|
Minutes of the Meeting of Kessingland Parish Council held on Wednesday 9th January 2008 at the Methodist Church Hall at 7.30pm. Members present; Cllr Martin (Chairman), Cllr Baisden, Cllr B Brown, Cllr R Brown, Cllr Burden, Cllr Crossland, Cllr Lawson, Cllr Morgan, Cllr Purkis, Cllr Sinfield, Cllr Woodhead. Others Present; Mr J Powell and 2 members of public PCSO Green Cllr Goldsmith - SCC Cllr Provan and Cllr Starling - WDC Keith Ridsdale - WDC Enforcement Officer Mrs L Beevor (Clerk),
Cllr R Brown was presented with a certificate from SALC congratulating him on 43 years service as a councillor. Cllr Purkis thanked everyone for her flowers.
Agenda 1a) Apologies for absence Nil b) Declarations of Interest Cllr Martin declared a prejudicial interest in any matter relating to High Path Cllr Morgan declared a prejudicial interest in any matter relating to High Path 2) To approve and sign the minutes of the parish council meeting held on Wednesday 12th December 2007. It was resolved by all to approve the minutes. 3) Public participation Keith Ridsdale - WDC Enforcement Officer Mr Ridsdale explained that he was one of 3 enforcement officers at WDC in Planning and Enforcement Control. A colleague, Mr Crombie, deals with Enforcement issues relating to Rights of Way. Complaints are logged, however there are no public details released about a complainant unless through the Freedom of Information Act. Once a complaint has been logged, contact will be made with the complainant within 24 hours. The enforcement officer would then meet with the complainant and with the person concerned. Every attempt is made to negotiate with both parties to obtain a satisfactory result for all concerned. Only occasionally would there be no satisfactory resolution and then a prosecution may be taken. Mr Ridsdale explained that some of the information available to him is data protected and therefore cannot be released to third parties. With regard to Ashley Nursery site, a notice 215 was served to remove the rubble and for the fences to be repaired. There is a 28 day window before the notice comes into effect and then 28 days to comply. There is now some delegation of power within WDC so that notices can be served without having to refer all matters to committee. Matters relating to ‘Untidy Land' can now cover buildings as well as land. Questions Mr Ridsdale was asked whether he was selective in what was investigated and advised that all complaints are investigated. Some matters are completed much faster than others i.e. issues relating to TPO's. Thanks were extended to Mr Ridsdale for attending. Report from WDC Cllr Provan advised the timetable for the next closures of the Bascule Bridge and these will be placed in the next P C newsletter. Questions Cllr Provan was asked whether a new executive contact at WDC had been allocated to Kessingland following the departure of Louise Jordan Hall. Cllr Provan advised that no executive had yet been allocated for Kessingland but that he would advise the clerk as soon as the details were known.
Report from SCC
Cllr Goldsmith advised that on the 28th December there had been flooding issues at McLean Drive and Mr Andrew Wilson-Sutter from WDC had been out to look at the situation. Anglian Water also attended on 29th December and the matter has been sorted out. However the underlying reason for the problem is not known. Cllr Goldsmith had some photographs from the flooding at the beach in November and these will be provided to the Environment Agency. Parish Council confirmed that they had also sent photographs. Debris at the lagoon appears to have been cleared. Dropped kerbs - 12 have been made as previously advised. PCSO Green advised that no parking enforcement can take place to prevent cars parking in front of the dropped kerb unless there is a white line in front of the dropped kerb. Questions a) Cllr Goldsmith was advised that 20mph signs had been placed in Clare Road/Francis Road and asked whether these were enforceable. Cllr Goldsmith advised that 20mph zones would be enforceable; however PCSO Green advised that they are not enforceable. Each to obtain clarification. b) Cllr Goldsmith was advised that the pavement in the High Street had still not been repaired. Cllr Goldsmith confirmed that he would chase the matter. c) Cllr Goldsmith was asked whether a bollard could be placed outside the shops at Field Lane where there is a small piece of path where cars park and cause obstruction. Cllr Goldsmith will consult with highways. d) Trees on Church Road are covering the street lights and appear to be dangerous - can these be lopped. Cllr Goldsmith to advise the next meeting. Report from police representative PCSO Green advised that there had been 20 crimes reported for December including; 7 Criminal Damage 2 Assaults 1 Arson 7 Theft 2 Burglaries The police advised that ‘Operation Knapsack' was believed to be successful, with fewer youths walking about the village. The operation is ongoing. No youths have been seen on Church Road car park for several months. Re the Kicks Project - the funding bid for a performance reward was not successful but alternative funding is being sought. PCSO Green asked about the lights at the