A Meeting of the Environment Committee was held on Tuesday 2nd November 2009 

at 7.30 pm, Amesbury Room, Winscombe Community Centre.

 

 

Committee Members Present: Mrs Mandy Brading (ABr), Mrs Pat Bushnell (PB),

Mrs. Phyllis Cram (PCr), Mr Archie Forbes (AF), Mr. Gerald Lloyd (Committee Chairman) (GL),

Mrs Valerie McGann (Committee Vice-Chairman) (VMc), Mrs Avril Richmond (AR), Miss B Roper (BR).                                           

Clerk Present: Mrs Lynne Rampton (LR)                         Members of Public Present: one         

 

1

Apologies for absence. Mr. Steve Bridges (SB)

 

2

Update of the minutes of the last meeting, already signed at main Parish Council meeting as being a correct record.

Min 2 (5) It was reported that the bollards beneath the Railway Bridge have been replaced. The bollard to the front of 61 Woodborough Road is still missing.

Min 5 (vi) A hooked electric fence is to be installed in the fence on AX29/32 and the posts are to be removed.

Min 5 (viii) A NSC Officer is again investigating alternative barriers for the Strawberry Line & ABr will keep the committee updated on progress.

Min 6 (a) (1) This PROW was cut back by NSC before the Community Service Team could be instructed.

 Min 6 (a) (2) The land behind the Mabbett Seat has been cleared by the Community Service Team. ABr reported of drains in this area so consultation will take with NSC prior to any native species being planted in this area.

Min 6 (a) (4) The Parishioner reporting the initial problem has telephoned the office & thanked us for the progress report.

Min 6 (a) (5) AX29/34 has been cut by NSC and the hedge on AX29/12 has been cut back so the path is currently passable.

Min 8 A thank-you card has been received from Winscombe Strollers for assistance from this committee for the installation of kissing gates.

Min 9 (b) The litter bin by the Woodborough Road public conveniences has now been replaced and a new litter bin installed by the A38 Sidcot bus shelter.

Min 10 Cards have now been issued to all those adopting a Parish plat pot with some of these already being planted with winter flowers. GLl has visited and spoken to the Winscombe Beavers who are looking after one plant pot.

Min 11 A replacement plaque has been ordered for Sidcot Gate and GLl is to make contact with the property owners.

Min 13 There is still space in the next edition of ‘The Occasional’ and articles should be submitted to GLl.

Min 17 (c) Winscombe Hill is to be closed on 7th December 2009 for a period of 3 days to allow carriageway surface repairs to take place.

Min 17 (d) It was reported that the red bulb has been removed from the traffic light set controlling the exit from private residences at the Sidcot Lane traffic lights.

 

 

 

 

3

Declarations of interest – VMcG declared a personal interest in Agenda item 5 lay-by by 93-103 Sandford Road as her daughter lives in one of these properties.

 

 

4

Public participation: an opportunity for members of the parish to make a statement. AX29/45 is overgrown and committee members agreed that this should be reported to NSC for clearance.

 

 

5

Correspondence

i)          Request for an additional notice board in Sandford. A request has been received that a notice-board be installed in the bus lay-by opposite the St Monica Trust Care Village. In discussion, committee members agreed that an information point/board for residents inside the care village may be more useful when building works are completed. LR should respond to the Parishioner making this request

ii)        Accident by tripping on pavement, A Parishioner has tripped on a raised man-hole cover on 18th October breaking her spectacles and hurting her nose and face in the fall. This incident has been reported to NSC for action but this matter should be pursued to find out when action will be taken to rectify the raised cover with the letter being copied to Ward Councillors and the Parishioner concerned for information.

iii)      State of lay-by 93-103 Sandford Road. Part of this area is considered unsightly and has been frequently used for the parking of vehicles although the land is owned by NSC and they wish the area to be kept clear to ensure free passage for pedestrians. A letter should be sent to NSC requesting they carefully maintain this land by flattening and seeding the area.

iv)      Bus Operations in Winscombe. (1) Confirmation has been received from NSC that the bus stop box outside the British Legion Club is to be enlarged to improve safety and reduce parking on the approach to the stop.  (2) Reports have been received of Parishioners being advised that the bus stop opposite Belmont Road has moved further down the lane to The Chestnuts junction. On making enquiries in this regard, NSC has confirmed that the bus stop on Sidcot Lane at Belmont Road is intended to be used by passengers in each direction although the side opposite Belmont Road requires considerable improvement. As a temporary measure First Bus has been instructed to attach a ‘both direction’ sticker to the bus stop flag, to clean the flag and cut back some of the branches around the flag. This should make bus drivers more aware that each side is served at this stop and the operations manager has been asked to make drivers aware of this stop. A copy of the NSC response should be sent to the Parishioner initially raising this concern. (3) Comments from the Parish Council regarding the supported bus service 121 have been noted and it is advised that whilst hopeful the service will be maintained, this will depend on prices received by NSC from bus operators to run the service.

