Public recess.

A resident enquired as to when the trees around The Crescent would be trimmed as they have been left for some time. B.Cllr Shaw said that he would investigate.
A resident also asked about the position with regard to stones placed on verges to protect them. He had been visited by SBC and told to move some stones. B.Cllr Shaw confirmed that this type of issue was looked at on a case by case basis and SBC was allowed to insist on removal or re-siting if they felt there was a problem.
Ms Sandra Matthews then spoke on behalf of the Coate Residents Association. She enquired about the possibility of yellow lines to stop dangerous parking at the end of Coate Lane and B.Cllr Foley said she had met with the officer today and the process of advertising for yellow lines is to begin shortly. Ms Matthews also asked about a hedge that had been removed over the weekend. B.Cllr Foley said this had been raised with planners and an update was expected this week.

Resignation of a Parish Councillor

Cllr Brady told the meeting that Cllr Neil McFadyen has resigned from the Council for family reasons. She offered thanks for all of Cllr McFadyen’s hard work during his time in office. An advertisement for a new Councillor will be drawn up shortly.

15/94. Declarations of interests.

None.

15/95. Approval of minutes.

Page 2 (minute 15/84 – second para under Action points) Cllr Bowles pointed out that she had abstained during the vote on hiring a skip.

Page 2 (minute 15/84 – second para under Matters arising) Cllr Wright asked that it be noted that HGV signs were also needed in Coate Lane.

Following these changes, the minutes of the meeting held on 10 August were approved by Cllr Dudman, seconded by Cllr Hill; all those at the meeting in favour.

15/96. Matters arising.

Page 4 (minute 15/87 – first para under Borough Councillors’ report). Cllr. Hill asked if there had been any progress with regard to a meeting with B.Cllr Heenan and was told that it is being arranged.

Page 4 (minute 15/87 – fourth para under Borough Councillors’ report). Cllr Dudman asked about the drop kerbs in Well Close and was told that the work that had been under-taken this week was to repair chipped kerbs and that the dropped kerb would be installed shortly, further away from the junction for reasons of safety.

Action points.

B.Cllr Foley told the meeting that she was waiting to hear about the HGV signs, and Cllr Rawlings confirmed that an order has been placed.

Cllr Brady encouraged all Councillors to feed the results of their village walks to Cllr Rawlings so that they could be discussed at the Environment Committee. She also stated that the option of a temporary CCTV camera at the Recreation Ground was being considered.

The Clerk reported the advice of the Borough Solicitor that any change in the size of the Council would require a Community Governance Review and this may not be necessary now that a vacancy has arisen.

All other action points had been actioned.

15/97. Police report.

Unfortunately PC Draper was unable to attend the meeting but Cllr Brady read out a report that he had provided. Key points were as follows:

Crime figures for July included four thefts (three relating to the Service Station and one relating to Saddle Stones in Badbury Wick. There were two reported burglaries (both in the Coate area) and one instance of criminal damage when a vehicle was set on fire in Butts Road.

Figures for August included eight thefts (six relating to the Service Station and others relating to Saddle Stones in Butts Road). The theft of Saddle Stones was potentially linked to similar instances in Wanborough. There were six reports of criminal damage (four in the Badbury/Coate area, one relating to the bus shelter in Butts Road and one vehicle that was damaged in Carisbrook Terrace. There were also two burglaries (one in Badbury Park and one from a shed in School Close).

With regard to recent reports of residents finding discarded gas canisters, PC Draper said that these typically contain Nitrous Oxide, a gas linked to 17 deaths between 2006 and 2012 which is, therefore, an area of real concern. Whilst it is not illegal to sell these canisters, regardless of age, the police have visited all local retail outlets and advised them not to sell to young people. If you see anyone inhaling this gas, or find discarded canisters then please report it to the police, either on the 101 number or via 999 if you feel there is an immediate danger to life.

PC Draper also reported the identification of a juvenile male who has been using a Quad Bike in an anti-social manner. Enquiries as to land ownership are ongoing and the police anticipate issuing a summons in relation to this offence.

B.Cllr Bennett then informed the meeting that Wiltshire Police are piloting a new form of neighbourhood policing in Trowbridge and Warminster and we are waiting to see how Swindon will fit in to these plans.

15/98. Badbury Park Update

Cllr Brady welcomed Mr John Roe who had come to address the meeting with regard to a new Community Association for Badbury Park. Mr Roe used to be a community minister and is a long-term resident of Lawn.

