2009 January

FOLLIFOOT WITH PLOMPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2009

Present : Parish Councillors B. Fisher (Chairman), U. Cansfield, T. Martin, B. Butler, S. Milligan, E. Bolton. C. Florance, District Councillor C. Bayliss and 4 residents.

Apologies for absence : P.C. M. Ayre
Declarations of interest in items on the agenda :

There were none.

Public Participation session :

Potholes were still in evidence on Spofforth Lane.
Sycamore House – Mr. Shann reported that the rocks placed alongside the grass verge had proved effective in preventing damage by cars.
Prospect Cottage – Mr. Hartley attended in support of his planning application. He commented on the hazards caused by speeding vehicles on the Pannal Road. The Parish Council has had correspondence with NYCC Highways and the Police regarding this location. The Clerk would bring this to the next meeting for discussion and consideration of further action.

Minutes of the meeting held on 11.12.08 :

Having been proposed by U. Cansfield and seconded by S. Milligan, the Chairman signed the minutes as a correct record.

Matters arising from the minutes :

Plompton – Item 7a) – rock salt had been delivered promptly to the entrance to the village.
Highways – Item 10a) regarding potholes on Spofforth Lane. Reply received from NYCC Highways stating that an order would be prepared to repair this stretch of road and it was hoped that this would be carried out before the end of March. Item 10c) regarding missing chevrons and damaged sign on Rudding Lane. NYCC Highways aim to reinstate these items this financial year.
Grasscutting 2009 – Item 11d) contractors had visited the village in order to prepare a quotation.
Matters arising from previous minutes : T. Martin updated the Parish Council on progress towards rebuilding the bridge on the bridleway from Follifoot Ridge to Fulwith Mill. This was washed away by floods in 2007. A NYCC officer had informed him that the matter was subject to an insurance claim and it was hoped that this would be settled in the near future. The Mounting Block, Main Street – a recent ‘phone conversation with Mr. D. Robinson provided confirmation that the block came from Ivy House Farm. When the farm was sold, Mr. Robinson, senior, an auctioneer bought the mounting block as there were no bids for the item. Ownership of the mounting block passed to the Parish Council on the death of Mr. Robinson. It is thought that the block is about 200 years old. The Clerk reported that the application for listing had been made and was being processed by English Heritage.

Chairman’s communications :

There were none.

Matters concerning Plompton :

There was nothing to report.

Highways – any matters to report :

Pannal Road, near cricket field – a cone in place over a missing drain cover. Clerk to request reinstatement.
Main Street – shrubs overhanging the pavement are making it difficult to use. Clerk to write to the residents concerned to request that they be cut back.

‘Stop the Drop’ – CPRE proposals to reduce fly tipping and litter :

The Parish Council had asked District Councillor Bayliss to obtain information from Harrogate Council. There is a budget of £ 30,000 for collection of fly tipping and £ 28,000 was spent last year. Officers consider that Follifoot is not the worst place for fly tipping in the District and the Environment Agency does not regard it is as a problem area. The Council advises that if any resident observes this activity, they should record the vehicle registration number and report it to the Police. Following a discussion, the Parish Council resolved to attempt to reduce the problem of fly tipping and litter at the Plompton Road lay-by by;

Investigating the possibility of making a grant application to the Safer Communities Partnership for a camera to be placed at the gravel store.
Writing to County Councillor, John Savage to seek his support in lobbying NYCC Highways to change their method of storing gravel.
Requesting a refuse bin from the Council.
Having a second Parish litter pick in the autumn of each year.

There was a brief discussion about recycling in the District. Councillor Bayliss informed the meeting that the price paid for recycled goods had recently reduced significantly. Harrogate Council had a good contract for glass and card, but there were no plans currently to recycle plastic as there was no market for this type of waste. Harrogate residents produce less household waste than other districts in North Yorkshire.

Wetherby bound ‘bus stop, Main Street :

Some residents have complained about the sloping surface at this ‘bus stop which means that it can be difficult to alight from the ‘bus. The problem was raised with NYCC Transport some 3 years ago by a resident and the Parish Council. NYCC were reluctant to take any action at that stage. The Parish Council resolved to contact the local authority again to request that the area around the ‘bus stop be levelled or the stop moved to a different nearby location. It was noted that the ‘bus stop is sited on land owned by the brewery.

Finance :

Balance at the bank – a total of £ 5306.09 in both accounts
Quarterly reconciliation of expenditure – a paper outlining expenditure to 31.12.08 had been previously circulated to the councillors. This was examined against invoices and bank statements by C. Florance and found to be in order.
Request for authorisation of expenditure: annual subscription to CPRE and Clerks and Councils Direct magazine £ 29 and £10 respectively; Jesper’s for stationery £ 14.94. Expenditure proposed by U.Cansfield and seconded by S. Milligan. The Clerk also requested authorisation to purchase a copy of revised standing orders, it was agreed that an electronic version could be purchased at a cost of £ 14.95.

Clerk’s report and correspondence :

The consultation meeting between Harrogate Council and a group of parishes in the District fixed for 28.1.09 had been cancelled because no questions had been submitted. Councillor Bayliss advised that it could be helpful in the future for councillors to send in questions and that some of the issues discussed earlier in the meeting would have been appropriate to put directly to the Council.
Police – the annual crime figures for the parish had been published. This showed a reduction on previous years. An incident of damage to 7 vehicles had taken place at Follifoot Ridge Business Park, similar to offences committed at Haggs Farm Business Park,
Yorkshire Local Councils Associations was holding its Harrogate Branch meeting on 9.2.09. The agenda and other documents would be circulated.
Information received since the last meeting was circulated to councillors.

Planning :

Application 08/05551/FUL Prospect Cottage, Pannal Road, Follifoot for erection of detached double garage to replace existing garage and shed and change of use of land to form extension to domestic curtilage. The Parish Council had no objections to the application.
Application 08/05669/FUL Loxley Farm, Plompton for conversion of 2 barns to form 2 dwellings and installation of new package treatment plant (site area 0.09 ha). The Parish Council had no objections to the application but thought that access to the site should be enhanced by improvement of the road and the provision of passing places.
Application 08/05833/FUL Gardener’s Cottage, Rudding Holiday Park, Follifoot for erection of single storey side extension. The Parish Council had no objections to the application.
No further applications had been received since the agenda was compiled.
Outcome of previous applications : Aketon Stables, Follifoot – appeal made against refusal of permission to raise roof height of existing garage to form additional living accommodation. The Parish Council had offered no objections to this application and was minded not to change its opinion. This would be communicated to the Planning Inspectorate.

Date of next meeting : Thursday 19 February 2009

The Chairman announced that he wished to discuss a confidential matter with the Parish Council.

In view of the nature of the matter to be discussed, it was advisable in the public interest that the residents present be excluded from the meeting.

The Chairman thanked the residents for attending.

Following a discussion of the matter, the Parish Council resolved to offer their full support to the Chairman and to delegate the agreed action to a parish councillor.