Public Recess
Cllr Brady advised that we would be discussing the New Road Build Out later in the agenda, but if anyone wanted to raise questions on this, or any other matter now they may.
Mr Steve Faulkner of no1 The Curnicks wished to address the Council on the issue with vehicles parking on Hodson Road at the junction with the Patriots Arms roundabout.
When exiting The Curnicks it is already a blind junction, and now with the extra vehicles parked on Hodson Road they have to exit onto the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.
There is a view that new residents to properties along Hodson Road may be the vehicle owners.
Cllr Brady at this point asked Ward Cllr Shaw what action can be taken.
Ward Cllr Shaw advised that he has already written to 3 residents in the area and tried to reach the police to talk to them. When he did reach the police they advised him that the situation is not dangerous.
It was advised that this is a Highways issue and Ward Cllr Shaw has requested photographs of the area in question and he will get an update to this issue by the end of the week (Friday 18th November).
Next Mr Daniel Boden a resident of Badbury Park and member of the Badbury Park Community Association addressed the Council.
His concern is over the recent Community Governance Review (CGR) and Ward Cllr Foley’s decision to support Badbury Park moving out of Chiseldon Parish.
He has a list of questions he wants submitted to Ward Cllr Foley for answers.
He commented that Badbury Park worked closely with Chiseldon Parish Council (CPC) to canvass residents of Badbury Park for their views.
Cllr Brady asked Mr Boden to submit his questions to the Clerk as Ward Cllr Foley was not present to receive these questions and respond. The Clerk will forward the questions directly to Cllr Foley
A number of Parish Cllrs also expressed the wish to raise questions with Cllrs Foley at the next Parish Council meeting she attends. Ward Cllr Shaw advised he would get legal advice from SBC as to how this should be handled. CPC Cllrs expressed surprise that legal advice was required to answer a few simple questions by the Parish Council.
Cllr Brady advised the Council that a potential new Councillor Mr John Martin, had been interviewed by Cllr Brady and Cllr Bowles for the current Parish Councillor vacancy Mr Martin was put forward for co-option, Cllr Bowles proposed this motion and Cllr Harris seconded. All those at the meeting were in favour.
Cllr John Martin was invited to join the meeting and welcomed to the Parish Council.
16/66. Declarations of interests.
None
16/67. Approval of minutes from 10th October 2016
Amendments:
Page 3 – 16/61 – Amend wording to “suspended” on paragraph 2”
Page 5 – 16/65 AOB – Amend wording in regards to Cllr Bowles not being invited to attend the strategy meeting.
Page 5 – Amend the start time of the November meeting to 7.30pm
The minutes were then proposed as approved by Cllr David Hill, seconded by Cllr Ian McMurray and all those at the meeting were in favour.
16/68. Matters arising and action points:
Matters arising:
Page 1 in action points: Cllr Sunners has been progressing a meeting with Robert Buckland MP and received an update on 11th November. This is regards to the Home Close burglary. He requests to the Council that he be allowed to communicate this information with the residents of Home Close first and will bring the matter back to the full council at the December meeting if they agree.
Page 3: Cllr Bowles commented about a new app where you can report issues such as potholes back to SBC directly. Ward Cllr Shaw confirmed that SBC will respond to issues received in this manner.
Cllr Brady recommended the Parish Council watch the progress of the app to see how it is working, and also asked Ward Cllr Shaw if he can find out from SBC how the issues reported are recorded and monitored. Can CPC receive this information so that issues are not reported twice?
Action for Ward Cllr Shaw to investigate this.
Page 4: Cllr Hill reported that Wiltshire Council are only cutting £500,00 from their budget for transport so quite a lot of the bus services will now be saved, including the service 80. The Sunday service may still stop in April 2017.
Page 5 16/65 AOB – Cllr Hill did not receive any further Burderop Park information after requesting it.
Action Points:
16/44. Cllr Sunners has emailed PC Sophia Best to ask her to come to the December or January 2017 Full Council meeting to introduce herself and advise on the new policing model.
Cllr McMurray commented that 2 new PCSO’s had been to visit him at the Farm Shop.
16/44 Cllr Brady has researched the crime trend reports and has passed information on to Cllr Sunners.
Clerk Action Points – Ongoing action – find out what external bodies the PC should belong to.
16/61 – Clerk has emailed the CGR team but has so far had no response.
16/65 – Funding for cycle routes. Ward Cllr Shaw commented on this and advised he had some information that would be useful and that he would pass the information over to the Clerk and Cllr Rawlings.
