KIRBY HILL & DISTRICT PARISH COUNCIL

(Incorporating: Kirby Hill, Milby,Thornton Bridge, Humberton and Ellenthorpe)

 

A meeting of the above Parish Council was held on 12th November 2007 in the Coronation Hall, Milby, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972, due notice having been given.  The meeting opened at 7.00 pm. 

 

Present:  Cllrs. Smailes [Chairman], Helliwell, Lister, McKenzie, Merson, Parr, Renfrew, Widdows,  Clerk- M. Rae

Visiting Speakers:  7.15pm   Jo Buffey, Yorks Rural Community Council  SEE item 7a

                                   7.35pm  Mr Chris Jarvis (RPS Planning), Mr Richard Ogden, Mr Neil Griffin  

                                              (Robertsons Design Group)  SEE item 7h

 

 

1.             Apologies:  CCllr  J Watson, DCllr N Wilson, Cllr Wilkinson

 

2.             Code of Conduct:  None expressed at start of meeting.  Cllr Lister, who was not present at the start of the meeting, subsequently expressed interest in item 8f when Cllr Widdows asked the Chairman to refer back to this agenda item.

 

3.             Minutes  of the previous meeting on 10th September 2007  had been copied and distributed  prior to the meeting. They were accepted as a true record and duly signed.

 

4.             Finance/Accounts

a.        current balance in hand £4,462 

b.       Rent of room £5.50 to pay 

c.        Grass Cutting – Aidan Foster £240.00 to pay (2nd half year payment)

d.       Mazars Audit invoice £58.75 to pay

e.        Royal British Legion  -Cllrs agreed to pay a donation of £30.00 for poppy wreath

 

5.             CORRESPONDENCE

 

a.        HBC Dept Community Services  - Talks on Recycling

It was agreed that Mrs Rankin should be invited to give the 30min presentation at the next Annual Parish Meeting in April 2008.  Clerk to check room availability and Mrs Rankin’s availability in week commencing 14 April and fix meeting date accordingly.

     ACTION CLERK

b.        HBC Notes of Group 2 Parish Consultation Meeting 2 Oct  The Clerk had received 

one copy of the notes and passed them round the meeting. Cllr Renfrew had attended the

consultation meeting and reported that much of the discussion had a common thread relating to NYCC’s failed bid for unitary status.

 

                c.    HBC Dept Resources – Parish Estimates 2008/9

                       Cllrs discussed the parish precept, currently (2007/80) £4,400pa. The Clerk reported that

                     most expenditure and  income in 2008/9 was expected to be the same, with only small 

                     inflationary increases for grass cutting and other smaller bills.  Discussion also included 

       the matter of whether or not to contibute annually or at all to Langthorpe’s maintenance  

       of the Leeminng Lane Play Area. It was agreed to do nothing on this at present since no 

       formal request had actually be made by Langthorpe PC for a contribution from KHPC.

       Cllr McKenzie proposed that the precept remain at £4,400 and this was seconded by Cllr 

       Parr.  Clerk to prepare estimates for HBC and submit precept application.

                                                                                                                                     ACTION CLERK

d.   NYCCllr Watson – a) Schools performance b) personal budget

      CCllr Watson had include a table showing performance of secondary schools in the 

      Harrogate District.  Boroughbridge High School’s performance had increased from 41% to  

      46% in  number of pupils gaining 5 or more GCSE’s at C grade and above (inc English 

      and Maths).

      CCllr Watson had also indicated that there was still money left in his small ‘personal’ 

      budget  to support local projects.  The Clerk had already responded and applied for a grant

      from  NYCC, through this budget, for one of the village signs for Thornton Bridge.

      Indications were that this bid was successful although official confirmation was awaited.

