Minutes 6th March 2018 – Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council

MINUTES OF SWAFFHAM BULBECK PARISH COUNCIL
MEETING NUMBER 461

Held at Downing Court on Tuesday 6th March 2018 starting at 7.30pm

Present: Cllr Sue Romero (SR); Cllr Mary Smith (MS); Cllr Gordon Reid (GR); Cllr Nicky Bates; Cllr Lynn Reed (LR); Cllr Robin Sewell (RS); Cllr Kay Ballard (KB);
Members: 9 Quorum: 3
Members of the Public:
Clerk: Mrs D Bayliss
D Cllr Allen Alderson
Mark Deas Cambridgeshire ACRE
2 Parishioners
Meeting opened at 7.30pm

4419 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr John Trapp (JT); Cllr Peter Raby (PR);
4420 MEMBERS DECLARATION OF INTEREST FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
None
4421 OPEN FORUM FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Jamie – Would the parish council consider recycling bins alongside the litter bins in the village?
4422 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – MARK DEAS CAMBRIDGESHIRE ACRE
Cllr Romero welcomed Mark Deas from Cambridgeshire ACRE and gave a brief summary of the council’s concerns about future development in the village which is in close proximity to Cambridge and the A14; and whether producing a Neighbourhood Plan might help address some of these concerns.
Cambridgeshire ACRE is an independent charity set up to support rural communities across Cambridgeshire. Mr Deas works on housing and planning matters across Cambridgeshire.
Developing a Neighbourhood Plan.
Under the Localism Act 2011 Town and Parish Councils can produce neighbourhood plans for their area, putting in place a vision and policies for its future development. It is a land use plan highlighting economic, social and environmental issues, and may include allocation of specific sites for development. It may cover a wide range of issues or it may focus on just one or two. Producing a neighbourhood plan can’t stop growth but it can have a say over the nature of the growth. It will take up to two years to complete and will not have any bearing on planning applications during that time. Once completed neighbourhood plans are a statutory document and must be used to determine planning applications in a neighbourhood area.
There is a serious commitment of time involved, and councils need to carefully consider the advantages and opportunities of writing a plan against the time and cost implications to help make an informed decision. Grant funding currently covers most costs.
There are three main stages of producing a neighbourhood plan:
• Making the decision to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan.
• Preparing the Plan
• Bringing the Plan into force.
The first steps include setting up a steering group and designating the area. The parish council is the qualifying body for leading the neighbourhood plan, however it is important that the process is open to the wider community and allows them to play an active role in preparation of the plan. The neighbourhood area may be the same as the parish boundary or it may relate to a smaller more focused area or it may include an adjacent parish council. Once the area is designated by the local planning authority, that authority is legally required to produce advice and assistance to the bodies producing the plan in its area.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires the plan to be evidence based and planning policies need to be based on clear, rational and proper understanding of the place they relate to. A review of existing evidence must be undertaken including socio-economic data for the parish and mapping of local areas and community or parish plans for the area. Effective community engagement is essential from the beginning of the process.
The neighbourhood planning regulations require the draft plan proposal to be subject to a 6 week consultation period before it is submitted to the local authority. Any comments received by the parish or town council have to be taken into account and a decision will need to be made as to whether or not to amend the plan.
At the final stage an independent examination of the plan will be carried out before it goes to a referendum in the community which is arranged by the local authority. In order for the plan to be adopted there has to be 50% +1 of the community in favour (of those who vote).
There is potentially an issue with neighbourhood plans; When the district council local plan cannot provide an acceptable 5 year housing supply, the local plan must be reviewed, therefore requiring the neighbourhood plan to be reviewed at the same time. The government has stated that they are trying to resolve this issue.
Support:
• Cambridgeshire ACRE charge £400 for an inception meeting after the area has been designated by the local authority. This charge has to be met by the parish council.
• A locality grant of £9,000 is available towards the cost of producing the plan. (Payment for additional hours for the clerk to the council has to be met by the parish council as the grant cannot be used to pay for these). The grant covers the cost of consultants/hall hire/flyers etc. Any other additional costs will have to be met by the council.
• Locality Website.
• There are a number of resources available from the district council’s in Cambridgeshire.
Questions for the Parish Council to consider are:
• To determine whether a Neighbourhood Plan is needed in your area, consider the following questions:
• What key issues are facing your community? Are they land use related?
• Is there concern about the way ECDC determine planning applications?
• Is there sufficient commitment and enthusiasm in the community?
• Can you identify people with the necessary skills to carry the plan forward?
• Would the parish benefit for the additional CIL monies?(25% as opposed to 15% without a plan)
Mark Deas left the meeting at 8.15pm
4423 TO APPROVE MINUTES OF MEETING 460 6th FEBRUARY 2018
It was proposed by Cllr RS and seconded by Cllr GR that the minutes of the meeting held on 6th February 2018 are approved and signed by the Chairman.
CARRIED
Cllr KB abstained from the vote as she was not at the last meeting.
4424 MATTERS ARISING including REPORTS FROM CLERK AND COUNCILLORS
(For information only)
• MS has not yet obtained the tree report and the trees have not been marked because of the weather.
• Cllr JT is writing a report for the council on his meeting with the Police and Crime Commissioner at Burwell Parish Council.
• A complaint has been received by Cllr SR about the condition of Fen Lane and has referred the parishioner to the County Councillor.
• The request to the council about the street market on 30th June will be included on the next agenda.
4425 COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORTS
The District Councillors report was read out at the meeting.
There was no report from the County Councillor.
4426 PLANNING MATTERS
a) Planning Applications
18/00120/LBC The removal of a modern wood and glass partition wall between the dining room and hall passage way and the replacement and relocation of the alcove front door removing the porch from street view at The Old Fire Station 108-110 High Street, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mr Clem Robertson – no objection
18/00190/FUL Demolition of existing lean-to and erection of two storey extension at 85 High Street, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mr & Mrs Chadwick – no objection
b) Planning Approvals
17/02203/LBC Remove greenhouse, construct single storey extension, reduce chimney stack to create doorway, internal vaulted ceiling to include balcony area, insert French drains and soakaway at The Merchants House, 97 Commercial End, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mr Glynn
17/02201/FUL Remove greenhouse, construct single storey extension, reduce chimney stack to create doorway, internal vaulted ceiling to include balcony area, insert French drains and soakaway at The Merchants House, 97 Commercial End, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mr Glynn
17/02218/FUL Proposed conversion, partial rebuilding and extension at Agricultural Building, Hare Park Stud, Six Mile Bottom, Suffolk for AW Carpentry and Building Services Noted
4427 PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE AND EMAIL MATTERS
c) The new website is now live and each parish councillor has a new email address specifically for council business. The link to the new site will be included in the next issue of the Bulbeck Beacon.
4428 PARISH COUNCIL RISK ASSESSMENT
It was proposed by Cllr MS and seconded by Cllr RS that the council approve the risk assessment as carried out by the policy review working group.
CARRIED
4429 POLICY REVIEW
It was proposed by Cllr GR and seconded by Cllr KB that the policy updates as outlined by the Clerk to the Council are approved.
CARRIED
4430 GRASS CUTTING CONTRACT
Tenders for the grass cutting contract were received from McGregor Services £5,510, Herts and Cambs Ground Maintenance£6,140 and Hamill Landscaping and Maintenance Services £5,600.
It was proposed by Cllr NB and seconded by Cllr LR that the Grass Cutting Contract is awarded for a period of 5 years to Herts and Cambs Ground Maintenance.
CARRIED
4431 FINANCES INCLUDING APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTS
a) It was proposed by Cllr GR and seconded by Cllr MS that the bank reconciliation for February is approved.
CARRIED
b) It was proposed by Cllr LR and seconded by Cllr MS that the March accounts are paid.
CARRIED
Cheque No; Payee Item Net VAT Total Power
Payments Since the Last Meeting
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Clerk’s Salary £501.90 £0.00 £501.90 LGA 1972 s112
BACS Royal Mail PO Box £215.00 £43.00 £258.00 LGA s1972 s50
Payments for Tonight’s meeting:
BACS HMRC Tax & NI £125.40 £0.00 £125.40 LGA 1972 s112
BACS Mr J Sugg Handyman Payment £100.00 £0.00 £100.00 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Travel/Telephone £117.93 £0.00 £117.93 LGA 1972 s174
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Home Office Allowance £100.00 £0.00 £100.00 LGA 1972 s112
BACS JCS Bookkeeping Payroll £17.00 £3.40 £20.40 LGA 1972 s112
BACS Balfour Beatty Street Lighting Maintenance £30.00 £6.00 £36.00 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS Fenland Leisure Play Surfacing £1,151.10 £230.22 £1,381.32 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS Fenland Leisure Play Surfacing £532.00 £106.40 £638.40 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS Eyelid Productions Website Set Up and Support Fees £817.00 £0.00 £817.00 LGA 1972 s142
BACS SLCC Conference Fees £298.80 £0.00 £298.80 LGA 1972 s112
DDR ICO Data Protection Fee £35.00 £0.00 £35.00 LGA 1972 s50