Muga and was advised that the work there has not yet been completed. Questions a) PCSO Green was asked whether Operation Knapsack will continue and she confirmed that it would. Question was asked as to whether any arrests had been made and the meeting was advised that there had been 1 arrest. b) PCSO Green was advised that there were still issues with youths at Lloyds Ave. The meeting was asked to ensure that residents report all incidents so that numbers can be logged. c) Question was asked relating to cars parking across footpaths - PCSO Green advised that the matter could only be enforced if the cars are obstructing enough to prevent a disabled buggy from getting past. It was suggested by councillors that cars parking on a footpath were causing an obstruction and that it was believed that this was therefore an offence under the Highways Act. PCSO will clarify for the next meeting. Matters from members of the public Cllrs Martin and Morgan left the meeting. Member of the public advised that she had purchased a property at High Path but that there were now issues about whether she could park there. The matter is therefore being pursued through the Enforcement Officer at WDC. Council advised the member of public that there have been previous issues with regard to the dustbin men, who no longer go up High Path. At this time residents contacted the Rights of Way Officer at SCC who then dealt with the matter with the residents, and provided advice to them. Council was advised that a letter had been received from another resident complaining of the state of High Path and this will be acknowledged and then forwarded to the Rights of Way Officer at SCC. Public Session closed Cllr Morgan and Cllr Martin returned to the meeting. 4) Chairman's Report a) Co-option - C/V had been received from John Powell. Councillors were given the opportunity to ask Mr Powell questions. Co-option to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. b) Update of Village Directory - The business directory has been updated. Thanks were extended to Cllr Morgan and Cllr Baisden. Councillors were reminded that Cllr Goldsmith had agreed some funding should the village directory update involve printing costs. c) Update of Parish Plan - this will be mentioned in the next newsletter. d) Village Sign - David Elliott from SCC had met with the Chairman to discuss a new position for the village sign. He was agreeable to the village sign going onto the grass verge opposite Livingstones. Before the sign is moved to a new location, it will need to be restored. Maureen Long has provided the name of a person who would be prepared to provide a quote to do this. Crest of sign will need to be removed from the post, then restored, then post and base to be moved to new location, and crest put back on. Blocks and J Briggs to be asked to provide quotes for the moving of the village sign/post and base. e) Councillor Surgeries - Dates for the period January - June 2008 provided. f) Newsletter - this will go out next week. 5) Vice Chairman's Report a) Kicks Project - covered above b) MUGA lights - covered above. c) Footpaths and Marsh Lane - Mow and Grow have provided a quote for the works. Await quote from R G Maintenance. 6) Clerks Report and Correspondence The general correspondence was made available for all councillors to read. Correspondence a) SCC - Bus Services - Reply to our letter regarding a link to the James Paget Hospital. SCC advises that the budgetary restrictions mean that such a direct service would not be possible. b) South Lowestoft Safer Neighbourhood Team - minutes of meeting of 11th December provided. c) SCC - Bus and Rail Strategies - documents held by clerk. 7) Reports from meetings attended. Emergency Committee meeting held on 8th January 2008. Next meeting will be March 2008. 8) Events/Activities/Actions for 2008 Ideas were requested for events/activities that the Parish Council could assist in organising within the village. Councillors to consider for the next meeting. 9) Questions/matters to the Chair for future agendas. a) QPS b) Wind Turbines 10) Planning Applications DC/07/2093/FUL - Construction of 1 new detached house at 293 Church Road by Mr and Mrs Waller This application had been considered in 2002. Councillors resolved to refuse the application on the same terms as previously which were that a)Plot too small for dwelling, b) traffic access dangerous, DC/07/2047/FUL - Construction of a rear dormer to accommodate roof conversion at 1 Bucknam Close by Mr A Wilkinson. It was resolved to endorse the approval of the application. Application for 39 High Street - Councillors asked to see the original application to confirm that the property was being built to specification. 11) Finance a) Cheques for signature - A copy of the account balances and the cheques requiring payment was provided to all councillors and is attached to the main minutes. Cheques as detailed in the Receipts and Payments Book. It was resolved by all that the cheques as detailed could be signed. 12) Date of next meeting Wednesday 23rd January 2008 - Martin Burnside from WCF will be attending. Chairman................................... Dated.......................................
|