Action for Ward Cllr Shaw.
Ward Cllr Shaw then requested if he could provide a few short updates to the Council to allow him to leave early as he did not wish to sit through the ‘Build-out debate’
– Travelers site at Chiseldon Firs: The Police and SBC are working to evict them, this may have to go to court. Cllr Brady requested that the CPC/community are kept closely informed of developments.
Highways – Speed issues within Chiseldon Village. Ward Cllr Shaw has made sure that Jason Humm is aware of the issues around J15 of the M4 and the requirement for a filter lane from New Road onto the A346. He confirmed the details of the meeting with Highways where J15 will be discussed. The Parish Council confirmed we will have representation there.
We currently have 2 spare places for attendance, interested Councillors should let the Clerk know.
When the Parish Council have made a decision on the BT phone box consultation could they please let Ward Cllrs Shaw, Foley and Summers know.
Cllr Bowles asked Ward Cllr Shaw about the HGV signs at Hodson, he said he would chase these up.
Ward Cllr Shaw then left the meeting at 20.15 as did several members of the public.
16/69. Policing Update
PC Draper could not attend the meeting and a report was passed on to Cllr Sunners who read out the details as follows:
Crime Figures October 2016
Burglary
Dwelling x 0
Non-Dwelling x 3
Theft
Theft x 5 (5 related to commercial premises)
Criminal Damage
Criminal Damage x 5 (three offences related to vehicles damaged on Draycott Road –
enquiries ongoing)
Vehicle Offences
Vehicle offences x 1 (insecure vehicle entered and high value items removed)
No similar offences after 20/8/16
There are currently no other issues of any note to make reference to.
It was noted that a letter of thanks has been written to Rory from the Parish Council and
Neighbourhood Watch Committee. Copy of this letter is appended to correspondence.
16/70 Borough Council Reports
Written reports had been circulated to the Parish Councilors before the meeting.
16/71 New Road Build Out traffic calming scheme – discussion and vote
Cllr Brady opened the discussion. Prior to the meeting a full report had been circulated to all Parish Cllrs and had been posted up on the Parish web site for review by residents. This report is a factual record of the responses provided by SBC highways to questions on the build-out put forward by CPC Cllrs. The report includes the analysis of speed following the installation and a summary of the residence feedback.
Cllr Brady invited the public to add any further comments to those received to date. Two members of residents were in attendance .
Mrs Claire Eggert wanted to comment that in her view the Build Out was not situated in the right location. There needs to be something to control speed in the whole village not just the one area.
Dave, who is a volunteer with speed watch team had the view that the prepared document was very one sided with nothing positive included about the Build Out. His view is that the council shouldn’t be voting to remove or move it.
His view is that the Canney Close issue is just the driving habits of the residents living there.
He doesn’t think the document is a balanced document.
Cllr Brady advised that the discussion to follow would be fair and open so all views can be heard. She confirmed that questions within the document were raised to SBC to allow them to respond with facts and information.
Cllr McMurray asked for confirmation that a vote would be to either remove or move the build out if considered appropriate – it was confirmed this was the case
Cllr Harris confirmed that originally the Ward Cllrs said they would take our decision and campaign for it within SBC. April 2016 Parish Council minutes supports this statement.
SBC had provided data on the speed figures. The Parish Council then asked SBC a series of questions and have included the answers in the report.
We have listed facts only and not drawn any conclusions.
It was stated that speeding issues had been a concern for a long time and drivers simply ignore speed limits.
Parish Councilors then stated their views:
Cllr Sunners – Need a better consultation with members of the public if this happens again. SBC didn’t communicate and CPC didn’t do their own canvasing.
He is sure that the scheme was supposed to be a trial and that Ward Cllrs are not upholding this condition.
The evidence on the report shows the build out has reduced speed but the issue is with the location of it.
Cllr Brady read out emailed communication from Mr K Evans a resident of Canney close who could not attend the meeting who is not in favour of keeping the build out.
Cllr Hill – There is an increase in vehicle fumes from traffic to vehicles in Canney Close. When the scheme went it we were supposed to have speed limits painted on the roads also and arrows near the allotments on New Road to slow people down. He thinks vehicle activated speed signs would be better and that if the scheme has been completed by SBC it would have worked better.
Cllr Jefferies – Also remembers the scheme being approved as a trial. She believes its an accident waiting to happen and isn’t sure how SBC can now say its permanent.
