Minutes of the meeting of Barton Parish Council held on Tuesday 4th December 2018 in the Village Hall, Barton at 7:30 pm Present Cllrs. Lorraine Mooney (LM) Chair, Jonathan Woods (JW) Vice Chair, John Howland Jackson (JHJ), Martha Shedd (MS), Margaret Penston (MP), Sarah Pitchford (SP), Jim Henton (JH) Natasha Hodge (NH), Mike Radford (MR) Clerk: Ian Minto (IM) Members: 9 Quorum: 3 In Attendance: 3 members of the public, County Councillor Lina Joseph (arrived 20:00) District Councillor Philip Allen. The open forum for public participation Two people representing the Village Day Organising Committee spoke about the initial plans for the day but also the urgent need for more volunteers to help and they outlined some of the roles and tasks needed to be performed. The event would be different this year due to there being no Barton Gardeners Event. They also indicated a request that a PC financial donation would be forthcoming as it was this year. Thanks and support were forthcoming and it was agreed an email outlining all the points raised would be sent to the Clerk to be distributed. A resident spoke about item 1816/52 b) and re-iterated concerns raised previously regarding the proposed bridge and path from the recreation ground to Wimpole Road. In addition to intrusion and wildlife disturbance raised previously, clarification was sought about the source of the proposal, the qualifications of the bridge constructor, insurance issues, potential hazards and the maintenance once built. Council expressed thanks for the points made 18-19/43 Apologies for absence: None received 18-19/44 Minutes of meeting of 2 nd October for approval The minutes were approved unanimously and signed by the Chair 18-19/45 Matters Arising from Minutes In terms of accuracy the following changes were approved unanimously; 18/19-32 Cllr Penston is the minute secretary not the secretary of BRIG In public forum notes should read new bus stop sign not simply new bus stop 18-19/46 Declarations of interest for items on the agenda Cllr Woods declared interest in matters concerning The Barton Tennis Club Cllr Penston declared interest in any matter involving BRIG 18-19/47 County Councillor Report: This was received and circulated prior to the meeting. Cllr Joseph arrived at 20:00 And gave a short verbal summary at the end of the meeting
18-19/48 District Councillor Report Report received and circulated. Cllr Sollom not present but Cllr Allen deputised and summarised. There was expressed disappointment from a variety of sources at the recent GCP meeting and decisions have been taken to review evidence on the recent LLF proposal to enable effective comparators with other schemes and to ensure the GCP will hold further consultations. There remains much confusion over interim measures as opposed to final measures. The SCDC passed motions to address these matters at the November Council meeting. SCDC also passed a climate change resolution supporting zero carbon by 2050, supported with additional funding the construction of an Ice Rink and had produced a loneliness toolkit. Finally there would be two further on-line consultations re the GCP plans regarding the Comberton Greenways and the proposed Junction 11 Park and Ride. Engagement in these was encouraged. 18-19/49 Finance a) Bank Balances at 28/10/18: Current Account: 12,466,43 Instant Access 39,000.74 IM/LM 18/49 b) IM had circulated an updated report on the S106 funds regarding 46 High Street which outlined a potential process for dealing with the funds together with the positive response from the residents concerned. a) Finance: The following accounts were approved for payment and bank details noted Clerk Salary (gross) 393.12 Hamill Landscaping and Maintenance (October) 459.60 CAPALC OutreachTraining Fee 700.00 Burwash Larder Training day Lunch 217.00 St Peter s Churchyard wall repair contribution 824.33 Direct Debit Plusnet 24.99 Cllr Expenses 97.57 Clerk Expenses 71.08 Receipts Payment of invoices (6) for training 500.00 Retain funds in PC account to cover cost of skateramp repair already carried out; Following a playground inspection and, if deemed necessary, to specifically use funds to replace the roundabout on the recreation ground play area;
To transfer funds to the new Village Trust expected to be operational early in the new year with proviso that it meets the charitable intentions of the residents as the family agreeing to donate the money and the monies will be allocated towards improvement of play facilities in Barton/open space development as per the S106 deed. After discussion Council resolved to accept the process proposal 8 for1 against. 18-19/50 To Receive and discuss reports on Council Matters a) The Clerk had distributed a report of the 2 nd Governance and Finance meeting on 22/11/18 which Cllrs confirmed had been read Progress was confirmed regarding Leases and meetings were being set up. The Budget and Precept proposal have a February deadline and discussions still in progress and deferred to January meeting (18-19/50 c). Discussion took place regarding the proposal to have 3 working groups each with 3 members, Governance and Finance, Transport, Traffic and Highways and Village Amenities and Open Spaces together with a procedure and protocol for Planning issues. There was broad acceptance and a final vote would be taken at the next PC meeting. b) The Cllr. training event was perceived as successful and an informal meeting was proposed to be held pre Xmas to discuss further matters and gauge potential ways to apply the learning. 