 

e.   HBC – Village Road Safety Schemes

      Bids for grants from this scheme were due in by 1 December.  The Clerk had previously 

      ascertained that funding for the Thornton Bridge village signs might be possible through 

      this scheme and Councillors agreed that this should be pursued.            ACTION CLERK

 

f.   Standards Board – New Code of Conduct

      The council at its last meeting had resolved to opt into clause 12(2) of the code, 

      concerning prejudicial interests and the right to speak. Latest information was that this   

      was only valid for councils that had Standing Orders regulating their procedures, 

      particularly relating to members of the public speaking at meetings [since 12(2) aimed to   

      give councillors with prejudicial interests similar rights at meetings to those enjoyed by 

      members of the public]. The Clerk informed the meeting that most parish councils had 

      standing orders governing their procedures. Cllr McKenzie proposed and Cllr Merson

      seconded that the Clerk should produce a draft set of standing orders for discussion at the

      next meeting.                                                                                        ACTION CLERK

 

 

6.             CLERK’S/COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS

 

a.         Police Liaison:  Nothing to report in Cllr Wilkinson’s absence. [ Cllrs all wished Richard Wilkinson a good and speedy recovery following his recent accident on the farm.]

b.         Joint Parish Council  The Clerk reported that the next meeting was on 13 December.

Cllrs McKenzie and Helliwell would be able to attend.  The matter of the Milby Waste site application would be an important item on the agenda.

c.         Commuted Sums – Yore Vision project The Clerk reported on progress regarding the

        proposed waymarked circular walk, taking in Langthorpe, Milby and Kirby Hill and 

        explained the funding situation.  The interpretation board for the walk would be sited in

        the picnic area by the river in Langthorpe and most of its circa £1700 funding had been 

        secured, some of it through Langthorpe’s commuted sums at HBC. The Clerk informed  

        Cllrs that KHPC still had around £300 in the Leisure/Amenity category of commuted

        sums, due to be spent by May 2008, and wondered if Cllrs might consider allocating this

        to the project.  Cllr Merson proposed and Cllr McKenzie seconded that the clerk should 

        pursue this with HBC and YoreVision.                                                ACTION CLERK

 

 

7.             ONGOING/OTHER MATTERS

               

a.        Village Design Statement/Parish Pan

(Talk scheduled for 7.00pm at start of mereting)

Jo Buffey’s talk on Parish Plans was taken between items 5b and 5c on the agenda since she arrived 15 minutes later than scheduled.  She outlined the difference between Parish Plans and Village Design Statements, the latter being more planning/development oriented but no longer being as readily endorsed by HBC as supplementary planning guidance as they once were.  Parish Plans cover a much wider range of community aspects and are generally not produced by the parish council but by a steering group from the community, normally however including at least one member of the parish council.  The impetus to start a plan will generally come from the parish council and finalised plans can  be of enormous value to the council.  Funding is available through various grants for the production of parish plans and parish councils themselves frequently contribute some funding.  The production of Parish Plans is being strongly supported by Central Government and to date there are completed  plans in 150 North Yorks parishes. 

 

Next steps, should KHPC wish to proceed, would involve the parish council in ‘setting the ball rolling’ by facilitating the formation of a steering group.  It was agreed that the best way to take this forward would be through the Annual Parish Meeting in April.

 

 

b.        Parking/speeding Leeming Lane Clerk reported than Ken Major of NYCC Highways

       was proposing to have the 30mph signs installed at the same time as moving the Church 

       Lane and Millings Lane signs farther east (see 7d)

c.        B6265 Layby Revised quote still awaited from Ken Major. Clerk had chased this and also forwarded a resident’s complaint to CCllr Watson who had emailed a reply to effect that  he would again pursue this with NYCC.

d.        Kirby Hill Church Lane 30mph sign -  Ken Major had informed clerk that he still 

awaited police approval for moving the 30mph sign farther east along Church Lane.

e.        Kirby Hill B6265/A168 roundabout  Clerk had received a request from new owners of 

Crown Inn, Roecliffe to sponsor this roundabout following mistaken information from

NYCC that responsibility for this was with KHPC.  Clerk had responded that the  

responsibility for this roundabout, and for arranging sponsorship, still lay with NYCC.

