Churchill & Blakedown
Parish Council Minutes

Minutes of the Meeting of Churchill and Blakedown Parish Council held on Wednesday, 20th February 2008, in Blakedown Parish Rooms.

PRESENT Cllr R J Whiston (Chairman)
Cllr Mrs S Cartwright
Cllr S D Charman
Cllr T A Gardiner
Cllr Mrs P V Hayward
Cllr J W Long
Cllr B A Pitt
Cllr Mrs V J Swindells

In attendance: Simon Roper-Pressdee, Conservation Officer, Wyre Forest DC
District Cllr Stephen Williams
Malcolm Hall, Web site keeper
CSO Gemma Goode
R D Gurney, Clerk to the Parish Council

18/08 CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS

The Chairman welcomed Simon Roper-Pressdee, Cllr Stephen Williams and CSO Gemma Goode to the meeting.

19/08 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
These were received and accepted from Cllr Dearden.

20/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Cllr Charman declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Item 10 (3), (minute no 24/08(3)).
Cllr Long declared a personal interest in Item 8(4) (minute no. 26/08) and Item 13 (minute no. 20/08).

21/08 COMMUNITY POLICING
The Chairman invited CSO Gemma Goode to speak. She reported that the abandoned vehicle on the Shoppers car park had been passed to WFDC. Regarding parking on the footway, some residents on Birmingham Road had been leafleted, and there has been an improvement in that the footway is not now blocked; Station Drive will be visited as motorists have ignored the “road works” signs and continued to park; fencing panels in Lynwood Drive have been damaged by late night drinkers(?) and this will entail late visits to the area by the Police. She intends to become involved with local groups.

Members mentioned that the door to the sports pavilion had been damaged; that Neighbourhood Watch needs to be activated across the Parish; and the Camera Safety Partnership visits to Blakedown ought to be more appropriately timed.

22/08 CHARACTER APPRAISAL OF CHURCHILL CONSERVATION AREA

The Chairman invited Simon Roper-Pressdee to speak. He explained that this appraisal is to update the Conservation Area, designated in 1991, to see if any buildings could be locally listed, to assess the boundaries and to produce up-to-date guidance for residents, developers and the councils.

The Council agreed that the reply to the consultation should be of positive support for the Appraisal, and that details relating to items such as the boundary left until a joint survey can be carried out, later in the Spring.

ADJOURNMENT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
(Three members of the public were in attendance. Val Fletcher thanked the Parish Council for supporting the residents in their concern with the application for the redevelopment of Little Champson.

Mr Lorton reported that the street name plate is still missing from Mill Lane, opposite Sculthorpe Road, and that activities at Park Hall are still be advertised nationally).

23/08 REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS

County Cllr Clee was not in attendance and there was no report.

Cllr Williams thanked the members of the public from Blakedown and the Parish Council who attended and spoke at the Wyre Forest DC Planning Committee regarding planning application no. WF/07/1260 (re Little Champson).

24/08 PLANNING ISSUES

For OnLine information follow this link

The Chairman agreed to bring this item forward.

(1) Little Champson, Roxall Close (07/1260). The Chairman also thanked those people who had attended and spoken at the Planning Committee and that the arguments put forward had persuaded the Wyre Forest DC Planning Committee to overturn the Officer recommendation. The Clerk gave the details of the decision notice, which he had received today; he confirmed that the application for its listing had been submitted to English Heritage and its receipt had been acknowledged. Simon Roper-Pressdee commented that the applicants were now considering their options, one of which could be to submit a new application retaining the existing building.

(2) 39B Birmingham Road (07/1126). A letter from Mr Parker was enclosed with the agenda. The contents were not considered to explain the anomalies expressed by the PC, but it was considered that the PC should learn from the experience and note the contents.

(3) Swan Inn, Birmingham Road. (Cllr Charman, having declared an interest in this item, left the room during the consideration of the item). The Clerk reported that he had been informed by Mr Parker on 6th February that a “retrospective application is due in the next week or so” and that the application for the felling of the Yew tree has been refused.