Mr Roe reminded the meeting that the Badbury Park development would eventually consist of some 900 homes, around 100 of which have already been completed with between 50 and 70 now occupied. The provision of community facilities will probably not be complete for some time so, working with the Manager from the Sovereign Housing Association, Mr Roe has set up a Community Association for the area. The Association hopes to organise a community event (potentially for a week on Sunday) and some welcome packs.

Cllr Wright welcomed this positive development and Cllr Walton asked Mr Roe to consider applying for the vacant Council seat. Cllr Brady asked the Clerk to send Mr Roe a list of local contacts, including details of The Ridgeway Bell and the Good Neighbours Scheme.

B.Cllr Bennett asked if the Council could offer any grants to support the Community Association and the Clerk agreed to put this request on the agenda for a future meeting of the Finance Committee.

15/99. Tennis Club update

Cllr Brady introduced Mr Warren Hicks who was attending the meeting in order to give an update on the Tennis Club and its new facilities.

Mr Hicks reminded the meeting that, 18 months ago, the Tennis Club had very poor facilities but since then a total of some £105k had been raised from a number of sources, including both SBC and Chiseldon Parish Council, for which the Club was very grateful.

The facilities were returned to the Club in the second week of June and were now of a very high standard. Current membership stands at 70 and the goal is to increase this to between 100 and 120 by the end of next year, with membership fees remaining competitive. Five teams played league tennis this season and they have seen a good deal of success, with two championships and three promotions. There is also a vibrant coaching programme which involves around 40 children.

Access to the public court will be facilitated via Chiseldon House Hotel and hiring details will be available shortly. The Club is currently planning an event to officially ‘launch’ the new courts in March 2016, at the start of next season.

15/100. Parish Plan Update

Cllr Brady then introduced Mr Paul Maycock, to give an update on the work of the Parish Plan Steering Group.

Mr Maycock stated that he had attended a meeting with a member of SBC’s Planning Policy team and, as a result of the information gained, the Steering Group had decided against producing a full-scale Neighbourhood Plan at this time.

The Group reviewed the Swindon Local Plan, existing Settlement Boundaries and Strategic Land Allocations and concluded that there was no significant development pressure on the Parish for the foreseeable future – a position that was confirmed by the representative from the Planning Policy Team. As a result, initial consultation will now take place on the development of a new Parish Plan – although the Steering Group reserves the right to develop a full Neighbourhood Plan should the situation change.

The Group has already identified a large number of potential stakeholders and would be interested in making use of a village tea should one be arranged by the Council. They also plan to advertise three ‘Place walks’ during which a member of the Group will escort residents around the village and collect their thoughts and comments.

B.Cllr Foley asked Mr Maycock if he had received the necessary support from SBC during this process and he replied that he had.

15/101. Borough Councillors’ Report

B.Cllr Foley repeated the news that drop kerbs were shortly to be placed in Well Close and told the meeting that similar kerbs were under consideration for New Road. New signage has also been agreed for the Hodson junction and preliminary work has been completed with regard to the installation of yellow lines in Turnball.

Highways England has been approached regarding new bus stop signs and work to cut back branches obscuring signage on the A346 is in hand. A report of fly-tipping has been addressed and a new, sturdier, grit box has been requested for outside the Patriots Arms. B.Cllr Foley asked Cllr Rawlings to keep an eye on all of the Parish grit boxes and report any that need re-filling.

Enquiries into the delivery of a new post box outside Oakley’s Spar have resulted in a date of the end of November. B.Cllr Foley has also asked for an additional box at Badbury Park.

A walkabout at Badbury Park has been conducted and it has been confirmed that the junctions are awaiting adoption. Travellers have been reported near Coate Water and they have now requested a move to the site at Chiseldon Firs.

There has been an increased police presence at the Chiseldon School Safety Zone and the parking enforcement officer is due to visit again this week. A resident also contacted SBC about a proposal to develop some community leisure facilities on school land and they have been referred to the Recreation Committee for further advice.

The Vision for Swindon will go before Full Council at the end of this month and, once it has been adopted, a presentation can be arranged for Chiseldon Parish Council. The Clerk agreed to liaise with B.Cllr Foley in this regard.

The next South Locality meeting will take place on 5 October at 7pm at the Civic Offices.

B.Cllr Shaw told the meeting that the HGV testing centre near Chiseldon Camp was originally built on Crown Land so no formal planning history or operating restrictions were in place and any issues have previously been dealt with via informal agreements with the Parish Council. He also reported the creation of a new polling station, at The Sun Inn, for residents of Badbury Park and the surrounding area.