Cllr Walton – There are other traffic calming solutions that would be more appropriate however he thinks its dangerous to remove it now without having more appropriate traffic calming method in place.
Cllr McMurray – Believes the opposition was about safety issues when installed but there have been no accidents in 6 months and the traffic has slowed down. We need traffic control in the village and so doesn’t think we should ask SBC to remove it without putting something back in its place . A more strategic view of traffic calming across the Parish should be considered engaging independent consultants
Cllr Mills – Has looked at the Highway Design guides in detail and this particular calming method is not listed. He would like to know where SBC got this design from. The design guides also state there should be ongoing public consultation. He thinks Highways should answer these questions.
Cllr Rawlings – Back in 2012/13 this was discussed at length. Speed was a problem on this road at this time. It went back to SBC to find a design to help. Civil Engineers and an external company assisted. Don’t forget that on the 2016 Parish Plan the no.1 concern was speeding.
When J15 works start Chiseldon Village will be used as a rat run to avoid the work.
Cllr Harris – SBC had advised that they wrote to Canney Close and New Road residents when the traffic calming scheme was first introduced. 3 residents replied, 2 were against and 1 was for it.
He thinks there are better solutions to be had and agrees that the 40mph limit should have been left in place with better police intervention. The PC as received over 100 items of feedback and 119 people signed a petition against the Build Out and some of the problems were recorded on CCTV.
He is concerned that if we tell SBC to take it out, nothing else will go back in its place.
Cllr Bowles – Doesn’t think the speed limit should have been reduced to 30mph. She remembers that when the vote went through we were told if we didn’t vote on that evening then the money would be taken away for the scheme. She doesn’t think we were allowed time to consult with people. Cllr Bowles stated that she was always against this scheme
Cllr Harris clarified the accident stats before the build out were over 10 years (121 months) and there were 3 accidents with slight injury. None of them speed related.
Cllr Costigan – Believes the old data is irrelevant as traffic levels have increased since then. The stats now may say its working but his feeling is that it’s in the wrong place. He also remembers that the build out was never supposed to be permanent.
The Clerk has an action to check old minutes to source the reference to a trial at the time of the build out vote. Feb 2015.
Cllr Bates – if you are driving at night into Chiseldon from the A346 towards the build-out installation you cannot always see the build out due to lights coming the other way. Suitable lighting was requested at the time of discussing the installation.
It was noted that Hodson Road hasn’t seen any reduction in speed since the build out was built.
Cllr Brady then summarized:
Once the speed limit on New Road was reduced from 40mph to 30mph records of cars speeding showed a marked increase.
Question – should the speed limit have been reduced in the first place?
Traffic Calming solution has been recognised as necessary in light of increased traffic using New Road but could a more appropriate solution be installed
If we voted to remove the build-out would we retain SBC Highway support moving forward?
We need to plan how we move forward on speeding issues in the parish.
Is the current solution incomplete?
Is it in the wrong position?
Is it dangerous for Canney Close?
The Build out is reducing speed but at a cost of alienating a significant minority of the residents .
We need a more appropriate traffic calming solution.
The vote was then held: it was not requested as a named vote
The first motion was:
Do we completely remove the New Road Build out? 2 Councilors were in favour, 12 against, noone abstained. The motion was not passed
The second motion was:
Do we ask SBC to remove it and instead replace it with something more suitable? 13 councilors in favour and 1 against. At the time there were no abstentions recorded. The motion was passed
It was requested that we should engage independent consultants to help advise the Parish Council with regard to strategic approach to traffic calming across the Parish to work alongside SBC. A new solution for New Road should therefore be considered alongside this review.
Cllr Rawlings post the meeting requested that he would like an amendment to the minutes that during the 2nd vote he was against the motion due to the expenditure for the parish, and felt he was not given the chance to vote against the proposition or abstain. It should be noted however that during the meeting Cllr Rawlings was recorded at voting against the motion however he did not make it known that he wished to abstain.
It was then agreed to add an item agenda to the next Finance meeting to budget in hiring a professional firm to review the situation.
Also confirmed that any future proposed scheme would be fully communicated to residents and their views sought prior to agree on a specific scheme
Cllr Rawlings had some advice on a firm we should hire to do this, based at Burderop Park.
It was also noted we should ensure residents of Canney Close are made aware of the proposal by the parish council that we voted to remove but replace with a more appropriate traffic calming solution
A letter will be prepared by the Chair for the approval by the full Parish Council prior to release to our Ward Cllrs and residents..
