HORTON KIRBY AND SOUTH
DARENTH PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES of the
MEETING of the PARISH COUNCIL held on 23 October 2003 in the Parish Room,
Village Hall, South Darenth at 7 pm.
Present: Cllr P Bradley
(Chairman),
Cllrs A Burchmore, D
Payne, G Piller, M Powsey, D Snape, G Tripp,
R Valentine and I Wescombe
T Searles, District Councillor,
P McGarvey, District
Councillor
D Brazier, County
Councillor,
6 members of the public
In attendance: C Allart,
Parish Clerk
Apologies for absence: None
Declarations of Interest:
None
RESOLVED that the Minutes of
the meeting held on 25 September 2003 be approved and signed as a correct
record.
RESOLVED that the Minutes of
the Westminster Field Advisory Committee held on 9 October be approved and
adopted.
Report
An update on what has
happened since the Westminster Field Committee needs to be reported so that a
decision can be made on this matter. 8
plumbers were asked to quote for the pipe work repairs and other useful or
essential works. Only 2 prices have
been received which can be reported verbally.
Chris Elliott who has submitted the very considerably lower estimate for
the complete works had set aside the week beginning 10 November to do the
work. He still has this slot available
for a reduced job, otherwise it won’t be until January when he can do it. Cllr Wescombe has met him on site to discuss
what work can be left until the next financial year when a proper budget can be
allocated.
Discussion
Cllr Wescombe, who had met
Chris Elliott on site, still felt that the reduced work was too much as much of
it was not necessary at the moment and could be done next financial year. It was suggested that he and Cllr Burchmore
decide what needs doing, a price be obtained from Chris Elliott and approval be
given in advance of the next meeting by consulting with other members so that the work can be done during week beginning
10 November.
Report
It is with great sadness
that I record the death at the beginning of October of former parish councillor
Colin Ovenden. I have sent condolences
to his wife Jan and told her that, as is the usual custom with former councillors,
we shall be making an entry in his memory in the 100 Year Wood book.
Report
The new regulations insist
that banks have documentation on all customers so they need to see passport or
driving licence plus an address verification document for all signatories. This needs to be the original document or a
photocopy certified by a solicitor or similar.
The clerk agreed to contact
a local resident who is a solicitor to see if she can verify the photocopies.
Report
The next meeting will be
held in Otford on Monday 17 November at 8 pm.
We have been asked to submit names of our representatives and to advise of any agenda items by 31 October.
Cllrs Bradley, Valentine and
Wescombe expressed an interest in attending.
Report
The answerphone facility on
the office phone and fax went wrong and was not repairable. I needed to get a replacement urgently as
people were phoning the office and getting strange noises so that either they
did not leave a message or, if they did, I could not hear it on replay. Combined fax and phone machines cost £150
minimum but as I rarely send or receive faxes, I decided this was an
unnecessary expense. I have therefore
bought a new phone with answer facility for £35. The fax part of the old machine still works and, if necessary,
can be quickly plugged in. Reported for
information.
Report
KCC has a new project for
public rights of way. They wish to give
small grants to community groups to achieve improvements. The outline of the scheme is very sketchy at
the moment but more details will follow.
Local resident Maurice Tripp who is a prolific walker of our local paths
is interested in being involved.
Report
The clerk reported that
there was nothing in the last parish newsletter about this possible move from
East Hill to Horton Road because Cllr Payne had already received a lot of
opposition to the move. 19 people had signed
a mini petition against change.
Reported for information and further consideration.
RESOLVED that no further
action be taken on this matter at the present time.
Report
The clerk reported that
there is plenty going on at the moment to try and persuade towns and parishes
to find out more about Quality Status and Parish Plans. The Parish Council decided in December 2001
not to go ahead with it but new Members might like the opportunity to find out
more about it.
District Councils have to
get involved with Parish Plans and so SDC has organised a forum on Thursday 20
November from 10 am to 3.30 pm. Clerk
and 1 Member per parish are invited.
The Society of Local Council
Clerks is also organising a Regional One Day Conference in Reigate on Monday 8
December. Alun Michael, Minister for
Rural Affairs will be there to explain the scheme in detail.
If any new members wish to
read the literature that I have on the subject please ask.
No one was interested in
attending either event.
Report
The clerk reported that Cllr
Payne is waiting to get more information from the proposers of this idea to
build earth banks in the Top Paddock for use by young BMX bikers similar to the
unofficial area behind Longmarsh View in Sutton-at-Hone.
The clerk also said that
since the last meeting she had received a phone call from the clerk of
Sutton-at-Hone parish with information on various problems in that area.
Letter of strong objection
from Mr and Mrs Groombridge of 32 Paddock Close and another from Mrs Pollard of
No 30 had been received.
Discussion
Members of the public
attended to find out more about proposals and to complain about not having been
consulted. Councillors responded by
saying that there were insufficient details to consult on at the moment but, if
the idea progressed, those living nearby would be asked for their views.
Report
The clerk asked members to
consider this matter further, following the meeting with Club members and the
Police on 13 October.