Cllr Merson, who remains opposed to sponsorship signs on this roundabout, wondered 

why the Parish Council had no power to prevent them and questioned the fact that 

sponsors did not need planning permission.  The Clerk explained that since the roundabout was not, by its express wish, the parish council’s responsibility then the parish council could not prevent sponsorship arrangements.The Clerk will seek further clarification on the planning aspects.                                                     ACTION CLERK

f.         Helperby Road speeding – Burton Cottages  Ken Major had contacted the clerk to say  

        he would arrange for a colleague to organise a site meeting with members of the parish 

        council.

g.       Thornton Bridge Village signs – see 5d and 5e above

h.       Milby NYCC Waste site - MILBY WASTE TRANSFER SITE APPLICATION

(Presentation scheduled for 7.30 and taken at 7.35 between agenda items 5b and 5c)

The presentation by Messrs Jarvis, Ogden and Griffin had been arranged only hours earlier at their request.  Until then the Parish Council had had no knowledge of this impending planning application. The issue of a possible waste site at Milby was a published agenda item because of the NYCC Minerals &Waste Strategy consultation and a letter dated 17 October from CCllr J Watson indicating that, following the summer round of consultations, the Milby site was still on the list of possible sites for waste transfer operations.  On the same day as the meeting  – 12 November – NYCC’s latest Minerals/Waste Report was being  published, confirming Cllr Watson’s information.

Mr Jarvis showed councillors the plans shortly to be submitted as a planning application to NYCC for a waste transfer/recycling site on land owned by Mr Ogden in Milby.  It was proposed that the site would handle 100,000 tonnes annually of industrial and commercial waste – not municipal waste.  Estimated traffic flows would be 67 movements in and out of the site daily.  Inward vehicles would be mostly 15 ton and outward would be larger articulated carriers.  Recycling of inert waste would take place on the site, under cover. This would mostly involve crushing of rubble etc. Non inert waste would be sorted into recycling categories before being removed from the site.  In effect, 100,000 tonnes of waste would pass through the site annually, meaning 100,000 tons inwards and 100,000 tonnes outwards.  At the eastern end of the site the rubble awaiting recycling/crushing would be stored in a mound. No clear indication of the height of such a mound was given.

 

The Clerk had that same day received information from the NYCC website about the results of the latest consultation, following which the Milby site was still listed as one of NYCC’s  preferred sites. This information, the latest update on NYCC’s Waste Strategy  ‘Site Allocations-Preferred Options’, suggested a maximum of 20,000 tonnes throughput per annum for this site.  When this was put to Mr Jarvis he merely said he was aware of this fact.

 

The Chairman thanked Mr Jarvis and colleagues for allowing the parish council to have advance notice and detailed information about the impending planning application and for the opportunity for councillors to ask questions and discuss the plans.

The Clerk informed the meeting that the Parish Council had until 24 December to comment on the NYCC Site Allocations document.  A special meeting would be called to discuss this along with the specific Ogden planning application when that was received.

The Joint Parish Councils would discuss their response at their meeting on 13 December.

 

 

 

8.         PLANNING

           

a.      Crown Estate Thornton Bridge 6.36.6.B.FUL 05/01597/FUL

      Refurb. & Extension to 1 dwellg & conv agric buildgs to form 3   

      dwellgs.  Erec grage block inc 2 dble garages 1 det dble garage 

      with new pack treatment plant & altered veh access  GRANTED

      incl 106 agreement for affordable dwellings

 

                  b.   Preston – Rosedene, Leeming Lane, Milby  6.57.60.A.FUL

      07/03679/FUL

      Erec of 2 storey side extension  GRANTED

 

c.  Coronation Hall – 6.57.36.C.FUL  07/04147/FUL

      Erec. of single storey extension  GRANTED

 

d.  Rigby  3 Market Hill Milby 6.57.46.B.FUL   07/04226/FUL

      Erec. of single storey side extension  GRANTED

 

e.   Barley  10 Market Hill Milby 6.57.52.A.FUL  07/04552/FUL

      Erec. of single storey rear extension  GRANTED

 

f.        Lister Farms  Grange Farm Milby 6.57.19.E.FULMAJ

      07/04493/FULMAJ

      Erec of detached agric. Building  Parish Council had no   

      Objections  Planning decision awaited

 

g.      Stonebridge Construction  Grantham Barn Milby

      6.57.30.C.FUL  07/04630/FUL

      REVISED scheme. Conv of barn to 2 flats  REFUSED

 

 

The meeting closed at 9.50pm

 

Next meeting  14 January 2008  7.00pm

 

 

Martin Rae

Clerk

13 November

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNED……………………………………………………….………DATE……………………