Parish Council meeting minutes: August 2017
September 22nd, 2017
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held at Carrs Green on: Thursday 17th August 2017
Present:
Cllr Phil James (PJ – Chair)
Cllr Geoff Carter (GC)
Cllr Martin Delaney (MD)
Cllr Alan Lingard (AL)
Clerk: Mike Ainsworth (MA)
Members of the Public:
Mr. Chris Nash; Mr. Dave Ronson; Mr. John Thompson; Mr. William Knowles; Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Kathryn Maxfield
Apologies: Cllr. Carol Berry
cc:
Parish Councillors; Joanne Porter (Wyre Council); Wyre Cllr Susan Catterall; Wyre Cllr Sue Pimbley; LCC Cllr Vivien Taylor; PCSO Kirsty Newson (Lancs. Constabulary); Maureen Nield (In Focus); Mark White (LEP)
Meeting opened: 19:00
Meeting closed: 19:45
Agenda
- Open Forum for the general public
- Carr Green
- Any other business
Next meeting Scheduled for: Thursday 21st September 2017 at 8pm
Status: APPROVED
Chair: Cllr. Phil James
Date: 21st September 2017
1. Open Forum – Mr. Nash asked for information on the proposed Local Plan and with regard to footpaths near Carrs Green. Mr. Knowles explained his plan to extend drainage clearance operations at the top end of the Common once weather permits. Mr. Maxfield thanked the Parish Council for their donation to his Driving-The-Distance-For-Dementia appeal.
2. Carrs Green
2.1. Parish Councillors agreed that the first phase for the development of the Common as a community resource should deliver a parking area, access to the middle of the northern section of the Common with picnic tables, litter bins, noticeboard and potentially also a shallow pond and RSPB hides. The Parish Clerk proposed that the next step would be to publish a prospectus inviting stakeholders including local residents and commoners to engage with the Parish Council in developing the Common.
Action 4.17/1 – carried forward
2.2. Parish Councillors discussed the track between the B5269 and Carr House Farm, which had been upgraded and widened on 9th August by a contractor working on behalf of a neighbouring landowner. The Parish Clerk noted that the landowner asserts that he had only intended to maintain the track, not widen it. A solicitors’ letter had been sent but Parish Councillors were concerned with regard to the material utilized to remake the track, and it was agreed that the Parish Clerk should ask the solicitor to urgently send a further letter to clarify the source of the material and to require that any egregious material be lifted.
Action 8.17/1 – MA to liaise with the solicitor with regard to a further letter being sent requiring that any egregious material be lifted from the upgraded track across Carrs Green
Action 8.17/2 – MA to contact the contractor to ascertain the provenance of the material used to upgrade the track across Carrs Green
2.3. With regard to Action 7.17/5 (carried forward – to seek written confirmation from Northern Trust with regard to gifting land for a village green), Cllr. Lingard expressed concern that the correspondence from Marco De Pol to Wyre planners was not a solid guarantee. It was agreed that the Parish Clerk should follow up earlier correspondence with Northern Trust.
Action 7.17/5 – carried forward
3. Any Other Business
3.1. With regard to Action 7.17/6 (carried forward – to draft a parish newsletter), Councillors were content with the suggested amendments to the proposed newsletter to be issued once the Wyre Local Plan has been issued for public consultation. It was agreed to organize a public meeting for 7:30pm on Wednesday 13th September at the YIPS Centre
Action 7.17/6 – carried forward
3.2. It was reported that planning application 17/00455/FUL (1 Maple Cottages) had been refused by Wyre Council.
3.3. Posters for a pop-up-party at the School and for NW air ambulance were approved for publication on the Parish Noticeboard.
3.4. Payments were approved at the meeting in respect of: Clerk salary; PAYE; Clerks Expenses; Rental for land at Manor Road.
Note of special members meeting called by the Parish Council Chair Cllr. Phil James held outside the YIPS Centre on Wednesday 30th August 2017 at 18:00
Attendees: Cllr. Phil James; Cllr. Martin Delaney; Cllr. Alan Lingard; Cllr. Carol Berry
Apologies: Cllr. Geoff Carter
Agenda:
Track across Carrs Green to Carr House Farm (Action 8.17/1 refers)
Distribution of Newsletter
Track across Carrs Green to Carr House Farm (Action 8.17/1 refers)
The Parish Clerk reported that a second solicitors letter had been issued, following on from which Mr. Porter had phoned restating that his intention had only ever been to maintain the track and asking what the Parish Council wanted to achieve. Parish Councillors decided that firstly any egregious material must be removed and the track re-instated. Once this had been done and only then would the Parish Council be prepared to consider discussing the development of the track in due course. It was agreed that the Parish Clerk would inform him of the Parish Council decision and instruct the solicitor accordingly.
Carried forward
The Parish Clerk highlighted that this approach is likely to involve additional legal costs and it was agreed that the Parish Council insurance policy would need to be invoked.
Action 8.17/3 – MA to contact DAS Law in regard to the dispute related to the track across Carrs Green leading from the B5269 towards Carr House Farm
Meeting closed: 18:20