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Minutes 4th November 2021

Minutes Uploaded on November 23, 2021

Minutes of Castor Parish Council Meeting

Held on Thursday 4th November, 2021 at 7.30pm in the Cedar Centre

  • PRESENT: Neil Boyce (Chairman), Cllr. Richard Anker, Cllr. William Baxter, Cllr. Steve Davies,

Cllr. Jane Greene, Cllr. Fiona Rowlands, Cllr. David Shaw & Cllr. Dennis Surgeon; Two members of the public were also in attendance.

 APOLOGIES – None, all councillors present.

 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – None

 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS – We unanimously RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 7th October, 2021 -. These were duly signed by the chairman.

Proposed Cllr. Richard Anker and seconded Cllr. Jane Greene

 Matters arising from the previous minutes. –

 Public Forum – No matters were raised at this point.

 PLANNING and associated matters

 Joint Community Action Plan (JCAP) – David Shaw agreed to contact the Winfrey’s about further village housing trust development under JCAP item 1.4

  1. Neighbourhood Planning (NP) – We noted that the government appeared to be moving away from their earlier expressed views on planning policy and tending towards a concentration on brown field sites. We still need to remain vigilant about the longer-term local plan reviews and are minded to start the review of our own NP in the next parish council year
  2. Status report – We noted the updated position on current planning applications as circulated with the agenda.
  3. Planning applications
    1. 21/01646/CTRThe Old Rectory, 10 Stocks Hill – Fell a row of 7 Pine Trees. – We have no objections to these works and noted the applicant’s intention to replace with a hedge. We applauded the applicant’s intention and would encourage the planting of native species (not Laurel) to encourage wildlife recovery. Cllr. Shaw undertook to meet the applicant to convey those views.
    2. 21/01299/FUL – re-consultation on C&A Cricket Club – plans for a new pavilion – we noted the revised application form amending the incorrect land ownership expressed in the earlier application.
    3. 21/01713/HHFUL and 21/01714/LBC Hanover House, 17 Church Street – Demolition of existing garage and construction of replacement garage to replace the original. We acknowledged the need for demolition and replacement however we asked that due regard be taken to adopted planning policies in the Castor Neighbourhood plan. Policy CH1 (Criteria for all building development within the Parish) sections a and b. Section b refers to the Village Design Statement which under section VDS 12.2.3 requires any new building, extension or alteration to be sympathetic to its neighbours. Section VDS 12.2.4 encourages the use of stone, particularly in the Conservation area (Which this building is). We therefore ask that planners impose the appropriate conditions in any permission granted.
  1. Woodlands – Cllr. Shaw reported on an exchange of emails and the intention to make a presentation to the parish councillors on the plans for Woodlands. Whilst we will, reserve any judgement of those plans until we see them in a planning application before us as statutory consultees, we are also conscious of the need to hear the views of residents on any plans being presented to us. We will therefore seek to make arrangements for the presentation to be repeated at a public meeting
  • LAND & ALLOTMENTS:
  1. Tree Safety – Having reached a decision at our previous meeting we noted the opinion of Willow Tree Services, when attending to carry out the works. In the light of this latest and additional information we RESOLVED, by a majority decision, to ask the tree surgeons to reduce the height of the Ash Tree in Splash Lane to just 12 Feet and to transport the resultant logs to the Coppice and ask Willow Tree Services to invoice the parish council for any additional costs involved.

Proposed Cllr Fiona Rowlands Seconded Cllr Richard Anker

  1. Land Management – We noted that NJ Pacey had cut around the Standing Stones and that had not been our intention. The relevant paragraph had been removed from the Land management contract to avoid future work at this site which is planted for wild flowers.
  • HIGHWAYS
  1. Parking issue –Cllr. Richard Anker reported that this needs to be progressed by residents and that a resident will be seeking the support of a ward councillor. We asked the clerk to invite the newly elected Ward Councillor to our next meeting.
  2. Observations from Councillors – David Shaw reported on the blocked drains and will send appropriate photographs to the clerk in order for this to be taken up with either Highways or if necessary, Anglia water.
  3. Cobbled Kerb Stones, Village Green – Cllrs. expressed the view that they were very impressed with the replaced kerb stones and asked the clerk to convey their views and gratitude to Martin Benn, the highways officer responsible for that work.
  • Community MATTERS –
  1. Joint Parish Liaison Group (JPLG)- We noted the amended summary from the meeting on 30th There were no items requiring our immediate attention.
  2. Suspended Brown Bin collectionsSkip Hire. We had deferred consideration of the possibility of hiring a skip for residents. On consideration we were aware of issues around location and policing to avoid abuse. We agreed to take no further action on this matter.
  1. Langdyke Trust Nature Recovery Plan – Cllr. Fiona Rowlands reported that the leaseholder of the Paddock off Splash Lane had been approached and had agreed to give up that lease in October 2022 to enable the parish council to consider tree planting and further nature recovery work to take place on that site. We agreed to seek the advice of Sarah Lambert to produce an effective plan to consider in January 2022 and noted that Mike Horne of the Langdyke Trust is supportive of our tree planting ambitions.
  2. Wreath Laying at Farmers Cross – We were advised that a small group of service veterans sought our approval to a repeat of the Covid Safe event of 2020 for the forthcoming Armistice Day commemoration. We wholeheartedly approve and are supportive of this event.
  3. Unicef Ambassadors letter – This letter from some of the children of Castor C of E Primary School contained a request by those children to litter pick in our parish. The children see this as improving our area and helping animals and, in some way, contributing to saving the planet and that their efforts may encourage others to do something as well. We applaud these children and the school in supervising and encouraging this project and asked the clerk to notify the school of our support with the addition of an offer to supply appropriate equipment.

 Governance Matters

 S106 Monies – Further to the considerations at previous meetings we agreed that the proposed cricket club pavilion would not be far enough advanced to enable the S106 funds to be committed in this financial year. With that in mind we considered the Paddock project referred to elsewhere in these minutes. The chairman confirmed that the city council considered that project to meet the criteria for the use of those funds. We therefore RESOLVED to commit the S106 monies available this year to the Paddocks Nature Recovery scheme.

Proposed Cllr. Fiona Rowlands, Seconded Cllr. Dennis Surgeon.

 Swim Run Event – We had received a request from the organisers to allow them to include parish council owned land in the route for the event to be held on 19th June 2022. We noted that the event held in previous years had been well martialled and that organisers had cleared up after the event. We therefore RESOLVED to grant permission for the event to be held in June2022.

Proposed Cllr. Neil Boyce, Seconded Cllr. William Baxter

 official announcements & CORRESPONDENCE.

  1. Mrs Greene informed us that she had met with the school at the community allotment and also that the pre-school had already made use of one of the raised beds meaning that beds 1 and 2 were now let and in use.
  2. Footpaths – We were told that the footpaths in Stocks Hill and Water Lane had been cleared and that a meeting on site, in Sylvester Road was to be held on Wednesday 10th November to consider the Cadman’s Barn Footpath.
  3. Block Paving access request – A resident with right of access to his property over parish council owned land has requested our permission to allow that access to be block paved in keeping with the drive on his own property. The chairman had requested detailed drawings of what is being requested for consideration at a future meeting. Subject to the content of those plans, when received, we would consider entering in to an agreement drawn up by a solicitor at the resident’s expense.

 

  • Future Agenda Items –
  1. Celebration Committee – awaiting updates from the celebrations voluntary committee.

 Date of next meeting – Thursday 2nd December, 2021.

 There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 9.18pm.

 Clerk & RFO 15th November, 2021