Public recess.
A resident commented on the increasing number of lorries using the village as a training ground and causing obstructions. Cllr Brady informed the resident of the Council’s plan to install a temporary camera in Draycot Road to monitor the situation and gather evidence of any problems.
15/120. Declarations of interests.
None.
15/121. Approval of minutes.
The minutes of the meeting held on 12 October were approved by Cllr Harris, seconded by Cllr Wright; all those at the meeting in favour.
15/122. Matters arising.
Page 2 (minute 15/110 – Update on Chiseldon Firs). The meeting was informed that the Firs transit site has been vacated and no problems were reported during the recent period of occupation.
Page 3 (minute 15/111 – Police Report). Cllr Hill reported concerns about a large group of children who had gathered at the bus stop near the Landmark Hotel and may have been taking drugs. Cllr Brady stated that the police did attend the incident and spoke to local residents, as well as the children, but that no evidence of drug taking or other wrong doing had been apparent at the time. Cllr Hill found some evidence in one of the bins after the incident and reported it using the 101 number. He will continue to report any further problems in the same way.
Page 4 (minute 15/113 – first para under Badbury Park Update). Cllr Wright informed the meeting that 85 copies of the Ridgeway Bell had been delivered to new residents and a further 25 would be required shortly. The issue of dog bins has also been raised with the developers.
Page 4 (minute 15/114 – fifth para under Borough Councillors’ Report). Cllr Hill pointed out that the yellow lines have now gone in at Turnball but appear to be very short at the junction with Hodson Road. Cllr Brady told the meeting that the Clerk had already queried this with Borough Councillors but was informed that any change in the scheme would have required an entirely new consultation period. The Clerk will monitor the junction and collect evidence of any problem parking. Cllr Sunners placed on record his dissatisfaction with the nature of the lines – both in terms of their gauge and the quality of the work. He pointed out that Turnball is an ancient road in a conservation area and he had repeatedly requested thin gauge lines to minimize visual impact
15/122. Matters arising. (continued)
but these requests had not been heeded. Cllr Harris enquired about plans for re-surfacing the road and Cllr Rawlings informed him that this work was scheduled for 2020.
Page 5 (minute 15/117 – second para under Composition of Committees). Cllr Dudman asked if Cllr Walton had attended the South Locality meeting and the Clerk agreed to check with him.
Action points.
The issue of an HGV sign for Badbury has been raised with officers. Funding is available but the correct wording for the sign is being debated.
Large coaches continue to be used to transport school children through Badbury but B.Cllr Shaw is aware of the issue. Cllr Hill suggested that the bus companies should be contacted and made aware of the problems that unsuitable vehicles are causing.
The Clerk has yet to receive a copy of B.Cllr Shaw’s letter with regard to problem parking in Well Close but will follow this up.
Cllr Brady needs the date for the next meeting of the North Wessex Downs AONB but still plans to attend.
The invitation list for the village tea is being circulated at this meeting.
Final costings for the Tennis Club project are due to be circulated this week.
Cllr Sunners has registered the Parish’s interest in providing defibrillators, via the British Heart Foundation. Up to five could be available and locations need to be discussed. Suggestions at the meeting included talking to the GP’s surgery, the Sports and Social Club and siting one at the Recreation Ground. Cllr Sunners undertook to contact the local office of the British Heart Foundation and ask about best practice / suggested locations.
The request for volunteers to help organise a village picnic for the Queen’s birthday will be going into the December report for The Ridgeway Bell.
The Clerk has investigated the process for introducing a byelaw covering parking on verges. It would involve advertising our intentions in the local paper and allowing one month for objections. We would then need the byelaw to be approved by the relevant Central Government Department. As it will be important to word any byelaw carefully and in legally acceptable terminology, the Clerk recommended that the Council seek advice from the Borough Solicitor before proceeding. In the meantime there are statutes that the police can enforce if parking causes an obstruction or is deemed to be creating a danger to other road users.
All other action points had been actioned.
15/123. Police Report.