4432 DENNY AND PLAY AREA MATTERS
a) • Cllr PR carried out the play area inspection and noted a few items for repair. These will be addressed in the spring by the handy man.
4433 CEMETERY MATTERS
It was agreed that the finance working group will consider whether expenditure on a cemetery package is feasible at the working group meeting when they discuss the year end figures, and will bring a recommendation to the next parish council meeting.
4434 HIGHWAYS MATTERS
a) The Clerk will order the correct paint for the telephone box in Commercial End and Cllr KB will recruit some volunteers to get the work underway. Clerk/KB
b) It was agreed that if there is a litter pick to be undertaken as part of the Great British Spring Clean, it should be arranged in discussion with the handyman.
c) 6 volunteers have come forward to get involved with the Speedwatch Group. The Clerk will set up the initial meeting/training for the group.
4435 CORRESPONDENCE/MATTERS FOR INFORMATION ONLY
a) Invitation to CAPALC AGM EOM Noted
b) CAPALC Bulletin Noted
4436 ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on May 15th 2018 at Downing Court.
Items to be considered for the agenda include:
• Annual Report
• Neighbourhood Plan
• School Report
• Red to Green
• Relief in Need
• Handyman
• Toni Rogers – Forest Schools
• Pavilion Re-Development
4437 DATE AND AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING
April 10th, 2018- Date changed owing to Easter Holiday period.
Annual Meeting of the Council May 1st 2018
APM May 15th 2018
Any business and payments, to be considered at a Parish Council meeting must be delivered to the Clerk for inclusion on the agenda at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

The meeting closed at 9.45pm