WEST CREWKERNE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday
10th November 2020 via Zoom Conferencing
Members Present
Mrs Julia Borland (Chairman)
Mr D Yeomans
Mr Frank Freeman
Mr R Franklin
Mr B Carter
Mr Mike Best (Somerset County
Councillor)
Mrs Sue Osborne (South
Somerset District Councillor)
Also present
2 Members of the Public
Miss Jackie Parsons (Parish
Clerk)
1. Apologies for Absence.
No apologies were received.
2. Public Open Forum
Two members of the public asked about the speeding through Clapton as
it was an item on the agenda. The
Chairman stated that to purchase a speed indicator device would cost in the
region of £2500 - £3000, so the Clerk had contacted Somerset County Council to
ask whether they had any devices that they contracted out. Somerset County Council do have such devices
that they can place around the Parish at a cost of £260 per week. There is no point in monitoring during lockdown
but will be something the Parish Council will be looking at.
3. Declarations of Interest in items on
the agenda (Pecuniary or non-statutory interests).
The Chairman Mrs J Borland declared an interest in item 6 F. No other councillors declared any interests.
4. To approve the minutes of the Parish
Council Meeting held on the 8th September 2020.
The minutes were approved by the meeting and proposed for approval by Mrs
J Borland and seconded by Mr R Franklin.
5. Matters arising from the minutes not
covered elsewhere on the Agenda.
No matters were brought up for discussion.
6. 6. Planning Matters.
West Crewkerne Parish Council is a Statutory
Consultee for Planning Applications
and
as such does not make the final decision on any application. Any decisions and comments made by the Parish Council
will be fed into the planning process and added to the report by the Planning
Officer. South Somerset District Council
is the Planning Authority and will issue the final decision notice (Planning
Determination) once their investigations into the application, consultation
period and decision making process has been completed.
A). Fuzzy Ground and concerns
raised.
The Chairman stated that she
had been contacted by a Heather Nesbitt who had been drafted in to help with
the enforcement cases of which the above is one of them. Councillor Mike
Best also stated she had been in touch with him and is now looking in detail at
the case with a view to visiting the property and reporting back to the Parish
Council by the next meeting.
B): 20/02394/PAMB Agricultural
Building at Henley Manor Henley Crewkerne Somerset TA18 8PQ. Notification for prior approval for the
change of use of agricultural building to 5 no. dwelling houses.
Awaiting
Decision
C): 20/02291/FUL Little Shabby
Farm, Axe Road Drimpton, Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3RJ. The erection of two agricultural buildings
for hay/feed/straw and machinery store.
Application
permitted with conditions
D): 20/02195/FUL 9 Lily Court
Clapton Road West Crewkerne Somerset TA18 8RA.
Proposed change of use of agricultural land to residential and proposed
first floor balcony with associated French doors.
Awaiting
decision
E): 20/02189/LBC Axe Farm Axe
Road Drimpton Crewkerne Somerset DT8 3RJ.
The carrying out of minor internal and external alterations to the rear
for the installation of new boiler.
Application
permitted with conditions
F): 20/02741/FUL 1 Axe View
Axe Road Drimpton Crewkerne DT8 3RU.
Change of use of the single
storey separate annexe from ancilliary accommodation to short term holiday let.
Awaiting
Decision
8. Highway Matters
Progress report on Small Improvements made to
Roundham
The Clerk stated that Somerset County Council
had completed the Roundham Scheme and would monitor the effectiveness of the
scheme post lockdown. Mr B Carter aired
his views again on the inefficiency of the County Council and the Police and
was asked by the Chairman to desist from making personal comments which he did
not comply with, so the Clerk was duly asked to mute Mr Carter.
Speeding through Clapton
This has been answered at Public Open Forum
and will be looked at Post Lockdown.
9.
Reports from Councillors, including District and County Councillors.
Mr
M Best (Somerset County Councillor)
There
is a climate fund that you can make applications to if you are proposing to
undertake a project that is related to climate change and the minimum bid is
£5000 and the maximum £75000.
The
consultation process goes on in Crewkerne regarding the proposal to reorganise
the schools in Crewkerne and that process finishes in the next two weeks
The
proposals for the Unitary Authority for Somerset have to be put forward to the
Government Department by the 9th December.
Mrs
S Osborne (South Somerset District Councillor)
There
is a new Enforcement Officer been seconded to the District Council
The
Kithill development, the Parish Council of West Crewkerne need to be informed
if they decide to re-route the footpath.
The
new guidelines from the Government to streamline the planning process.
Somerset
has high levels of Phosphates that is flowing into the Somerset Levels and
Moors from new developments. This has to
be considered when approving planning applications and also whether Wessex
Water Board has the ability to bring these levels of phosphates down.
There
have been discussions about the District Council Budget and this will now be
going before full council for approval and also for the Council Tax base figure.
Mrs
S Osborne is trying to ascertain from where the costs for the advertising and promotions
for the Unitary authority is being paid.
Mrs
S Osborne has endorsed an application from the Wayford and Clapton village hall
to the Somerset Community Foundation to enable them to upgrade the heating
system.
Mrs
S Osborne also stated that South Somerset District Council is also giving
emergency funding to businesses again for the 28 days of the second lockdown.
Mrs
S Osborne also stated that the Parish Council should consider a Zoom
subscription which was endorsed by the Parish Councillors.
No
reports from Mrs J Borland, Mr D Yeomans, Mr B Carter or Mr F Freeman.
Mr
R Franklin asked what was happening on the Kithill development. Mr M Best stated that Crewkerne Town Council
had sought the advice of a barrister.
The barrister had advised that all the procedures had been followed
correctly and there were no grounds for appeal at this stage. However, there were other avenues to pursue
when a developer puts in a full planning application. Mr M Best also stated that South Somerset District
Council now has a five-year land supply and a developer cannot now use the
District Council lack of land supply as an excuse.
10.
Finance
A) To pay: -
1. Clerk Salary £153.40 Cheque No. 339
2. HMRC £38.20 Cheque No. 338
3.
Invoice of £50.00 to SALC for how to Budget Effectively training which Mrs J
Borland & Miss J A Parsons attended. Cheque No. 340
4.
Agreement of the half yearly Income and Expenditure accounts for the period
ended 30th September 2020.
All
the Parish Councillors agreed the half yearly accounts.
11.
Correspondence;
A):
Various e-mails. Coronavirus updates from various sources, Avon and Somerset
Constabulary, Somerset Waste Partnership and Rural Bulletin.
B): Broadband coverage in West Crewkerne. Reply
from Connecting Devon and Somerset. The
Clerk read out a reply she had received from Connecting Devon and Somerset but
unfortunately the microphone on her computer was playing up and Councillors
could not hear her. The clerk agreed to
send the memo out to Councillors.
C): A query has been made regarding the
siting of a mobile home and the erection of a sign within the parish.
The
Clerk wrote a second letter to the gentleman on 23rd October 2020 on
whose land the mobile home is sited requesting him to submit a planning
application for the mobile home.
Reply received from the gentleman concerned
together with copies of letters written to the planning office. The gentleman is awaiting on an architect to
draw up plans to submit to the planning office of South Somerset District
Council.
D): Badger Culling on land owned by West
Crewkerne Parish Council. As the Parish
owns no land there is no further action to take on this memo from South
Somerset District Council.
12. To confirm that the next meeting of the West
Crewkerne Parish Council will be
held
on Tuesday 12th January 2021 probably via Zoom at 7.00pm The
Chairman wished everyone a pleasant Christmas and apologized for the technical
difficulties.