18/01

Receive/accept apologies and welcome to the Public

18/02

Questions from registered electors

Forest Schools –

Mrs Catherine Lewis from Heathlands School outlined the proposal to allow children from the school to partake in “forest schools” activities on the heath. She and other adults would accompany 15 children at a time to:

• Nature walks
• Species ID – although no picking of wild flowers would be allowed.
• Elements of den building – although the school would provide the materials needed for this. The main ethos of forest schools is understanding & respecting the environment and so this should not cause any damage to the heath.
• Lighting fires – would always be a small fire contained within a fire bowl, however, this activity could be done within the school grounds and not on the heath.

She would like to use the area next to the school car park area, “the mound”. She has researched what species are protected on the heath but is not sure where they are located. She has completed a theoretical management plan in order to comply with “forest schools”. This links with the plan that the Trustees were about to embark on, so it would be good to share resources.

The Parish Council felt that although they have no objection to the idea in principle, timing is the issue as Mrs Lewis would like to run 6 pilot sessions from now until Sept

when she is due to qualify, however until the Trustees have their management plan completed (possibly June) they are expected to be cautious. Although overall this could be a win-win situation with the school interested in the heath and Essex Wildlife Associations involvement, this chimes with what the Trustees planned to do anyway.

The Council does have reservations regarding the lighting of fires though and would prefer that to take place within the school grounds.

ACTION – Clerk to check the Public Liability Insurance & Tree Survey on the heath for the school.

ACTION – This item will be discussed and decided at a separate Trustees meeting later tonight.

Lampon Close Parking Issues –

A resident from Lampon Close representing several properties shared their concerns regarding the parking at the entrance to the Close. The clerk read out a letter from another resident of the Close stating that there have been times when the dustbin lorries and a breakdown vehicle could not get into the road due to the cars parked at the entrance. The residents are concerned that emergency vehicles will not be able enter if required and that they often take their lives in their hands when exiting from Lampon Close.

The Chairman informed the resident that there is a Traffic Safety Group in the village who will take up the case. The Council will apply for yellow lines from the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP), however this will take approximately two years, therefore in the meantime there will need to be a series of “soft” measures which will hopefully ease the situation. Letters to residents, temporary bollards and notices on windscreens will all be considered.

ACTION – The resident will send the Clerk photos of the issue and then these can be forwarded & an application can be made to NEPP.

ACTION – Cllr Stone will draft & deliver a letter to the residents of Chapel Road for the Clerk to print off.

ACTION – Cllr Stone will take this forward to the Traffic Safety Group.

ACTION – Clerk will send link to the resident clarifying the status of Lampon Close, ie. whether it has been adopted by Highways or not.

ACTION – The Borough Councillors will investigate the non-collection of rubbish.

18/03

Declarations of Interest

18/04

Minutes

18/05

Report from Colchester Borough & Essex County Councillors

• Locality Fund – he has received the last couple of applications, one from the Bergholt Youth Group and one from the Bergholt Heath Youth Football Team.
• Lexden Road to New Church Road Pavement – he has received a letter from a resident regarding the state of the pavement. It is very uneven, the Councillor has now reported it on the Highways reporting website.

Borough Cllr Dennis Willets reported:

• Refuse Collection Service – the system has been thoroughly modernized with the Council’s website now connecting with the cab of the refuse vehicles, meaning that any problems can now be reported back in real time and can be looked at before 4pm that very afternoon. Also, if residents regularly put out more than their allotted 3 black bags then the system will notify the Zone Wardens, who can come out and advise the residents on their waste habits. The Councillor was surprised to hear about the issues at Lampon Close and will get back with a response.
• Gladman Planning Applications – the West Bergholt proposal (PA 173127) is due to close to comments on the 27th February, currently there are 155 objections and 3 in support so it is bound to go onto appeals, which is currently taking about 8 months. The Bakers Lane application (PA 170200) was refused in May and will be going in front of the inspector on the 30th Jan.
• Free trees – Saturday 3rd Feb will be another “Trees for free” day from Colchester Borough Council. Residents can collect up to 3 trees from the car park at Rowan House, Sheepen Road, Colchester between 10am – 1pm.