18-19/51 Clerk correspondence and report a) Regarding Japanese Knot Weed, IM and LM and the original communicant met with SCDC Byways and Paths officer and CCC Ecology and Invasive Species Officer at the location and the presence of knotweed was confirmed (although not extensive). IM had received and circulated reports about possible procedures from now on which will commence in the Spring 2019. IM will clarify the extent of the PC responsibility to get rid of the invasive plant but there is clear commitment by CCC to give expert assistance. b) Plans to engage a playground inspection are in hand. c) New residents in the village had enquired about Village Xmas events and though there are a number of organisations holding events it was felt there maybe needs to be a future co-ordination and promotion of these together with maybe a PC engagement. Cllrs will correspond with the new residents. 18-19/52 Recreation Ground a) IM had circulated a report of his attendance at the extremely useful groundsman workshop in Ely and an outline costings of work to be done. He had subsequently met the presenter, who is the operator of the Sport England Grass Roots Pitchcare Scheme, at the recreation ground to assess potential for future work. Further information was gleaned from the Clerk at Hauxton concerning use of their recreation ground. The budget and business plan is well advanced and will be presented to vote upon at the January meeting for potential inclusion in the budget. IM was investigating sources of grants to assist restoration of the recreation ground.
b) The potential bridge and path between Wimpole Road and the Recreation ground was discussed. The need for such a path was questioned. It was noted that the ploughing currently leaves no viable path on the field proposed and the practicalities of maintenance were questioned. Council resolved to withdraw support for the plan (5 for, 3 abstained) and the landowner would be informed. Thanks were given to John Boocock on behalf of BeaVers for work done in planning practicalities. 18-19/53 To receive and discuss Planning notifications The following notifiations had been received and circulated and no issues were raised. S/3127/18/FL 76 Wimpole Rd TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 APPEAL UNDER S78 AGAINST REFUSAL OF A HOUSEHOLDER APPLICATION S/4345/18/TC Tree Preservation Order-Tree surgery 5, Comberton Road, Barton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB23 7BA Willow - crown thin by removal of largest re-growths from each pollard head, retaining weeping canopy S/4331/18/OL Outline planning permission for demolition of existing house and construction of 3 new houses with matters reserved apart from Access. 15 Comberton Rd CB23 7BA Ref: S/4331/18/OL (Application for renewal of Outline Planning Permission Reference S/0844/15/OL) 18-19/54 To receive and discuss reports on Highways matters: a) IM had circulated correspondence and outlined his research regarding the speeding issues raised by residents, particularly in Haslingfield Rd. In Addition Cllr NH had been looking at wider traffic issues in the village. Both independently came to the same conclusion that: Evidence collection is vital; The process to get change is a long, complex and potentially very costly one; Constructive engagement with Highways is vital; Need to garner support from Councillors at all levels; It is useful to consult other PCs with similar experience. The PC had previously engaged in a speedwatch scheme and does possess equipment and some trained volunteers. IM was instructed to collate information and seek out volunteers. The new traffic working group will consider a village wide project and potential costings. County Cllr Lina Joseph offered to assist when the working group is operational. b) Meetings had taken place with some residents with specific expertise regarding the cycle path extension and some work had commenced both to offer advice and potential management/mitigation of the Greenway Scheme. c) Cllr Lina Joseph added comments about the scheme suggesting Greenways were working positively, had not fully allocated all monies and there were still decisions to be made and she urged engagement in consultation.
18-19/55 Small works and Maintenance log including Barton Beavers a)the BeaVers work on the churchyard wall was complete and a request for a PC contribution already agreed had been received and would be paid. Cllrs re-iterated thanks and applauded the quality of the work. b) Some debris from the work was being utilised/recycled as fines on the Grantchester byway. c) Photographs and descriptions of the dangerous state of 3 softwood benches around the village were presented and request to replace the tops with oak was given. Council resolved unanimously to approve the re-topping of the specific benches. 18-19/56 Neighbourhood Watch Cllr Pitchford reported a theft in Roman Hill and the presence of Hare Coursers as crime issues. She will attend another Police Hub meeting on 11 th December. There was some concern expressed regarding security of the recreation ground. IM was awaiting quotes regarding the High Bar gate. Next Council meeting: Thursday 10 th January 2019 7:30 pm in the Village Hall Future Council Meeting: Tuesday 5 th February 2019 7:30 pm Village hall Meeting closed: 21:35 Chair: LM