Unfortunately PC Draper was unable to attend this month’s meeting but he had provided an update to Cllr Brady.
There are no significant incidents to report over and above what has already been discussed. PC Draper has spoken to several parents and children with regard to inappropriate use of motorbikes and is continuing to tackle any new offenders. Cautions are still the preferred option, in order to avoid unnecessarily criminalising young people. Some young people have asked if there is a way for them to contribute to the village and this is being considered. Cllr Brady also informed the meeting that there is a motor-cross park in Wanborough and suggested that the Recreation Committee could discuss the potential for sponsored trips to this facility.
Cllr Sunners had spoken to one father who was concerned that his son had been named in connection with the bike riding on Facebook. Investigation revealed that this had not happened on the ‘Chiseldon Parish’ page but Cllrs Brady and Sunners agreed that this Group should be re-
15/123. Police Report (continued)
named in order to avoid people thinking it was an official Parish Council communications channel. Cllr Brady will talk to Cllr Bowles about this issue.
Cllr Hill enquired as to whether the changes at the garage had resulted in fewer drive-off incidents and Cllr Brady will ask PC Draper for any available information to be presented at the next meeting.
Cllr Dudman remarked that speeding vehicles through Badbury remain an issue. Cllrs Brady and Rawlings had recently attended a meeting in relation to Dayhouse Lane and will circulate the minutes once they become available. This meeting had looked at the issue of ‘rat-runs’ through the villages.
Cllr Sunners drew the meeting’s attention to the Chief Constable’s monthly report, which suggested a level of acceptance with regard to budget cuts that he found concerning. B.Cllr Bennett serves on the Police & Crime Panel so the Clerk agreed to table the issue of cuts at next month’s meeting in order that an update can be given.
15/124. Parish Plan Update.
The Clerk reported that one Placewalk had been held in Chiseldon but this had attracted a low turnout due to bad weather. Some useful information had, nonetheless, been gathered. A further walk is planned in Badbury at 2pm on Saturday 14 November and there will be additional events in 2016.
The Chair of the Parish Plan Group will be attending the Village Tea and a tear-out questionnaire is proposed for the January edition of The Ridgeway Bell.
Cllr Harris enquired as to whether speeding cars had been noted in Norris Close during the Chiseldon Placewalk. The Clerk replied that they had and the issue would be raised with the Football Club as well as with PC Draper.
15/125. Badbury Park Update.
Cllr Wright told the meeting that the new Badbury Park Community Association will shortly begin regular meetings. By the end of this month, 100 homes will be occupied.
The Clerk informed the Council that a Jubilee Fund grant of £500 had been approved by the Finance Committee and sent to the Association to help with its activities.
Cllr Rawlings reported the fact that the developers still want to close Dayhouse Lane but are unable to give a timescale. Cllr Brady told the meeting that the business park element of the development might not be going ahead. If that is the case then the developers will need to re-submit their plans and the Council could challenge them at that time.
15/126. Borough Councillors’ Report.
No B.Cllrs were able to be present at this month’s meeting but updates had been given under matters arising / action points.
No additional questions were raised at the meeting.
15/127. Bus update.
Cllr Hill reported that drivers on the No 8 route have been asked to pull into the bay when waiting near the Landmark Hotel – due to a recent safety incident. Usage figures for this new service are proving to be a little better.
A number of planned roadworks in Swindon are likely to impact the Parish. These include works on the railway bridge near the Greenbridge roundabout, followed by works on the roundabout itself. These could cause disruption for up to 12 months.
15/127. Bus update. (continued)
Just after Christmas the rail line into Paddington will be closing for two days and there will then be a limited service until January.
A dial-a-ride shopper bus now runs on Monday mornings, taking residents from Badbury, Chiseldon, Hodson and Ridgeway View to Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Asda. The service also assists shoppers with their bags on the return journey. Booking is essential.
Cllr Dudman remarked on the bus congestion that is evident at certain times within Chiseldon and Cllr Hill informed her that the bus companies were looking at ways to tackle this problem.
15/128. Financial report.