18/06

Finance

a)

Statement of accounts for Nov-Dec 2017

(Link to P8-9 Nov-Dec Summary)

The final accounts for Nov-Dec 2017 were presented as follows:

75% of the way through the financial year. The Parish Council Account showed 100% income, 58% general expenditure, 72% environment expenditure and 61% expenditure overall, when the categories of general expenditure & environment are totalled together.

b)

Payments

c)

Agreement of the new Three-Year Plan

Year 1: 2018-19

Year 2: 2019-20

Year 3: 2020-21

d)

Approval of the 2018/2019 Precept and Budgets based on the three-year plan

RESOLVED – To approve the 2018/2019 Precept and Budgets (Link to Precept and Budgets 2018/19). Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Stevenson. All in favour.

ACTION – Clerk to send Precept requirement off to Colchester Borough Council tomorrow.

e)

Reminder to Councillors to submit their end of year expenses

f)

Agreement of the appointment of the new Village Bulletin printer

RESOLVED – To approve the appointment of the new Village Bulletin printer. Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Harlow. All in favour.

g)

Confirmation of the Local Services Fund Grant

h)

Approval of Premises Committee recommendation to increase the Hall hire rates for non-regular users by 3%

i)

Approval of the maintenance cost to the Queen’s Head Pond willow tree as recommended by the Environment Committee

RESOLVED – To approve the maintenance cost of the willow tree. Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Short. All in favour.

ACTION – Clerk to take before and after photos and put on the Facebook Hub.

j)

Approval of the Parish Council’s contribution towards the cover for the War Memorial at the Truman Building

RESOLVED – To approve the Parish Council’s contribution of approx. £750. Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Stevenson. All in favour.

18/07

Council Documents

a)

To note the annual list of meetings dates

(Link to Meeting Dates 2018)

Noted and now available on westbergholt.net

b)

To approve West Bergholt Parish Council’s Equality & Diversity Policy

(Link to WBPC Equality Policy)

RESOLVED – Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Butcher. All in favour.

c)

To approve West Bergholt Parish Council’s Grievance Policy

(Link to WBPC Grievance Policy)

RESOLVED – Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Church. All in favour.

d)

To approve West Bergholt Parish Council’s Disciplinary Policy

(Link to WBPC Disciplinary Policy)

RESOLVED – Proposed by Cllr Savage, seconded by Cllr Church. All in favour.

18/08

Planning

a)

The minutes from the Planning Committee meeting held on the 12th December 2017 were received and the decisions made on following applications were noted

(Link to Planning P9 Dec 17):

• 173127 – Land adj. Hill House Farm, Colchester Rd CO6 3JX The proposed development is viewed as unwanted by the residents of West Bergholt and the Parish Council, the reasons for which are laid out below:

Neighbourhood Plan

The planning application fails to take into account the emerging West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan. West Bergholt Parish Council and the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group have spent four years working on the emerging plan, consulting residents and formulating the best plan possible for the Parish. This plan has already determined the most appropriate and sustainable location for the additional 120 houses which the village is required to accommodate over the next 15 years.

Local Plan

Colchester currently has an existing Local Plan until 2021 and a five-year supply of local housing. The current Plan has already allocated all of the housing required within the designated Village Envelope, this application is outside the existing village envelope and therefore against current Local Plan policies. The Draft successor Local Plan, approval of which is anticipated in 2018, has already determined the numbers & position of a carefully chosen site nestled within a gap in the current Village Envelope, North of Colchester Road. The application is also contrary to the planning policies contained within Colchester’s Draft Plan. It is outside the proposed settlement boundary and exacerbates rather than prevents the coalescence of settlement patterns between Colchester and West Bergholt. There are no exceptional circumstances which would justify any departure from such policies.