B.Cllr Bennett reported the fact that an HGV sign had been ordered for Badbury and would go before the South Locality meeting for authorisation. Cllr Dudman asked when a Badbury traffic survey was planned and B.Cllr Bennett undertook to find out. Cllr Dudman also pointed out that the placement of stones on verges was also an issue in Badbury and was asked to provide details of any problem sites to B.Cllr Bennett for further investigation.

At this point B.Cllrs Bennett, Foley and Shaw left the meeting along with Cllr Wright.

15/102. Bus update

Cllr Hill passed round copies of a newsletter from First Great Western and asked those present to read paragraph two under this month’s Members Bulletin update (in Correspondence) for details of major engineering works planned in Central Swindon.

Cllr Hill reported that buses going to and from the Ridgeway School would now be smaller, which he hoped would ease any difficulties in the Badbury area. The number 8 bus service should be continuing as is but there will be some timetable changes for the number 80. The number 16 will now run every 10 minutes.

Cllr Walton suggested that Cllr Hill draft a short paper on transport issues for future Council meetings, so that it can be distributed with the other Council papers.

15/103. Financial report

Cllr Costigan presented a summary of income and expenditure for the month of August.

– Payments. The August list of payments totalled £4,340.69, including VAT of £517.29. Most of these payments were routine, with the exception of £1,186.80 to Tithegrove for work going back over many months. Cllr Rawlings asked about the electricity bills for the Recreation Hall and the Clerk confirmed that the account was now £295 in credit following a refund in respect of previous over-charging. Cllr Hall asked about the Jubilee fund grant of £500 and was told that it had been approved by the Finance Committee.

– Receipts. Income in the month totalled £180.72.

Cllr Costigan confirmed that a Finance meeting was planned for 28 September and that full costings for the Tennis Club project plus a year-to-date summary for each sub-committee would be available following that meeting.

The figures for August were proposed by Cllr Walton, seconded by Cllr Tucker; all at the meeting in favour.

15/104. Committee reports.

Environment, General Purposes & Highways.

Cllr Rawlings presented the minutes.

There are a number of allotment holders who are not maintaining their plots and letters may need to be sent.

Quotes have been approved for necessary electrical work and the removal of plaster at The Old Chapel. Cllr Rawlings asked the Finance Committee to see if any extra money could be invested in The Old Chapel as these remedial works have used up all of this year’s allocation.

The Committee is considering a price for the installation of an extra dog-bin behind the white gate at the end of Church Street and the posts at Strouds Hill car park have been replaced.

Further discussion is needed with regard to the railings at Oakley’s Spar, the installation of benches donated by parishioners and new noticeboards – all of which have financial implications.

Some work has been done on the tree at 1 Draycott Road, following a letter, but more work will be needed.

Planning.

Cllr Rawlings presented the planning status.

Recreation & Community.

Cllr Sunners presented the minutes.
He began by thanking the representatives from the Tennis Club for attending the meeting and confirmed that quotes for the installation of speed bumps along the Recreation Ground track were being considered. Cllr Hill asked that the needs of dog walkers be considered during the decision-making process. Cllr Harris also asked the Committee to consider the potential for additional noise that speed bumps would create.
As a result of the new layout at the Recreation Ground, Chiseldon Football Club now has one senior and three junior pitches. A mistake during the Council-managed renovation works had, however, resulted in the loss of one set of junior goalposts which would now have to be replaced at a cost of £367.50.
It is anticipated that the BIOS service will begin again this week.
15/104. Committee reports (Recreation & Community) continued
The Tennis Club then highlighted issues with joy-riders using the car park and were informed that a temporary camera might help the situation, which was primarily a matter for the police. Cllr Sunners also stated that the installation of a barrier could be considered at a future meeting of the Recreation Committee. Cllr Walton also pointed out that car parking in general is likely to become an issue as a result of the improved facilities at the Recreation Ground and the onset of winter, which would limit parking on the grass.
Cllr Rawlings reported a number of complaints about cars speeding down Norris Close, some of which coincided with match-days for the Football Club. At Cllr Bowles’ suggestion, Cllr Sunners offered to speak to the Club but cautioned that the cars might not be related to the team itself.
Work had been completed to clear much of the Recreation Ground but, should a further skip be required, this would be discussed at the Recreation Committee.
Cllr Dudman asked about the 100 players listed as taking part in Chiseldon Football Club matches and was told that this is the total number of participants across all eight teams.

15/105. Correspondence.

