreed to write to the Rights of Way department.  A further path Baydon 11 to green hill track was discussed, with it being blocked by hedging to the left of Paynes Cottages and the landowner to be contacted

 

Councillor Tony Prior gave a report on the Manor Lane bramble work. He explained that they had been let down by the local contractor who had removed the brambles and laid down new turf and was not happy with the timing or standard of the work. The new grass was dead within a few days. Councillor Tony Prior had personally tried to recover the situation pouring on 120 gallons of water, buying miracle grow, etc but the new grass could not be saved and many large stones and bramble roots remain in place. Despite the unhappy situation the Councillors agreed to approve the £340 bill from the contractor and move on

 

Wiltshire Councillor Chris Humphries had to leave the meeting at this stage, being 9pm

 

The Councillors then discussed the link between the fireworks committee and the Parish Council.  The insurance company was satisfied that everything was in order. Both Jim Grove and Trevor Dominy were invited to comment from the public audience and after discussion it was agreed that Tony would join a new fireworks working party set up by the Parish Council

 

Parish Clerk, Rowan Cockcroft then mentioned a ‘Winter Response Survey’ being undertaken by Wiltshire Council. The Councillors discussed this in detail and concluded a rating of ‘poor’ due to the facts that Baydon only got very limited snow plough visits, were issued poorly timed Wiltshire Council alerts that were often a day or two behind and that the bus route in to Baydon had not been cleared, which had also lead to a case of an ambulance being unable to attend a patient in the village during the snow

 

The Councillors considered if the grass near the allotments should be cut on a regular basis and will see if it could be included within the village’s grass cutting contract going forward

 

During the meeting section on Finance three payments were approved. Total parish funds were reported at £29,288.32 which included the receipt of the £9,860 annual Precept. The quarterly finance report was discussed and agreed. Councillor Michael Edmonds was thanked for his continued efforts with the parish finances and for catching up on the VAT affairs that had been some years behind

 

The auditors comments on the 2009/10 Annual Return were discussed and Tony had responded with an action plan. As soon as Mazars (external auditor) had reviewed the Annual Return it would be made available to post up on the Baydon village website

 

A financial request from Baydon primary school towards the new building project was considered. The funds relating to last year that had not been spent were potentially available which totalled some £650. It was agreed to ask the school what the Parish Council could purchase for them up to the £650 (figure including VAT)

 

Various expenses incurred on behalf of the Parish Council were approved as was overtime by the Clerk during the months of March to May 2010

 

It was agreed to add the Parish Field’s new water supply to the asset register at £1,900 in May 2010

 

Under the ‘Items to note’ and any other business the Councillors discussed the recent award of a £230 community cleansing grant. Also that it had come to the Parish Council’s attention that the owners of Fortune Field were in dispute with Redcliffe Homes over their land boundary and that the housing developer had written to the Parish Council to say that the new play area within the housing development would be solely for the use of Newton’s Walk residents (contradicting a previous planning permission agreement)

 

Real time information at Baydon’s bus stops was discussed but there was confusion as to who would fund such a project, which needs further research

 

It was reported that the £5,000 funding originally awarded to the Baydon Resource Group (BRG) could not be reallocated towards the PlayBuilder play area project as the funds were specifically awarded for a project for 14 to 19 year olds, so the information would be passed on to Venice Marriott to see if the BYPA could secure the funding instead

 

Councillor Tony Prior announced that Councillor Tamsin Witt was expecting a baby and congratulated her. He reiterated previous meeting comments that the Parish Council remained very short on Councillors and welcomed anyone to volunteer to join them

 

The meeting then closed at 9.55pm

 

By Mark Austen

 

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