Cllr Costigan presented a summary of income and expenditure for the month of October.
– Payments. The October list of payments totalled £4,209.63, including VAT of £246.47. Most of these payments were routine, with the exception of the removal of plaster at The Old Chapel, new lights and the removal of wall heaters at the Chapel, a Jubilee Fund Grant to the Badbury Park Community Association and payment for this year’s Youth MOBI services. With regard to the latter, Cllr Costigan asked Cllr Sunners to forward a copy of the service level agreement to the Clerk.
– Receipts. Income in the month totalled £297.71.
Cllr Sunners asked if bank balances could be added to the report for future meetings and the Clerk agreed to provide this information.
Cllr Costigan confirmed that he now had the total costs for the Tennis Club project, including all additional landscaping work. He also confirmed that the Probation Service would be available for further work in the future.
The figures for October were approved by Cllr Rawlings, seconded by Cllr Brady; all at the meeting in favour.
15/129. Committee reports.
Environment, General Purposes & Highways.
Cllr Rawlings presented the minutes.
The two benches donated by parishioners are now in place – one by the SHCMG and one in the Millennium Copse.
Agreement has now been reached with the owner of the Spar as to the location for the restored Parish noticeboard and this will be installed on Saturday. The builder responsible for the Spar will also be reinstating the safety railings shortly.
The next meeting of the committee will look at providing an extra dog bin in the vicinity of Washpool.
In retrospect, the village clean-up required the distribution of more flyers, so between 800 and 900 would be requested next time. Cllr Sunners reported that Chiseldon School had held an assembly to talk about the importance of keeping places tidy following the clean-up.
Cllr Rawlings is talking to SBC about the rubbish being generated by recent changes at the garage. He is also querying the situation with regard to certain aspects of the planning permission.
Finance.
The minutes from September’s Finance meeting were circulated for information.
15/129. Committee reports. (continued)
Planning.
Cllr Rawlings presented the planning status and encouraged Councillors to contact him if they had any queries.
He also informed the meeting that the Manor House is expected to apply for permission to build 13 dwellings but the application was currently awaited.
Cllr Hill then drew the attention of the meeting to plans to build 103 houses in Wroughton, as part of their development plan.
Recreation & Community.
Cllr Sunners presented the minutes.
Two new sensor lights are due to be fitted on top of the Recreation Hall by the end of the week.
BIOS continue to report good attendances despite the change in weather.
During a recent visit to the Recreation Ground, Cllr Sunners observed 10 children participating in tennis coaching.
Cllr Wright also reported that she had attended the AGM of the Good Neighbours Scheme as a representative of the Council.
15/130. Correspondence.
- Weekly emails from Rural Services Network and Adjacent Government.
- Copy of the agenda for the Standards Committee meeting on 12 October.
- Copy of the agenda for Planning Committee on 13 October, circulated for info re: two possible developments in the Wroughton area.
- Summary of talking points from the Swindon Clinical Commission Group’s September meeting.
- Minutes of the SLCC meeting on 18 September.
- Notice of the closure of footpaths 45 and 46 in the Badbury area for the next six months, circulated for info.
- Notification of three upcoming planning seminars on 2 November (infrastructure), 30 November (good growth) and 14 December (planning for an ageing population), circulated for info. Cllr Sunners hopes to attend.
- A copy of the Agenda for the SBC Cabinet meeting on 21 October.
- Email from the Historic Towns Forum, listing upcoming events.
- Email from SBC Highways and Transport announcing the launch of a Cycling Framework Consultation which runs until 30 November, circulated for info and posted on website and Facebook page.
- Copy of the North Wessex Downs AONB Management Plan for 2014-19.
- Communications from parishioners relating to dog bin servicing, extra dog bins at Badbury Park, Chiseldon Firs, parking around Oddfellows Hall, overgrown trees, the allotment waiting list, the new Parish Plan and the community noticeboard.
15/130. Correspondence. (continued)
MEMBERS BULLETINS.