1. Invitation to attend the AGM of Community First on 7 October 2015

2. Weekly emails from Rural Services Network and an invitation to this year’s Rural Conference on 8th and 9th September 2015

3. Weekly newsletters from Adjacent Government

4. Invitation to attend the North Wessex Downs AONB Annual Forum on 14 October

5. Communication relating to a new polling station for residents of Badbury Park – to be located at The Sun Inn – most Councillors in support of this

6. Initial fixture list for Chiseldon FC

7. Notice of table tennis evenings at the Recreation Hall (most Wednesday evenings from 23 September 2015 to 9 March 2016)

8. Notice of the next meeting of the Parish and Town Clerks’ forum on Wednesday 7 October 2015

9. Notification of a public consultation period (running to 21 October) for SBC’s new ‘Design Guide’ for residential development. A hard copy is available at the Parish Office and the document can also be viewed online at: www.swindon.gov.uk/design

10. A request from North Wessex Downs AONB for a Parish Councillor to sit on their Council of Partners

11. Communications from parishioners relating to increased traffic in Turnball, illegal off-roading in Washpool, maintenance of the war memorial, parking in Windmill Piece and at the school, support for bus services, the development of a Parish Plan and the footpath at the end of Slipper Lane.

MEMBERS BULLETINS.

Historic England and South West Councils have worked together to develop a one day training course to support councillors in their role as decision makers and advocates for their local heritage. The next course is in Bristol on 6 November 2015.

15/105. Correspondence (continued).

Demolition works commenced in July 2015 at Carlton Street multi storey car park with completion programmed for September/October 2015, when demolition works will start at the Wyvern multi storey car park, with completion programmed for December 2015. Following the demolition of the Wyvern multi storey car park, the Princes Street footbridge will be demolished early in the New Year (2016). The footbridge connecting the Bus Depot and Carlton Street car park was successfully removed during week ending 26 July 2015, with minimum impact to the bus station operators. a new, temporary, bus park has been created on the former Queenstown car park site for the duration of the demolition works. In addition, a new car park has opened to the public on Turl Street, adjacent to the new bus park

Swindon Borough Council will shortly be undertaking a playing pitch strategy for the Borough. The strategy will cover demand for football, rugby, cricket and hockey and the Council, in partnership with the national governing bodies (the FA, RFU, ECB and EH) will be surveying all clubs and providers to complete a full audit of pitch provision and teams that play within the Borough. If you would like to know more about the strategy or have any comments to make about playing pitch provision in your local area, please contact Angela Clack on 01793 466370 or azclack@swindon.gov.uk.

Cllr Hill asked those present to pay particular attention to the correspondence from North Wessex Downs AONB who are looking for a Parish Council representative. The Clerk undertook to send the invitation out again.

15/106. Any other business.

Cllr Hill asked if extra scalpings could be considered for the car park at the Recreation Hall. He also drew the meeting’s attention to some planned road closures overnight for the next three days at Commonhead and on the slip road at Junction 15 towards Bristol on the 21 September between 10pm and 6am.
Cllr Brady drew the meetings attention to the information that has been received about school admissions for 2016. This has been displayed on the Parish noticeboard and the website.

The meeting closed at 9pm

SUMMARY OF ACTION POINTS

B.Cllr Bennett

15/101 Find out about future plans for traffic surveys in Badbury

B.Cllr Foley

Public recess Provide an update on the removal of a hedge to the Coates Residents Association

B.Cllr Shaw

Public recess Investigate plans for cutting the trees at The Crescent

Cllr Brady

15/100 With Cllr Walton Plan a Village Tea

Cllr Costigan

15/103 Following the meeting of Finance Committee, circulate the full cost of the Tennis Club project and a year-to-date summary for each sub-committee

Cllr Dudman

15/101 Write to B.Cllr Bennett with details of problem stones on verges in Badbury

Cllr Hill

15/102 Prepare a paper on transport issues to be circulated with next month’s Council papers (which are due out on 5 October)

Cllr Rawlings

15/101 Monitor the situation with regard to grit boxes and report any that need re-filling

Cllr Sunners

15/104 Speak to the Football Club about speeding cars on match-days

Discuss the range of potential solutions to speeding and joy-riding at the Recreation Ground at a future Recreation Committee meeting and consider any requirements for consultation

Cllr Walton

With Cllr Brady Plan a Village Tea

Clerk

Public recess Advertise for a new Parish Councillor

15/98 Provide Mr Roe with a list of local contacts

Put a possible grant for the Badbury Park Community Association on the agenda for a future meeting of the Finance Committee

15/101 Liaise with B.Cllr Foley to arrange a presentation on the Vision for Swindon