A Meeting of the Environment Committee was held on Thursday 12th February 2009 

at 7.45 pm, Amesbury Room, Winscombe Community Centre.

 

Committee Members Present: Mrs A Brading (ABr), Mrs Pat Bushnell (PB), Mr Archie Forbes (AF),

Mr. Gerald Lloyd (Committee Chairman) (GL), Mrs Valerie McGann (VMc), Mrs. Avril Richmond (AR),Miss B Roper (BR), Mr Chris Sampson (CS)

 

Members of Public Present: none                                             Clerk Present: Mrs Lynne Rampton (LR)

 

The Committee Chairman thanked members for attending this meeting rescheduled from 3rd February 2009 due to snow & icy conditions.

1

Apologies for absence. Mr. Steve Bridges (SB), Mrs. Phyllis Cram (PCr), Mr R Jones(RJ).

 

 

2

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

Min 2 7b – the material added to footpath AX29/1 have been identified as scalpings.

Min 5 – the road narrowing on Church Road has been reported to our NSC Area Officer.

Min 7b – AX25/42. John Westlake is to provide further details to enable this to be reported.

AX29/12. AB is to provide GL with further details.

Footway on Greenhill Road & Somerville Road. Vegetation overhanging the footway has been inspected by both GL & RJ in various weather conditions. It is understood that this is difficult to pass safely especially in wet weather conditions with an umbrella. A polite letter should be sent to those residences whose vegetation has caused a number of complaints to committee members.

Min 11b – it was thought to be a little premature to send a letter to plant waterers thanking them for their services in current wet weather conditions. The letters will be sent closer to the spring planting time.

Min 15 – a letter regarding ‘safe routes to school’ has yet to be sent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR1/GL1

3

Declarations of interest – none declared

 

 

4

Public participation: an opportunity for members of the parish to make a statement. No public present

 

 

5

Correspondence/Communications.  Including:  ‘widening of footpath near Winscombe Bridge’; refurbishment of finger posts’; request for grit bins in Barton & Sidcot.

·         Some Parish Councillors have recently been advised of an oil spill within the Parish that occurred in October 2008. There are reports of this spill contaminating two ponds with the Environment Agency (EA) being able to trace the source of the spill through use of dyes. It would appear that at this time other close by bore holes are unaffected and there is no threat to water sources. A letter should be sent to the EA advising that the Parish Council is aware of this incident and a request made to be provided with relevant information regarding this and to be kept up to date with any further developments. Advice on how to deal with enquiries from members of the public would also be considered useful.

·         It has been reported that a car travelling from Church road onto Woodborough Road over-turned yesterday (Wed) morning. As has been reported to NSC in previous years, after heavy rainfall water flows out of the gullies between the railway bridge and the Church Road junction across the road making this treacherous when temperatures fall below freezing point as vehicles speed into and out of the Parish. Our NSC Area Officer has advised he stopped at this location on the night before the accident after 5pm and made a call to the NSC ‘out of hours’ emergency telephone line to report of the large amount of water running across the road and requested that a jetting vehicle attend site to clear any blockages in the gullies. Whilst present it was noted that an amount of oil is appearing on the road that may be coming from the overflowing gullies. Due to the natural flow of water, it is not considered that this incident is related to the afore mentioned spill. (Also - see under Road Safety below).

·         Proposed development on Hillyfields. PROWs AX29/1 & AX29/73 cross this field and, hopefully,  this will be considered by the planning committee if the preliminary proposals for affordable housing lead to a full planning application. Also, hopefully, the Planning Committee will  ensure that the developer puts into practice its offer to give the remaining area to the Parish for community use.  If so,  the pros and cons to this should be carefully considered at a future meeting should a formal offer be made.

·         Widening of footway near Winscombe Bridge. Mr. D Bailey of NSC has carried out a feasibility study into this project and would like to include the widening of the path in the next financial years work programme.

·         Refurbishment of finger posts. There are currently no funds remaining in the current NSC financial year for refurbishment of the posts with Mr. Liam Abercrombie requesting that GL contact him in the second week of April 2009 to ensure works on the posts in this Parish are commenced. The committee requested that a letter be sent now stating how pleased the Parish Council is that we are high on the list for works in the 2009/10 financial year and hope that the works will be carried out soon after April 2009.

·         Grit bins. Discussion took place concerning installation of bins for Barton and Oakridge Lane along with a number of further requests for bins on Winscombe Hill and the centre of the villages following recent severe snow and ice conditions. Where to place the bins was considered a major issue along with spiraling costs to install these at £100 each. One bin has recently been installed on Oakridge Lane and bins are currently in situ at Church Lane entrances on Winscombe Hill and The Square. Under normal icy weather conditions grit from the gritting lorry would normally extend to cover some footways in village centres. In conclusion one grit bin should be purchased and installed close to the entrance of Barton Camp as there are no other bins in close by proximity with the area frequently used by buses and children. All other requests were declined.

·         Clean Neighbourhood & Environment Act 2005 – Changes to dog control legislation. Consultation with Town & Parish Councils is taking place prior to public consultation examining dog control measures in the district. On previous request of the Parish Council, dogs are banned from all children’s play area and sports grounds in the Parish and dogs should therefore not be permitted to enter land from which dogs are excluded.

·         Unkempt appearance of a shop front. This matter was considered at the request of PCr at the last meeting of the Parish Council. It was considered that efforts to improve the inside of the premises are taking place and therefore no action is presently required.

