Haxey Parish Council - Minutes

Minutes from the extra meeting held on Tuesday 9th October 2007 in the Hood Room of the Haxey Memorial Hall.

Present: Cllrs. Allcock, Boor, Booth, Carlile, Cooke, Foreman, C. Lindley, W. Lindley, Maw and Whitehead.

Chairman: Cllr. Allcock presided.

301. To receive apologies for absence. Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. Eckhardt, Hailstone, Knowles, Moyle and Smedley.

302. To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 25th September 2007. The minutes had been circulated and were confirmed a correct record by Cllrs. Maw and Booth.

303. To receive the decisions made by North Lincolnshire Council and to consider the following planning applications:

The following planning applications have been granted planning permission:

2007/1008 – permission to erect a two storey, 3 bedroom cottage at 43 Akeferry Road, Westwoodside.

2007/1277 – for the retention of a stable block and ménage at Langholme Barn, Haxey.

2007/1294 – to erect a single storey extension to existing bungalow and demolition and re-building of a detached domestic garage at 19 Turbary Road, Haxey.

2007/1295 – to erect a ground floor extension to the rear of existing garage and replace existing flat roof with pitched roof at 25 Marlborough Avenue, Haxey.

2007/1336 – to erect a conservatory extension (this is re-submission of 2007/0785) at Nicholas House, 11 Church Street, Haxey.



The following planning applications were received from NLC and discussed by Haxey Parish Council:

2007/1478 – Mrs. L. Ogg, Shepherds Place, Akeferry Road, Haxey, Westwoodside – Outline planning permission to erect a detached house and garage for a farm/rare breed manager incorporating farm office WC and shower – Do Not Support. 7 in favour and 3 against. A letter of objection had been received. The proposed application is contrary to policy RD11 of the North Lincolnshire Local Plan as the current business of a Rare Breeds Visitors Centre (PA/2006/1742) was only granted planning permission in April 2007. Under Policy RD11 it states that ‘the unit to which the dwelling must be attached will have been proved to have been in existence for more than 3 years and profitable for at least one of them and be currently financially sound’. The current business has only been in operation for about 6 months, April to October 2007, and it is felt this is not sufficient time to prove that it is profitable and financially sound and is contrary to Policy RD11.

2007/1494 – Mr. K. Reavy, Rear of 34 Doncaster Road, Westwoodside – Outline planning permission to erect a detached dormer bungalow with detached domestic garage layout; scale, appearance, access and landscaping not reserved for subsequent approval – Do Not Support. 3 letters had been received. The proposed application is contrary to policy H7 of the North Lincolnshire Local Plan as it is backland and tandem development and it would cause overlooking and loss of privacy to the properties of 32 and 36 Doncaster Road and also 9 and 11 Weavers Croft. The application states that it will not be necessary to remove trees from the proposed site. Trees were on this land and have been removed in the last 2 years without prior notification. Additionally, there is a drain that runs to the west of 32 Doncaster Road which floods when it rains as it is not being properly maintained. If the proposed property was to be built, there is likely to be an increase in the flooding problem which already exists.

304. To receive Clerk’s Report – an update on decisions taken at previous meetings and to consider further action. NLC have stated Tavella Court is not an adopted road apart from 2 – 3 metres of its junction up to the highway boundary. The pot holes that had appeared have been filled in.

The kerbing adjacent to Westwoodside Pond has been inspected by NLC they do not feel that this is of a high priority to repair or replace. It does not mean the kerbing will not be replaced but once the flood damage repairs have been made all these types of sites will be revisited and prioritised on their merits. The kerb offlets also at the Pond are to be jetted and cleaned and if they are found to be damaged they will be replaced. A reply is to be sent to NLC pointing out that they are not offlets but are inlets.

NLC intend to have the gullies and drainage system along the A161 from Belton through to and including Haxey cleaned and jetted. This will incorporate the Low Burnham stretch and the gully at the War Memorial. A time scale is not known as the machinery hired in is currently working on areas where people were flooded during the heavy rain in June/July. It was felt a reply should be sent to NLC stating that Low Burnham, Haxey and Westwoodside did have areas that were flooded and that these should also be a priority.

With regard to the hard wearing course on the stretch of the A161 in Low Burnham, Rob MacKenzie at NLC has stated that a ‘Scanner’ survey has been carried out on the major highways within North Lincolnshire which includes the A161. The results of this survey leads to a prioritised list against similar roads within the Authority.

Funding for any schemes depends on their position within the list and the resources available. Rob MacKenzie is to enquire about the results for the Low Burnham stretch of the A161 and will report the findings at a later date. A reply is to be sent stating that the hard wearing course is in a worse condition after the floods and to ask for the findings of the report to be sent as soon as they have been received by NLC.

A letter of thanks has been received from the Chairman for Westwoodside Playing Field Association for the £2000 grant that was awarded by the Parish Council. The increase in the grant is much appreciated as the costs of maintaining the fields and pavilion have been increasing over the past few years and this will now allow the Association to properly upkeep the facility. The Association has also been awarded Lottery funding to provide new play equipment and this is to take place in Spring 2008.

