A Meeting of the Cemetery & Allotment Committee was held on Monday 5^th September 2011, 9.15 am at the Ilex Lane Cemetery.
Committee Members Present: Mrs M Ballard, Mrs A Brading (AB), Mr A Forbes (AF), Ms L Lawrence (LL), Mr G Luckett (GL), Mr J Westlake, Mr M Williamson (MW).
Clerk Present: Mrs Lynne Rampton (LR)                                               Members of public present:  None
1	Apologies for absence: Mrs J Nicholas (JN) Orderly
2	Declarations of Interest – None declared
3	Update of the previous minutes approved at the main Parish Council Meeting. None
4	Public Participation.  There were no members of the public present.
5	Cemetery Area a. To consider completed Review Sheet 5 Recommendations in the review sheet were accepted for action by the committee. It was requested that the thanks of the committee be recorded to Chris Ballard for the numerous voluntary tasks that he carries out in the cemetery and allotment areas. b. Repairs to the entrance gate. The gate has now been straightened and fixed back in situ. c. Repair and painting of pagoda and wooden fencing. Additional nails are to be used to secure the roof slats to prevent lifting in strong winds. Although constructed of tanalized wood, a preservative is now required to maintain the supports to the canopy and seat. It was proposed by ABr, seconded by AF, all in favour that the WNRG/General Orderly be instructed to carry out repairs and treatment to the pergola and seat and the Community Service Team treat the picket fence separating the cemetery and allotment area. d. Misuse of hearse road to new burial area and damage caused to turning circle wall. It would appear that the low level wall adjacent to the allotment pathway has been hit by a vehicle and repairs are needed to the wall and coping stone. With reported incidents of vehicles using the roadway to access the allotments seemingly increasing, concern was expressed for the roadway which due to construction over a water main pipe, has a shallow depth surface. The roadway and turning circle were not designed to bear the weight of general regular use by a number of vehicles but intended for limited use for funerals and on exceptional occasions by allotment holders. It was proposed that a lockable drop bollard be installed to enable future use of the roadway to be controlled. Proposed: AF, seconded: ABr, all in favour.
6	Allotment Area a. To consider completed review sheet 6 The recommendations were accepted by the committee. b. To consider future action for untended allotment plots. At the allotment inspection carried out on 31^st August, seven allotment plots were marked as a ‘poor’ which is an unusually high number of untended/uncultivated plots. These plots were individually inspected by the committee with the following action recommended: 3 plots with no previous letters sent in the last two years regarding the allotment condition are to be monitored until the next committee meeting on a monthly basis, 1 plot with 1 letter in the past 2 months again to be monitored monthly, notification has been received relinquishing one plot with effect 31.03.12 and the tenant is to be asked to leave this in a reasonable weed free condition. It has been necessary to send 3 letters over a 14 month period to a tenant of a whole allotment and it should be suggested to this allotment holder that they reduce this plot to a half to make this more manageable for them – again this plot will be monitored monthly. The tenant of the last whole plot in a poor condition has received a number of letters regarding the allotment condition over a two year period and met with PC representatives on two occasions suggesting that a half plot may be more manageable. At the last committee meeting members recommended that if a further ‘poor’ score for this plot was recorded, appropriate steps would be taken to reduce the plot to a half and it is recommend that this course of action is now followed. Proposed: MW, seconded: GLu, all in favour.
7	General Maintenance a. Cemetery Hedge cutting –Hedging to the cemetery boundary is due for an annual flail and works should now be instructed. b. Ilex Lane hedge Previous minutes of the Parish Council (September 1998) show that despite extensive searches, ownership of Ilex Lane is unknown and these minutes considered the Council of that time should take some responsibility for the lane as it leads to Ilex Lane Cemetery. A discussion took place where the facts of this agenda item were considered. Ilex Lane is not an adopted highway but a Public Right of Way and is the only entrance to the Parish Council Cemetery & Allotments. Due to the height of the hedge, the Community Service Team would not be able to undertake trimming of this.       Resolved: Without prejudice, and whilst not accepting responsibility for the upkeep of Ilex Lane and associated areas, this committee would recommend that the Parish Council make arrangements to cut/flail the Ilex Lane hedge on an annual basis for the duration of this Parish Council to May 2015 as this public right of way is the entrance to the Parish Council Cemetery & Allotment Area. A flail of this hedge should now be instructed. Proposed: GLu    Seconded: JW      All members were in favour.
8	Annual Review of Risk Assessment Reports. Members considered the document. As construction works for the cemetery have been completed since the last major review of the report, the Parish Council Health and Safety Advisor should be requested to reassess this with his recommendations submitted to the next committee meeting for consideration. Proposed: MW, seconded: ABr, all in favour.
9	Report on meeting of allotment holders held on 30^th June 2011. Of the 26 parishioners (including allotment holders and those on the allotment waiting list) attending the meeting four were in favour of forming an allotment society and 5 were against. The remainder of those present chose not to vote on this matter. As the consensus of opinion was not to form an allotment society some parishioners on the allotment waiting list held a separate meeting and we have been advised that at that inaugural meeting on 19^th July 2011, 7 parishioners have now formed a ‘Winscombe & Sandford Allotment Society’ (WASPS).
10	Allotment Waiting List & search for additional land To consider request for use of burial ground for temporary allotment use. Two letters have been received from a representative of WASPS (circulated to members in advance of the meeting) requesting that currently unused cemetery land is released for use as allotments. As requested by that group, plans detailing the lateral, collector and carrier drains along with sand slits, inspection chamber, head wall and cemetery layout for the extension area were circulated to those present at the meeting. Whilst no WASP representative was present at this meeting, serious consideration was given to the request. Members were reminded that the land was purchased for use as a cemetery and currently approx ⅓ of the land has been given over for use as a temporary allotment site as this will not be required for burials in the immediate future. With interments booked, we have now exhausted burial space in the old section of the cemetery and future interments will take place in the extension area. As marked on the plan, an area has been set aside for Green Burials and a request received for a section of the land to be set aside as a possible area for the scattering of ashes that will be considered at a future committee meeting.  When extension works to the cemetery area were carried out in 2009, a drainage system was installed at considerable expense to ensure that no burials take place into standing water and to meet Environment Agency standards for interments. A detailed plan for the cemetery shows how the drainage network has been constructed around the planned burial plots and allowing use of this area for allotments will interfere with those drains. It is not considered that the Parish has 40 years of burial space remaining in the Ilex Lane Cemetery with all Church Yards in the Parish now closed, the addition of a care village in Sandford and an ageing population.  For the reasons detailed above, the committee recommends that the Parish Council refuse the request of the Winscombe & Sandford Allotment Society to extend the current allotment site into the burial ground area. Proposed: ABr, seconded: AF. All in favour. Action taken to date and future ideas in the search for additional land in the parish. An approach has been made to a neighbouring land owner of the Ilex Lane site that has been refused. Contact is being made with other land owners. All those currently on the allotment waiting list have been provided with contact details for the Banwell Allotment Society who has a number of vacant plots that they are willing to let to our parishioners. In the search for land for affordable housing in the parish, land owners and/or their agents are being asked for land available for allotment use.
11	Matter for Information – either points of information or subjects for discussion at the next meeting. · Future agenda item request for consideration of an area of the cemetery to be dedicated to the scattering of ashes. · Future committee meetings will be held at 2.30pm rather than 9.15am so that cover for the Parish Office does not have to be arranged.
	Next Scheduled Meeting.          Monday 12^th December 2011

          Meeting Closed:             10.25 am.

   Signed _______________________________ (Cemetery & Allotment Chairman)            

    Date     ____________