16/72 – Review of Committee reports and Correspondence
Finance: Cllr Harris noted that the budget figures had been received by the sub-committees and have mostly been approved. The new grants and funds paperwork has been approved and sent
out.
The income and expenses were reviewed and proposed as accepted by Cllr Hill, seconded by Cllr Walton and all those at the meeting were in favour.
Environment: Cllr Rawlings advised on the new Master List for all works requiring attention within the Parish. This is updated regularly by the Clerk and by Ward Cllrs.
The work to complete the Chapel is proceeding and new bins have been ordered for installation.
The drainage issue at Pumphouse Lane has not been completed yet.
There are 2 full sized allotment plots will be available from Dec 2016
Transport report from Cllr Hill:
The new bus services are now running, they are all on double decker buses, and there is now the service that goes to Wroughton. There will be a special fare to users for the first 3 months of service.
Work is proceeding with the new bus stops being installed, however there will need to be a survey from Highways for the new X5 stop on the A346. There is a 3-6 week wait for this.
Ward Cllrs Foley and Shaw have already been asked for a better crossing on the A346 near the school to reach the stop on the Badbury side.
Recreation:
New lights have been installed at the Rec ground in the car park area. Allbuild have done an excellent job of dealing with the floor of the Rec Hall. However severe rot has been found in the joists supporting the walls.
The exterior is being painted but weather conditions are currently not suitable. An extra storage area is being created at the rear of the Rec Hall for the football club. The BIOS work is still going well but the team are losing Amy. Cllr Sunners invites all councillors to visit – the Castle View Road green on Thursday from 7.20 to 9.00.
Cllr Sunners also offered his thanks to all those who came to the networking tea party on the 12th Nov and that it was a successful event.
Planning:
There was no meeting this month and nothing to report.
Badbury Park :
Cllr Brady confirmed that the cabinet decision was to move Badbury Park out of Chiseldon parish.
The minutes of this are on the SBC website.
16/73. AOB
BT Consultation to remove phone boxes. After discussion the view of the council was to retain the red box at Badbury as a historical part of the area. To retain the red box at Castle View Road as a working call box, and to remove the other boxes listed on the list from SBC. This will be referred to the Environment committee meeting on 17th Nov to vote.
It was confirmed that the December full council meeting was to be held at the Chiseldon House Hotel, with canapes and drinks afterwards at Cllrs own cost.
Cllr West voiced his opinion that Ward Cllrs should be present at these meetings to answer any questions posed to them.
Cllr Hill passed on a message from a parishioner that uses the Calley Memorial Hall, to ask if the trustees would consider using funds to improve the gents toilets. Cllr Walton will take this away
for the trustees.
Cllr Costigan raised the question of whether the Patriots Arms was a suitable location for the monthly surgeries due to disabled access and opening times. Action for Clerk to talk to the Chiseldon House Hotel to see if we can hold it there.
Cllr Jefferies commented on the need to remedy the issues in communication between the Parish and the Ward Cllrs as it was noted that some Ward Cllrs have not attended the Parsish Council for
some time
The meeting closed at 21.45
SUMMARY OF ACTION POINTS.
All Actions to be completed by the next Full Committee meeting unless otherwise specified.
Cllr Brady
Action Prepare a letter to be sent to the Ward Cllrs and released to Residents summarizing the decision of the parish Council following the vote of the build out. be sent to Ward – the letter is to be reviewed by all parish councilors prior to release
Clerk
Action points Check what external bodies the PC should belong to, such as Rights of Way and Walkers Assoc’s. Long term action point.
Action points from 14.11 Advise Ward Cllrs on CPC decision ref BT phone box consultation.
16/71 Check old Full council minutes for reference to Build Out being a trial – Feb 2015 suggested.
16/71 Add agenda item to next Finance meeting to budget in hiring a professional firm to review the build out.
16/73 Talk to Chiseldon House hotel about it being a suitable location for the monthly surgeries.
Ward Cllr Shaw
Matters arising from 14.11 Find out from SBC how the new app that residents can use to report potholes etc will be handled by SBC. Can CPC receive this information so issues are not duplicated?
Action points from 14.11 Pass on cycle path information to Clerk and Cllr Sunners
Action points from 14.11 Follow up with SBC on HGV signs for Hodson at request of Cllr Bowles
Cllr Walton
16/73 Report back to Calley Hall trustees the request to have the gents toilets improved using grant money