25/08 CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 16th JANUARY 2008

It was agreed that amendments be made as follows:

Minute 4/08, line 3, should read “road rage/parking”

Minute 7/08(4), second sentence should read “ It was agreed that Members could, in the future, help with the preparation of the three interim newsletters with details of the Parish matters and this will be looked into by Cllrs Dearden and Gardiner.”

Minute 7/08(4), last line, omit “to”

Minute 11/08, line 4, add “Churchill”

Minute 13/08, line 2, delete “January”, and replace with “February”.

Subject to these amendments it was proposed by Cllr Whiston, seconded by Cllr Charman, and RESOLVED that the Minutes, being a true and accurate record of the proceedings of the meeting, be signed by the Chairman.

26/08 PROGRESS REPORTS FOR INFORMATION

(1) Parish Web site. Malcolm Hall was invited to speak. He reported that in the last month there had been 2,771 page loads, with a new hit from New Zealand and several hits relating to the Blakedown Bolt. He commented that some 2 or 3 Parish Plan consultation questionnaires are received and it was agreed that a cut-off date be 1st April 2008.

(2) Lengthsman/Handyman report. Mark Jones was not in attendance. The Clerk was asked to arrange for litter to be collected from Crown Lane, gateway in Waggon Lane, and to check the arrangements for litter collection from the Playground.

(3) Land to the rear of 5 Mill Lane, Blakedown. A copy of the Agreement between Mr Young and the Church Commissioners, dated 25th November 1957, was enclosed with the agenda. It was agreed that this be included on the agenda for further discussion at the next meeting.

(4) Post Office Working Group. Cllr Long had checked that the consultation period for Post Office closures in the West Midlands starts on 27th August 2008.

(5) Blakedown Station maintenance. Cllr Long had arranged for a map of Network Rail property at Blakedown to be sent to the Clerk, but this has not been received.

(6) Improvements to the access to the Shoppers car park. Mr Dave Clee, WCC, had told the Clerk that, as the A.456 is still maintained by the Highways Agency, this matter should be left until it is taken over by WCC. He commented that there are no accidents statistics relating to this crossover and there may be a problem with The Avenue being an unadopted highway. This matter is to be left for the time being.

27/08 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
For OnLine information follow this link

(1) It was resolved that the comments on the following applications, as detailed, be sent to Wyre Forest DC.

Applications Received.

WF/08/0066 Single storey kitchen and conservatory extension (variation of permission no. WF/06/0822), 48 Birmingham Road, Blakedown - No objection

WF/08/0107 Change of use to car park, landscaping and associated works, Hingley & Callow (Oils) Ltd, Station Yard, Station Drive, Blakedown

No objection to the use of this land for car parking, particularly as it is understood that it will be available for users of Blakedown Station. However, this application should not be considered in isolation of the car parking problems that exist in the surrounding roads in the village – Station Drive, Mill Lane, Lynwood Drive and the Shoppers car park. The PC considers that permission should not be granted before appropriate Traffic Regulation Orders are in place to control parking in and around the station.

Considering the car park scheme Members would not agree to lighting on the site and would not expect overnight parking to be allowed, by closing the car park at, say, 9pm.

Planning Decisions - for information

WF/07/1176 Extensions, 53 Lynwood Drive, Blakedown - GRANTED
WF/07/1201 Glazed link, 1 Yarnold Cottages, Stakenbridge Lane, Churchill – REFUSED
WF/07/1207 Extensions, Railway Cottage, Birmingham Road, Kidderminster - GRANTED
WF/07/1211 Extensions, Old School House, Stakenbridge Lane, Churchill - GRANTED
WF/07/1221 Agricultural store, cattle rearing facility, and use for grazing and breeding of horses, Jubilee Field, off Birmingham Road, Blakedown – REFUSED
WF/07/1230 Change of use, highway to garden, land at Five Ways Cottages, Sugar Loaf Lane, Ismere – GRANTED
WF/07/1237 Extensions, Oaklands, Waggon Lane, Churchill – GRANTED
WF/07/1257 Extensions, 49 Belbroughton Road, Blakedown - GRANTED