Infrastructure

The proposal for an additional 97 family houses will cause a multitude of problems for local infrastructure. The site is twice as far from the village centre compared to the preferred development areas in the Neighbourhood Plan. This will worsen the situation in Colchester Road, and not present as sustainable a pattern of day to day travel as the Neighbourhood Plan location. The local school and surgery are already oversubscribed; this proposal for larger family houses will put even more pressure on these facilities, whilst the Steering Group’s proposed mix of housing is likely to reduce that pressure as it would be phased in over time and have a less intensive effect as a result. West Bergholt’s Neighbourhood Plan involves integrated planning over the course of the next 15 years, whilst this application would be immediate, possibly completed within 18 months of approval.

The contribution proposed by the developers towards infrastructure and facilities would be minimal, whilst the Neighbourhood Plan will be seeking a significant contribution (not necessarily financial) to reduce existing traffic issues on Colchester Road whereas theirs will just make the situation worse. It would result in another junction not far from the current Maltings Park one and is far enough from the centre of the village to lead to an increase in car use to the Co Op and school.

Many people including Colchester MP, Will Quince, have already called for a stop to additional development in the Colchester area until adequate infrastructure including highway infrastructure is provided. It is the wrong development, in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

• 173094 – 12 Albany Road, CO6 3LB – Support – The Parish Council has no comment.
• 173073 – Church Cottage, CO6 3DU – Support – Cllr Tyrrell re-declared an interest in Planning Application 173073 and took no further part in the discussion. Cllrs Stevenson, Savage & Harlow also declared an interest, as the application involves the property of a Parish Councillor. The Parish Council has no comment.
• 173062 – 1-2 Dunedin Cottage, Bures Road, CO6 3DW – Object – The Parish Council has no objection to an extension at this site in principle, however it requires clarification of what parts of the properties are to remain and what are to be removed. The council is also concerned that the proposed two storey extension will be right up against the property’s boundary. To reiterate, the position of the houses 1-3 Dunedin need to be regularised before any extension is allowed.
• 172970 – Patterns Yard, Nayland Road, CO6 3DQ – Support – The Parish Council has no comment.
• 172947 – 6 Lodge Court, CO6 3JL – Support – The Parish Council has no comment.

b)

The minutes from the Planning Committee meeting held on the 17th January 2018 were received and the decisions made on following applications were noted

(Link to Planning P10 Jan 18):

• 180028 – 9 Chapel Road, West Bergholt CO6 3JB – Observation – The Parish Council has no comment. But are very concerned at the very poor quality of the drawings submitted and the difficulty determining the extent of the application
• 173369 – Cooks Hall Farm, Cooks Hall Road CO6 3EY – Observation – The Parish Council would defer to the greater knowledge of the Borough Council’s Planning Department with regards this application.

c)

The recommendation from the Planning Committee meeting held on the 17th January 2018 for late planning application was discussed for approval by the Council:

• 180065 – 48 Chapel Road, CO6 3HZ – Support – Cllr Tyrrell re-declared an interest in Planning Application 180065 and took no further part in the discussion. The Parish Council has no comment.
• 180083 – 49 Mumford Road, CO6 3BL – Observation – The Parish Council would defer to the greater knowledge of the Borough Council’s Planning Department with regards this application.
• 180110 – Lortay Cottage, 2 Armoury Farm Cottages, CO6 3JP – Support – The Parish Council has no comment.
• 173276 – Patterns Yard, Nayland Road, CO6 3DQ – Observation – The Parish Council are minded to support, however are concerned about the proximity of three established trees and the dimensions of the buildings of which are not shown on the drawings.

RESOLVED – It was agreed by the Parish Council to accept these recommendations as decisions. Proposed by Cllr Butcher, seconded by Cllr Stevenson. All in favour.