Discussion
There was considerable
discussion on this event and most members agreed that the organisers had shown
themselves to be highly competent and aware of all various aspects of the
event. They had also shown themselves
very keen to work closely with the local people so that they were fully aware
of any impacts on their day to day business on that Sunday morning.
It was felt that the fund
raising possibilities might not be very great but the possibility of a fun ride
around the course immediately after the races would have a great appeal to
local people.
RESOLVED that
1.
approval
be given to the Darenth Cycle Club to hold an event on Sunday morning, 11 July
2004; and
2.
part
of Westminster Field be set aside for controlled parking for entrants and
visitors.
Members were given a copy of the playground safety reports for consideration.
RESOLVED that the work be
put out to tender.
Cllr Valentine submitted a
report which stated that South Darenth Village Society would be happy to make
the application to Living Spaces for grant aid subject to the Parish Council
agreeing to take responsibility for after care maintenance, health and safety
issues, insurance and safety inspections.
The Village Society did not want to be responsible for any extra costs
if the grant was not sufficient to cover costs. It also did not want to lose support for its other activities
from those upset by the proposals for new play equipment.
RESOLVED that agreement be
given to the points mentioned above.
Reprot
As well as the internal
audit carried out at the year end for the Annual Return, a monthly internal
audit has to be carried out. A
councillor can do this. Does one person
want to do this or should we draw up a rota?
Cllr Bradley agreed to do
one monthly audit and Cllr Burchmore offered to help out.
A survey on what we think of
the highway service has been received from KCC. Members had their own copy but a composite reply was
required. The clerk agreed to compile
one reply from all those received by 29 October.
SE/03/02168/FUL
Traffic Island North of
Franks Lane
Change of Use to Residential
and Stationing of One Caravan/Mobile Home for
Gypsy Caravan
Additional Information by
letter
[Point of Information: A
Court of Appeal in June 2003 stated that if a gypsy had abandoned the nomadic
way of life, the special provision for gypsies no longer applied]
It is important to this
application to know whether Mr Carter is a person of nomadic habit of
life. The letter states that he travels
most of the year but is it sufficient to simply say that or is there a burden
of proof on the applicant? However, the
letter from the East European Advice Centre states that Mr Carter intends to live on the site with
his fiancee and her two children, so he will quite clearly then have abandoned
the nomadic way of life.
The letter states that the
most important point is that he bought the land at a price for which he would
expect to get residential use. If it is an important point, this Parish Council
would suggest that the price for a residential plot would be significantly more
than he paid. However, the price that
any item sold at auction makes is simply a matter of demand and what others are
prepared to pay – it has no bearing on its value or use.
It is this Parish Council’s view that the most important point is that this site is not appropriate for any residential use.
Section 9.48 of the Local Plan states that it is not appropriate for gypsy sites in the Green Belt. Mr Carter obviously wants a permanent site for his home here but the criteria for even a temporary use on this land are not met:
·
Mr
Carter has already damaged flora and fauna on this land and any more
development will cause more damage [H20 (6)];
·
any
proposal will detract from the amenities and privacy of neighbouring uses
because of its close proximity to residential houses [H20(7)]; and
·
the
site is clearly not suitable for residential purposes and would prejudice the
safety of residents, especially young children aged 5 and 9, by being
surrounded on 3 sides by roads one of which is an extremely busy A road [H20(11)].
SE/03/02398/FUL
Millen Court, The Street
Erection of Electric Gates
to Existing Development
The Parish Council objects
to this proposal as
·
a
gated estate is out of keeping with the rest of the Conservation Area and the
street scene generally;
·
there
could be problems with access by emergency vehicles;
·
larger
vehicles attempting to gain access to properties inside the gates could cause a
considerable obstruction on this already narrow bend, which is also a bus
route; and
·
it
would question whether this road inside the proposed gates is a private road or
has been or will be adopted as a public highway.
The following decision
notices have been received:
SE/03/00799/FUL
Riseley Hall Eglantine Lane
Alterations to Riding
Stables
REFUSED
SE/03/01816/ful
Canada Farm Canada Farm Road
Proposed Conversion of
Single Storey Barn to Dwelling
GRANTED
Report
Wages levels have not been
considered since August 2002. A list of
current rates will be available at the meeting.
RESOLVED that, subject to
all staff receiving the minimum wage of £4.50, an increase of 2.3% backdated to
August 2003 be awarded.
RESOLVED that the schedule
of accounts, as submitted, be approved and payments made accordingly.
Councillors’ Allowances
The clerk asked whether
Members were still of the view that allowances to councillors would not be paid
or should this matter be put forward to a future meeting for
consideration. There is considerable
debate about whether mileage can still be paid for attendances outside of the
parish at a rate of 40p per mile without the parish council having to be part
of the new scheme. Subject to legal
clarification on this point, Members agreed that they would not wish to be paid
an allowance but mileage should continue to be paid.
Villages Design Statement
The clerk reported that
public consultation on the Design Statement was now taking place until 28
November. Members asked to see a copy
of it.
The meeting ended at 8.42
pm.
Chairman
Date