28/08 FINANCE
(1) The Clerk reported that the current account today stands at £178.10p and the Instant Access account stands at £6,0595p, giving a total credit balance of £6,238.05p.
(2) It was proposed by Cllr Gardiner, seconded by Cllr Pitt, and resolved that the following accounts be approved for payment:
Staples UK Ltd, photocopying, stamps - January
£48.03 + £5.97 VAT (2 invoices) £ 54.00
Prysmian Cables & Systems Ltd, lighting maintenance, 11.06-10.07
£956.85 + £167.45 VAT £1,124.30
Mark Jones handyman £ 40.00
lengthsman £440.00
£1,658.30

29/08 HIGHWAY MATTERS/CHURCHILL CROSSROADS

The Clerk reported that he has been told by officers at WCC that an order has now been issued for the works to take place, but work is not likely to start until April 2008. The request for weight limit restriction on Stakenbridge Lane is now being considered by the Traffic Management Team. Following the recent problems in Station Drive WCC has stated that the kerbing will be “reconsidered in the next financial year.”

The Clerk was asked to report 2 potholes in Churchill, a blocked drain opposite the School on A.456, and the footway subsidence on A.456 at the Dingle, near Harborough Hall.

30/08 MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR THE SHOPPERS CAR PARK
The Clerk has received no response from the Car park Superviser/Manager at WFDC and this will be pursued. The Clerk will enquire about Village Green status for the Green.

31/08 PARISH PLAN WORKING GROUP
The Group is now assessing and collating the consultation replies. A 25% response has been achieved. There are some items which can be dealt with by the Parish Council fairly quickly and these will be brought forward as soon as is practical. A DEFRA grant has
been applied for and it was agreed that this be put through the PC account.

32/08 ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
It was agreed that the Chairman and Clerk liaise with the preparation of the newsletter which will advertise the Annual Meeting and be available for distribution to Members at the next meeting.

33/08 GREEN SUPPLIER OF ENERGY FOR STREET LIGHTS
It was agreed that this item be deferred to the next meeting.

34/08 ITEMS FROM CALC
The MAIL was enclosed with the agenda and the Clerk drew attention to the Area Meeting at Rushock on 5th March and a CALC course on chairmanship.

35/08 CORRESPONDENCE (for noting)

(1) RoSPA - playground inspection in March(?)
(2) WFDC – allocation of Red Cross Grant funds for organisations (attached)
(3) WFDC - review of polling stations
(4) WFDC - agenda items for Parish Forum meeting, 10.04.08
(5) WFDC – Local development framework consultation to 10.03.08
(6) Local Council Services – training courses, internal audit, acting clerk
(7) WCC – Children and Young People’s Plan 2008-2011 consultation
(8) Dept. for Communities and Local Government – Code of Conduct consultation
(9) West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy – consultation on Preferred Option until 28.03.08
(10) Wolverhampton Airport Action Group – response to WMRSS
(11) Audit Commission – appointment of external auditor (Clement Keys)
(12) Wyre Forest Police/Community Consultative Group – minutes of meeting, 17.01.08
(13) Kinver PC minutes and agendas
(14) Magazines, including Partnership Matters; Newsline; Enjoy England

36/08 ITEMS OR PARISH INTEREST/ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA
1. Cllr Mrs Hayward informed Members that, from the Community Leadership Fund, district councilors are given funding for local items. She will fund the removal of the bracken and replanting with wild flowers at Churchill crossroads. She enquired if there is a similar project in Blakedown.

2. Cllr Long reported that, on behalf of the Parish Council, he had been presented with a copy of a MA thesis from Carole Perkin (nee Carpenter) relating to the Parish, which arose from the Little Champson application. The Clerk to write and thank.

3. Booking arrangements at village halls.

37/08 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

This is scheduled for Wednesday, 19th March 2008, in Blakedown Parish Rooms.
The meeting closed at 10.14 pm.

Dated this 19th day of March 2008 ………………………………............

Chairman