Computer novices will be able to learn new skills thanks to free training sessions from Swindon Libraries. The courses run for 7 weeks via weekly morning sessions of 2.5 hours. For more information people can contact their local library or telephone Joanne Gahan on 01793 465554.
Swindon Borough Council is asking people if they would like to see a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) introduced in the town centre. The proposed order for Swindon town centre focuses on issues such as keeping dogs on leads, begging and aggressive charity collecting. The consultation can be found at www.swindon-csp.org.uk and expires on 31 October.
Swindon residents are urged to protect themselves from flu and be vaccinated. People considered at greater risk are entitled to a free vaccine. Those groups include all pregnant women, children aged between two and seven years old, people (including children) under 65 with underlying health conditions, people aged 65 and above, and carers.
Major improvement works to the Greenbridge roundabout junction will be carried out from the end of March next year. The £4m works will take an estimated 8 months to complete. No roads will be completely closed during the works, which will take place largely between 9.30am and 4.30pm to avoid peak time traffic.
Swindon Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Gavin Jones, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive at one of the largest councils in the UK, Essex County Council. Gavin will take up his new role in the New Year. He has served as Chief Executive at Swindon since July 2006, having joined the Council in 2004.
15/131. Any other business.
Cllr Brady reiterated the invitation for all Cllrs to attend the village tea between 3pm and 5pm on Saturday 21 November. There will be presentations on the Vision for Swindon, the Parish Plan, the GWH Fundraising Day and the co-ordination of village events.
Cllr Harris had distributed some slides from a recent SBC meeting on infrastructure. He reported that the focus with regard to Junction 15 of the M4 seems to be on a filter lane to allow direct access to the motorway. There also appear to be plans to widen the roundabout but the situation with regard to Marlborough Road and signals is complicated by the involvement of three different authorities.
Cllr Hill reminded the meeting that there will be a Remembrance Service at 10.45am on the 11 November, at the War Memorial in New Road. He also enquired as to the situation with regard to the vacant Council seat and the vacancy for a new Clerk and was informed that there were several applicants for both roles.
Cllr Brady told the meeting that she was attending a meeting on ‘Parishing’ certain services, and the implications of such decisions, at 5pm on Thursday. This meeting was open for other Cllrs to attend on request.
Cllr Sunners stated that the next Neighbourhood Watch meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Monday 30 November.
Cllr Rawlings commented on the proposal, from a resident, to look at building an indoor sports facility in the grounds of the school. He feels that the village already has a number of facilities and the focus should be on encouraging more use of those buildings. With regard to encouraging use of the Memorial Hall, Cllr Rawlings agreed to write a piece for The Ridgeway Bell and send it to the Clerk.
The meeting closed at 9.00pm
SUMMARY OF ACTION POINTS
Cllr Brady
15/123 Speak to Cllr Bowles about re-naming the ‘Chiseldon Parish’ Facebook Group
Ask PC Draper to provide an update on crime figures following recent changes at the garage
Cllr Costigan
15/122 Circulate the final costings for the Tennis Club project
Cllr Rawlings
15/131 Write a piece on increasing usage of the Memorial Hall and send it to the Clerk for inclusion in The Ridgeway Bell
Cllr Sunners
15/122 Contact the local office of the British Heart Foundation for guidance on the best location for defibrillators
15/123 Table the idea of sponsored trips to Wanborough’s motor-cross facility for discussion at a future meeting of the Recreation Committee
15/128 Forward a copy of the BIOS service-level agreement to the Clerk
Clerk
15/122 See if Cllr Walton was able to attend the South Locality meeting
Obtain a copy of B.Cllr Shaw’s letter re problem parking in Well Close
Obtain the date of the next North Wessex Downs AONB meeting and send it to Cllr Brady
Contact the Borough Solicitor for advice on making byelaws
Put the request for volunteers to organise a picnic into the December edition of The Ridgeway Bell
15/123 Table the issue of police cuts at the December meeting of Council
15/124 Raise the issue of speeding cars in Norris Close with the Football Club and PC Draper
15/128 Add the current bank balances to future Financial Reports