Cllr Butcher then provided a quick update into the progress of the Neighbourhood Plan. The Steering Group have received the comments back from Rachel Forkin of CBC and have taken 99% of her amendments onboard. Cllr Savage has been in touch with the Planning Consultant and having received a quote from her to undertake the work required, he has now put in for a grant application to cover these costs and the word processing work which will be needed.

Cllr Butcher will be attending the Gladman Planning Application appeal on the 30th January at Colchester Town Hall.

18/09

Environment and Highways

• Heath/School Entrance – the handyman has re-modelled the wooden barrier at the entrance to School Drive. The headmaster was informed that the work was going on, however the functionality had not been diminished in anyway. Will need to finish the job with the planting of hawthorns behind the barrier – Cllr Spencer will purchase. There is a need to balance this with a barrier on the other side, although a water leak still persists.
  ACTION – Clerk to find out if this is a fire hydrant and what is the latest with the situation.
• Ponds – TCV continued work at the Lexden Road pond, but mistakenly cut down the silver birch tree on the island which they were clearly told to leave.
• Handymen – with one handyman away on a long vacation and another busy with his new job, the handymen hours have been significantly reduced during January. This will hopefully resolve itself in the early spring.
• Diseased cherry tree at exit of Orpen Hall – Mick Bell has kindly offered to remove this tree for free and dispose of the wood. Many thanks to him.
• Flooding outside school gate in New Church Road – this has been reported by Cllr Barber and temporarily cleared by Matt, the handyman. Facebook was used in order to take the opportunity to let residents know that the Parish Council is doing what they can to resolve the situation.
• Icy Road to Co Op – Facebook was also used to thank snow volunteers, Susan Hollock & Terry Waine, who cleared the path around the Co Op on one particularly icy morning completely off their own backs – Many thanks to them.

18/10

Traffic Safety Group

18/11

Premises and Recreation

(Link to Premises P10 Jan 2018)

• The first Hall Users Group meeting is due to take place at 5.30pm on the 25th January, approx. 13 are expected. Cllr Butcher will report back next month on its success.
• Roof Survey – remedial work of £10,000 was recommended for this year, however this work would not reduce the cost of the main repairs, so it was agreed to add the major works to the 2019-20 budget as a consequence of not doing the £10,000. It is just the outer slopes of the roof which need doing, not the inner ones. Cllr Butcher wants to have checked that the tiles which are going on will not heavier than the current ones.
• CCTV- agreed in the 2018-19 budget, this will be linking the outside and the inside of the hall and the surrounding Lorkin Daniell field.

18/12

Community Special Constables

ACTION – Clerk to drop off more advertising posters for displaying around village.

18/13

WW1 Commemoration 2018

18/14

Communications

RESOLVE – Therefore it was agreed to not go ahead with this plan. All in favour.

18/15

Training

• CBC Town & Parish Clerks Forum – 9th Jan – Clerk

18/16

Items to Note

Available on table at meeting:

• EALC County Update- Special Edition No.158
• RCCE Essex Warbler – Vol 5 Dec 2017
• EALC County Update – No. 157 Nov/Dec 2017
• Clerks & Councils Direct – Jan 2018 Issue 115
• The Clerk Magazine – Jan 2018 Vol.49 No.1
• EALC Legal Update – Issue 6 Dec 2017
• LCR (NALC) – Winter 2017

a)

Correspondence Log – Jan 2018

No. 66 Buses – The Parish Clerk has received an email from a concerned resident that the No. 66 buses will be returning to every 30mins rather than the current 20 mins. This would be a really retrograde step and very disappointing in a village with 3,000 residents.

ACTION – Cllr Stone to draft a letter for the Clerk to send to First Buses asking for clarification and an explanation.

b)

Crime Statistics – Oct & Nov 2017 (24 Crimes)

(Link to Crime Statistics Oct & Nov 2017)

8 crimes in West Bergholt in October and 16 in November.

18/17

In Committee

18/18

Date of Next Meeting