Minutes of Meeting held in The Rez Country Café on Thursday 18th. October 2012.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors T. Beastall, L. Bills, R. P. A. Lovell, C. Taylor & S. R. Weston.

District Councillor N. Hawkins.

Councillor W. Goldstraw (Horton Parish Council).

Two Members of the Public.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

66/12. Apologies for Absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

67/12. Declarations of Interest.

Councillors Sargeant and Taylor declared a personal interest in a planning application for a car hire business at The Outlook, Devils Lane, Longsdon which would be discussed later in the meeting.

68/12. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman reported that he had purchased the British Legion wreath for Remembrance Sunday. Councillor Bills reported that she would be attending the service.

69/12. Public Comments.

Councillors Sargeant and Taylor gave details of the form of business being carried out on the car hire business in Devils Lane. District Councillor Hawkins suggested that the site was in the green belt and the development was possibly inappropriate.

Councillor Goldstraw of Horton Parish Council addressed the meeting giving details of his Council’s proposals to change the name of Gratton Lane to Gratton Hall Lane due to a possible mix-up with Gratton Lane Endon. After some discussion it was agreed not to support this proposal and suggested that residents should be consulted on the matter.

A resident in Denford Road gave his objections to the siting of the memorial seat opposite his property. He suggested that people sitting on the seat would be able to look into his bedrooms which amounted to an invasion of his privacy. His comments were noted.

70/12. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting on 6th. September 2012 had been circulated and it was agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.

71/12. Matters Arising.

The Clerk reported that, after a query about insurance for the new memorial seat, the Council’s insurance company had been asked to include the new seat in the insurance policy. This had been confirmed at no extra cost for the current year but at an additional cost of £6 – 12 at the renewal date. This action was sanctioned. The Clerk also reported that he had laid the concrete foundations for the seat but after discussions with the Chairman, in the light of an objection from a neighbour, no further work had taken place. A discussion took place on the objection to the seat and it was agreed the seat could be sited a little further up the road and that Councillors visit the site to view the new position and report back their opinions to the Chairman or Clerk so that work to fix the seat could continue.

A further communication had been sent to the Enforcement Dept. of Staffs. Moorlands District Council regarding the unauthorised green roofing on the outbuildings at the old New Inn site. No reply had been received but further plans for the site had now been received and would be discussed later.

One name had been mentioned for the vacancy for a Councillor on the Council but nothing further had been received.

Letter had been sent to the Parochial Church Council of St. Chad’s Church suggesting that the invoice for the maintenance of the church clock should be forwarded directly to the Parish Council as at present, and also offering a grant of £450 – 00 be granted towards work on the clock, if the work was undertaken. A letter of thanks had been received which also agreed to the status quo with the invoice for maintenance work.

County Councillor Heath had asked, since the last meeting, for any projects for the Highways Team who would be visiting the area. After consultations with the Chairman a list of work had been forwarded.

It was reported that:

no reply had been received from Staffs. Moorlands D. C. regarding the trees in Sutherland Road.

letter had been sent to Moorlands & City Railways for information but no reply had been received.

letter had been sent about the overgrown hedge in Micklea Lane. This had now been cut back.

the complaint about the state of the footpath from Wood Road had been reported to Staffs. C. C.

72/12. Correspondence.

A letter had been received from the organiser of the village Rose Queen event explaining why the venue for the event had been changed in the light of his assumption that the matter had been discussed by the Parish Council. It was agreed that he be informed that his comments had been noted but that the Council had not discussed the matter.

A letter had been received from Mrs. Kent pointing out that she had replanted the village tub outside the Memorial Hall as usual. While it was agreed that this was a noble gesture it was felt that all the tubs in the village should be replanted by the Council’s contractor for uniformity. It was agreed that a letter be sent to her thanking her for all her valuable work in the past but informing her of the Council’s future replanting policy.

A document had been received from Endon Parish Council regarding its request for an extension to double white lines on the A53 on the Longsdon side of the Endon-Longsdon Parish boundary. It asked for all Councillors to agree and sign the document before representations were made to the Highway Authority. After discussing the history of the issue it was agreed not to support or sign the document.

A request had been received from Longsdon Village Hall Management Committee asking for financial assistance with the purchase of a scrubber / floor polisher for use in the hall at an approximate cost of £496 – 00 + V.A.T. It was agreed to purchase the item for the Memorial Hall.

Councillor Bills declared a personal interest in the matter and took no part in the discussion.

Information received under this item was:

notice of consultation on Staffs & Stoke on Trent Waste Core Strategy 2010 – 2016.

changes to Staffs. County Council’s Rights of Way Team. further information on Street Lighting – Energy Conservation Initiative. invitation to join the Best Kept Village Competition 2013 – no action.

Notice of Police & Crime Commissioner Election – posted on notice boards. The 2013 Volunteer Staffordshire Awards – posted on notice boards.

73/12. Planning Matters.

The following planning applications were considered and it was agreed to forward no objections subject to normal planning guidelines

12/00753/FUL Change of Use to Car Hire Business (Retrospective) at The Outlook, Devils Lane, Longsdon, Staffs. ST9 9QP.

Councillors Sargeant and Taylor having declared a personal interest in this matter took no part in the discussion.

12/00869/FUL Proposed Extension to Dwelling and New Vehicular Access at Hawthorne Cottage, Leek Road, Longsdon Staffs. ST9 9QF.

12/00980/FUL Erection of Single Storey Extension to Rear and Single Storey Extension to Side of Dwelling and Demolition of Double Garage and Stable Block at Green Hedges, Honeysuckle Lane, Longsdon, Staffs. ST9 9QN.

With regard to application No. 12/00920/FUL Proposed Detached Double Garage at Rosebank Cottage, Dunwood Lane, Longsdon, Staffs. ST9 9QW there were no objections, in principle, subject to normal planning guidelines. However, concern was expressed that the proposed roof and gable elevations show windows which could suggest the use of a first floor which is not detailed in the plans. There could be a stipulation to control the use of a later first floor.

Application No 12/00872/FUL Conversion and Extension of Former Public House and Erection of Two Dwellings at New Inn, Leek Road, Longsodn, Staffs. ST9 9QF was also considered. By a MAJORITY decision, it was agreed that there were no objections, subject to normal planning guidelines, to the conversion of the former public house which could provide affordable housing for the area. This is in line with the Council’s decision on a previous application for the site.

However, strong objections were expressed to the other part of the proposal which is to erect two dwellings on the site. Councillors felt that it was not reasonable to build houses to pay for the extensions to the public house. This is surely a commercial decision and cannot form part of the planning process. The erection of these dwellings would cause over development of the site and would set a precedent for future applications on adjacent land under the same ownership.

74/12. Finance Matters.

A quarterly statement of account was distributed to all Councillors.

75/12. Orders for Payment.

It was unanimously agreed that the following items be paid:-

76/12. Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

77/12. Any Other Business.

It was agreed that dates of future meetings of the Council would be published on the Council’s website. Thanks were expressed for all the donations given to the recent Harvest Festival.

78/12. Date of Next Meeting.

The next meeting of the Council will be held on Thursday 6th. December 2012 at The Rez Country Café in Sutherland Road, Longsdon at 7 - 30p.m.