·         Increased parking charges. Notification has been received from NSC of these increases. Charges are not currently applied to the NSC car parks in Winscombe although they are both contained within this order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR2/GL2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR3/GL3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR4

6

Precept.   More detailed report of results of Finance Meeting. In order to prevent precept levels rising, the £2,000 set aside within the Parish Council contingency for a vehicle activated speed sign for the Parish has been removed. A reduction on the allocated Environment Committee budget for the 2009/10 financial year of £2,000 was made with an allocation within the contingency fund made for footway improvements.

 

 

7

Blocked footpaths, overgrowing vegetation,  etc.

a - Those noted since the last meeting Communication has been received regarding the overgrown vegetation on the A38 from Sidcot Lane towards Shipham. This should be reported to NSC for action.

b - Those reported at this meeting. Following inspections of all footpaths in this Parish by committee members, footpaths marked as requiring attention1/2 yearly or yearly should now be reported to NSC for trimming.

AX29/48 from the junction of Station Road should also be reported as overgrown to NSC.

 

 

LR5

 

 

LR6

8

Replacing stiles with kissing gates.  Up-date. Permission has been obtained from all relevant land owners and kissing gates are due to arrive and be installed during the second week of February. NSC are in negotiation with stile owner on AX29/18 as adjustments are required to install the kissing gate adjacent to stone steps. Summerfield Developments will install the gate on the Hillyfields PROW when this arrives in stock in Sandford.

 

 

9

Mendip Hills AONB Management Plan – Draft Delivery Plan 2009/10. The AONB delivery plan will be put before the AONB partnership group at its March meeting. RJ will report on this after the meeting.

 

 

10

Upgrading of footpath at Winterhead – notification of appeal. An appeal has been lodged against the decision of Somerset County and North Somerset Councils not to make an order to upgrade AX25/16 (part), AX25/15, AX25/14 (part) and AX25/28 from footpaths to bridleways. Further evidence has been submitted to both Councils by Maria Forbes.

 

 

11

Recycling centre behind Woodborough Inn.  An update. One report of the plastic bank and two reports of fly-tipping at the centre have been made to NSC since the last meeting. Email communication is being received from NSC regarding the contamination of paper and card recycling by people trying to recycle corrugated card in the banks. Briefing about what type of cardboard can be recycled and where have been displayed on Parish Council notice-boards. NSC is to issue a press release to try to resolve the problem of residents dumping non-recyclable items at the banks.

A recent press article has prompted a Parishioner to ask if our kerb-side and bank recycling is actually recycled or stored somewhere as the bottom has fallen out of the recycling market? This question should be asked of our Ward Councillors at the next meeting of the Parish Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VMcG 

 

12

Parish flowers, tubs, seats, etc. Spring plantings will take place in the next couple of months.

 

 

13

Inspect copies of booklet ‘Three Heritage Walks’. Some Councillors have inspected this pamphlet in advance of the meeting with copies circulated for the benefit of the meeting. Production should now proceed to print.

 

GL4

 

14

To receive copies of ‘The Occasional Nos.1.’. Ideas for inclusion in the next edition should be submitted to GL.

 

 

15

Seats for Woodborough Green Remnant. Seats to WSM seafront are being replaced through grant funding with the old seats being offered to town and parish councils. Two seats have been requested for the Green through NSC Strawberry line. As the bins are also being replaced, a request for two of these should also be made.

 

 

AB1

16

Collate/collect up-dated telephone contact numbers for Web site. Updates to current lists were collected in.

 

 

17

Road Safety.

·            A car over-turned around twelve months ago in the same location as the accident of yesterday (see min 5, point 2). As has been reported to NSC in previous years, (1) after heavy rainfall water flows out of the gullies between the railway bridge and the Church Road junction across the road making this at best very dangerous but treacherous when temperatures fall below freezing point and (2), water is seeping up from the road surface beneath the railway bridge causing deterioration of the road surface and ice spots. The displaying of ice and/or flood signs following such accidents is considered unacceptable and the two drainage problems that exist need to be resolved as a matter of urgency. A letter should be sent to NSC Chief Executive, copied to our Ward Councillors for action before serious injury occurs as a result of these drainage issues.

·            CS provided photographic examples of pothole along Church Road. These should be reported to NSC.

·            At the request of the Chairman of the Winscombe, Sandford & District Senior Citizens Forum, a list of pot-holes reported by the Parish Council to NSC in March 2007 was supplied to them by email on 17/09/08. An update from Mr Ellis should be requested as to any progress made by the Senior Citizens Forum.

·            A large pot-hole has appeared at the exit from the NSC car-park onto Hillyfields Way that should be reported to NSC.

·            BR asked when the promised Vehicle Activated Speed signs for Sandford would materialise. SB had promised to chase this at the last meeting of the Parish Council and should report back to the next committee meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LR7/GL5

 

LR8

 

 

LR9

 

LR10

 

SB1

18

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

Yadley Lane street light is now reported as working again.

 

 

19

Information – either points of information or subjects for discussion at next meeting.

1.         It was reported that rubbish is being dumped on an old footpath off Barton Road and off the Banwell Road. GL will investigate and take appropriate action.

2.         AB reported that a large Ilex tree on the Strawberry Line bank, just past the tunnel had fallen onto the path due to weight of recent snow. A path past the fallen tree has been cleared by volunteers and the matter reported to NSC for clearance.

3.         BR requested that Sandford Village Hall be considered for a blue heritage plaque. This matter should be discussed as an agenda item at the next committee meeting.

 

 

20

Next  Meeting.           Tuesday  3rd March 2009   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting Closed:                   9.15 pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Date …………………..