The Clerk has been to the HSBC bank to enquire as to why the cheque for JBA Consulting had been returned. This was due to the cheque not being signed in accordance with the Mandate. A letter had been received from the Customer Services Officer, Sue Boston, at the Epworth branch of the HSBC asking for Cllrs. Cooke, Foreman, Knowles, Maw and Smedley to present identification and proof of address so the new mandate could be actioned and this would then allow any current Parish Councillor to sign the cheques on behalf of the Parish Council. The reason for this is so that the HSBC can update their systems. In line with the current mandate, the cheque has now also been signed by Cllr. Allcock and sent again to JBA Consulting following advice given by HSBC.

305. To receive an update on the Parish Council’s Website/Newsletter/Directory. Cllr. Allcock stated that more pages had been added to the new website. These pages had been taken from the newsletter and included information stating who the Parish Councillors are and the contact details for the Clerk. Cllr. Maw asked if anyone would be able to put information on the site. Cllr. Allcock stated Cllr. Hailstone would be the go between for the Parish Council and would pass on information for Forward-Step to put this on the site. Cllr. Maw also added that the site would have to be updated regularly in order to keep people interested. Cllr. Allcock agreed and said that the minutes would be put on after the meetings and the agendas would also be added to the site.

The newsletter has been produced and this was collected by the Clerk on Thursday 4th October. Copies have been given to Greenhill Stores and these were put in the papers that were delivered on the morning of Monday 8th October. Cllrs. Allcock and Maw had hand delivered copies in Westwoodside over the weekend. Cllr. Smedley has also hand delivered some copies around Haxey. Further copies are to be delivered during the next week. Cllr. Whitehead is to deliver copies in the areas around Commonside, Cllr. Booth will deliver along Upperthorpe, Cllr. Boor will deliver in Graizelound, Cllr. Maw will deliver copies of the newsletter on Nethergate, Cllr. C. Lindley will deliver on Hunters Croft, Cllr. Cooke will deliver on Holm Road and Thinholme Lane, Cllr. Carlile has said he will deliver copies of the newsletter in Low Burnham, Cllr. W. Lindley has stated he will take some for himself and Cllr. Eckhardt to deliver on The Nooking and the Clerk will deliver copies on Epworth Road, Haxey Lane, Graizelound Fields Road and East Lound Road.

There are still some amendments to be made to the Directory. A final draft copy will be drawn up ready for the meeting at the end of October.

306. To receive an update regarding the Affordable Housing Development and the complaint submitted to the Ombudsman.

The Clerk has contacted South Yorkshire Housing Association enquiring as to when connection from the properties into the sewer is to be made and also when the tenants are likely to be moving in. No reply has been received on this however, it has been noted that work is being carried out on the connection and is likely to take some time because of ground conditions (running sand). It was also stated that due to the properties being stood empty for 18 months, the bungalows had now deteriorated and repair work was needing to be carried out. Tiles on the roof of the properties had blown off, the rain had also caused damage to the ceilings and other fabric of the buildings. The Ombudsman had replied to letters of complaint from residents of Thinholme Lane. Cllr. Cooke offered to summarize the contents of letters which had been received after making a complaint to the Ombudsman in his own right as a Parishioner and an affected resident of Thinholme Lane, Westwoodside. Other residents had also complained to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman had stated that a resident would have to demonstrate that there was both maladministration and that they had suffered injustice because North Lincolnshire Council had not enforced Condition 8 of the planning conditions attached to the affordable housing development to the rear of Holm Road. The Ombudsman had stated that there had been no evidence of injustice being caused to the residents of Thinholme Lane as the sewer problems had already occurred and were not a result of the affordable housing development which were not yet connected.

In the second letter it was stated that the Ombudsman would write to NLC to ‘draw their attention to the need to try and ensure that ‘Conditions Precedent’ are complied with before work starts on site. Failure to do so does tend to reduce confidence in the planning system as a whole’.

Cllr. Allcock stated that if the Parish Council had been able to submit the complaint it could have been done on behalf of both the residents of Thinholme Lane and those who were waiting to move into the affordable houses. It has been shown there was an element of failure by NLC and it is likely that injustice could have been shown where those who were waiting to move in had been kept waiting for 18 months so far and were still waiting. It was unfortunate that the Parish Council could not make a complaint to the Ombudsman. Cllr. Booth expressed her thanks to those residents who had submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman.

307. To receive a report from the Isle of Axholme Police Authority Neighbourhood Panel meeting. Cllrs. Booth and Carlile attended the meeting.

Cllr. Booth stated that there were 20 people in attendance at the meeting which was held on Wednesday 3rd October. Four of those were from the Police force, being the Acting Superintendent, Police Inspector, Police Sargeant and a Police Constable and six of the attendees were from Haxey Parish. There was a Police Surgery one hour before the meeting started but this was poorly advertised and no one had attended. Cllr. Booth also added that she was not able to recognise any other Councillors from the Parish and Town Councils in the Isle of Axholme.