 

 

 

 

LR1

 

 

 

 

LR2

 

 

 

LR3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR4

6

Blocked footpaths, overgrowing vegetation,  etc.

a -  Those noted since the last meeting – Public Path Diversion Order No. SPG 1 2005 – AV29/76 and AX29/50, Land at Station Road Sandford. The above order was confirmed on 18th September 2009. The route of the existing and proposed paths were detailed for the benefit of those present at the meeting and no objections made by Councillors present.

b -  Overgrown frequently used footpaths – consideration to using the community service        team to clear these.  Due to limited funds available within NSC for footpath clearance, members present agreed that the Community Service Team should be used for regular footpath clearance along with those reported to meetings and costs met from this committee budget and included in future precept requests made to the Parish Council. Footpaths in the Parish have previously been prioritised and listed with cutting frequencies by this committee.

c -  Those reported at this meeting - none

 

7

Fingerpost damaged. GL reported that one arm to the fingerpost on the Church Road/Woodborough Road junction has been snapped off by a passing vehicle.

 

 

 

8

General Environment

a.  Report on changes to household waste & recycling collections with effect April 2010. GLl & LR had attended a Parish Council briefing session on the implementation of the new contracts at NSC on 20th October. There are financial and environmental benefits for changing the manner in which current waste and recycling is dealt with that are addressed in the new contract that includes:

(i)          An improved weekly recycle service collecting paper, all cardboard, plastics, food & drink cartons, glass, tins and cans, textiles and some other items.

(ii)         A new weekly food waste collection will be introduced using sealable containers.

(iii)       Non-recyclable waste will be collected every other week in wheeled bins.

(iv)        The current schedule of collecting garden waste every other week through the summer months and monthly during winter will stay the same.

(v)           Collections will be made on public holidays with the exception of Christmas and New Year.

There will be no limit to the amount of recyclable goods that can be put out for collection. It was advised that there is flexibility within the contract to enable individual circumstances such as Parishioner mobility or property location to be taken into consideration. Due to the increase in kerb-side collections is it anticipated there will be a reduction in the use of local recycling banks. Changes to the collection service will be phased in from February 2010.

b.  Recycling centre behind Woodborough Inn.  An update.  There are no current problems being encountered with the Woodborough Drive recycle centre and a change to the recycle collection service may lead to a reduction in the size of this centre.

c.  Parish Rubbish bins  - additions. GLl met with a Parishioner on a Sunday morning to carry out an inspection of the NSC car-parks whilst these were fairly empty of parked vehicles and to consider if litter bins in the centre of Winscombe are adequate. It would appear that one floor mounted litter bin at Brown’s Corner has disappeared and GLl will carry out an inspection of this area, reporting back to the next committee meeting if there is adequate room to request this be reinstated on this busy stretch of footway. One rail mounted litter bin is present outside the Co-op with it being considered that there is not sufficient room to install a larger bin or a second bin to be installed.

A request has been made for the installation of a litter bin at the junction of The Lynch and the Recreation Ground entrance. After discussion, this request should be declined at the present time as a suitable space in this area on a footway could not be identified and should plans progress for an extension to the Recreation Ground car-park, additional bins could be considered at this time.

d . Cleaning and removal of greenery in NSC car parks. Following an inspection, the Community Service team have been instructed to clear vegetation from the car-parks and carry out a general litter pick of these areas. NSC is aware of these works being carried out and PCr commented on how helpful members of the team were when she encountered a problem in the car-park recycling area.

e.   Library – appearance. In light of recent library closures, committee members considered Winscombe fortunate to still have a village library and are appreciative of all the facilities offered within this. The well used library could be further enhanced if the outside area was tidied-up and parts repainted, A letter should be sent to NSC in this regard.

f. Lack of drop-kerbs in Ash Close/Oak Road/Moorham Road area. Following a complaint made to the Parish Office by a Parishioner with limited mobility, the condition of footways in this area has been reported to NSC. Another concern of the Parishioner is the lack of dropped kerbs in an area and GLl agreed to investigate this concern and report back to the next meeting of this committee.

g.  General vandalism around the Parish. A problem currently exists with a number of youth congregating at the War Memorial Recreation Ground late at night and causing a nuisance by littering the car-park and surrounding areas and more recently letting off fireworks in the early hours of the morning. Items have been reported to the police as being stolen from gardens from properties close to this area. Problems with youth at the Recreation Ground are included within the Parish Police Priorities and any incidents should be telephoned to the police on 0845 456 7000 where these calls will be given high priority. Information of police contact telephone numbers has been delivered to neighbours advising them of this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GL1

 

 

 

 

 

LR5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR6

 

 

 

GL2

 

9

Precept -  present position. A precept request of £2,800 has been submitted to the finance committee for early inclusion in precept request calculations. A further £2,000 has been marked from contingency funds should a need arise for footway improvement schemes. Due to the timing of the next Environment Committee meeting, final adjustments may be made to the committee precept request at the January meeting and further costs to be considered for inclusion should be footpath clearance costs incurred by using the Community Service Team.

 

 

 

 

 

10

Parish flowers, tubs, seats, etc.

a. all tubs now adopted.

b. Parish seat check – to be completed in March for repairs during April.

 

 

 

 

11

Road Safety.  No matters to report at this meeting

 

 

12

Problem Lights - failures should be reported immediately, with lamp number,  directly to Parish Clerk. 

 

 

 

13

Information  – either points of information or subjects for discussion at next meeting. None

 

 

14

Next  Meeting.     Tuesday   5th January 2010   

 

 

Meeting Closed:                   9.00 pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signed ………………………………………..    Environment Committee Chairman                  

 

 

Date …………………..