Issues including speeding, parking and underage drinking were discussed. Crime in the Isle was up 10.5% and criminal damage was down 1%. The Auto Number Plate Recognition equipment is now in almost every Police vehicle for Humberside Police. It was also mentioned at the meeting that in the Axholme South area, 3 youths had been cautioned for throwing fireworks about which the Police seemed overjoyed and they re-iterated that people had to be over 18 to purchase fireworks.

Safety Camera signs have been put up in Belton on the A161 and where there is a sign, electrical equipment is in the highway measuring the speed at which a vehicle is travelling. There are a total of 25 cameras which are used throughout the area. The A161 is on a list for regular checks to be carried out as are also Akeferry Road and Doncaster Road.

Another issue discussed was the ‘Smart Water’ fluid which is now used for marking personal items. A bottle is given to one household to mark their items and this is then returned to the Police to keep the details on record. Future meetings are to be held quarterly and the next meetings are planned for 21st January 2008 at Crowle and 21st April at Belton Pavilion. A Police Surgery is to be held before the meetings commence.

308. To be notified of the results and comments received from this year’s Best kept Village Competition. The results and comments had been copied and circulated to the Councillors prior to the meeting. In this year’s competition, Haxey Parish made the first round and scored 130 points out of a possible 150. The scores received for each category were reasonable.

Comments that had been made by the judges included a small amount of graffiti that was visible on the Haxey public convenience, the exterior of Westwoodside Methodist Chapel was in need of some attention, one of the public houses was in need of some attention and the Haxey tourist information board required attention and although there were some exceptionally colourful and well tended gardens it was felt the whole area would benefit from more community planting especially on entry to the villages.

The general comments made by the judges were that they felt the two villages of Haxey and Westwoodside should be judged separately as they both have individual identities and should be judged on their own merits. A reply is to be sent to CPRE advising that the Parish Council had pursued the idea of constructing brick trough planters at the entrance of the villages but NLC advised this could not be done for safety reasons.

A comment had also been made by the judges stating that there was an area in the Churchyard which was overgrown. It is to be highlighted in the letter to CPRE that this area was being experimented with to be a ‘God’s Acre’ feature at the request of the Parochial Church Council and that it had now been decided to have this area cut 4 times a year.

309. To be notified of a letter received from the Conservative Group regarding a ‘School safety Zone Campaign’ and to submit comments.

The letter had been received from the Leader, Cllr. Liz Redfern and Deputy Leader, Cllr. John Briggs of the Conservative Group. They would like the support of the Parish Council in their campaign for 20mph safety zones outside all schools in North Lincolnshire. They believe the safety of the young people and their parents or guardians is of paramount importance and that to introduce this safety measure will clearly demonstrate the Conservative Groups commitment to putting young people first. They hope the Parish Council will support their campaign even if such a zone already exists outside the schools in the area and comments as to their effectiveness would be very useful.

A reply is to be sent to the Conservative Group stating that Haxey Parish Council support their campaign and to inform them that this type of Safety Zone had been tried at Westwoodside School but parents were not in favour.

310. To be notified of a letter received from Defra concerning ‘Ways to Tackle Climate Change’. A copy of the booklet ‘Ways to Tackle Climate Change’ had been received. This was launched by Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs and Minister for the South East at the annual Local Government Association Rural Conference on 5th September 2007.

It is felt that parish and town councils are well placed to provide a local lead in promoting behaviour change to combat climate change.

The guide offers advice on how parish and town councils can play a substantial role in the drive to combat and mitigate climate change. It also features initiatives which many councils are already involved in.

The guide can also be viewed online here Local councils already have some powers at their disposal, ‘The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006’ gives local councils specific powers to support local energy saving measures. The Act requires Government to produce a measures report for local authorities, including parish and town councils on the steps to mitigate climate change and tackle fuel poverty. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory reform will publish the report very shortly and it will include a useful summary aimed at the sector.

This booklet had only just been received and it was felt further copies should be obtained for each Councillor to view. This item is to be deferred until the meeting at the end of November.

311. To notify the Clerk of items to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.

Items already on the agenda for the next meeting include;
To discuss the refurbishment of the Butter Cross on Haxey Lane – deferred item, The Parish Council’s Website/Newsletter/Directory, To receive an update regarding the addition of the ‘Ropewalk’ to the Definitive Map, To receive an update regarding the Affordable Housing Development, To receive a report from the Network Event hosted by Safer Neighbourhoods and HANWAG.

Additional items to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting are;

To discuss a proposal for the one-way regulation to be lifted to allow vehicles to use the stretch of highway between Vinehall Road and Greenhill in both directions.

To receive a report from the ERNLLCA Annual General Meeting.

312. To consider the following accounts and any received after the agenda has been sent out and before the next meeting:

Cottage Gardens £394.00p 101322
Haxey Memorial Hall £83.00p 101323